Watching Books

If I know before seeing a movie that it is based on a book, I usually want to read the book first. I like forming my own vision of the characters and setting. If I see the movie first I go into reading the book with visuals already in place. I also tend to think that most of the time the books are way better than the movies. What do you think?

The first movie I can remember seeing that was based on a book is Little Women. I remember knowing the movie was coming out soon and wanting to finish the book before going to see the movie. Although I enjoyed the movie, I still found myself thinking it just didn’t compare to the book.

I also really don’t like it when the movie does not follow the book. If they change the ending or other important parts I’m less likely to enjoy the movie. The only reason I found one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult, is because I watched a movie of one of her books. Lifetime made a movie for The Pact.I remember not liking the movie but seeing how it could be a good book so I went out and bought the book. I loved the book and it was nothing like the movie. I was in fact pretty angry that they didn’t do the book justice.

Picoult also has a book called My Sister’s Keeper, which is being released as a movie this summer. There is a bit of controversy because the director of the movie changed the ending from the book’s ending. I’m still going to go see the movie, but I know a lot of Picoult fans are sharing they will not be seeing the movie. Do you like movies based on books? Does it bother you when important details of the book are changed in the movie version? Would you rather watch the movie and then read the book, or read the book and then watch the movie? What are your favorite books made into movies?

Current read: The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty

Ghost Stories

I am a sucker for a good ghost story. I don't necessarily mean a scary story, just stories with ghosts in them. I once read a book where a child was haunted by the ghost of another child who died on the Titanic. Through information provided by the ghost, they were able to expose the child's mother for abandoning him to save herself. I have no idea what the title was, but if it sounds familiar to anyone let me know. I've found a few books that stand out featuring ghosts.

Jodi Picoult's Second Glance brings a ghost hunter with a death wish to a rural Vermont town where a ghost helps him expose the shameful eugenics experiments conducted on the local Abenaki Indian tribe in the 1930's as well as uncover a murder. This is the only book I ever read by Picoult and as far as I can tell, the rest are nothing like this one. People often recommend her other work to me, but I just can't get over the lack of ghosts.

The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue features the ghost of Raziela "Razi" Nolan, a young woman who died in 1928 when she slipped on the side of a swimming pool, bumping her head and then drowning. Razi follows a young couple home from a yard sale when they buy a bookcase that once belonged to Razi's fiance. Razi tells us the story of her life and how she wonders whatever happened to her beloved Andrew. Razi watches as the young couple, Amy and Scott begin to have problems. It turns out that Amy lost her fiance years before in a car accident and is having difficulty dealing with it now that she and Scott are thinking of starting a family. In the end we find out that Razi and Amy share a common connection.

Stephen King's Bag of Bones features both a good ghost and several bad ones trying to get revenge on a mean old man who did them wrong. Writer Mike Noonan retreats to his lake front home in Maine after the sudden death of his wife. Once there, he encounters a young girl and her mother living in a trailer park. The girl is the granddaughter of the richest man in those parts. He had disapproved of his son's relationship with a woman from the wrong side of the tracks and blames her for his alienation from his son and his subsequent death. The old man sets out to take the little girl from her mother until Mike starts meddling. He is encouraged to get involved by the ghost of his wife who leaves him messages on the refrigerator spelled out in alphabet magnets.

If you have read any novels featuring ghosts that you would like to recommend, let me know. I've only ever stumbled upon them on the shelf. It is hard to find them in the catalog without getting a lot of horror stories or non-fiction books about the paranormal.