There’s a certain magic in experiencing a story played out on the screen that you’ve already read on the page.

Reading a book before the film adaptation hits the theatres is a privilege that everyone should experience – it allows you a unique point of view of both the characters and plot and gives you the luxury of using your imagination without outside influences.

With a whole treasure trove of book adaptations slated for release this autumn, we pick the ones you should be racing to read.

IT by Stephen King

Release Date: September 8

A terrifying being, a small town living in fear and a group of preteen misfits – IT has all the elements of a great horror story and Andy Muschietti’s film adaptation certainly won’t disappoint.

In the book, the name IT is given to this evil thing because it has the ability to manifest in various forms – adopting the guise of whatever its victim’s biggest fear is – but the film chooses to focus on IT’s incarnation as Pennywise the clown (after all, what could possibly be scarier than that?) instead exploring the much deeper issues of childhood trauma. Set to be released in two instalments, the film stars Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard and Bill Skarsgård in the title role.

£7.69, Amazon, Buy it now

The Snowman by Jo Nesbø

Release Date: October 13

After several women go missing in Norway, the police open a murder investigation that they hope will catch the country’s first serial killer. DCI Harry Hole uses his FBI training to discover a common thread linking all the cases – every victim was a mother and each had a snowman left next to their body. As Hole and fellow investigator Katrine Bratt move deeper into the case, their personal feelings become entangled with their professional duties, embroiling them in a vicious circle of suspicion and lies.

Directed by Tomas Alfredson - the man behind Let the Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - the backdrop of a harsh Norwegian winter and a cracking score by Johnny Greenwood add to the ominousness of this distinctly creepy film. Charismatic and handsome but with a bit of a hard edge, Michael Fassbender is perfect in the role of Harry and supported by a pedigree cast including Rebecca Ferguson, JK Simmons and Toby Jones.

£5.59, Amazon, Buy it now

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

Release Date: October 6

With Idris Elba and Kate Winslet taking on the lead roles, this film is set to be a surefire hit.

Ashley and Ben’s flights from Salt Lake City airport are cancelled and, anxious to get home, (Ashley for her impending wedding and Ben for the slew of surgeries he has to perform the next day) they decide to charter a plane. When the pilot has a heart attack mid-flight and crashes the plane, the two strangers find themselves stranded on a snowy mountain, fighting to survive.

The pragmatic charm of both Elba and Winslet makes for great on-screen chemistry in this epic tale of endurance and although it’s not based on a true story, the dilemmas and struggles they face feel absolutely real. Set in the Uinta Mountains, expect to experience breath-taking cinematography.

£7.44, Amazon, Buy it now

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Release Date: November 3

Murder mystery legend Agatha Christie’s classic Poirot whodunit is making its way to the silver screen this autumn for the first time in over 40 years. The cast list reads like a Hollywood roll call and includes Kenneth Branagh (who also directed), Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley and Michelle Pfeiffer amongst others. If Thor, Cinderella and Dunkirk are anything to go by, we can expect Branagh’s latest directorial offering to be a visual feast.

£5.38, Amazon, Buy it now

Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel

Release Date: November 17

Miles Teller takes on the role of Adam Schumann – an Iraqi veteran who struggles to return to normal civilian life after returning home from war in Jason Hall’s adaptation of this eye opening true story. Although the film is a must- see, to do so without having first experienced David Finkel’s Pulitzer Prize – winning writing would be a travesty. Attached to the 2 -16 Infantry Battalion, Finkel spent much of the war in Iraq reporting from the front lines which inspired his first book, For the Good Soldiers, in which he recounted the brutal reality of war. In this, his second account, he shares the harrowing story of what it was really like for these men to return to their normal lives whilst battling PTSD and the constant memories of a war that threatened never to leave them.

£9.99, Amazon, Buy it now

Wonder by R J Palacio

Release Date: December 1

After seeing a little girl with facial defects and worrying about how her son would react, Palacio was inspired to write a novel on the subject. The protagonist of Wonder, August, suffers from a rare facial deformity that has resulted in his being home-schooled for most of his life. Aged 10, his parents finally decide to enrol him in middle school where he desperately longs to fit in with everyone else.

The fact that Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay (the incredible boy actor from Room) are playing the lead rolls is bound to be a big pull for moviegoers and the screenwriting and directing of Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower author) will bring the sensitivity that this delicate subject requires.

Written for children, the New York Times bestselling novel provides explores more deeply the world from August’s point of view, so is definitely worth a read.

£3.99, Amazon, Buy it now

ESBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.

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