*It’s conversation thread time! The idea? Reply with your opinion and converse with fellow readers and writers in the comments.
The other day, my fiancée asked me the title question. My answer surprised me.
“The Notebook,” I said.
Of all the books I’ve read? Despite all my high-minded literary training? The Notebook?
“Book or movie?” she said.
“Either or. But probably the book. That shit hits hard.”
She agreed, because doesn’t it? And isn’t Allie beautiful? And does anything top the “What, Do, You, Want”scene? I guess, when prompted by that question, my mind went to the work of art that had the most memorable impact on my emotions, not the one that inspired the newest ideas or the weirdest thoughts. I cried reading both the book and watching the movie. It’s a beautiful story, that’s true anytime I read or watch it, but that first time was special.
So, without further ado, if you could experience a book and/or movie for the first time again, what would it be? Why?
This is a hard one, Matt! When I lived in the city I'd go by myself to the movies in the afternoon. And often, go back to see the same movie multiple times. I miss that.
Hmm...as a child, the book "Little Women."
More recent is one that I've tried desperately to find/to buy: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." It's only on Netflix. The movie. I never read the book. Maybe I should. Such a sweet story for writers and readers alike.
Definitely get yourself the book version, if you like the movie, you’re going to fall in absolute love with book. It is so incredibly romantic and touching. It’s one I always recommend to people!
This conversation is awesome, and I've now got long list of more stuff to check out.
As I was reading through, another book popped into my head: The Alchemist. The first time I read it, I was truly transported into that magical, desert landscape. I never wanted to leave. I did read the book a second time, later one, but the effect wasn't as intense. Funny how some artistic experiences only seem to carry one payload of emotion -- or maybe its us: having already had that part of our brain/emotions "lit up," it stays on and so the effect is different.
I was an impressionable kid when I first watched it and identified so much with the children. The social injustices portrayed in the story formed the beliefs and worldview that I still have today. The fact that some people want to ban this book tells us how important it is to our culture and history.
The English Patient. Honestly, both the book and the movie are just amazing, though different from each other.
I do believe it is the perfect adaptation to a perfect novel, in the fact that it does not attempt to tell the novel page by page, which is nearly impossible to do.
What I personally find interesting it is that I loved the movie as a teenager. And then, as I watch it again as an adult, I see more and more shades of meaning I had not considered.
Like the role of going through pain to find sense in life. Which is also a key constituent of both philosophical and psychological approaches (eg Buddhism and Viktor Frankl's logotherapy).
I am not sure to which extent it was in Chuck Palahnuik's intent, but for sure the movie has a lot of levels of interpretation.
1) you should join Chuck Palahniuk’s substack and ask him! 2) the guys I’ve known it was more the questioning of pursuing a comfortable material life as a route to happiness/satisfaction. I haven’t seen it in a long time. But I did once tell Chuck Palahniuk I thought the movie was one of the few movies better than the book. He was more generous than he should have been in his response, ha!
I would if I could! It was back when he would accept fan mail, and I wrote him a letter and he wrote back. The letter is inside my copy of Fight Club, which is in a box in storage and I won’t see it for several months.
One book would be "a thousand splendid suns" by Khalid Hosseini. I love it so much that after finishing it i immediately started to reread it again. if you haven't read it yet please do, its a whole experience.
The Denzel Washington movie, Fallen. I saw it in college at that movie theaters, back when you’d just show up and see whatever was playing. I had no idea what it was about. And it terrified me! But also, introduced me to the majesty of The Rolling Stones.
I’m currently rereading Crime and Punishment. Before this I read Dost’s prison memoir, Notes of a Dead House. No movies lately but my girlfriend got me to finally watch Black Mirror. Not bad, I must admit. Terrifyingly believable.
The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was the first chapter book I ever read in elementary school. I choose that one because it was my first, and that was so fulfilling for me. I remember thinking I didn’t want to read any more books because, how could anything be as good as that one?🤣 I still have that reaction to every book I read LOL.
