The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yep. I much preferred Aragorn in the LOTR movies to Aragorn as he was in the books, for example.

(More often, it's vice versa, unfortunately).

It's a pleasant surprise when I prefer the character as portrayed in the movie but as mentioned, it's sadly rare when that happens.

[Karellen]

A lot of the time I discover books via movies or tv shows they are based on. So when I get around to reading the book I already have the character formed in my mind.

Most recent one is Bullet Train with Brad Pitt. The movie was way better than the book as it added a level of complexity and restrained humour that was not present in the book. In fact I struggled to finish the book.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yep. I much preferred Aragorn in the LOTR movies to Aragorn as he was in the books, for example.

I was never a LotR fan or have even yet read the books.
Then I heard the German radio play of 30 episodes.
I fell in love with the voice of Aragorn, played by Hans Peter Hallwachs.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Karellen

A lot of the time I discover books via movies or tv shows they are based on. So when I get around to reading the book I already have the character formed in my mind.

Most recent one is Bullet Train with Brad Pitt. The movie was way better than the book as it added a level of complexity and restrained humour that was not present in the book. In fact I struggled to finish the book.

I've not read the book, but I have seen Bullet Train. I thought it was very good.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've not read the book, but I have seen Bullet Train. I thought it was very good.

While I have read and enjoyed the book, but not seen the film. I had heard it wasn't as good as the book, but I hope to be wrong.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

While I have read and enjoyed the book, but not seen the film. I had heard it wasn't as good as the book, but I hope to be wrong.

I wonder to what extent people are predisposed to think more highly of whichever form they experienced first? Storytelling pluses and minuses aside, the first time has an element of surprise in regard to plot and characterizations that can’t be achieved in the second, even when there are changes. And if you add to that the distinct possibility, or at least so it seems to me, that people experience the form they prefer first, well, there you are.

It’s not that there can’t be exceptions, as in the old parlor game of “which movies were better than the book?”, but in the end, people like what they like. How’s that for profundity?

None of which obviates the essential dictum that you always read the book first!

[Cactus Chef]

I finished reading a book the other night, and there was so much fluff after the end of the actual story that I had to go pull a random hardback book off my bookshelf to compare.

Random paperback/hardback on my shelf usually has, between the end of the narrative and the back cover:

• More by this author
• One or two blank pages
• Back cover (with "About this author" on the gatefold)

Meanwhile the average ebook seems to have, between the end of the narrative work and the end of the file:

• About the author
• More by this author
• "Thank-you for reading this book from [Publisher name]. Sign-up for our newsletter here."
• More books from this publisher
• Additional credits
• Copyright (didn't I already get a copyright page at the beginning?)

Like, why? I start to get fatigue just trying to page-skip through it all on my Kobo, because of course each one of these damn things will often be considered its own chapter!

[Karellen]

All those pages I consider as nothing but advertising I just strip out of the ebook.
Some books also have a promotional first chapter of another book to entice you to buy, and I strip them out as well.

[Quoth]

The copyright at the end and some of the other endmatter is Amazon's fault. They make ebooks open at the start of body and skip copyright, by this author, dedication and printed contents which is more flexible than system ToC.

Self appointed "advisors" tell publishers/SP authors to take advantage of lack of paper cost to include more end matter like a blurb for every book and sample chapters.

I've established people don't want it. Also with an ebook it's trivial to see the other books, blurbs & samples online unlike olden paper only days.

[nana77]

Originally Posted by issybird

I wonder to what extent people are predisposed to think more highly of whichever form they experienced first? Storytelling pluses and minuses aside, the first time has an element of surprise in regard to plot and characterizations that can’t be achieved in the second, even when there are changes. And if you add to that the distinct possibility, or at least so it seems to me, that people experience the form they prefer first, well, there you are.

It’s not that there can’t be exceptions, as in the old parlor game of “which movies were better than the book?”, but in the end, people like what they like. How’s that for profundity?

None of which obviates the essential dictum that you always read the book first!

Imho there is also the fact that, while watching the movie first, and reading after the book, would lock the characters to the actors presented on the film, within them voices and faces.
Reading first won't lock anything, too there is always a part of the narration that simply can't be translated on the movie, and knowing that at first sometimes brings to recognize some cameos or some parts that otherwise won't be available.
I'll gladly read a book from "The Big Lebowski" if done, even after having watched the movie, btw .

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by nana77

Imho there is also the fact that, while watching the movie first, and reading after the book, would lock the characters to the actors presented on the film, within them voices and faces.
Reading first won't lock anything, too there is always a part of the narration that simply can't be translated on the movie, and knowing that at first sometimes brings to recognize some cameos or some parts that otherwise won't be available.

I've definitely found this; I saw the film Jurassic Park (best film ever, no arguments) before reading the book and I have always heard the two kids in it as they are in the film even though the ages are reversed to the book, the boy Tim is the oldest in the book where as in the film the girl Lex is the oldest. I don't have a direct comparison of reading a book first then seeing the film but I have got a couple of books by a chap who has also done some TV series, I read his books first before seeing him on TV, he has a very distinctive way of speaking but even so as I read the books before hearing him speak I still 'hear' him when I'm reading as I originally did, hearing him speak after reading the books hasn't altered that.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I've established people don't want it. Also with an ebook it's trivial to see the other books, blurbs & samples online unlike olden paper only days.

Not to mention that on several occasions, when older books have been updated with new additions to other books lists, changed sample chapters, updated author biographies, updated covers (evidently, if the cover change will cause confusion), etc., those changes have been enough to mandate a change in the ISBN though the book content has not changed. I've read that some changes can also trigger a change in Amazon's ASIN but no idea of level of changes will trigger that.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I've read that some changes can also trigger a change in Amazon's ASIN but no idea of level of changes will trigger that.

As far as I know it is up to the publisher. They can update an existing book and it will keep its ASIN or publish an update as a new book which gets a new ASIN. The first case is more honest but the second may result in increased sales from unwary customers who buy the same book again.

[ownedbycats]

Overdrive serious problem.





Not even romances with sci-fi background. Straight up bloody Harlequins.

[Aleron Ives]

Don't read them, then?