Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Read the Book or Watch the Movie?

So which do you do?  Read a good book and then go see the movie or see a good movie and decide to read the book?

Over the years I have done both of these.  But just recently I did something I've never done before.  I stopped reading a book and watched the movie on Netflix.

I had been reading Palm Trees in the Snow.  It is a novel about what is now Equatorial Guinea.  But the story takes place in the 1950's when it was the Spanish colony of Fernando Po.

To be honest, I knew nothing about this colony.  History classes can only cover so much and I do not recall this ever being a topic.  While the history and story in the book was interesting, it just droned on.  Maybe it was because of the translation.  When I went online to read reviews, I saw that the movie existed.  Yippee!

I am a fairly fast reader, but after having read 20% of the book on my Kindle, it indicated it would take me more than eight hours to finish.  The movie was a little less than three hours.  Easy decision.

After viewing the movie, I had some questions and so I have returned to the book.  I will likely finish it.  And seeing the movie didn't spoil anything cause I was pretty sure where the book was headed.

And as for folks saying "the book is always better", I beg to differ.  Sometimes your time is more important.  Here is the trailer for the movie, which I enjoyed.

14 comments:

  1. Haven't heard of this book or movie. I tend to read the book first and then see the movie, but I think the last time I did that was Gone Girl. Tend to see fewer movies than books I read.

    betty

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    1. I could not finish Gone Girl and then I hated the movie. I have decided I have a real problem reading about what I consider 'crazy women'. I just throw those books to the curb and, lately, there are lots of them.

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  2. To answer your question, I usually read the book first, but watching a movie has previously prompted me to look for the book it was based on. Though I should add that my preference in books and movies don't usually coincide. For movies, I have the taste of a pre-teen boy: high action movies that we in South Africa call "skop, skiet and donner" with very little plot, whereas my reading list is much more eclectic.

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    1. And I enjoy the Marvel movies based on comics, but never enjoyed the comic books themselves. I really enjoy mystery and suspense, both in reading and watching.

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  3. I seldom watch movies, but I read quite a bit, so books usually come first. After reading the breakout hit, The Girl on the Train, a tedious and predictable psychological thriller, I went to see the film, certain I must be missing something. Nope. The film was even worse.

    VR Barkowski

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    1. That book is another one I couldn't finish. The drinking turned me off right out of the gate.

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  4. I am not a movie person. It is rare that I will read a book and see a movie. I read The Help last year and just saw the movie on TV the other night. I liked the book better. I usually like the books better!

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    1. That was another book I didn't like and didn't finish, so never saw the movie. I love movies and have often read the book after viewing one.

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  5. I tend to read the book first. I rarely find that the movie is better. One movie I did see is Life of Pi, and I'm almost afraid to read the book now, because the movie was so fantastic. I'm afraid I will be disappointed. On the other hand, it's not a movie, but I think Amazon did a great job with The Man in the High Castle (TV series). They changed thing, but I think it was for the better.

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    1. I read The Girl w the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and liked how the Swedish movies just left out extraneous stuff that wasn't needed. I have yet to see The Life of Pi.

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  6. I almost always see the movie first because most of the time one is usually disappointed in the movie version which I think is U fair to the film. Often the film makers can't put in all that is in the book because the movie would be too long. I have not even heard of this one so I have to read up on it now:)

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    1. I am reading A Man called Ove, which is hilarious. Watching the movie when I am done. I am curious as to how they handle all the stuff he thinks and doesn't say.

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  7. I do both, but more often I read the book first.

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    1. Usually I hear about the movie before I ever hear about the book.

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