READ. THE. BOOK!

One of my biggest pet peeves is sitting in a movie theater of an adaptation and hearing, "Oh, this is based on a book??" It takes all of my self-control not to turn around and very fiercely say, "Yes, you illiterate moron. This is a very popular book, actually, hence the movie. Maybe you should actually pick up a book that doesn't follow a teenager who is emotionally and physically abused and must make the oh so important decision between bestiality and necrophilia" (Have I told you my true feelings about Twilight yet? Don't worry, this isn't the post for that. But if I haven't yet, it'll come). And alright, my response usually isn't quite that strong. But I do get extremely annoyed when someone does not realize that a movie is based on a book, especially when it's a popular novel; I'll forgive more obscure literature (especially self-help books - who decided those would make good romcoms??) because I have been guilty of that too. But once I research the movie (which I almost always do before going to see something) I usually find out.

And, more often than not, the book is better than the movie; that is just a truth universally acknowledged (see what I did there??) The one exception I have found is Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. It is one of my favorite sweet love movies, and so I decided to check out the book. I could not finish it. I found the ending scene with the older couple boring compared to the young couple, but watchable. I could not finish the books. As soon as I finished the part with the young couple and realized I still had several pages left, I put it down. I attribute that to the fact that it was one of his early works and he hadn't perfected his technique yet.

But other than The Notebook, I have yet to find an instance where I prefer the movie. I think my favorite adaptation is currently the Lord of the Rings trilogy...Harry Potter was very good, but they weren't quite as accurate as LotR. Sure, I was saddened by the absence of Tom Bombadil, but honestly, when adapting, you have to cut stuff out, and LotR is one of the few adaptations I've found which has kept to an acceptable movie length AND been accurate and faithful to the book.

I was homeschooled until 9th Grade, and the rule in the house was that we were not allowed to see a movie until we had read the book; Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, A Little Princess, etc. and I have allowed that philosophy to bleed into my adult life. Because honestly, it adds an extra layer to the movie, and makes me a more well-rounded viewer and reader. So before you go see a movie, go read the book.