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Books Vs Movies : Would you rather read or watch?


This is definitely not up for argument as the title might imply. It is more of a discussion as I'm tired of thinking about it and explaining it to myself and others. For the longest time, I've been asked why I haven't seen a full episode of Game of Thrones or why I don't follow this or that series/ haven't seen this movie and the likes. Even though I have a few  Favorite movies of all time , I honestly find more solace in reading books for reasons I wasn't certain until recently.
It was an online interview (I'd have linked back to it but it hasn't been published) and I was asked what my favorite TV show while growing up was. After thinking hard, I realized I had none and the reason was not far fetched. I grew up with my grandmother and I hardly watched TV  because there was a fixed routine during weekdays of going to school, getting back home to play for a little while, doing homework and then freestyling till night falls with the television left untouched and then during weekends, leave her place to my parents place and start acting all clingy clingy. So, then too TV wasn't an option because all we wanted to do was catch up on all the time we couldn't spend together during the week. Also, there was this spelling game we used to play on Saturdays and I always wanted to get all my spellings right so I sort of figured reading storybooks would help and it definitely did. The one word I can remember spelling right that made me immensely proud of myself was 'Encyclopedia' even though I doubt I even knew the meaning at that time. Somehow, I managed to watch less of all the Tom and Jerry and Cinderella I developed a huge reading habit, buying and borrowing books here and there so I had a deep love for anything in print (magazines, newspapers and the likes). It wasn't much of the deep stuff of trying to get life lessons but just to amuse myself. All these made me more of a book than a movie person which I didn't think of as much of a big deal till first year in University and all my roommates would be watching movies and I'd be sleeping and they'd be asking "How don't you watch movies?".


I've been reading more books these days like Last month  when I read 5 and someone was awed and asked why not movies so I decided to make a post about it and share my views and get to know and understand other people's preferences. I was thinking of making this post all about myself and share why I prefer reading books to seeing movies but I changed my mind and decided to ask randomly on my twitter and a few friends which they'd rather go for and then share some of their responses.

From those who'd rather watch,I gathered that

- They'd rather deal with something they can finish in less than 2 hours which well makes sense because reading books could be quite tiring at times. Someone even went as far as telling me he finds it hard to read emails talkless of reading a whole book! I found that pretty hilarious.
Another person I asked said he's so into movies that if he wants to study, he'd rather opt for video tutorials because he gets bored reading books.

- With books, you'll have to do all the imagining whereas movies just simplify everything. For example, I read a book I love so much  with its location in Athens and I've been trying to paint the perfect picture but I doubt if I'm close so it's definitely top on my places to visit list. If it was a movie, I definitely won't have any problem visualizing it.

- It's easier to get distracted when reading books than when watching movies. This makes a lot of sense. I mean, this is a era where we're drawn to visually appealing things. Just look at Instagram.

For books over movies, It was basically

- Books spark your imagination. You tend to imagine a lot and there's a lot of possibilities in imaginations especially if you love to imagine things yourself. No wonder I used to write 'daydreaming' as one of my hobbies then.

- Books are more detailed (especially for those that become movies).

- Get to improve spelling abilities and vocabulary in general . This right here is the truth!

And so, what about books that become movies? The best because you get the best of both worlds but I'd never see the movie of a book before reading it. That kills the suspense that I love. Seeing the movie after reading the book makes me feel like some kind of boss lol. Probably because I know what scene comes next and I get to be a mean movie critic. For example, I just read The Notebook last month and just last week I was with some friends going through a laptop and I saw The Notebook movie. I was so excited and I proceeded to play it. When I saw the protagonist Noah Calhoun, I actually said out loud that "The Noah in the book is finer than the movie's Noah" and the remaining 3 people in the room were shocked, like how do you know what he looks like from a book? I don't think I gave a valid explanation cause this guy actually said "If only people could imagine the word of God like that". Whew
Also,after reading the book 'Me Before You', I really disturbed the person I saw the movie with with my frequent "In the book, that's not how it happened" without considering the fact that they were probably trying to reduce  the cost of production.

All in all, I think the comparison isn't all that needed because either way, you get knowledge, you lose boredom, you learn new words, probably get to imagine all you want to depending on your reasons for engaging in either activity. For me tho, it'd always be books over movies.

What about you? Are you more of a book person than a movie person? Why?
I think my childhood experiences had a big role to play in picking my preference. Is it also like that for you?
What book have you read and also seen the movie that you think should have just stayed as a book?

I always want to hear from you. Kindly leave me your thoughts.
xxx

Comments

  1. I love this post lol. I think I also rather read books than watch movies but then I still end up watching lots of movies! Great post.

    ­­Subomi|My Fashion Musings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thank you!
      I think movies
      are generally more
      accessible so I dig
      that. Thanks for
      reading darling

      Delete
  2. My dear Laitan, give me books any where,anyday,anytime. I read less Fiction nowadays but I can honestly say I have read enough books to last me a lifetime.

    I read fiction to escape but as I get older obviously I have had to cut back and read more helpful stuff, educational, Christian and motivational literature.
    I am not a movie freak but I enjoy them occasionally. It seems like waste of two or three hours to sit in front of the tv.
    My mind wanders and I get bored. What I do is get the review, and know what happened either shine watching or before watching . I dislike surprises at the end of a movie or TV series.

