Books or Movies - What's Better?

There are two main types of entertainment in this world: Books and Movies. They can be completely separate or interchangeable, but more often than not, there is always a preference, a favourite.

I was having this conversation with a work friend of mine the other day and he said that he doesn't read much. To me, that seems strange when I've read one book a day before, but he isn't alone. Members of my family don't read much unless they're on holiday, then reading by the pool is a mandatory activity.

This conversation got me thinking. There are millions of books out there and a lot of them have been transferred to the screen, whether it be TV shows like Nine Perfect Strangers or films like Harry Potter.

As both a bookworm and an avid movie buff, it's interesting to me to see what other people prefer. It's even more fascinating when it comes to deciding whether the book or the screen adaptation of a story is better, and which order you encounter them in first.

What comes first?

Film series like Harry Potter came out after the first book, at least, was written. This is the same with some TV shows; the books are so good that movie directors think they'd make a great screen adaptation.

But just because the books were written first, doesn't mean people read the story before watching it. For me, I always like to read the book before watching the movie. Sometimes people don't ever read the books before watching the shows on screen. I know for The 100, I never knew it was based on a book series until after I finished watching the show.

With so many stories told both in print and visually on the big screen, which do you prefer to dive into first? The book or the film?

What's better?

One thing I like to do once I've read the book is to watch the film. I remember when Bridgerton first came out and I really wanted to watch the show, but I didn't allow myself to until I'd read the first book.

However, the screen adaptations don't always live up to the book. Sometimes, and I use this word carefully, they are better than the books.

Books like The Maze Runner are better than the films, in my opinion, and so is The Mortal Instruments series. It's harder for all the information to be included in screen adaptations, particularly if they're movies because having a three and a half hour movie is a bit extreme. For TV shows, it's easier as there can be several seasons with multiple episodes. In The Maze Runner, I felt that the screen adaptations weren't as good because they missed out information and altered the story to fit the screen better.

The Mortal Instruments is actually rather unique. The series has a TV series based on it called Shadowhunters and a film based on the first book City of Bones. For me, the books trump both versions of screen adaptations.

But there are some film/TV versions I prefer. For instance, The 100 and The Vampire Diaries are better on the screen than on the page. Whilst there are some quite big differences, for example in The Vampire Diaries, Elena has a sister, not a brother, the TV show is more entertaining, gripping and emotional.

So, I have two questions for you:

• What do you prefer: books or movies/TV shows?

• What do you read/watch first?

Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time...