Wow, Jeannie I am delighted to see someone pick that book. A riveting book to be sure, especially at an early age. In my role as a junior high special ed. I teacher, I read that book for the first time out loud to the class. Reading a book out loud to a group of adolescents that struggle with reading can be an extremely rewarding experience, at least it used to be the case. My goal always was to get myself out of the way and simply be the vehicle through which came the story, myself discovering each event, each moment simultaneously with the students. I would only sneek peeks at my listeners to be sure I had at least some of them in that almost trance like openness of receptivity. Such a priceless experience (presumably) for my listeners but absolutely for myself. Sadly, fewer and fewer young people have the ability to open their minds and hearts in a receptive way to the spoken word. At least the ones with reading, listening and attention deficits that populate my classroom. I do believe that their "devices" have been the biggest single reason for the disappearance of this capacity. Thanks for sharing Jeannie.
Fred, this melts my heart! Thank you for sharing this. I have a deep respect... a reverence for teachers, especially junior high school teachers... especially special education teachers. It sounds like you were and still are a clear channel (a vehicle as you say) for the story and magic to come through for the students. I imagine it is difficult to see the difference in the newer generation and how technology and other societal/cultural influences have had a negative impact on their attention span. Nonetheless, I say remain the constant. Teach and read the stories as you always have. I wouldn't be surprised if they're absorbing more than you think, even if they don't show it. At the very least, what is channeled through you will be deposited into their subconscious, and it could pop up for them at any point in time, sooner or later in life, if not now. Thank you for all you do for our younger generation.
Thanks Jeannie, that's very kind of you to say so many nice things. I appreciate the advice and encouragement too and will put it to practice as I wind down through my last year of teaching. It's been 37 years and I'm ready to say goodbye to the classroom. Time to see if some of the interests and hobbies I set aside still have some appeal. And, of course, there's always travel. ❤
Thanks Jeannie, that's very thoughtful of you. I just read your piece about anticlimactic mountaintops and enjoyed it. I appreciate the reminder that, or at least that's how I took it, that there are good reasons to take comfort and maybe even joy in simple moments and actions. Unlike yourself I've come to that appreciation through the influence of Taoist writings and practitioners of Zen Buddhism. Not that I am any sort of disciplined practitioner. I was drawn to these eastern influences as an outcome of a college fascination with the beat writers like Kerouac and Ginsberg and other other influential thinkers of the time with ties to the bay (greater San Francisco area), like Alan Watts. The Bay area as locals refer to places as far north as Santa Rosa, as far south as Silicon Valley and east to I don't know where but someplace this side of Sacramento, is receptive to these rivers of thought. It's not too surprising, least of all, because we are at the edge of the continent looking to the East across the vast Pacific. Maybe the philosophically inclined are drawn here, I don't know but having grown up in the southland (southern California) I find its the case for me. Sorry to go on but I got the sense that you enjoy getting to know your readers in more than a superficial way. kind thoughts
You are right about that, Fred- I deeply enjoy learning about all beings and their experiences. Thank you for sharing about yours, including the influences and philosophies that have resonated with you. The older I've gotten, the more those influences are resonating with me too. The person who I call my guru recently sent me the Tao Te Ching, and it's so refreshing to read. I actually referenced that in my post Empty cup- https://jeanwinks.substack.com/p/empty-cup. I have always loved the Bay area. My parents' family are from California. San Francisco was always my favorite fun excursion location when we'd visit my mom's side. Thank you again for sharing so we could connect more dots here : )
Stieg Larsson's The Millennium Trilogy in one sitting. I was engrossed with the books the first time I read them and to date will insist they're the most entertaining fiction I've ever read. When I finished the trilogy was the first and only time in my life I felt the French word "désœuvré" literally.
I read this in high school and then told my father the story as we drove between Seattle and Portland, 1967. The movie...saw it at 10 in the morning in the theater...the lights came on as I wiped my tears, then shopped at Costco humming.
