When I’m not watching home makeover shows or ABC dramas, I really enjoy reading a good book, preferably fiction because I already know how the story ends in non-fiction.  I think, like most people, I enjoy fiction because it allows me to explore a whole new world and live vicariously through the characters. We all find ourselves so deeply invested in the story that we begin to visualize it. Then just as our imagination is running wild, Hollywood comes and turns the story into a movie.

Sometimes the movie is great and reflects exactly how you pictured the story. Most of the time they take a few too many creative liberties, like completely eliminating minor yet vital characters or unnecessarily changing the storyline. The strange thing is that sometimes the movie is actually good despite the inaccuracies but you wish you hadn’t read the book so you could have truly enjoyed the film.

For Instance, the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I actually thought the movie was really good, but I just couldn’t fully enjoy it because I couldn’t get over how they had Lena and Kostos fall in love at first sight, knowing darn well that was not the case.  Or how in A Walk to Remember- the movie, Jamie dies, when in the book there is the possibility that they lived happily ever after. I went into the theater with high expectations for these films. Although, both of these are great movies, reading the book before the movie left me slightly disappointed and hindered my potential for full enjoyment. However, when I read a book after seeing the film, I get to enjoy all the details the movie left out. I feel like I understand the characters better.

I’m excited to go to see The Fault in Our Stars today! I plan to go into the theater with 0 expectations. I will meet new characters and become enthralled with them. Then I will go home and read the book, so I can explore the story just a little bit more.

Which do you prefer to do first, read the book or watch the movie? Let’s discuss it in the comments.