There is a long-running debate about whether it’s better to read the book first or see the movie. My opinion on this matter of the utmost importance is, without any doubt, see the movie. The book is almost always better, so you see the movie first and think “Wow, that was great!” Then read the book, and discover it’s even better. If you go the other way around, there’s an inevitable sense of disappointment about what was changed or that the actor they chose didn’t match the picture in your head at all.

The movie/book combo is my favorite way to read the classics. I tried to read Middlemarch by George Eliot several years ago and just got confused. There are so many characters and I kept getting lost. I checked the Masterpiece Theater film out from the library and realized that it’s an amazing story with love, betrayal, and hope for a better world. I then read the book and it became one of my favorites.

Come to the Information Desk for a list of DVDs we have that are based on books. Feel free to let me know if I have the book/movie order all wrong!