# What movie has inspired you to pick up the book?



## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

I know we all love going into a movie and giving it the "Psh! Wasn't as good as the book!" critique. But what about those movies you enjoyed so much you were later inspired to pick up the book?

I quite liked Master and Commander. So much so that I read the first book in the series. Which I really did _not_ enjoy. It was incredibly dry.

More recently, I just watched the BBC mini-series North and South which I enjoyed so much I had to check out the book by Elizabeth Gaskell. I'm having a much more positive experience this time around. I'm quite enjoying the book so far.


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## Ben White (Feb 11, 2011)

I had exactly the same problem with Master and Commander.  Far too dry for my taste.  I think I read Fight Club after the movie and thought the movie was better.  Oh, and the Red Dwarf novels, they're really different from the TV show, more thoughtful and serious and sad, which works well to show another side of things.  And the Upstairs, Downstairs novels, which I really enjoyed.  The book Die Hard was based on, though, was a real disappointment.  I forget the name now but I spent years trying to find it, and when I finally did, bleh.  Great movie, terrible book.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

_Nothing Lasts Forever_, by Roderick Thorpe was apparently the basis for Die Hard. In looking that up, I found this link to an article about movies you didn't know were based on books.

There was a movie, can't remember which one, which was based on an Elmore Leonard book, so I read the book...might have been _Get Shorty_, but I think there was one before that...more research....It did introduce me to Elmore Leonard...

Betsy


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## Flash Rex (May 31, 2011)

I'm probably going to start the series that includes LA Confidential this summer. I really enjoyed the movie and suspect there's more layers to be enjoyed in the books.


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## KyahCA (Mar 7, 2011)

I saw the movie The Time Traveler's Wife because I have a huge crush on Rachel McAdams, and the movie was very good and interesting, and I was curious how it was in the book, so I picked up the book by Audrey Neffenegger and it's really good so far.


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## Eve Yohalem (Apr 1, 2011)

I read the book Silence of the Lambs was based on (can't remember the title now) and actually thought the movie was way better. Same with Da Vinci Code. Alain and Ben, I'm so sad you didn't like Master and Commander. The series is at the top of my desert island list. I have the lexicon, the cookbook with every recipe in the books (including "millers" - rats!), and the CD with all the music from the books. (Have I freaked everyone out sufficiently now?)


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## wm ollie (Aug 9, 2010)

Eve Yohalem said:


> I read the book Silence of the Lambs was based on (can't remember the title now) and actually thought the movie was way better.


Silence Of The Lambs was the name of the novel too... I thought the movie followed the book pretty acurately... I read that after seeing the movie too, the same with IT by Stephen King, saw the miniseries several years before reading the book, The Dead Zone and The Stand were also books I read after seeing the film version. I liked The Stand miniseries better than the book.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

I loved Fried Green Tomatoes movie, so got the book and read it.  The book was good but different at the ending than that of the movie.  I liked the movie ending so much better.  I read War and Remembrance and The Winds of War, so had to watch the mini-series that was out years ago (I rented it off netflix).  The mini-series was very true to the book and I enjoyed it.  Also, I read Shogun, loved it, rented the mini-series and was very pleased with it also.  Also, Memoirs of a Geisha, watched the movie, loved it, the book was also great. Also, just this week I read The Haunting of Hill house and have now ordered the old movie to watch.  I do this a lot.  If I watch a movie and know there is a book, I absolutely have to read it.  Also, if I read the book and know there is a movie, I will watch it.  I really love doing this to compare and to be able to grasp anything else I can from the story.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

I'm reading The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. 8 chapters in and I'm amazed at how precisely the Bogart  movie followed this. It's nearly word for word so far.  I'm hoping the ending takes it's time a little more.  The film gets pretty convoluted, and You have to watch it more than once to figure out what happened.

And I'm getting pretty close to picking
up Game of Thrones too.  That mini series is pretty damn good.


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## Fredster (Apr 11, 2011)

A few come to mind:

_Forrest Gump_ - oy vey.

