"Here's how adaption works - almost everything in the movie is in the book in some form. But it's as though the deck has been completely reshuffled and some of the cares have been assigned different values, some of the fours have been made into jacks and some of the jacks have been made into twos." - Walter Kim

Ah yes, the debate the is as constant as the sun rising. Books versus Movies. As I lover of both, deciding whether you preferred the book or the movie can be one of the easiest decisions you ever make, or can be one of the hardest. 

I just finished reading John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' - which was a very long time coming, especially as I watched the movie months before with my friend Sonali. The movie ended with me collapsing in a field of tears and practically launching myself into her arms, Sonali on the other hand whilst comforting me and helping me come to terms with what we had just witnessed was also crying so hard that she lost her contact lens. As you can see, it was an emotional journey for nearly all who view it. It's movies like this that make me question the whole debate, as what often happens with me and sad movies is that if I know it's going to be sad, I won't cry, it's like my mind and body are emotionally prepared and then I sit there like some heartless, stone statue whilst everyone around me passes the tissues and hands out cuddles. 

Let me paint you a picture. It's 2am, the day after you finished your final Maths exam and you're finishing a book [insert The Fault in Our Stars, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, etc]. You know what these books are like, you know the emotional pain and hardship that comes with reading something written by Nicholas Sparks or John Green, BUT, you have already seen the film. You sat through that movie and balled your eyes out, so you finish that book, and then you sit there. You sit there for a good solid minute thinking about what you just read. Then something happens, you either break down into an emotional mess of ugly sobbing and the classic 'Kim Kardashian crying face' (please google it if you don't know what I'm talking about) or you pick up a tissue, wipe away a single tear and roll over and go to sleep. Now funnily enough, I was the second option. I Lauren MTP didn't cry when reading the fault in our stars, yet I was a complete and utter wreck after the movie. I promise there was ugly tears and uncontrollable shaking, ASK SONALI, SHE WAS HOLDING ONTO ME.

So this got me really thinking, how weird is that? The well-known Book Worm, I've literally won medals for reading, didn't cry in the book but she cried in the movie. Okay I've been thinking about this pretty thoroughly over the past 48 hours and I've come to the conclusion that I liked the movie better. The more I think about this the stranger the thought becomes. Maybe it was because Shailene and Ansel brought Hazel Grace and Augustus to life. Maybe because the film allowed you to explore countries that are across the other side of the world. All in all the film was done so so well and I think it's one of the best film adaptions I have ever seen. The lines were word for word and I really loved how when ever one of the characters was on their phones or computers the little image of what they were writing came up on the screen, I know that won't make sense if you haven't seen it, but hey that's an excuse to go and watch the movie. Overall the book and movie have definitely made me think a lot about the nature of life and how this is a good life. We have to make the most of every day and that we are lucky to be alive, no matter what our situation is. I know I'll be re watching the movie, A LOT and definitely re-reading the book sometime in the near future, but just take some time to watch the trailer and then take some more time to watch the movie because trust me, you won't regret it. 

Getting back to the whole debate though one of my favourite things is watching a movie after I've read the book or reading the book after I've watched the movie. I am still developing my rules when it comes to this but I thought I would share with you some little things that I have discovered myself and some little things that I have picked up from people. 

1. Go in with low expectations, I know it's not the most positive outlook, but expect to be disappointed. That way 9/10 times you come out pleasantly surprised and not disappointed at all. 

2. If you can't take spoilers (this one is for you, Sarah), avoid Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and all other forms of social media. I learnt this the hard way as a few weeks before I was going to see the Fault in Our Stars a girl posted a Facebook status, which single-handily destroyed all the hard work I had done to avoid this particular spoiler and also ruin the surprise element for the movie (I know it was months ago, but I'm still mad). 

3. You need to make a choice. You either read the book and then see the movie adaption, meaning you are often disapointed as the best details or favorite scenes are often cut. This is what my friend Miriama describes as the 'rookie mistake' or you go and see a movie and then read the book. Which means that you are pleasantly surprised (or angered) but the immense amount of detail which you find in the book, you get to picture the characters in the novel as the cast from the movie and you get to relive the experience. 

4. Read the book WAY before the movie comes out, this means you have time to forget that the director missed out that intricate detail and you leave the cinema coming to the conclusion that the movie adaption was identical to the book, and NOT A SINGLE DETAIL WAS MISSED. This is one of my personal favourite approaches to this issue.

5. If you're going with a group split yourselves (you can still sit in a row, just give me a second to explain), people who haven't read the book and need explainations are put with people who like talking during movies (aka myself) and then at the complete other end of the row, place those who remain dead silent, and need to pay 100% attention to the movie, that way no way gets annoyed or no one is left confused and completely lost as to why that guy is kissing that girl when they're brother and sister (guess that series).

I hope these little tips help and feel free to leave a comment about anything you have to say on The Fault in Our Stars, movie watching, book reading or any tips you have for these activities. 

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