Great question Matt. As I've gotten older I find it harder and harder to re-envision those states of openness that I once inhabited. I do remember a book that impacted me extraordinarily though in my college years. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenece. The psychological, spiritual, philosophical journey that Pirsig took us on was unparalleled in my experience up to that point. The ramifications of that book stayed with me for years. It is one of the very few books that I was compelled to reread. In more recent times, maybe 15 years ago, Murakami's Wind-up Bird Chronicle was similarly impactful. But . . . which book (or movie) would I LIKE to reexperience with a "beginner's" mind?? That will require some additional ruminations. I'll have to get back to you Matt.
2001 A Space Oddysey "Open the podbay door Hal." With so much going on with AI these days, this is almost prophetic, amazing given when it was written!
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is my go to book and the movie was fine too. Another one is Madam Bovary by Gustav Flaubert but I have yet to watch the movie.
When a movie comes out my first impression is of loss of my imaginary world of the book and it is mostly ruined.
This is a hard one, Matt! When I lived in the city I'd go by myself to the movies in the afternoon. And often, go back to see the same movie multiple times. I miss that.
Hmm...as a child, the book "Little Women."
More recent is one that I've tried desperately to find/to buy: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." It's only on Netflix. The movie. I never read the book. Maybe I should. Such a sweet story for writers and readers alike.
Definitely get yourself the book version, if you like the movie, you’re going to fall in absolute love with book. It is so incredibly romantic and touching. It’s one I always recommend to people!
Thank you, Elea! Ordering now! :)
This conversation is awesome, and I've now got long list of more stuff to check out.
As I was reading through, another book popped into my head: The Alchemist. The first time I read it, I was truly transported into that magical, desert landscape. I never wanted to leave. I did read the book a second time, later one, but the effect wasn't as intense. Funny how some artistic experiences only seem to carry one payload of emotion -- or maybe its us: having already had that part of our brain/emotions "lit up," it stays on and so the effect is different.
Ugh Paulo. Sacred book. Made me want to change my answer ha
Omg...To Kill a Mockingbird...movie AND book.
I was an impressionable kid when I first watched it and identified so much with the children. The social injustices portrayed in the story formed the beliefs and worldview that I still have today. The fact that some people want to ban this book tells us how important it is to our culture and history.
❤️❤️
Beaches - profoundly moving movie on live and friendship!❤️
I do love Bette Midler
The English Patient. Honestly, both the book and the movie are just amazing, though different from each other.
I do believe it is the perfect adaptation to a perfect novel, in the fact that it does not attempt to tell the novel page by page, which is nearly impossible to do.
Movie: Fight Club
Book: Zen in the art of archery.
P.s.: Why that book? Since it reminds me that, in my life path, "I need to wait to learn properly" ;)
https://livmkk.substack.com/p/learning-means-becoming-worse
I’ve known so many people that say Fight Club causes them to reevaluate their lives
Had no idea about that!
What I personally find interesting it is that I loved the movie as a teenager. And then, as I watch it again as an adult, I see more and more shades of meaning I had not considered.
Like the role of going through pain to find sense in life. Which is also a key constituent of both philosophical and psychological approaches (eg Buddhism and Viktor Frankl's logotherapy).
I am not sure to which extent it was in Chuck Palahnuik's intent, but for sure the movie has a lot of levels of interpretation.
1) you should join Chuck Palahniuk’s substack and ask him! 2) the guys I’ve known it was more the questioning of pursuing a comfortable material life as a route to happiness/satisfaction. I haven’t seen it in a long time. But I did once tell Chuck Palahniuk I thought the movie was one of the few movies better than the book. He was more generous than he should have been in his response, ha!
Paste Chuck's response, please 😅
I must admit I have unsubscribed to his newsletter, since it is too frequent...
I would if I could! It was back when he would accept fan mail, and I wrote him a letter and he wrote back. The letter is inside my copy of Fight Club, which is in a box in storage and I won’t see it for several months.
Sounds like a safe place for both the book and his author's comment ;)
One book would be "a thousand splendid suns" by Khalid Hosseini. I love it so much that after finishing it i immediately started to reread it again. if you haven't read it yet please do, its a whole experience.