_Get Shorty_ - good read.

and the one I'm a little embarrassed to admit, because I shouldn't have been so old when I first read it:

_To Kill A Mockingbird_ - excellent as a movie, ten thousand times better as a book


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Fredster said:


> _To Kill A Mockingbird_ - excellent as a movie, ten thousand times better as a book


To Kill a Mockingbird is both my favorite all time movie and my favorite all time book. But I don't compare them to each other (I don't usually do that with any movie/book pair) as they are two different media. I like lemon flavored hard candy and lemon meringue pie, both made with lemon flavor, but I wouldn't compare them to each other. But I've found I'm apparently weird that way, most people seem to judge the book vs the movie.

The flip side of the OP's question--I've also read books that I later found out had been made into movies at some point, and I seek those out. I like to see what choices the writers and director made in bringing a book (where anything is possible) to a medium where there are limits on what can be shown. (Today, those limits are mostly time constraints, it seems,  but still limits.)

Betsy


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I had never read _Lord of the Rings_, but after watching _Fellowship_, I picked up the book. It's certainly different from the movie, but I enjoyed it on its own merits.


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## junakirii (Mar 13, 2010)

I am reading Game of Thrones because of the series, and am enthralled by both.  While I usually prefer my own visuals to those of any movie, the series is so impeccably and richly rendered that I can switch between film and book seamlessly.  This leads to a dilemma:  I've caught up to the series in my reading and can't decide whether to read ahead or not.  Luckily, it's Game of Thrones night!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I bought the book _Shutter Island_ after seeing the movie. I'm glad I did: the movie is very entertaining and the book introduced me to Dennis Lehane's writing, which I also enjoyed very much.

Mike


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## Joseph.Garraty (May 20, 2011)

_Fight Club_, definitely. Like a previous poster (and I believe even the author of the book) said, the movie's better.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

jmiked said:


> I bought the book _Shutter Island_ after seeing the movie. I'm glad I did: the movie is very entertaining and the book introduced me to Dennis Lehane's writing, which I also enjoyed very much.
> 
> Mike


Thanks for the tip....


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Several posters have been disappointed in reading 'MASTER & COMMANDER" after seeing the movie and understandable. Understandable, as the orginal book was really only an introduction. Patrick O'Brian wrote a 21 book series around the two primary characters:










The movie was a compilation of two of these novels ("Master & Commander" and "The Far Side of the World"). There was supposed to have two sequels expanding from other books in the series. (dropped after the first did not fair too well in the box office).

This set has a cult following amoung Tall-ship affectionatus, navel history buffs, etc.....O'Brian's detailed descriptions of the Era's social and physical environment is wonderful...albeit dry.

Note: The tall ship "SURPRISE" (originally "THE ROSE") is on display at the San Diego Maritime Museum and offers day-sails occasionally.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I forgot to mention that I bought the book (DTB, unfortunately) that the movie _Three Days of the Condor_ was based on, as well as the sequel volume. They are on my TBR stack of printed books at the moment. The book is called _Six Days of the Condor._

I really, really like the movie.

Mike


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Only one I can think of is _2001: A Space Odyssey_. (You almost _have_ to read the book if you want to fully understand the movie.) I think I might have seen _Damnation Alley_ before I read Zelazny's novel, but I was already a big Zelazny fan by then and would have read it anyway; it was just the way the timing worked out for me in that case.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

Pretty much every single time I watch a movie and I see "based on such and such novel" in the credits I have to go and get the book.  That is much easier to do now that I have my Kindle, I don't even have to leave the theater to look the book up anymore


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

I try to always read the book before I see the movie, if it's a movie I really want to see and I already know it's based on a book.

That said, the one movie that did make me go out and buy the books was Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Oh, wow. It took me nearly seven months to read that book. The first half of Fellowship was painful for me to read. But I got through it, and then read The Two Towers in three months and found it to be a far more enjoyable read. I then read Return of the King in three weeks.

At the end of the day though, I vastly prefer the movies to the books. They managed to stay faithful to the source material while also telling the story in a much more fluid, engaging way.


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## mikelewis (May 31, 2011)

I have had some opposite reactions.  I loved Time Traveler's Wife so much I couldn't bring myself to see the film.  I was worried it would spoil the book for me.

I think that Nick Hornby's Hi-Fidelity is probably the best adaption of a book I have ever seen.  The book is set in London and is an excellent read.  The movie is set in the USA but still works as a film true to the book.

Mike


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

Christine Kersey said:


> I had never read _Lord of the Rings_, but after watching _Fellowship_, I picked up the book. It's certainly different from the movie, but I enjoyed it on its own merits.


