Books and Movies

The recent trend seems to be taking all the books that are really really good and turning them into movies.  Why?  I guess because the books were so well-loved that it only makes sense.  Clearly, the best example of this is the YA department is the block-buster movies from the Twilight series.  I won't lie. I saw (and bought) them all.  I read the books multiple times.  Were they good literature - uhhh no. But boy were they a fun read and fun to watch in the theater as well. The latest is the book-to-movie sensation The Hunger Games.  Again, I've read and watched and eagerly awaited the release of the next movie like so many millions of fans. 

What makes me a little angry though is when a producer completely and totally butchers the books in the movie.  I "get" that you have to eliminate some parts of the book to actually make a movie that is less than 10 hours in length (which is why reading the books helps when you see the movies), but when you completely alter and change more than 50% of the book, then it ruins both for me.  The case that comes to mind is The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  I loved the entire series and when I hear they were making it into a movie I was thrilled...until I watched.  UGH.  The movie itself was decent, but any parallels between book and movie were quite minimal.  Perhaps I just had a different picture in my mind, but regardless, I was disappointed. 

Gratefully, as a librarian, sometimes the whole "book-to-movie" ordeal increases business for me.  I often get kids coming in begging for the books title of a movie so they can read it before they see it.  Fine by me. It's why I have three copies of The Hunger Games and rarely is it on the shelf. 

If you're thinking of trying out some books before you see the movie, click HERE!

Happy reading and watching.