From Movies to Books 2021
Usually, we bookworms are the advocators of “read the book before seeing the movie”. Obviously, this isn’t some sort of law, and it does not improve your enjoyment of said movie – probably will take most of it away. And all because we believe that the books are always – probably most of the times – better than the movie. But there are times when I can’t squeeze in another book in my TBR, or I honestly don’t bother, and I go see the movie anyway.
I always thought that watching the movie first was me just giving up on reading the book. The mystery is all gone. I already know how the story is gonna go. Why bother taking hours reading something that I already know how it’s going to end when I can rewatch the movie instead of in an hour and a half? Yet, I found myself wanting to read the book anyway. Something, somewhere in those 90 minutes, made me want more, and that’s when the books come in. And here is the 2021 updated list of movies and Tv series I saw before reading the book. Some books I haven’t got around to reading, but I already have them on my shelf so, it’s a matter of time and mood.
Movies
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) – Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The first time I watched this movie, I was shocked and also hypnotized. And since then, I’ve kept watching it over and over again and falling deeper in love with it. At this point, I know the story by memory. So reading the book is a way for me to expand that experience. It’s getting more details I feel the movie left out, more places, more beauty and learning more about Geishas.
Update: Book read, and I got the answer I was looking for: what happened to her sister? Towards the end, the story changes a bit from what is shown in the movie. When the lovers reconnect, it’s not as romantic. Although I what surprised me the most was the writing style. Most of the time, I forgot it was a man that wrote this book, and I felt that it was a real geisha just talking back to me.
50 Shades of Grey (2015) – Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
I’ve already talked a little about wanting to read the books when I reviewed 50 Shades Darker. Most of the second movie was telling an actual story instead of talking about BDSM all the time. So I ended up being curious to know more about the characters and other details they might have missed in the movie. It’s still hard for me to give so much money to buy them instead of spending it on other titles that probably are better and more exciting.
Update: Found a second-hand copy of the first book and didn’t think twice to take the opportunity. I had so much fun reading it. It was cringe and addictive. I have a review comparing it to After by Anna Todd. Although I don’t think I will continue with the series, maybe my money will be more well spent in a better erotica novel.
The Martian (2015) – The Martian by Andy Weir
This one came as a surprise. I was just looking around on my Goodreads, and it randomly appeared. I’ve seen the movie, and it’s one of my whole time favourites. Basically, anything that takes place outside of Earth, I’m up for it, and if it has a happy ending, the better!! It never crossed my mind, it was based on a novel, and now I want more Mars moments. Although I know I’m a visual person, and I don’t know if I can have the same experience with the book that I had with the movie. We’ll see.
Update: Book read and the lack of visual representation wasn’t a problem. All the little and big problems Mark went through in the movie are more complex and also require more complex solutions in the book. I guess they had to cut some things short and live all the science in a compacted explanation. But I loved all that science-y stuff even if I can’t understand half of it. Having that made the book more realistic. And now I want to read all Andy Weir’s books.
The 5th Wave (2016) – The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
I’ve heard a lot about this book. Most of it wasn’t that great so, it never sparked any interest in me. But after seeing the movie, I don’t care what people say about it anymore. It wasn’t the greatest movie of all time, I give you that, although it was captivating. Maybe because of the cast or the plot, either way, I really enjoyed it. I want to know more details about these aliens and see where the story goes from the first book.
Gone Girl – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I heard so many people say this is a great movie and book. And since it’s a mystery, everyone online was saying to read the book first to avoid spoiling the end. Although I was tired of putting this movie off because I had to read it first. One day, I just gave up. I realized I was not going to read the book anytime soon. So, I just watched the movie. And you know what? If you really really really enjoy a movie, you will still want to read the book because it’s another way of looking at the story. It was an amazing roller coaster. And I’m determined to use the book to find clues that can answer all the questions I have – which I also know won’t happen.
Ender’s Game – Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Not the most exciting movie I’ve seen. I find it kind of boring at times. It took me a long time to finally watch it from start to finish without falling asleep or giving up. And I’m not interested in reading the first book, the one the movie is adapted from. I want to read the rest of the series, know where it goes from there and discover the story about those “invaders”.
I, Robot – I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
I’ve already read one of Asimov’s books, and I found it interesting. It’s a different approach to the kind of sci-fi I’m used to. The movie wasn’t the best thing I’ve seen. I actually don’t like the robots at all, I’m supposed to care for that sweet innocent robot, but I don’t give a… I don’t remember much of the movie anyway. Although once I saw the futuristic society, laying heavily on technology, I was curious to see how Asimov imagined this world filled with robots.
Bird Box – Bird Box by Josh Malerman
When I finished this movie, I went straight to good-old-pal Google to find out if there was another movie in the making or if the book had a different ending. Turns out the book does explore more about these deadly beings you can’t look at. And I’m not going to wait for another movie to come out. I want to know what those things are, and I want to know it NOW!
TV Series
The 100 (2014-2020 ) – The 100 series by Kass Morgan
My love for The 100 is no secret, and a space-related series is right up my alley. All of this “what could be the planet Earth 90 years without humans?” captivates me. Since the first season, I knew it was based on novels by Kass Morgan, but I read a few reviews saying the story and the characters are a little bit different. I was afraid to start reading the books and enjoying them more than the TV series. But then the 5th season came along, and I wasn’t happy with it. (You can read more about it on this post!) So that was my cue to start reading the books and finally find where did it all start.
Update: I’ve read the first book after the “disappointment” that was season 5, and I couldn’t have chosen a better time to do it. You can read all about it in my review.
Update 2: After 3 years since I picked up the first book, I finally read the fourth and last book in the series. Even though both stories (TV series and book series) are very different, I enjoyed them both in their own way. Read my final review here.
Game of Thrones (2011-2019) – A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin
The king of TV series. The one that is on everyone’s mouth, even if it’s to say that they never watched it. It’s hard to find someone that never heard about Game of Thrones. It’s everywhere! On the news, on social media, on newspapers, on outdoors, in stores, everywhere. I was always aware that this series existed, but kings and queens fighting for a throne wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, so I’ve kept myself away from all that madness. Until the last season aired, and I gave it a try. Surprisingly enough, I started to enjoy it quite a bit. All the political games, the drama, the slow passe of the story, and I thought that if I enjoyed the first season that much then the book might be just what I need.
Update: First book read (first and second volume of the Portuguese edition), and I already have the second book (third and fourth volume) on my shelf for the next time I’m in the mood for political games and blood.
The Stranger (TV Mini-series 2020) – The Stranger by Harlan Coben
One day I was scrolling through Netflix’s catalogue looking for something to watch when I can’t remember why I gave a shot to this mini-series. The first episode wasn’t that great. Yet, I decided to keep going, and I’m glad I did. A mini-series is the perfect length for book adaptations. Not too short as in a movie and not overly extended or branched as in a regular series. I’m curious to see if I enjoy Harlan Coben’s writing style as much as I enjoyed the Netflix adaptation.
So far, these are all the stories that picked my interest the most. Some of them I already read, and others I’ll get to them soon. Still, most often than not, I read the book before watching the adaptation. Although I find it interesting that consuming one type of media doesn’t mean that I won’t want to read the book.
Have you ever read a book after watching the adaptation?
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