I tried that as well. STILL couldn't get through the books lol.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

The 1980s Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews is one of my all time favorite movies to this day.  However it's quite different from the book I was later inspired to pick up.  I enjoyed the book on its own but the only thing they really seemed to share was the title.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

The Lincoln Lawyer. I enjoyed the movie and wanted to check out the book as I thought it would be even better. Mostly, I find the books more impressive than the movies.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Alain Gomez said:


> I tried that as well. STILL couldn't get through the books lol.


I think the slam-bang, tightly edited action of the Peter Jackson movies, while very effective as movies, make it harder to enjoy the much more relaxed pacing of the LotR books if you go into them expecting something more like the movies. But then the books _are_ over half a century old now and were, at the time of their writing, probably already lagging a bit behind the literary trends in pacing at that time -- at least in popular novels, anyway -- not to mention 21st century video-game-era standards of grabbing the reader and not letting go until the roller coaster ride is over.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

NapCat said:


> Note: The tall ship "SURPRISE" (originally "THE ROSE") is on display at the San Diego Maritime Museum and offers day-sails occasionally.


I've seen it. But it almost never sales out anymore these days. They're always fixing it. You can walk on another ship called The Star of India which is parked in the bay as a museum. Similar experience and quite fun.

But...despite all that vivid mental imagery... that book is still really dry.


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## rocky mountain reader (Jul 8, 2009)

The Bridges of Madison County did that for me, many years ago.


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## Ryl (Nov 25, 2010)

This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I only read Jane Austen's Emma after watching Clueless. I love both.


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

Stephen T. Harper said:


> I'm reading The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. 8 chapters in and I'm amazed at how precisely the Bogart movie followed this. It's nearly word for word so far. I'm hoping the ending takes it's time a little more. The film gets pretty convoluted, and You have to watch it more than once to figure out what happened.


Screenplay by William Faulkner. Famous story: He called Chandler to ask who killed the chauffeur. Chandler said: "I never did work that out."



Betsy the Quilter said:


> To Kill a Mockingbird is both my favorite all time movie and my favorite all time book. But I don't compare them to each other (I don't usually do that with any movie/book pair) as they are two different media.
> 
> Betsy


I avoided seeing the movie for years so that it wouldn't cloud my perception of the book. I just finished the book and it deserves its reputation as a great American masterpiece. I look forward to seeing the movie now. I can't quite make the distinction you do because the book is the source material, and the artists who made the movie had to make choices based on the book. I generally don't read books after I've seen the movie - my loss, probably.

After I saw "Trainspotting" I was willing to make an exception. I went to the bookstore, read a few pages but didn't like it. So instead, I got Welsh's collection of short stories, "Acid House." Still one of my favorite books ever.


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## Kathelm (Sep 27, 2010)

I read The Prestige after seeing the movie.  It's an interesting adaptation.  They kept the basic premise the same, but changed enough that it had its own, equally good identity.  I read I Am Legend in response to seeing a trailer for the most recent movie, and was disappointed (albeit not surprised) to see that Hollywood completely missed the point of the book.  Another is The Count of Monte Cristo.  The movie was a decent, pragmatic adaptation, but I don't think I would have liked it if I had read the book first.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

I can't believe I'm admitting this on the KB but I have been *forced* to watch all the Potter films and they definitely did not inspire me to read the books! My great friend and all four of my boys LOVED them! It's _still _not enough to peak my interest though...


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

Well, I can't blame you for the movies not peaking your interest. The only two Potter films that I think are decent adaptations of the books are one and five. The books are far superior to the movies.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

Stephen T. Harper said:


> I'm reading The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. 8 chapters in and I'm amazed at how precisely the Bogart movie followed this. It's nearly word for word so far.


I've always been a little disappointed in the Bogart version ending because it takes a far more romantic tone than the novel's. Great film overall though and one of my favorite detective novels.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

Zachery Richardson said:


> Well, I can't blame you for the movies not peaking your interest. The only two Potter films that I think are decent adaptations of the books are one and five. The books are far superior to the movies.


Agreed. In fact, I found the last movie to be a little boring.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

This harkens back to my childhood, but seeing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder) got me into reading Roald Dahl.


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

Alain Gomez said:


> Agreed. In fact, I found the last movie to be a little boring.


