From trending K-dramas like Business Proposal to the dramatic and shocking Anatomy of a Scandal, top streaming platform Netflix ensures our weekends are never dull.  

Amassing 222 million subscribers internationally, their programmes are most likely to be everyone's go-to when in need of a good cine fix. Across the globe, the language of its shows has become the universal speech across viral trends and topics on social media. 

@helenpenggg @charlize #businessproposal ♬ you got this fighting gurl - baul's mom

@katiezkatiee when your boss agreed that your duty will be upto 11pm only. so you set an alarm and make sure she'll hear it 😆#kimheesun #yoonjion #김희선 #윤지온 #tomorrow #내일 #mbcdrama #webtoon #netflixkorea #kdrama #fyp #fypシ ♬ Trip Lang - Shehyee

@mahekmaharaj WATCH IT RN #bridgerton #bridgertonseason2 #indian #desi #SmellLikeIrishSpring #bridgertonnetflix #netflix #brown #southasian #representation #foryoupage #foryou ♬ Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - Kris Bowers

Yet, if you crave more even after a satisfying bingeing session, here are 10 book recommendations we have for your favourite Netflix series and films!

If you enjoyed the thrilling and apocalyptic K-drama Happiness, read...

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Starring Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo-joo, the 2021 drama revolves around a diverse range of characters living in an apartment building, who forged their own hierarchy in the midst of a zombie outbreak. Depicting the ugly side of human greed and the lengths one would go to survive, Happiness threads the line between action-packed thriller and hard-hitting social commentary.

Similarly, Nick Cutter's The Troop forces its main characters, a group of young boy scouts, into extremity as they fight to fend for themselves against an unstoppable bioengineered entity. Plucking its premise from Lord of The Flies and injecting modernity, as well as its own contemplation of human nature, The Troop is a must-read for any reader who craves adrenaline, yet not at the expense of well-written characters. 

If you enjoyed the heart-fluttering and playful Business Proposal, read...

Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

It's no doubt that Business Proposal stole hearts and captured everyone's attention since its first episode. Packed with cheeky jokes, formidable chemistry, and steamy scenes, the webtoon-turned-K-drama was rightfully named No. 1 among the Monday-Tuesday dramas, during the time it aired. 

On the other hand, Take A Hint, Dani Brown gives Business Proposal a run for its money, with a fake-dating trope and a grumpy-guy-sunshine-girl dynamic to match. Though the novel is the second instalment in the Brown sisters' trilogy, it holds its own even when read as a standalone. In every way, Talia Hibbert's delectable book is perfect for those still reeling from the sweetness of Business Proposal, and want more. 

If you enjoyed the push-and-pull period programme Bridgerton, read...

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

After returning for a successful second run this year, the Emmy-winning series delves into the love-hate relationship of last season's frontrunner Daphne Bridgerton's brother, Anthony, and his counterpart, Kate Sharma. Embroiled in courting complications, the hard-headed couple find themselves falling for the other despite an unfavourable beginning. 

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has been long hailed as the pride (no pun intended) and joy of the enemies-to-lovers trope, continually making its mark in all generations as an irrefutable classic. As opposed to contemporary, modern-day romance books, the novel will have fans appreciating the timelessness that comes with the genre.

If you enjoyed the twists and turns of Anatomy of a Scandal, read...

Geography of an Adultery by Agnès Riva

Based on Sarah Vaughn's novel of the same name, Anatomy of a Scandal is a British television mini-series that narrates the story of a politician's fall from grace after he gets entangled in a scandal that threatens to unravel his perfect life. The anthology series currently sits as Netflix's No. 1 show spot, crowned as the most popular limited series since its recent release. 

One would agree that 6 episodes of illicit affairs and unearthing secrets is truly not quite enough for the regular drama fan therefore, we recommend Geography of an Adultery as a book to check out after finishing the British programme. Diving further into scandalous flirtations, the Agnès Riva novel takes the perspective of the knowing mistress and husband. Deconstructing a forbidden relationship with the exploration of the environment these rendezvous happen, this one's a perfect read for those looking for more psychological dissection than psychological thriller. 

If you enjoyed the fantasy-filled Tomorrow, read...

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

In the Netflix K-drama Tomorrow, the supernatural and the natural world converge in a dramatic yet comedic blend. Writing its own narrative on the afterlife and practices of Grim Reapers, the fantastical world is explored through the lens of the (accidental) half-human, half-spirit protagonist, played by SF9's Rowoon. Though presenting a humourous front at first, the show isn't shy to touch on serious themes as the characters employ various tactics to prevent suicides. 

