Print to Screen

Generally, I don’t care to see the screen version (film or television) of any books that I’ve read. Years ago, I learned what we all know; the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. Occasionally though, I’ll give one a try, especially if it’s a book that one of my kids has read as well. For instance, the movie based on The Fault in our Stars by John Green was well done. I still think it lost some of the edge that they book had, but overall, it was not disappointing. The best part of the experience was sharing it with my daughter and comparing book to screen.

Recently, two books that I really enjoyed were made into movies - Wild by Cheryl Strayed and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I decided to give Wild a shot, since I thought the scenery would be amazing and I really like Reese Witherspoon. I made it 10 minutes into the movie before giving up. There is just too much internal dialogue for it to translate well. If you’ve watched the movie and enjoyed it, read the the book. It is, of course, much better. I won’t even attempt to defile A Walk in the Woods - I’ll stick with the book version.

Now I will share one major exception. You must, must, must watch the Outlander series based on the books by Diana Gabaldon. They are amazingly done. I won’t say that they’re as good as the books, but they are so good in their own right. From the actors selected to play the characters, to the scenery, to the raw (and perfect) translation of deep heartache, wild passion and all feelings in between, this series brings the books to life in vivid detail. Gentlemen, you would truly enjoy the book series, but chances are it is the lady in your life that has read them. Do yourself a favor and watch the series together. I recommend watching it without distraction (read no kids around) and on comfortable furniture. You’ll thank me later.

What movie/show based on a book did you really enjoy?

Have you read & watched Outlander? What did you think?