I haven't seen it, and I have no plans to see it. I wasn't even a big fan of the last book. So many of those characters deserved better than what they got...


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

Joel Arnold said:


> This harkens back to my childhood, but seeing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder) got me into reading Roald Dahl.


That's pretty cool. My fourth-grade teacher read us the book aloud, but I was too young to think about who wrote it. It was when I was living in London and I saw TV versions of his "Tales of the Unexpected" (I think) that I realized I had to read him, specifically "Man From the South." That ending was so spectacular.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Steve Silkin said:


> That's pretty cool. My fourth-grade teacher read us the book aloud, but I was too young to think about who wrote it. It was when I was living in London and I saw TV versions of his "Tales of the Unexpected" (I think) that I realized I had to read him, specifically "Man From the South." That ending was so spectacular.


He's a great short story, writer, too. 'The Landlady' is one of my favorites.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

The Lord of the Rings movies - but not because they were great movies (I actually thought they were self-congratulatory and indulgent) but because it gave me an idea of where the plot was going. I tryed to read Lord of the Rings in my early teens and was totally confused. After the first movie I thought I'd give it another go and was totally swept up by the whole thing...to the point of realising that the Hollywood ending in Part 3 was a total cop out. I'm glad I read the book, but sorry I wasted several hours of my life on the movies.


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## Tess St John (Feb 1, 2011)

The movie Catch Me If You Can. The book was as good as the movie!!!! One of the first movies I really loved Leo in!!


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

Tess St John said:


> The movie Catch Me If You Can. The book was as good as the movie!!!! One of the first movies I really loved Leo in!!


I like that movie too! I'll have to check out the book.

Leo has grown on me as well. He first became "big" when I was in middle school and was the hearthrob figure. Gag. But I like him quite a bit now that he has matured (and so have his roles).


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## Dave_White (May 3, 2011)

Good post.  Rarely have I picked up a book because of a movie (Tried to read THE GODFATHER a few times, but haven't gotten through it.)  

Usually I pick up a book because of a movie trailer or hype about a movie.  I'd rather read the book first.  I can sit through a 2 hour movie if I know what's coming, but it's rare I can spend a week reading if I know what's coming.  I try to read the book first, but movies and TV show hype have gotten me out to get a book before seeing the show/flick.


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## KyahCA (Mar 7, 2011)

mikelewis said:


> I have had some opposite reactions. I loved Time Traveler's Wife so much I couldn't bring myself to see the film. I was worried it would spoil the book for me.
> 
> Mike


You should definitely see the movie. It's really good and true to the book!


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

Joel Arnold said:


> He's a great short story, writer, too. 'The Landlady' is one of my favorites.


I think I know that as Bed & Breakfast. "Only you, dear" was the last line, right? Absolute killer. I also love the one about the couple leaving for the airport, the antique dealer who pretends he's a country pastor collecting furniture for charity and also the dentist's wife whose lover gives her the mink coat. I used them when I was working in France as an English teacher, and my adult students absolutely loved them. I was teaching the director of a nuclear research site and he loved the one about the dentist's wife. But if you haven't read "Man From the South," you must. It really stands out above them all.


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## JodyMorse (Jun 7, 2011)

The Time Traveller's Wife, which turned out to be so much better than the movie. The Pact by Jodi Picoult (which was a made for tv movie), and the book was also better. I always find that if I read the book first, I end up hating the movie.


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## Straker (Oct 1, 2010)

Steve Silkin said:


> ... and also the dentist's wife whose lover gives her the mink coat.


There was a fantastic adaptation of this story on the old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series. Audrey Meadows played the dentist's wife.

Watching "The Sand Pebbles" encouraged me to read Richard McKenna's novel of the same name. Both book and movie are excellent although they diverge significantly at certain points. Steve McQueen really captured the character of intelligent but uneducated sailor Jake Holman perfectly.

Regarding Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels (_*Master and Commonder*_, etc.) I love them but they are definitely an acquired taste. If you don't have at least some interest in history you're probably not going to like them. I thought the movie was great and very well cast.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

LA Confidential was one for me.  There are several books I would like to read once I discovered that there were books.  For example the movie Battle Royale was a book.