It isn't every day that you find a job at a quiet bookstore that holds the key to the schemes of a secret society. Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore checks all the boxes from a zero-to-hero character arc to an immense world-building that reveals what is right beneath the noses of those living in the natural plane. At times, the novel similarly slips into lightly philosophical themes, paralleling Tomorrow to the tee. 

If you enjoyed the melodramatic, nostalgic Twenty-Five Twenty-One, read...

We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding

Twenty-Five Twenty-One, starring Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-Hyuk, and WJSN's Bona, had all eyes on it during its airing, every weekend. Channeling the retro era and displaying all sides of quintessential childhood friendships and relationships, the drama took a melodramatic turn as the characters found adulthood and reality catching up to them and their youthful escapades. 

In the same way, Amy Spalding's We Used To Be Friends employs past and present time jumps as well as dual perspectives while it narrates the falling out between high school best friends, James and Kat. The YA novel effortlessly depicts the golden moments and friendship feuds of high school in a both heartbreaking and bittersweet manner. 

If you enjoyed the satire-driven, socially-advocative Don't Look Up, read...

One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun 

Perhaps, the most widely debated movie on the list is Don't Look Up. Having raised expectations sky-high with its killer cast of Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, and more, critics and the public were thoroughly divided on their opinions of the film. With some commenting that the environmentally-conscious message was too exaggerated and others, that it struck a perfect balance between comedy and reality, Don't Look Up nonetheless still walked home with this year's Writer's Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay. 

Though One Hundred Shadows admittedly does not carry the same nervy humour as Don't Look Up, it is arguable that the bleakness that blankets the entire novel, that which is also treated with absurd mundaneness, falls in line incredibly with the 2021 film. Based on the real life 2009 Yongsan apartment building case, Hwang Jungeun employs surrealist elements to carry across the ruination that humans endure at the hands of the elite. Just like Don't Look Up, the contemporary Korean book will have you in pensive silence at its completion. 

If you enjoyed the wholesome rural romance of Our Blues, read...

Modern Love: Revised and Updated: True Stories Of Love, Loss, and Redemption by Daniel Jones

Filled to the brim with star-studded casts, featuring the likes of Kim Woo-bin, Shin Min-a, Han Ji-min, Lee Byung-hun, and more, Our Blues is the perfect show to watch after a long day to relax and unwind. Based in a small town in Jeju, the omnibus drama transports viewers to seaside air, bringing uplifting, good vibes after every episode. 

Chances are, if you're into the organic romances that bloom in Our Blues, you'd very much be into reading Modern Love: Revised and Updated: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption. The famous New York Times column is described to "explore the complicated love lives of real people". With a touch of realism and a dose of flawed but precious humanity, this series of essays are for the true romantics at heart. 

If you enjoyed the digital love crimes explored in The Tinder Swindler, read...

In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age by Nev Schulman

Record-breaking The Tinder Swindler has got to be mentioned when talking about Netflix shows. Marking the first time a documentary has claimed the top spot on the streaming platform's list of popular shows worldwide, the feat is undoubtedly apt for the just-shy-of-2-hours film. Ambitiously exploring the victims and case of a love scammer of incredible proportions, it hooks audiences in to the detriments of modern-day online dating and the experience of being emotionally and financially duped. 

As a follow-up read, we'd recommend Nev Schulman's In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age. If the name Nev rings a bell, you're probably familiar with the hit MTV reality-based television programme, Catfish: The TV Show, that was created in 2012.

In the same vein as The Tinder Swindler, the non-fiction book takes on its own inquiry into online relationships and the complexities of an online persona. And of expertise, who else better than a producer who has dedicated over 10 years of his life to navigating the digital dating scene to learn more from? 

If you enjoyed the trippy horror of Choose or Die, read...

Scanlines by Todd Hiesling

Following in the steps of other digital horror media like The Ring and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Choose or Die follows a student (Iola Davis) who's strapped for cash and decides to take on a lost '80s horror game for its prize money. However, what ensues is more deadly than what she previously signed up for. 

Todd Kiesling's Scanlines was first published in 2020 but evokes the same old-school nostalgia as the thrilling Netflix series. Set in an almost-cliché premise of young, obnoxious boys on a dull Friday night looking for some excitement, the characters uncover a VHS tape that is said to haunt its watchers to suicide, based on an urban legend. This one is guaranteed to make you check that dark corner in your home twice before you sleep.