As a movie buff and literature nerd, I always find myself at war. I see a preview for an exciting new movie, but wait, it was a book once before? Now my brain is at war. Do I just wait for the movie to come out and be ignorant to the written tale, or do I educate myself as much as possible on the subject and sit in the theater with a clear picture in my head of what the movie should be? Well, I know I’m not alone, and I’m here to make your choice simple: read the book first.

When I sit down and read a book, my mind goes on this epic journey, far cooler than any CGI could master. I can clearly picture each character as if they were my best friend, and I can feel the emotions of the inner dialogue as if I was personally experiencing it. In a movie, if a character spent the entire time in his or her head, I would go crazy and walk out of that cheese fest. In a book, it never feels forced. The words flow and you create your own world.

With movies it’s all about a profit, as studios become bigger and budgets become steeper. Sometimes staying true to the story gets lost in needing to glamorize the plot to Hollywood’s ideals. Literature is meant to teach and convey something far more intimate and personal with no regard to book production success. The good of the story and its integrity trumps the need for wide-spread praise.

Movies, though entertaining, offer little to our mental development. Books are quite the opposite. Books, while engaging, are also great brain stimulants. So if it’s an option between being entertained and being entertained plus exercising my brain, I’m going to go with option two every time.

Movies and books both bring a little something to the table, but if debating on whether to read the book first, the choice is quite simple. Both are great medians of art and entertainment, but if you ask me, literature will always be timeless.