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

For me it was Up in the Air


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

"Master and Commander" is the greatest example of that for me. Perhaps I am more fond of 19th century and 19th century-style literature than some, but Patrick O'Brian is one of the greatest writers of the late 20th century. I've read all 20 books in the series and have the unfinished 21st in facsimile. Rereads constantly reward the reader with further insight, and while the language may be formal it is hardly dry. I cannot thank Peter Weir and Russell Crowe enough for introducing me to his work.

Apart from that, I picked up "Stardust" after the film and preferred the film.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

MeiLinMiranda said:


> "Master and Commander" is the greatest example of that for me. Perhaps I am more fond of 19th century and 19th century-style literature than some, but Patrick O'Brian is one of the greatest writers of the late 20th century. I've read all 20 books in the series and have the unfinished 21st in facsimile. Rereads constantly reward the reader with further insight, and while the language may be formal it is hardly dry. I cannot thank Peter Weir and Russell Crowe enough for introducing me to his work.
> 
> Apart from that, I picked up "Stardust" after the film and preferred the film.


I _love_ Stardust. I actually have not read the graphic novel for fear it would ruin the film.

The concepts in Master and Commander (the book) weren't bad. I just could not stand the ad nauseum details about which sail they were going to let out.


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## MrMiracle (Oct 28, 2010)

_Harry Potter_, oddly enough. I saw the movie just to see what all the hub-bub was about.

_Red Dragon_ as well.


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## jherrick (Apr 1, 2011)

Breakfast at Tiffany's.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

@Alain: Do what a lot of O'Brian fans do (including me): Skip the detailed sailing parts. I'm on a longstanding email list of POB maniacs, and one of them has a sig file that reads something like: "And then a bunch of guys went up in the rigging and did something with the sails." In time, it sorta seeps into one; I get the jist, anyway, and that's all I need. Truly, don't let the sailing bits stop you from reading the Aubrey/Maturin books; they are splendid.


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## Sara Pierce (May 15, 2011)

I've got I AM NUMBER FOUR waiting for me on my shelf but I've yet to find time for it. I read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE after seeing the BBC miniseries (after having read it as a kid for a class) and loved it as much as the film.


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## RichardHein (Jun 8, 2011)

This is a cardinal sin in some circles, but _Lord of the Rings_ lay untouched for me until the first movie. I'd been reading fantasy well over a decade at that point, but it had just never occurred to me to give it a shot until the movie. Sadly I had the ending ruined for me by reading spoilers about the movie.

Same with Harry Potter. I picked up the first book a week after I saw _Prisoner of Azkaban_, and now they're some of my favorite novels for a simple yet entertaining read. I'd even shrugged off the urges of a few good friends to pick it up after the first two came out.


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## Eve Yohalem (Apr 1, 2011)

Not to beat a dead horse, but I have to echo MeiLin's advice about Master and Commander: gloss over the sailing bits (and Stephen Maturin's lengthy naturalist adventures) and read it for the characters and the adventure. After a while Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin felt more real to me than almost any characters I've read and O'Brian's prose morphed from dry to subtle - and made other writers seem overwritten by comparison. 

Jherrick, I saw Breakfast at Tiffanys before reading the book, too. They're so different - and both wonderful in their own way.


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## KindleTourism (Jun 4, 2011)

I loved the movie The Count of Monte Cristo, and when I saw the original novel on Kindle--especially for free--had to download it. It's great. Love the classic fiction.


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## PJHoover (Jun 9, 2011)

Jurassic Park. And it was actually one movie I found way better than the book (I know, horrible, right?).


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## xandy3 (Jun 13, 2010)

Cujo, The Shining, and Stand By Me (the body) ...pretty much what made me a King fan.

Also the 3rd Harry Potter film made me want to read the series, so I started with book 4 the day it came out because I could not wait to see what happened! LOL 
...now I just prefer the books to the films. 



PJHoover said:


> Jurassic Park. And it was actually one movie I found way better than the book (I know, horrible, right?).


I completely agree 100 % 
For that whole series, the movies are much better.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Eve Yohalem said:


> Not to beat a dead horse, but I have to echo MeiLin's advice about Master and Commander: gloss over the sailing bits (and Stephen Maturin's lengthy naturalist adventures) and read it for the characters and the adventure. After a while Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin felt more real to me than almost any characters I've read and O'Brian's prose morphed from dry to subtle - and made other writers seem overwritten by comparison.


