Entertainment TV 9 Emmy-Nominated TV Shows that Were Books First They always say before you watch the show, you should read the book. But even if you've already binged these Emmy-nominated series, it's not too late to read the words that inspired them By Diana Pearl Diana Pearl Diana Pearl is a former writer and reporter at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 15, 2017 10:30AM EDT Close 01 of 09 BIG LITTLE LIES HBO The Reese Witherspoon-led limited series about of a group of mothers dealing with a murder in the otherwise picture-perfect Monterey, California, got 10 total nominations, including outstanding limited series and nods for stars Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgård. The show is based on a book by author Liane Moriarty, though there are some differences: the book is set in Moriarty's native Australia, and the series tweaked a few of the leading ladies' story lines. Buy It! Big Little Lies, $16; amazon.com 02 of 09 THE HANDMAID'S TALE Hulu Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic dystopic novel stars Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Joseph Fiennes and Alexis Bledel. The haunting story of Gilead is made all the more real on-screen, and the series got a well-deserved 11 nominations (and already three wins at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys). Buy It! The Handmaid's Tale, $15.95; amazon.com 03 of 09 GAME OF THRONES Helen Sloan/HBO A perpetual Emmys (and let's face it, universal) favorite, Game of Thrones is based on author George R.R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire — though the 2016 outstanding drama series winner has outpaced its source material in terms of plot. The books also contain far more characters than the already well-populated on-screen world of Westeros does. Buy It! Game of Thrones book series, $49.95; amazon.com 04 of 09 SHERLOCK Robert Viglasky The Benedict Cumberbatch- and Martin Freeman-led British hit is based on one of the country's most beloved books: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series. Of course, as the show is set in modern times, it has a few differences from Doyle's works, though the episodes still retain similarities to the original stories. Buy It! The Complete Sherlock Holmes, $13.99; amazon.com 05 of 09 ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK Netflix Based on Piper Kerman's memoir of her time in prison, Orange Is the New Black (which has been nominated for both outstanding comedy series and outstanding drama series) centers on several characters who are based on real people Kerman — whose TV alter ego is named Piper Chapman — knew in prison. Buy It! Orange Is the New Black, $16; amazon.com 06 of 09 HOUSE OF CARDS Netflix The Netflix political drama isn't just based on a novel, it's also based on another series. The original story came from British author Michael Dobbs in 1989; the book was adapted into a mini-series for the BBC, set in the political world of Westminster, in 1990. The show was such a smash success (with 14 BAFTA nominations) that Netflix revamped it to focus on American politics in 2013. House of Cards has been nominated for outstanding drama series at the Emmys every year since it premiered. Buy It! House of Cards, $15.99; amazon.com 07 of 09 SEX AND THE CITY Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Author Candace Bushnell is the real-life Carrie Bradshaw: She wrote a column called "Sex and the City" in the New York Observer (sound familiar?) before several of the columns were published in a book (also familiar!) in 1997. One year later, mega-hit Sex and the City premiered on HBO, with a lead character named Carrie Bradshaw — whose initials were a perfect match to Bushnell's. Buy It! Sex and the City, $14.99; amazon.com 08 of 09 BOARDWALK EMPIRE Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Differing from the bulk of the other texts on this list, the source material for Boardwalk Empire is not a novel, but rather a work of non-fiction. It's called Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, written by Nelson Johnson. The book examines the ups and downs Atlantic City in the early 20th century — including Prohibition — just as Boardwalk Empire took a dramatized view of it. Buy It! Boardwalk Empire, $16.95; amazon.com 09 of 09 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Virginia Sherwood/NBC-TV/Kob/REX/Shutterstock Another non-fiction to add to the list! Written by Buzz Bissinger, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream tells the story of Odessa, a small Texas town with the best football team in the state's history. The team name? The Panthers, just like in the Kyle Chandler- and Connie Britton-led television adaptation. Buy It! Friday Night Lights, $15.99; amazon.com