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S ummer is the perfect time to step away from the telly and reconnect with the power of the printed – or digital – page. Books can offer our screen-frazzled brains a respite, a deeper dive into the hot themes of the moment. But what book to choose? From a Slow Horses-style tale of an unlikely agent, to a simmering dynastic feud to substitute for Succession, here’s our guide to the best literary alternatives to the most bingeable shows.

Slow Horses ( Apple TV+) / East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman On the face of it, the protagonist of Rahman’s spy series, 30-year-old Javid (Jay) Qasim has little in common with the dysfunctional pen-pushers of Slough House – who first appeared in Mick Herron’s book series before being adapted to TV. A BMW-driving dope dealer who still lives with his mum, Jay is flashier but every bit as flawed as the reject spies. When he gets on the wrong side of a local drug baron, MI5 approaches him with a way out – going undercover to infiltrate a potential terrorist cell.



Douglas Is Cancelled (ITV)/ So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson Steven Moffat’s satire revels in the absurdity of cancel culture. Jon Ronson’s exploration of the casual cruelty of social media offers an equally entertaining but deeper dive into the topic. Ronson tracks down individuals whose lives were destroyed when the digital mob turned on them, and poses some tough questions.

Emily in Paris (Netflix)/ The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy Sally Jay Gorce, Elaine.

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