Yes, this, exactly this. As a writer, I have been known to dissect POB's work down to diagramming the sentences. He's a deep old file, as the Surprises would say about Stephen.


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## PJHoover (Jun 9, 2011)

xandy3 said:


> Also the 3rd Harry Potter film made me want to read the series, so I started with book 4 the day it came out because I could not wait to see what happened! LOL
> ...now I just prefer the books to the films.


Come to think of it, the 3rd Harry Potter film is what made me pick up the books, too. Global Harry Potter collective mind maybe?


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

PJHoover said:


> Come to think of it, the 3rd Harry Potter film is what made me pick up the books, too. Global Harry Potter collective mind maybe?


It's my favourite of all of them.

On topic: _The English Patient._


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Fellowship of the Ring got me to read LOTR--which the lead to reading The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, and The Children of Hurin when it came out.

The Pillars of the Earth Miniseries got me to read that book, and I'm now reading the sequel World Without End.

Seeing the first couple Harry Potter movies got me to read though.

Sure there's a few more, but generally if I see a movie first I won't bother with the book since I already know the story.


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## Ben White (Feb 11, 2011)

I have a rule; if someone is truly passionate about a book I tried and failed to enjoy, I'll give it another try. So I'm going to give Patrick O'Brian another chance, thanks to you splendidly passionate people. (Also, it's probably the book series I most _want_ to like.) Funnily enough, I'm mainly interested in the sailing bits


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## jherrick (Apr 1, 2011)

Eve Yohalem said:


> Jherrick, I saw Breakfast at Tiffanys before reading the book, too. They're so different - and both wonderful in their own way.


Yeah, I couldn't figure which I liked more, but I'd give the movie the edge. The book seemed to dig into Holly's psyche and helped me understand why she behaved particular ways in the movie. I was shocked to see the beginnings and endings were completely different book vs. film. Which did you like better?


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

PJHoover said:


> Global Harry Potter collective mind maybe?


Resistance is futile.


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## Eve Yohalem (Apr 1, 2011)

Book vs movie for Breakfast at Tiffanys is a close call - they're so different. But I think I prefer the book. It's darker and I like dark.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Christine Kersey said:


> I had never read _Lord of the Rings_, but after watching _Fellowship_, I picked up the book. It's certainly different from the movie, but I enjoyed it on its own merits.


Yes, that. I'm actually a bit ashamed to admit this - it seems like everyone had read it at much earlier age than I did. 
I recently picked up a sample of Neil Gaiman's _Neverwhere _although I actually did not like the movie version too much - and I'm surprised how much better the book is. So apparently even mediocre films can lead us to a good book


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## SelenaBlake (May 13, 2011)

I'm enjoying everyone's responses.

I was sort of pondering picking up Eat, Pray, Love. But then I found a video with the author. She's talking about her writing process and welcoming your inner genius (it's on my blog so I can watch over and over) and now I must read the book. So there you have it. Inspired by the movie and a video.


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## SelenaBlake (May 13, 2011)

JFHilborne said:


> The Lincoln Lawyer.


Agreed. The movie certainly has me curious about the book.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> _Nothing Lasts Forever_, by Roderick Thorpe was apparently the basis for Die Hard. In looking that up, I found this link to an article about movies you didn't know were based on books.
> 
> There was a movie, can't remember which one, which was based on an Elmore Leonard book, so I read the book...might have been _Get Shorty_, but I think there was one before that...more research....It did introduce me to Elmore Leonard...
> 
> Betsy


Out of Sight? That the best Leonard-book-turned-movie to my taste. I think Leonard's plots are weak, so the movie has to capture the language and characters to work well. Just my opinion.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Solaris after the original movie. I was very intrigued and really liked the book.  Has anyone read the new translation?

I am sure there are lots of others. But I can't think of any right now.  I tend to read the book first.


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

I forgot to mention: I saw Coppola's version of "Rumble Fish" when I lived in Paris in the '80s. A few months later, at an English-language book store - I think it was W.H. Smith, I happened upon the S.E. Hinton book and bought it. I wondered if Coppola had somehow added some of the profound resonances to the YA text. He hadn't. The film was great, but the book is double-awesome. Anyone who enjoyed the film should read the book. It's a different experience.


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

Watching "The Neverending Story" got me to read the book. Book is a million times better, and I love the movie!


