“If You Like…” is a new weekly feature highlighting blogger recommendations for books, authors, TV shows, movies, and more based on the things you already know and love. This week includes suggestions based on the television show Friday Night Lights, a drama in its fifth and final season that chronicles a football team in an impoverished Texas community.

If you like FNL, you might like….

Books/Authors

• Sarah Dessen: Anything by Sarah Dessen, but specifically Along for the Ride. Not just because Sarah is a FNL fanatic, either. Because Sarah’s novels are so character driven, I think that they provide the same type of experience as the show. You go on a journey with the characters, rooting for them. Along for the Ride reminds me of FNL most specifically just because of Auden’s introspection and her relationship with Eli. — Ashley (Book Labyrinth)

• Friday Night Lights: If you like the TV Series, you would also like Friday Night Lights, the movie and Friday Night Lights, the book. It’s a true story of the Permian Panthers in Odessa, Texas.  The author lived there for the 1988 – 1989 season.  This book is what made high school football (and especially in Texas) very controversial. — Annette (The More You Read, The More You Will Know)

• Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp: A fictional book about football. — Annette (The More You Read, The More You Will Know) and Ginger (G Reads)

• Raider’s Night by Robert Lipsyte: Another  fictional book about football. — Annette (The More You Read, The More You Will Know)

• Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska by Michael D’Orso: A true story about a high school basketball team in Alaska. — Annette (The More You Read, The More You Will Know)

• Payback Time by Carl Deuker. — Ginger (G Reads)

• Crackback by John Coy. — Ginger (G Reads)

Movies

• Post-Grad: While I’ve heard that this movie disappointed a lot of people, I actually found it to be charming and sweet, perhaps because I identified with Alexis Bledel’s character at the time. But most of all, if you like FNL as much as I do, you want to see the show’s stars in other things. Catch this film to see Zach Gilford in a Matt Saracen-esque type of role. — Ashley (Book Labyrinth)

• Varsity Blues and The Rookie: If you’re a fan of the TV show Friday Night Lights, then I have some suggestions worth checking out!  Being a girl from Texas I know ALL about Texas high school football.  It’s definitely a world of it’s own.  If you’re a fan of the TV show, then I suggest taking a sneak peak at the following movies too: Varsity Blues and The Rookie.  Both are set in west Texas and deal with a small town centered around their prize possession sport. — Ginger (G Reads)

• Remember the Titans: It’s a movie about a football team. My son used to watch this one over and over! — Annette (The More You Read, The More You Will Know)

TV Shows

• Everwood: Everwood has a similar tone to FNL; they share a certain quietness that has both depth and humor. They’re also both shows that have a specific setting that is an important backdrop to the show. — Ashley (Book Labyrinth)

• Heartland: I’m having a hard time putting my finger on what the comparison is here, but I think it might have something to do with Heartland’s abundance of cowboys reminding me of FNL’s Texan setting. Beyond that, they both feature romantic and family drama, and interesting characters who you grow to love. — Ashley (Book Labyrinth)

• Gilmore Girls: I see a little bit of Lorelai’s zany yet wise maternal instincts in Tami Taylor. Gilmore Girls is more humorous, but FNL has that same heart that Gilmore Girls had. — Ashley (Book Labyrinth)

• Heroes: For me, Friday Night Lights is a tight community that has some intense situations and drama. We learn to really love some of the characters (and not like others) – so I thought of books and television shows that got me really invested in the characters. Heroes season 1 is a supernatural twist on a normal television series, but is very high drama. — Shanyn (Chick Loves Lit)

Music

• Explosions in the Sky: This band performs the FNL theme song (though they didn’t write it), and a lot of their work has been included in both the TV show and the original movie. Beautiful instrumentals that make for lovely background music when working or reading. You can stream the music here. (Start with “First Breath After Coma” and “Your Hand in Mine.”) Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose! — Anna (Anna Reads)

• Varsity Blues Soundtrack: The soundtrack for Varsity Blues is worth listening to as well.  Definitely check out “My Hero” by Foo Fighters.  If that doesn’t get you pumped up, I don’t know what will! — Ginger (G Reads)

Do you watch Friday Night Lights? If so, do you have any of your own recommendations to share?

Tags: lists
Filed under: If You Like