Welcome to my regular Thursday feature, Turning off the TV! In this feature I recommend books similar to TV shows or films you may have enjoyed, both series and specific episodes.
The TV series this week is: BBC’s Robin Hood.
After 5 years of fighting in the crusades, Robin returns to England and leads a band of outlaws to outwit the Sheriff of Nottingham.
I’ve not watched this one properly (my sister loved it when it came out and she has the DVDs), but I’m planning to! It’s part of my very long Netflix queue… The actor who plays the Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen, father of Lily and Alfie Allen) lives nearby, and literally everyone in my family has met him… except for me. My dad has even played golf with him!
Hodd by Adam Thorpe
Hodd by Adam Thorpe is a dark version of the more traditional tale of Robin Hood, and is written by a monk who was part of Hodd’s band as a young boy. Don’t go into this one expecting anything like the legend, and especially any similarities to the Disney version…
Scarlet & Lady Thief (Scarlet #1 & #2) by A.C. Gaughen
The Scarlet series by A.C. Gaughen is a retelling with a twist. The story focuses not on Robin Hood himself, but around a young woman called Scarlet, who is part of Hood’s band. Disguised as a boy, she helps the people of Nottingham and protects them from the evil Sheriff – but it’s not only her real identity that she’s hiding. I requested the second book from Netgalley last month, but was rejected as it was US only, boo hoo! Although looking at my ratio, that’s most likely a good thing…
The Forest Wife Trilogy by Theresa Tomlinson
A brilliant retelling of the classic story from Marian’s point of view, The Forest Wife Trilogy by Theresa Tomlinson is an action-packed novel that portrays Marian as more than just a damsel in distress. I read this one when I was about 14 and really loved it.
Rinn Reads 
What about Ivanhoe? =)
Scarlett looks pretty cool from the reviews I have seen. Though it is what, the two hundredth book with that title to be released?
Ivanhoe certainly sounds fantastic, a great recommendation there! The Penguin Classics cover looks gorgeous, as always.
Haha, I know! When I tagged it as Scarlet I realised anyone clicking the tag will also pull up posts about the second book of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, which has the same title. If you put ‘Scarlet’ into Goodreads, this is the seventh title so I guess it’s not *too* bad – but it’s beaten by the Scarlet Letter (the most boring book I have ever read) and Sherlock Holmes, as well as the aforementioned Lunar Chronicles book 😉
I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of Robin Hood, but I’ve been meaning to marathon the show for quite some time. I love the story of Robin Hood, especially the Disney version, so I’m definitely going to have to check out these reads! I keep having Scarlet pushed upon me, so that’s a must have for this year!
I want to marathon it too – right after I’ve marathoned everything else, haha =( My ‘to watch’ list is getting as bad as my ‘to read’ list…
Scarlet sounds really great! I hadn’t actually heard of it until I looked up some books for this feature, and then I realised I’d requested the second book on Netgalley 😉 Probably a good thing I didn’t get it, as it’s book two!
Haha, my To Watch list is insane as well. TV is a terrible addiction. I’m not even caught up with the shows airing at the moment, let alone finished ones. Which ones are top of your list? 😀
Oh gosh well… I’ve STARTED but not finished/caught up with: Adventure Time, New Girl, Sherlock (seen series one and three but not two!), Suburgatory (not sure if I’ll bother), 2 Broke Girls (not sure about that either), Supernatural, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, The Wrong Mans, Fringe, Gossip Girl, The Borgias, The IT Crowd (sort of re-watch, not sure which ones I’ve actually seen), The Office UK & US (we only have up to series seven on UK Netflix) and Torchwood. So… yeah.
And I’m watching Community and Parks and Recreation as they air. And Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and True Blood when they start again! I keep a record of all these cos I’m a bit sad like that: http://www.episodecalendar.com/profile/36539