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## SJCress (Jun 5, 2011)

PJHoover said:


> Jurassic Park. And it was actually one movie I found way better than the book (I know, horrible, right?).


Came here to post this 

Also, _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_/_Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ (the movie - the Gene Wilder one - rocked but I still liked the book better)


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

_Cold Comfort Farm._


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## seattlegurl2 (Jun 21, 2011)

A River Runs Through It. It's sheer poetry to me. Both the movie and the book.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

genevieveaclark said:


> _Cold Comfort Farm._


I love that movie. So much.

It was given to me as a random gift. The kind of gift where you're like "gee, thanks." I popped it in out of sheer boredom one night and was shocked over how much I enjoyed it.


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## Robert Clear (Apr 10, 2011)

The 70s TV series 'I, Claudius' inspired me to read Robert Graves' novel, on which it's based. And I'm glad I did!


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

I am legend & War of The Worlds  

They were both great reads.


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## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

This isn't a movie, but I figured it would still count:  I just bought the first GAME OF THRONES book because the series has been such a big hit.  (And I haven't even been able to watch the series yet!  I want to see them in order and can't find a way to get Season One).

Looking forward to reading the book, though!

Julia


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## Kathelm (Sep 27, 2010)

> I am legend


Maybe the fifth adaptation will finally get it right. I always feel bad for Richard Matheson.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

IT, by Stephen King. It gets a bit murky after that on the which came first front, the movies or the books, but it was the IT telemovie that got me into King.

I read Silence of the Lambs thanks to the movie. As much as I enjoyed Jodie Foster playing the role, the movie didn't really capture just how hard Agent Starling worked, so I prefer the book version of the character to the movie version. Close call though, I must admit. It's a good book.

The Running Man, by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman. Boy was that a surprise when I finally, finally came across it. I was young and knew little of how the world worked. Until then I thought a movie based on a book would roughly resemble the book.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

I bought the The Guardians (the owl movie) and How to Train Your Dragon for my kids because they love those movies. Both books are different, and How to Train Your Dragon was COMPLETELY different. Not bad. Just a completely different story. I didn't mind reading the book to my kids, but I would have really like a straight novelization of the movie. Honestly, I don't know why Hollywood does that. If they want to write a new story, why not just write a new story?


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Previews for film "The Road", wanted to read the book first. Then, waited for DVD release before watching film.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Casper Parks said:


> Previews for film "The Road", wanted to read the book first. Then, waited for DVD release before watching film.


They already made a movie of The Road? Where have I been?


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

I read The Perfect Storm. It was a little strange reading a non fiction book after seeing a Hollywood movie, but I was impressed with both.


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## rabmac (May 22, 2011)

"Dances with Wolves": the movie was good, but the book it's based upon is a terrific read.

 (USA)  (UK)


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## PulpDogg (Mar 26, 2011)

Game of Thrones basically. But it wasn't really watching the show, but the hype that preceded it ... that and a friend who  wanted me to read the books for years.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Marathon Man. Rosemary's Baby. Patriot Games. Being There.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

The Joy Luck Club


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

Shutter Island, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Children of Men (liked the movie better), The Prestige, The Joy Luck Club (hey, comment twins above me!)

There are others that I picked the book up because the movie was coming out and I wanted to read it first: The Green Mile (well, in that case it'd already been out for a while), Never Let Me Go, Percy Jackson.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

Years ago I watched The Omen based on the book by David Seltzer. I saw it again recently, along with the modern version. I found the book in a book store, so decided, based on the two movies, to buy it. I have to say I was bitterly disappointed. The characters were all unlikable and I especially disliked the journalist. In the movie, he was a likable sort. The book held no suspense for me and the ending was a little off for me. Even though it is fiction, I like a little reality if you are going to base it in modern times. The UK police jump from their vehicle and draw their revolvers, shooting the main character dead. They don't carry firearms over there. Picky I know!!


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## Bellagirl (Jul 23, 2011)

_In the Time of the Butterflies_, by Julia Alvarez.
I'm a sucker for non-fiction novels. This film was low-budget and under the radar, but told the true story of 3 Dominican sisters, from childhood to their involvement in a political revolution, and to their murder at the hand of the Trujillo dictatorship. The story was sad and haunting, and I had to know more. 
The book was lovely, just like the movie, but for some reason the publisher wanted to save $$ and printed it in something like 8-point font. Sad, I'm sure it deterred lots of people from buying it. Hopefully it's out in digital format these days....


