The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.
Do you watch film adaptations of books before reading them?
(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer))
I actually do often watch film adaptations of books before reading the book BUT not on purpose.
Most of the time, my husband mentions about halfway into watching something that it’s based on a book that he’s read already, and I should read it too 🤔(I love you, sweetheart) . That happened with Game of Thrones, Witcher and The Wheel of Time, most recently. I know there’s also been others too that are just not coming to me. And that’s just recently. We’ve been married for quite a long time.
Also, YA fantasy series that I’ve read often started with me watching the movie or series too – like The Shadowhunters, Hunger Games, Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Princess Diaries, and Twilight. And I know there are many more. I see the movie or show then find out it’s based on a book, so of course I have to read it/them. The books are always better.
So, yes I do watch film adaptations of book before reading them BUT only because I’m completely clueless.
Do you watch film adaptations of books before reading them? Why or why not?
Tessa Talks Books 
I love watching films or shows based on books I’ve read but I often find I’m not interested in reading the book if I’ve already watched the film or show, like Vampire Diaries or The 100, I was never tempted to read them. I did try reading Pretty Little Liars after watching a few seasons of the show but the book clashed horribly with the show, especially in terms of main characters, and I ended up DNF’ing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But The Vampire Dairies books went to a whole different place than the shows did. It’s its own unique story. I always find it interesting the choices the film industry makes versus the book industry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is it? Interesting! That happened with The Lying Game. I was watching that but it ended on a cliffhanger and then it got cancelled. Not knowing what happened drove me mad so I started the book series (by the author of Pretty Little Liars), only to find out that cliffhanger scene didn’t even exist in the books, they went in a whole other direction too 🤦🏼♀️ But on the bright side, I really did enjoy the books 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did start reading twilight after watching the film. I think a lot of the others I watched the films after reading 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is most typical I just need to be up on my adaptation news before watching anything 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want to watch Shantaram on Appletv but need to read the book first. It’s quite a chunky book too 😭 x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aren’t so many of them! Maybe, you can fit it in small bits at a time while you read the other books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With so many adaptations these days, it’s more likely that I’ll watch the movie/show and then realize it’s based on a book as well! This also happened to me with The Martian, I went to see the movie and then learned it was based on a book…and now both the book and movie are on my top favourites list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was another one my husband informed me was a book halfway through watching it. I don’t know why he does that. I still haven’t read the book but I did read his most recent one.
LikeLike
I try to read the book before the movie because the movie puts voices and faces in my head that I can’t shake while reading. I agree the books are always better and sometimes it spoils the movie for me. If I watch a movie or show based on a book first, I usually don’t bother reading the book. One of the worst adaptations I ever watched was “The Other Boleyn Girl”. I recently watched “Where the Crawdads Sing” and was quite pleased with the adaptation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can understand that. I manage to separate it out in my head somehow – so that I don’t hear and see the actors. Often times the book is different enough that it’s almost like two separate stories which makes it easier.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I prefer to read before watching. The books are almost always better (in my opinion), and I don’t want them spoiled for me by watching a screen version of the story first. If I stumble onto a movie or series that I enjoy and find out later it was a book, I probably won’t read it. While I’m sure I’d like it even better than what I watched, the surprise is gone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve found when I have read the book after that the story in the book is often very different from what they put on the screen making it like a whole new tale to enjoy. But maybe I’ve been lucky with that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No. I think that’s usually the case. Adaptations seem to veer from the original. I’m just kind of curmudgeonly about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s books then movies for me. I find it impossible to read the book after seeing the film because the images and story are too firmly imprinted in my brain. I’ve tried and end up abandoning the effort after about a chapter. That’s why I rush and read the book these days before watching an adaptation. If I can’t wait, I give up the notion of ever reading the book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That makes sense. I’m not sure how it is I separate so much in my head that it’s like a whole new experience. But then, I haven’t done it in a quite a while – so maybe they stick closer to the book then they used to.
LikeLike
I’ve often read the books first because they tend to choose popular books to adapt. I will sometimes read a book if I discover that the film was based on a book. The Children of Men was a time when I did that. Definitely agree that the books are always better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The ones I have done that with have always read as much different stories to me – better stories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, if I’ve read and loved the book, I might not want to watch the film adaptation. But sometimes, like you, I don’t know that an adaptation is one until after I watch. Very seldom do I go back and read the book, though, usually because there are genres I’ll watch but won’t read.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m the same with books that I loved and not watching the adaptation. I feel like I will be disappointed with what they do with it or their choices of actors. That’s something that never happens in reverse.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always try to read the book first. Then when I see the movie I complain about how much was left out (I’m still really bitter over Jurassic Park). Last week at a book festival I met a student, probably around 12-13 years old, who was talking about how much better the Rick Riordan books were than the movies, but the Harry Potter movies didn’t suffer as much in the adaptations. Wise beyond his years, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He is very wise and I completely agree with him! Rick Riordan is another one where I saw the first movie then read the series.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always watch after I’ve read the book. I don’t want someone else to give me ideas for how characters look
LikeLiked by 1 person
They always get it wrong anyway, don’t they? I’m still a little bitter over Katherine Heigl being cast has Stephanie Plum 😂😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m like you, Tessa. I’ll watch a movie and then realize it was based on a book, then I’ll read the book. But, I don’t purposely watch a movie first and then read the book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, nor do I. I’m just a very curious person and can keep the film version separate from the book version in my head, but I like to see what each does with the central plot. It’s often very different. And I’m so glad I’m not alone in that. It was starting to feel a bit lonely over here. 😊
LikeLike
I read the books, then watch the movie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you are very much in the majority. I’m just an odd duckling 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Books then films! Although occasionally as you say, when it’s the other way around it’s by accident.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your husband’s comments halfway through a movie and your responding emoji made me laugh, Tessa. I always try to read the books first, especially if they’re fantasy because I know the books are going to be better. If for some reason I mess up, then I skip the book. It’s spoiled for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He likes to randomly throughout a “you know, that was explained better in the book,” or something similar to which I reply, “this is based on a book, you read the book, and you just didn’t think to mention that before we started watching.” So many times that’s happened 🤦🏻♀️
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, I actually started reading two of my favorite series, LoTR and Harry Potter after watching the movie and I loved books. So movies or shows don’t exactly ruin the experience of reading in fact sometimes they help in picturing scenes while reading much better. But with some adaptation shows that I watched after reading books ruined my imagination like, Shadowhunters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, Shadowhunters was awful when compared to the books. I definitely had to put what I watched out of my head so that I could enjoy what I was reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have watched the movie first quite a lot. Sometimes I wasn’t aware that it’s a book. If I watch the movie first, though, I probably won’t read the book. And I’d prefer to read the book first.
LikeLike