The Book Movie Connection

We are four months into the year and already I have read more books than I did last year.  Partly because I have sworn off history books for at least a year (learning is hard guys) and partly because I'm reading books I love.  Books that I have read over and over.  Reading books several times over is easy because you have it in your mind what the characters look like, what the characters are wearing, how they walk, how they talk.  They are familiar faces in your mind.  When you read a new book, you have to develop the characters or at least I do.  And that is where I start to slow down when I read.

Part of the slow down is trying to develop the characters in my head despite the fact that this is what the author has done.  However, telling me someone is wearing a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and sunglasses doesn't help me out.  Is there a graphic on the sweatshirt?  What color is the sweatshirt?  Are the jeans some old beat up pair with a ton of tears in them or brand new?  Are they a pair of acid wash 80s throwback?  See, this is what I deal with.  And yes, some authors go into detail about these little things which is awesome because the work is done for me.

This is where movies help me out.  Not everyone is a fan of a movie being adapted from a book, but it's okay by my standards.  I remember reading 'Jurassic Park' after seeing the movie.  Despite the differences, it was so much better for me to read it after seeing the movie because the characters were already there.  Same thing when I read the 'Lord of the Ring' trilogy.  Having this kind of connection in my mind helps to get me through some books.  

To counter this point, isn't one of the points of a book to engage your mind and imagination?  And I say absolutely!  For example. all the Cormac McCarthy books that I have read (four in total) I have fully developed the characters in my mind.  What helps out is his attention to detail.  While it may take longer to finish the book, I find myself going back and re-reading paragraphs, pages, or even chapters just to absorb as much detail as possible.  That is the glory of his writing style.  Don Delillo is the same way (I've read three of his books).  Both throw out some heavy subjects and the detail that they write with helps to get through the books.  

The story is in the details, but getting a boost from the silver screen every once in a while helps.