    Downloading is a great option for me because I can pause it.

    One thing I love though is TV series. They are short, great for escape, I don't have to concentrate all that much, nothing heavy or deep like movies can be.
    If you had read Game of thrones book, you probably wouldnt have liked the series. Luckily I haven't read them so I love watching it.


    Boarding house:Stealing, Stealing and more stealing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're a lawyer!
      I saw books coming
      for you lol. My
      mind wanders too
      and I start asking
      silly questions
      especially when
      I'm watching with
      Someone.
      Aww, I love TV series
      too. Nigerian ones
      tho. The only
      foreign series I
      like is Blackish
      because super
      relatable.
      I'm crying,I didn't
      know there was a
      GOT book. Sigh

      Delete
  3. I love love love reading, I've been reading books and stories since the first time I learnt how to read as a child and it's the best. Books especially fiction, are a way to transport yourself into another world. And you're wrong, when I'm reading a good book NOTHING can distract me, I'll take it with me to the fridge, toilet and I won't sleep until I've gotten to the last page. Movies are quite easily distracting and I get why people enjoy watching movies but I don't get why most people don't like reading. I think movies are one-way and the interpretation is pretty much based on what you see. A book however can mean different things to different people based on their imagination. Yeah so books are it for me, I definitely enjoy a good movie once in a while though.

    YORUBACHIC.COM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oyin love, I can see
      how much you love
      reading from your
      comment alone. Lol
      It was actually a
      respondent that said
      he gets distracted
      while reading. Definitely
      not me. Yeah, a book
      can be interpreted
      in diverse ways. Haha,
      I guess we all do enjoy
      a good movie once
      in a while. xx

      Delete
  4. I read "Half of a yellow sun" by Chimamanda Adichie and was anxious to see the movie when it came out and I wondered why I was that anxious. Reading takes it for me. Great post :)
    Tinukeawe.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was terrified while
      reading that book
      because I pictured
      that part of a headless
      man running before he
      finally gave up. Lol
      I didn't enjoy the
      movie much but I'm
      glad it was made into
      a movie still
      Thanks dear

      Delete
  5. I prefer reading books, like you mentioned books spark your imagination and there is more details in books than movies. Also books helps with spoken English, there are a lot of new words we can get from reading books. Movies on the other hand is a way out and also faster to get through it all.

    Bernie, xx
    The Style Fanatic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Books are definitely
      more detailed. Learning
      new words is a plus.
      Yes!

      Delete
  6. While I love a good movie, nothing can beat losing myself in a good book. I've been an avid reader since I was in grade 3. Books have so much details in them and it's these tiny details that catch my attention. But sometimes, one is not in the mood to read and movies come in handy. Fun post Laitan! xx
    Coco Bella Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, movies always
      come in handy. After
      my exams for a day, I
      ALWAYS see a movie before
      I resume reading. Lol
      Thanks for reading dear

      Delete
  7. To be honest I love reading but I do rather read motivational, informative and self help books.
    However I love visuals a lot, be it videos or movies.

    Ps: I shared a few tips on how to be more productive, you should totally check it out.

    www.lydiaschronicle.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can use months to read
      those books because they
      need lots of digestion.
      Lol. So I don't rush it
      Thanks for reading. xx

      Delete
  8. I think I prefer watching movies to reading books. I only read books when im extremely bored that implies when there are no movies to watch.. iv been on one novel for months now and I haven't even finished www.adagirl.com.ng

    ReplyDelete
  9. I perfer movies though..i cant get bored while watching movies..buh on d oda aspect i read books also buh it gets to a part where its becuming boring or a part in which doesnt concerns y m reading d book n i just move ova to d nxtpage lyk dat till i finally get to where d topic gets interesting again...i watch movies a lot n read books a lot buh i prefer movies..shikena

    ReplyDelete
  10. adegoke olumide14 March 2017 at 13:22

    Movies are the real deal... books are exhausting.. like how do u read like 300+ pages and still be sane? Lol.. I mean, look at the Harry Potter and lord of the ring books... they look scary, you literally can't read 30 pages without getting bored.. but then switch to their movies, all your imaginations come to life with great CGI and beautiful acting..

    Beautiful books like life of pi, the great gatsby didn't get to me until their movies were made..

    I'd rather watch a thousand movies than read one 300 page novel

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think I started reading novels because as a kid I didn't have siblings and stuff, but then I realized that back then I actually had a good friend so that's a moot point haha. I just enjoy imagining an entire different world, it's like a book is portal to some realm I would otherwise not being able to access. I love movies though, I see a good one and I wanna watch it, but it's on rare occasions do i go out of my way to find the full series like I would if it were a book.
    quirksandoutfits.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  12.  After linking to that page, the people can easily get the details of the concerned subject. First day Collections and Audience Response is necessary to recognize because if we know only then we can say whether the movie is Hit or Flop.  watch movies free

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh sumitan.... Moooovvvvieesss it is dear... Movie all the way...

      Delete
  13. If you don't read, you won't realise how empty you are
    until you have to discuss history. Would definitely go for books! Really been a while Olaitan. Nice reading again.

    ReplyDelete

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