Exhibit A: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I saw the film adaptation 
first and LOVE, LOVE, LOVED it! Ryan Gosling just sent my heart aflutter! After viewing the movie I wanted to read the book. But I was SO disappointed! What I loved about the movie was how, after all they'd been through, they died together-they couldn't or wouldn't live without each other. In Spark's book Allie dies and Noah is left with out her. Bummer! I found it depressing and not nearly as powerful as the movie. I've read several other of Nicholas Sparks books and am not a fan, I always end up depressed after reading his stuff. Verdict: MOVIE!
first and LOVE, LOVE, LOVED it! Ryan Gosling just sent my heart aflutter! After viewing the movie I wanted to read the book. But I was SO disappointed! What I loved about the movie was how, after all they'd been through, they died together-they couldn't or wouldn't live without each other. In Spark's book Allie dies and Noah is left with out her. Bummer! I found it depressing and not nearly as powerful as the movie. I've read several other of Nicholas Sparks books and am not a fan, I always end up depressed after reading his stuff. Verdict: MOVIE! Exhibit B: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. When I first saw the preview
for the movie, I was intrigued. I thought it looked fascinating. So, being the librarian that I am, I did a little background search about the real events. During my searching I found that the movie was based on Ellroy's (author of L.A. Confidential) fictional account of the events. The novel was fantastic. Macabre and twisted, with phenomenal use of 50's slang (I had to Google many-a-term to keep up with the character conversation), it was an interesting read. The movie, what a mess! The reviews were not very favorable, however, I very seldom put stock into reviewers opinions. This time, however, I whole-heartedly agreed! It was a horrible adaption of Ellroy's novel. There was just too much going on and not enough time to develop the story for the audience. Half-way through the movie one of my friends leaned over and said "Do you have any idea what's going on?!" Even after having read the book I was having trouble following the plot line! With some of my favorite actresses (Scarlett Johanssan and Hilary Swank) I thought for sure I would enjoy this movie-not so much! Verdict: Book!
for the movie, I was intrigued. I thought it looked fascinating. So, being the librarian that I am, I did a little background search about the real events. During my searching I found that the movie was based on Ellroy's (author of L.A. Confidential) fictional account of the events. The novel was fantastic. Macabre and twisted, with phenomenal use of 50's slang (I had to Google many-a-term to keep up with the character conversation), it was an interesting read. The movie, what a mess! The reviews were not very favorable, however, I very seldom put stock into reviewers opinions. This time, however, I whole-heartedly agreed! It was a horrible adaption of Ellroy's novel. There was just too much going on and not enough time to develop the story for the audience. Half-way through the movie one of my friends leaned over and said "Do you have any idea what's going on?!" Even after having read the book I was having trouble following the plot line! With some of my favorite actresses (Scarlett Johanssan and Hilary Swank) I thought for sure I would enjoy this movie-not so much! Verdict: Book!
Exhibit C: The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I'll have to admit I haven't read the book since high school. I've seen the movie version several times. Perhaps the time gap or the multiple viewings have biased me but I loved the film version of The Color Purple. The actors, the sweeping landscapes-Spielberg did an amazing job bringing this piece of American Literature to the big screen. Verdict: Movie!There have been so many books adapted for the big screen that this blog could go on forever discussing each book/movie combo. For those interested the Mid-Continent Public Library has a database of the books that have been made into movies. Based on the Book, all owes users to search by book or movie title, book author or the movie release year. Check to see if your favorite book has a movie counterpart or vice versa.
Anyone have their own favorite book to movie?!
