To Read or Not to Read

Cafe Society
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Opinions, please: Before I start “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, should I reread “Goblet of Fire”? Or go back to the very beginning of the series? I’ve read each one as it came out, and it’s been a long time since Book 4.

And while I’m (sorta) on the subject, those of you who’ve read "Seabiscuit "and seen the movie – would you advise people who haven’t read the book yet to see the movie before doing so? I read it when it first came out, which was far enough back so it didn’t spoil the movie for me by leaving me saying “but… but… but…” On the other hand, I advised a friend who has yet to read the book to see the movie first, so the book wouldn’t be fresh in her mind – then read it.

What say ye all?

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For Harry, if you think you remember most of Goblet of Fire, you should be okay. I have a compulsive need to reread an entire series before a new book comes out (which has gotten rather hellish where Wheel of Time is concerned!), but I think J.K. Rowling has a pretty good knack for recapping and unless you’re terribly serious about wanting to figure things out before the characters do (another failing of mine), you should be just fine.

And for books-to-movies, if I have the choice, I usually prefer to see the movie first. That way, I don’t spend half my time in the theater pissed off that something was changed. And when I get to the book, little things that didn’t make it to the movie please me immensely. I will usually see any movie based on a book I liked, though, just to see if the filmmaker shared my favorite parts, and, of course, how they screwed it up. :slight_smile:

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Thanks, Draelin! But what do you do when Terry Pratchett produces a new one? :wink:

I’m a serial series reader, too. If Julian May comes out with another Galactic Milieu book (please, please – there are loose ends in the Saga of Pliocene Exile…), for example, I’d have what? – six? books to reread before I could start the new one. I’ve got the first book in the Tawny Man projected trilogy by Robin Hobb, but won’t start it because the third one isn’t out yet, and her previous trilogies simply HAD to be read straight through.

Oh, well; I may just skim “Goblet of Fire” before “Order of the Phoenix” – although no doubt I will find myself sucked into reading it cover to cover. Sigh… So many books; so little time.

I tend to agree with you on movies into books. Many years ago, I saw the movie of “The Right Stuff” and thought it was excellent; then read the book and greatly enjoyed it; then rewatched the movie and was disappointed – it was still good, but now I knew where they’d cut, compressed, altered, etc.

On the other hand, a friend I talked to today had read “Seabiscuit” just before seeing the movie, in the company of friends who hadn’t read it. He said he felt he would have had trouble following some parts of the movie had he not read the book, and that his friends were a bit lost at times. Of course, none of them are horse people (which I am) or into horse racing, so I can see how they wouldn’t get certain things, like why Pumpkin was so important to Seabiscuit.

Hmmmm… I didn’t reread “The Lord of the Rings” (starting, of course, with “The Hobbit”) before seeing either of the first two movies, but had no trouble picking out the changes and drops. Of course, given how many times I’ve read that over the years… I guess it’s just a matter of accepting that they’re two very different art forms, and trying really hard not to go berserk when the movie’s a butcher job, as with “Dune”.

Ever seen a movie that was better than the book;)

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What about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Devil’s Advocate (was this movie based on a book? not sure)? Also can’t forget to mention Blade Runner and Fight Club. They are all good movies I enjoyed immensely. Granted, I haven’t read the book’s to compare them, but the movies are still good IMHO.

Then again, I thought the Dune movie was good until I read the book. WTF, sound powers!?! Who decided to pull that outta their ass?

Hmm. On second thought, maybe I should read the books before I make a final decision.

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Hmm. On second thought, maybe I should read the books before I make a final decision.

What??? Examine the evidence before reaching a verdict? What are you, some kind of radical? :stuck_out_tongue:

I haven’t seen Cuckoo’s, Devil’s or Fight Club (my keepers don’t let me out much), but did see Blade Runner. Yeh, that was excellent!

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While I immensly enjoyed Blade Runner. I think the book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was excellent and in many ways, superior to the movie.

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Did you ever read the short story that the Schwarzenegger film “Total Recall” was based on? It was so far superior to that overblown, ridiculous mess, there’s really no comparison. That movie wasn’t just dumbing down a clever premise; that was giving it a lobotomy. :frowning:

And the movie “Beastmaster” – outside of the title and the fact the hero had animal sidekicks, where the heck was Andre Norton’s story??? :confused: