Oct 08


Books on the Nightstand, Episode 15 (21:03)

(You can listen by using the player above. If you’re using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won’t see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)

headphonesPicking up on a topic Ann wrote about in a previous blog post, we’re discussing books vs. movies. Are the books always better? Entertainment Weekly seems to think so!

Next, we talk about four novels that either are, or will be, movies, including The Road and Revolutionary Road. Check out this New York Times article about the making of the movie version of The Road. Also, you can watch the trailer for Revolutionary Road here.

Two other links on this topic:

  • Vintage Books and Anchor Books Facebook Page – Vintage and Anchor have many movie-tie-ins out now and more coming out. Their Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date on all of them, plus all of the other great Vintage/Anchor titles.
  • Roxanne Coady, owner of RJ Julia Booksellers has written a column with her take on three book-based-movies out this fall.

As usual, we finish the episode with two books we can’t wait for you to read, including The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. Here’s a video of Hannah, describing the book and its genesis.

photo credit:Jay Heaviside
__________________________

We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, Vintage trade paperback
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Grand Central trade paperback
The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Vintage trade paperback
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, Vintage trade paperback
I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass, Pantheon hardcover
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, Dial Press hardcover

(all information is for the U.S. editions).
  • http://www.subliminalintervention.blogspot.com Dreamybee

    I didn’t read House of Sand and Fog, but I did see the movie, and I thought it was INTENSE. I can’t imagine how the book must have been to read!

    For the most part, I would agree that the book is usually better than the movie, but one movie that I did like better than the book was The Hours. I’m not sure why, exactly, but the movie just had a more visceral impact on me than the book even though I remember the movie staying quite true to the book.

  • http://www.subliminalintervention.blogspot.com Dreamybee

    I didn’t read House of Sand and Fog, but I did see the movie, and I thought it was INTENSE. I can’t imagine how the book must have been to read!

    For the most part, I would agree that the book is usually better than the movie, but one movie that I did like better than the book was The Hours. I’m not sure why, exactly, but the movie just had a more visceral impact on me than the book even though I remember the movie staying quite true to the book.

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    Dreamybee, thank you for your comment! I have neither read nor seen the movie of The Hours, but they are both on my list. I think I might just get the film, based on your recommendation, since I have many more books in my stack than films on my to-be-watched list.

    Thanks!

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    Dreamybee, thank you for your comment! I have neither read nor seen the movie of The Hours, but they are both on my list. I think I might just get the film, based on your recommendation, since I have many more books in my stack than films on my to-be-watched list.

    Thanks!

  • Lisa

    I agree that the book is usually better than the movie. In my personal experience if I watch the movie first then I like the movie.If I read the book first then I have already developed my own vision of characters and events,but sometimes that isn’t how the screenwriters interpreted it.

  • Lisa

    I agree that the book is usually better than the movie. In my personal experience if I watch the movie first then I like the movie.If I read the book first then I have already developed my own vision of characters and events,but sometimes that isn’t how the screenwriters interpreted it.

  • http://www.kimwerker.com Kim

    One movie that totally surprised me was Atonement. I loved the book and was apprehensive about seeing the movie. I avoided it when it was in theatres but ended up succumbing to it on DVD. I was very nearly *overwhelmed* by how true the movie was to the book and its characters. I can’t recall feeling that way about any other adaptation.

    Seeing trailers for the movie Blindness this summer finally kicked me to read it (not long after I read The Road; I’m with Michael on that one—I’m not sure any movie rendering could do justice to my personal reading of it). Although the effect was that the actors’ faces were etched in my head, I adored the book and am, again, apprehensive to see the movie. I’ve heard some murmurs that the movie hasn’t captured the gist of the book, which I cynically find typical but overall find disappointing. But I certainly hope more people read the book because of the movie. Its insights are simply stunning.

  • http://www.kimwerker.com Kim

    One movie that totally surprised me was Atonement. I loved the book and was apprehensive about seeing the movie. I avoided it when it was in theatres but ended up succumbing to it on DVD. I was very nearly *overwhelmed* by how true the movie was to the book and its characters. I can’t recall feeling that way about any other adaptation.

    Seeing trailers for the movie Blindness this summer finally kicked me to read it (not long after I read The Road; I’m with Michael on that one—I’m not sure any movie rendering could do justice to my personal reading of it). Although the effect was that the actors’ faces were etched in my head, I adored the book and am, again, apprehensive to see the movie. I’ve heard some murmurs that the movie hasn’t captured the gist of the book, which I cynically find typical but overall find disappointing. But I certainly hope more people read the book because of the movie. Its insights are simply stunning.

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    Lisa – I totally agree. That’s why my daughter hates me — she’s not allowed to see the Harry Potter movies til she’s read at least 4 of the books.

    Kim – I’m so glad you posted this. I’ve had Atonement sitting here for almost 2 weeks (thank you Netflix for no late fees), and have been reluctant to watch it. I think you’ve just explained to me why. Glad to hear that it doesn’t disappoint. And Blindness is definitely on my to read list, maybe moving up in the pile.

    Thanks for your comments!

