Mud season's a strange time in the valley; it's not quite winter but it's not quite spring, and locals suddenly have a bit more time on their hands. For many, it's an opportunity to sit back, grab the remote, and catch up on all the TV you missed during the season – called "binging" in today's pop culture circles – but, wait, not so fast! We're all about a little mud season r and r, but before you pick up the remote, pick up some must-reads on shelves now at the Bookworm of Edwards' for a chance to catch up on the inspiration for some of today's hits on the tube.

The Outsiders

By S.E. Hinton

S.E. Hinton was just 15 years old when she began work on "The Outsiders," which went on to be adapted for television, theater, and film over the years since its first publication in 1967. This year marks the 50th that of Hinton's coming-of-age tale of the grappling between rival house school gangs, and all that unfolds in the conflict has been on stands, there's and no better time to pick up the classic novel to add it to your literary checklist.

The Handmaid's Tale

By Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a not-so-far in the future New England in the midst of a totalitarian takeover has remained atop book-lovers' lists since its first publication in 1985. While "The Handmaid's Tale" has been made into a movie and an opera, it's recently had a resurgence in popularity due to the Hulu television series of the same name starring Elizabeth Moss, of "Madmen" fame.

American Gods

By Neil Gaiman

Along with being a beloved staff pick at the Bookworm, Gaiman's 2001 book has been adapted for a Starz series of the same name, which debuted this year. A must for an fantasy fan, Gaiman's world of mythical creatures and legends is well-researched, and often builds off of legends and myths from various cultures.

The Zookeeper's Wife

By Diane Ackerman

The true story of Antonina Żabińska and her husband, the director of the Warsaw Zoo, is a moving one, as it tells the tale of how the two saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish prisoners in the Warsaw Ghetto after the German invasion of Poland. Along with being a page-turning read, it was adapted for a movie of the same name, which was released in March of this year.

Murder on the Orient Express

By Agatha Christie

You've got some time before Christie's classic who-done-it comes to the big screen (starring Johnny Depp) in November, but there's no reason to wait, as the novel has already had multiple adaptations into film, radio, television series, and a computer game. Loosely based on the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, Christie's timeless tale of internationally-famed detective Hercule Poirot will have you guessing along throughout the page-turner.