What is everyone reading at the moment?

For me, it's definitely read the book first, Wolverine.  I really don't want Hollywood telling me what the characters or setting should look like.  Also, the book almost always goes deeper into a story.  If I really enjoy a character in a book then I become that character.  However, with the movie, I always know I'm just watching and never quite get that same feeling of involvement.  A perfect example of these thoughts is the Harry Potter series.  I read all of the books before I saw each of the movies.  I loved the books and became completely involved in the story.  I hated when each book came to an end and I had to wait for the next one.  As for the movies, the best I can say is I enjoyed them but never got as completely involved in them as I did their written counterparts.

The closest I have ever seen a movie be about as good as the book is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I have yet to see a movie that is better than the book.

I'm with Freddy on this. I had read The Martian when Andy Weir first self published it on Amazon. Loved the book. Having read it fleshed out the movie for me. And while my wife enjoyed Matt Damon's portrayal of the astronaut, ad kept having to pause the movie so I could fill in the gaps she noticed. So yeah, book first for me.


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Eric that's what had just happened to me last weekend which had got me thinking about it and led to my post. After re-reading my post I don't think I explained myself very well. I to prefer reading the book and am almost always disappointed in the movie if I have read the book first. The most I seem to hope for is "it followed the book pretty well". Like Freddy said, I like letting the author and my imagination create the look of the character, setting, etc. Just seems to me seeing the movie first does not seem to destroy my enjoyment of the book as much as the other way around.

I'm with Freddy on this. I had read The Martian when Andy Weir first self published it on Amazon. Loved the book. Having read it fleshed out the movie for me. And while my wife enjoyed Matt Damon's portrayal of the astronaut, ad kept having to pause the movie so I could fill in the gaps she noticed. So yeah, book first for me.


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Eric, I loved the book, The Martian but missed the movie, though I wanted to see it.  In fact, I still do.  However, Matt Damon simply wasn't who I imagined in the key role.  This is not at all to put Matt Damon down but he wasn't the image the book and my imagination had created for me.

Then, there are books I loved that movies or television productions absolutely destroyed.  One that comes to mind is The Physician by Noah Gordon.  I was enthralled by the book and when I saw there was a movie of it on either Netflix or Amazon Instant Video (I don't remember which) I had to watch it.  It even got decent reviews from those who had already seen it.  To put it kindly, it was awful and I am convinced that anyone who gave it a high rating never read the book.

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

3rd book in The Passage Trilogy

I just started this.  I found it in a charity shop in Scotland, along with Book Two.  It isn't a trilogy so I have the complete series.
I do enjoy a good fantasy story once in a while.

Have you ever found a movie that you liked better than the book?  I've been thinking about that and I don't think I have.

Would you rather see the movie before reading the book or the other way around.

My vote right now would be to see the movie or series first then read the book. Seems to be more upside for me.  

Of course the other option that has happened is like with Game of Thrones in that I saw the first few seasons on HBO then read all the books and then watched the newer seasons.  Please no spoilers I have not seen the newest season yet.

I have seen a few where the movie is better. American Psycho was much better than the book. I thought Fight Club the movie was better, too, but not by as much. I'd say I Am Legend but a) it's a mixed bag and b) none of the "adaptations" I've seen so far actually have much to do with the original story.

In general, though, I prefer to read the book first. Sometimes a weak movie can been more accessible when you already know the source material.

I am reading Dr. Knox, a novel by Peter Spiegelman, an author I have liked for a long time. This novel catches beautifully the grit and grunge of the streets, freeways, and down-and-out areas of Los Angeles, near where I grew up. The main character is a doctor, and the parts about his training and about the details of various medical procedures are spot on; Spiegelman either did much careful research or had a knowledgeable consultant helping him with those parts of the book. The villains of the piece are somewhat stereotyped and cartoonish, but the dialogue is crisp. And there is a lilting beauty - almost poetic - in the author's sentences. Quite an enjoyable read.

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

3rd book in The Passage Trilogy

I need to close out the trilogy too and have this in my queue.


Currently reading some non-fiction:


Don't read this if you ever want to feel comfortable using your PC, Tablet, Cell again...

I just wanted to give a shout out to Eric (DapperDragon) for starting this thread.  Everything that has been posted, from photos of what we're reading, to descriptions, to comparing books to movies has been fascinating to a reader like me and I have even picked up on one of the suggestions here.  Good stuff.