I know I have not written lately. I apologize. It is not that I have not had anything to write about but more so that I have been so wrapped up in reading that when I have a free moment I have tended to pick up my book or Kindle rather than the computer and get lost in a whole different world.
Reading has always been one of my favorite past times. One can never be bored while surrounded by books. Also, I do not believe that you can ever spend too much time reading or have too many books, my husband may think otherwise after moving all my books into our new place. I guess that is the unfortunate part of having a wife that can only lift up to 20 pounds; he has to do all the heavy lifting.
Reading was something that I used to escape from the world I lived in while stuck in a hospital room. It allowed me to travel worlds previously unknown to me.
What better way to pass the time than to solve murder mysteries with Alex Cross (James Patterson) with each one of his page turning thrillers that grab you and keep you on your toes to the very last page while continuing to be completely wrong about who committed the crime. Then learning about the life of young Fatima Mernissi (Dreams of Trespass: Tales of A Harem Girlhood) while growing up in a harem and dreaming of the world beyond the courtyard walls, which related to me wanting to know the world and the happenings outside my own walls. Then adventuring On the Road with Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady through North America in addition to feeling as if I were infinite with Charlie, Sam and Patrick while driving through the tunnel in Perks of Being A Wallflower.
I may not have always remembered what I read further down the road while going through treatments for my leukemia, but for those moments while I was reading I was able to explore different places and escape the confining walls of my hospital room and the hospital itself. Not only that, but in those relaxing times and for brief moments here and there I was able to forget about everything else that was going on around me.
Lately I have been spending extra time reading and rereading some of the books I read in the past and really enjoyed. Something that I have noticed is that books are being turned into movies left and right. While I truly enjoy the watching these movies (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, all of the Harry Potter films, and now the Divergent series, and The Mortal Instruments, and one of my favorite authors from the past couple years, John Green with his beautifully written novel, The Fault in Our Stars soon coming to theaters). I cannot help but wonder if this is promoting reading of the books in anticipation of the films or if it is stopping people from picking up the book and spending time to read.
I have heard it both ways with some saying that they do not need to spend hours and/or days reading a book when they can spend just a couple hours watching the movie. Others want to read the book first before seeing the film. Those who have read the book before any notion of a movie feel conflicted that the movie will ruin their love of the book. Others, like me, try to keep them separate while watching and rating the movies but still tend to rate them together when suggesting whether someone should watch the film and/or read the book.
An example is Jodi Picoult's novel "My Sister's Keeper". As usual Ms. Piccoult's writing is wonderful. It tugs at your heartstrings and deals with controversial issues. The movie adaptation is wonderful as well, but is very different from the book. Not only does it leave out very important parts of the book but it also has a very different ending. Thus, in my opinion, if you are going to watch the movie then you should also read the book because it will be a different experience than the movie. Another big example is the Game of Thrones series on HBO. Many people who watch the show do not read the books, which is a shame since there is a lot of things that are left out of the books. It would be really hard for all the extra information to be put into that short series for each season/book. The show really is great, but in my opinion are even better after reading the books.
How do you feel? Would you rather watch the movie or television series than read a book? Or, are you one who likes to do both?
Reading has always been one of my favorite past times. One can never be bored while surrounded by books. Also, I do not believe that you can ever spend too much time reading or have too many books, my husband may think otherwise after moving all my books into our new place. I guess that is the unfortunate part of having a wife that can only lift up to 20 pounds; he has to do all the heavy lifting.
Reading was something that I used to escape from the world I lived in while stuck in a hospital room. It allowed me to travel worlds previously unknown to me.
I may not have always remembered what I read further down the road while going through treatments for my leukemia, but for those moments while I was reading I was able to explore different places and escape the confining walls of my hospital room and the hospital itself. Not only that, but in those relaxing times and for brief moments here and there I was able to forget about everything else that was going on around me.
Lately I have been spending extra time reading and rereading some of the books I read in the past and really enjoyed. Something that I have noticed is that books are being turned into movies left and right. While I truly enjoy the watching these movies (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, all of the Harry Potter films, and now the Divergent series, and The Mortal Instruments, and one of my favorite authors from the past couple years, John Green with his beautifully written novel, The Fault in Our Stars soon coming to theaters). I cannot help but wonder if this is promoting reading of the books in anticipation of the films or if it is stopping people from picking up the book and spending time to read.
I have heard it both ways with some saying that they do not need to spend hours and/or days reading a book when they can spend just a couple hours watching the movie. Others want to read the book first before seeing the film. Those who have read the book before any notion of a movie feel conflicted that the movie will ruin their love of the book. Others, like me, try to keep them separate while watching and rating the movies but still tend to rate them together when suggesting whether someone should watch the film and/or read the book.
An example is Jodi Picoult's novel "My Sister's Keeper". As usual Ms. Piccoult's writing is wonderful. It tugs at your heartstrings and deals with controversial issues. The movie adaptation is wonderful as well, but is very different from the book. Not only does it leave out very important parts of the book but it also has a very different ending. Thus, in my opinion, if you are going to watch the movie then you should also read the book because it will be a different experience than the movie. Another big example is the Game of Thrones series on HBO. Many people who watch the show do not read the books, which is a shame since there is a lot of things that are left out of the books. It would be really hard for all the extra information to be put into that short series for each season/book. The show really is great, but in my opinion are even better after reading the books.
How do you feel? Would you rather watch the movie or television series than read a book? Or, are you one who likes to do both?
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