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    Lisa – I totally agree. That’s why my daughter hates me — she’s not allowed to see the Harry Potter movies til she’s read at least 4 of the books.

    Kim – I’m so glad you posted this. I’ve had Atonement sitting here for almost 2 weeks (thank you Netflix for no late fees), and have been reluctant to watch it. I think you’ve just explained to me why. Glad to hear that it doesn’t disappoint. And Blindness is definitely on my to read list, maybe moving up in the pile.

    Thanks for your comments!

  • http://www.kimwerker.com Kim

    Ann – I hope you let us know what you think of Atonement. I hope it doesn’t disappoint!

  • http://www.kimwerker.com Kim

    Ann – I hope you let us know what you think of Atonement. I hope it doesn’t disappoint!

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    I definitely will, though I’m going away for the weekend so I won’t get to it til next week now.

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    I definitely will, though I’m going away for the weekend so I won’t get to it til next week now.

  • Lertad

    Isn’t it natural that a the book would be better than the movie though? If the book was not intriguing, it would not have inspired someone to turn it into a movie.

    I guess it’s like a song and a music video. One is the source of inspiration, the other is the visualization of the feeling stemming from that source.

    So, I wonder, does anyone know if there has ever been books written as a result of inspiration from a movie? Which is better? Companion books released at the same time don’t count.

  • Lertad

    Isn’t it natural that a the book would be better than the movie though? If the book was not intriguing, it would not have inspired someone to turn it into a movie.

    I guess it’s like a song and a music video. One is the source of inspiration, the other is the visualization of the feeling stemming from that source.

    So, I wonder, does anyone know if there has ever been books written as a result of inspiration from a movie? Which is better? Companion books released at the same time don’t count.

  • http://taueret.typepad.com/ Taueret

    I thought the adaptation of ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ (going back a fewww years now) was great and really used the cinematic medium to tell the story well.

    Michael, I am with you on ‘The Road’. It was one of the best books I have ever read, but it REALLY did my head in (to the point where I wish I hadn’t read it), and there is no way I could see the movie. In fact in the book the man says to his son something like ‘you have to be careful what images you let into your head’ and I couldn’t agree more.

  • http://taueret.typepad.com/ Taueret

    I thought the adaptation of ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ (going back a fewww years now) was great and really used the cinematic medium to tell the story well.

    Michael, I am with you on ‘The Road’. It was one of the best books I have ever read, but it REALLY did my head in (to the point where I wish I hadn’t read it), and there is no way I could see the movie. In fact in the book the man says to his son something like ‘you have to be careful what images you let into your head’ and I couldn’t agree more.

  • http://groomingtheavatar.blogspot.com/ stephen

    I had this conversation on twitter and came to the conclusion that, while it can be as “good” as the book, the movie is never better than the book.

    The only conceivable counter-example to this statement would be The Godfather. I’d find it hard to believe that the book(s) could be better than the first two movies. Though I notice Dreamybee preferred the movie version of The Hours. Didn’t that novel win a Pulitzer or something?

  • http://groomingtheavatar.blogspot.com/ stephen

    I had this conversation on twitter and came to the conclusion that, while it can be as “good” as the book, the movie is never better than the book.

    The only conceivable counter-example to this statement would be The Godfather. I’d find it hard to believe that the book(s) could be better than the first two movies. Though I notice Dreamybee preferred the movie version of The Hours. Didn’t that novel win a Pulitzer or something?

  • Graceann

    I must gently disagree regarding the book ALWAYS being better than the movie. There are two notable exceptions. Forrest Gump, by Winston Groom is a terrible book, and the film is wonderful. Where the film character of Forrest is simple and loving, the literary character is just a stupid jerk.

    Field of Dreams, which began life as a boring slog called Shoeless Joe, became a film that I love and re-watch, and get something new out of every time I view it. It took me *ages* to read Shoeless Joe, just because it was so terribly dull.

  • Graceann

    I must gently disagree regarding the book ALWAYS being better than the movie. There are two notable exceptions. Forrest Gump, by Winston Groom is a terrible book, and the film is wonderful. Where the film character of Forrest is simple and loving, the literary character is just a stupid jerk.

    Field of Dreams, which began life as a boring slog called Shoeless Joe, became a film that I love and re-watch, and get something new out of every time I view it. It took me *ages* to read Shoeless Joe, just because it was so terribly dull.

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Ann

    Graceann, thanks for weighing in with your opinion — we love it when people gently disagree, LOL! I confess that I did not read either of those books, so I’m going to assume you are right about the movies being better than the books. Thanks!

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Ann

    Graceann, thanks for weighing in with your opinion — we love it when people gently disagree, LOL! I confess that I did not read either of those books, so I’m going to assume you are right about the movies being better than the books. Thanks!

  • http://brewsandbooks.com/index.php/2009/05/15-awesome-literary-t-shirts/ 15 Awesome Literary T-Shirts | Brews and Books

    [...] Book Since 1920, from Typetees – Is the book always better?  I’ll direct you to these blog posts for more analysis.  Either way, it’s a cute [...]

preload preload preload