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

Oh, and also Sleepers. Powerful book and even better movie!


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## indiebookslist (Aug 5, 2011)

Put in another vote for "Fight Club". I think the movie did justice to the book.


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## Dee Ernst (Jan 10, 2011)

I saw 'The Adjustment Bureau' with Matt Damon and spent days hunting down the Philip A. Dick short story it was based on.  I's read Dick before and like him, so I was very excited when I finally tracked it down.  Same concept, totally different story.  The movie was much better - deeper, sader, more romantic.  But the idea was Dick's - very cool.


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## B Regan Asher (Jun 14, 2011)

I just can not bring myself to read a book after seeing the movie.  When I read a book I want to visualize everything fresh, the way the author intended and I find that watching the movie first ruins that.  On the other hand, watching the movie after reading the book works for me.  But as others have noted already, the movie is usually a disappointment.  Notable exceptions are the first and last Harry Potter movies.


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## Patrick Reinken (Aug 4, 2011)

Joel Arnold said:


> This harkens back to my childhood, but seeing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder) got me into reading Roald Dahl.


Dahl! Yes!

I'd seen _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ a thousand times - that's a rough estimate - and didn't read Dahl's _Willy Wonka..._ until I had kids. I have to say that the movie was certainly close to the book (the Burton movie is bizarre but I think a little more bookish). What I didn't expect was that the book had a couple spots where I had to edit the "read-aloud" to my six-year old.


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## Patrick Reinken (Aug 4, 2011)

PJHoover said:


> Jurassic Park. And it was actually one movie I found way better than the book (I know, horrible, right?).


Yeah. But what I like about _Jurassic Park_ - book versus movie - is the difference between them on who survives. And then Crichton had to go and write a sequel that supported the movie sequel, while reconciling the death differences.

It's always interesting to see a reconstruction like that, in either book or movie.


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## Patrick Reinken (Aug 4, 2011)

seattlegurl2 said:


> A River Runs Through It. It's sheer poetry to me. Both the movie and the book.


I agree - both are great.... But Redford's voiceover narration, especially at the end, cinches it for the film to me. A little ironic, I suppose, since he's reading Maclean's words.


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

KyahCA said:


> I saw the movie The Time Traveler's Wife because I have a huge crush on Rachel McAdams, and the movie was very good and interesting, and I was curious how it was in the book, so I picked up the book by Audrey Neffenegger and it's really good so far.


Same here! I adore Rachel McAdams, so I saw the movie, and I was really intrigued by the concept but I was initially disappointed by some of the plot points that seemed glossed over or not fully fleshed out ... then I read the book and LOVED it because all my concerns were addressed and then some. I felt like there was almost too much there to cram into a 2 hour movie without losing so much of the nuance of the story (although I did like the movie), so I thought the book was fantastic. The movie left me intrigued, the book left me satisfied.


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

Ok, ready for the contrapositive?

*waits while you try to remember middle school math*

*still waiting*

*ha just kidding, I don't remember what it is either*

A movie adaptation that was so bad it made me think less of a book I previously loved: 

Hogfather, written by Terry Pratchett, utterly destroyed on the screen by some well paid fool in Britain. Then the ****** did the same thing to The Colour of Magic. 

Apparently Terry let him do this? After seeing the first adaptation, he was like, here's more of my work, see how creatively you can butcher this one now? Truly awful. Just a reminder that most authors have no business being near a film set. (and I say this thinking TP's only contribution was approval and consent. That is enough.)


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

"The Bone Collector" I read most of the series with those characters in it. "Uzumaki". I own all three graphic novels. "The Haunting Of Hill House". I first saw the movie when I was about 10 and it scared me out of my wits. The book was scarier. Same applies to "Hell House". I saw "The Legend Of Hell House" when I was a kid as well.

Most often, books inspire me to see the movies. I saw "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil" after reading the book. Same for "Dracula", "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "Rosemary's Baby", and "The Exorcist".


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## BenCheetham (Jul 24, 2011)

'American Psycho' Bret Easton Ellis. I loved both, but I have to say this is one of those rare cases where the movie comes very close to equalling the book.


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