I'd rather read the book.

Sometimes I need to see the movie first to help get me excited/motivated for the book, like when I'm going to read something that I know is really dry. Otherwise if I'm with friends I'll watch the movie, but on my own I'd rather read the book.

It's probably because I can add in my own imagination when I read. Sometimes I get annoyed with movies because the characters don't look anything like how I imagined they would, or something like that. I'm a little more involved that way when I read.

Usually I like the books better, they are more in depth, but I really like to see it on the big screen. What about you kb?

What are some good ones?

I like both books and movies. I know some books that are better than the movies and there are some movies that are better than the books. People who love to read are often dissapointed when they see books on film because the director of the film create a movie based on what he thinks the story ought be. When you read, you’re creating your own movie in a sense, the characters, what they look like, how they speak, etc. This process of imagining the movie is distinctly different from viewing a film.

I first read Harry Potter, and completely picked apart the movie. If I read the book, the movie usually doesn't have the details I remember.

There is another movie coming out November 21 (Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyer)) that was sparked by a book. I've seen A LOT of previews (trailers, making of, etc.) and there are minor details that I'm already picking apart.

Most books-to-movies I've never read, so I really can't say about those. So I'd say unless I'm really into the book, I'd rather just watch the movie.

Hey! A new poster! Welcome to ehealth Callah!
Anyway, back to the topic.. I can’t recall ever reading a book/ seeing the movie, that the movie was better. Everybody thought that ‘Dangerous minds’ was a good movie and I thought it was a bit of a slap in the face to the teacher whom the movie was about. Same with all the Stephen King movies.
The best example was ‘It’. In the end of the book all the characters had to face their own fears, and in the movie they changed it to a spider the characters had to fight. Lame.

I usually like books better. I thought The Shawshank Redemption and the Green mile were both outstanding examples of a good job done. I would love to see Stephen King's "The Talisman" and The Laurell K Hamilton series turned into movies. Especially Laurell K Hamilton. Her books are hot!

I love watching the movie versions but i find that the books are far more detailed and much better...i watched lord of the rings and i must say, the director did a GREAT job.however, i still found the book to be better still...as i said,the book is more detailed..sometimes you just cant fit all those small details into the movie

Personally, I hate Stephen King's writing. If a movie based on a King novel is bad, I feel I can rest assured the novel is even worse. Blah.

If the movie is based on a book I would likely read, I'd rather read the book. I like the detail and the connection you make with the characters when you read the book. I tend to through myself headlong into a story and become really attached the characters. The book Middlesex had me all up in a tizzy for months after I finished the book!!!

But, like John Grisham novels...I'll never read, so I'd just watch the movie with the fiancé.

john grisham and nicholas sparks ...i dont have much time to read anything other than my school books for now but they are both great authors and i'll settle for the movies since for now i dont have the time to read

I like reading a book and then watching the movie, almost like putting faces to peoples names.

Hmm, Harry potter would be a good one, the LOTR, Star wars etc

Books always go indepth, in movies I sometimes find they cut some of the good scenes or scenes that have some relevance or humour in them.

What about classics like the Godfather or Gone with the Wind, or films like Apocalypse Now, The Shining, and No Country for Old Men? What about films made from 19th C novels by Jane Austen or Henry James? I think those are all films that are either as good as or better than the book or that I am more likely to enjoy.

What about Shakespeare? (Not novels, but you're more likely to read them than see them on stage in most cases.)

I am looking forward to seeing The Road made into a film, that will be interesting. I think Cormac Mc Carthy's books lend themselves to film adaptations because the conflict is largely externalised but I love his books simply for the vocabulary if nothing else.

I agree that reading the book and seeing the movie is the best as long as both are decent.