The Denzel Washington movie, Fallen. I saw it in college at that movie theaters, back when you’d just show up and see whatever was playing. I had no idea what it was about. And it terrified me! But also, introduced me to the majesty of The Rolling Stones.
I’m currently rereading Crime and Punishment. Before this I read Dost’s prison memoir, Notes of a Dead House. No movies lately but my girlfriend got me to finally watch Black Mirror. Not bad, I must admit. Terrifyingly believable.
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Demons! Read Demons next!
The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was the first chapter book I ever read in elementary school. I choose that one because it was my first, and that was so fulfilling for me. I remember thinking I didn’t want to read any more books because, how could anything be as good as that one?🤣 I still have that reaction to every book I read LOL.
Wow, Jeannie I am delighted to see someone pick that book. A riveting book to be sure, especially at an early age. In my role as a junior high special ed. I teacher, I read that book for the first time out loud to the class. Reading a book out loud to a group of adolescents that struggle with reading can be an extremely rewarding experience, at least it used to be the case. My goal always was to get myself out of the way and simply be the vehicle through which came the story, myself discovering each event, each moment simultaneously with the students. I would only sneek peeks at my listeners to be sure I had at least some of them in that almost trance like openness of receptivity. Such a priceless experience (presumably) for my listeners but absolutely for myself. Sadly, fewer and fewer young people have the ability to open their minds and hearts in a receptive way to the spoken word. At least the ones with reading, listening and attention deficits that populate my classroom. I do believe that their "devices" have been the biggest single reason for the disappearance of this capacity. Thanks for sharing Jeannie.
Fred, this melts my heart! Thank you for sharing this. I have a deep respect... a reverence for teachers, especially junior high school teachers... especially special education teachers. It sounds like you were and still are a clear channel (a vehicle as you say) for the story and magic to come through for the students. I imagine it is difficult to see the difference in the newer generation and how technology and other societal/cultural influences have had a negative impact on their attention span. Nonetheless, I say remain the constant. Teach and read the stories as you always have. I wouldn't be surprised if they're absorbing more than you think, even if they don't show it. At the very least, what is channeled through you will be deposited into their subconscious, and it could pop up for them at any point in time, sooner or later in life, if not now. Thank you for all you do for our younger generation.
Thanks Jeannie, that's very kind of you to say so many nice things. I appreciate the advice and encouragement too and will put it to practice as I wind down through my last year of teaching. It's been 37 years and I'm ready to say goodbye to the classroom. Time to see if some of the interests and hobbies I set aside still have some appeal. And, of course, there's always travel. ❤
Early congratulations on retirement! And wishing you blessings as you embark on the next chapter, exploring your interests, creativity, and travel.
Thanks Jeannie, that's very thoughtful of you. I just read your piece about anticlimactic mountaintops and enjoyed it. I appreciate the reminder that, or at least that's how I took it, that there are good reasons to take comfort and maybe even joy in simple moments and actions. Unlike yourself I've come to that appreciation through the influence of Taoist writings and practitioners of Zen Buddhism. Not that I am any sort of disciplined practitioner. I was drawn to these eastern influences as an outcome of a college fascination with the beat writers like Kerouac and Ginsberg and other other influential thinkers of the time with ties to the bay (greater San Francisco area), like Alan Watts. The Bay area as locals refer to places as far north as Santa Rosa, as far south as Silicon Valley and east to I don't know where but someplace this side of Sacramento, is receptive to these rivers of thought. It's not too surprising, least of all, because we are at the edge of the continent looking to the East across the vast Pacific. Maybe the philosophically inclined are drawn here, I don't know but having grown up in the southland (southern California) I find its the case for me. Sorry to go on but I got the sense that you enjoy getting to know your readers in more than a superficial way. kind thoughts
You are right about that, Fred- I deeply enjoy learning about all beings and their experiences. Thank you for sharing about yours, including the influences and philosophies that have resonated with you. The older I've gotten, the more those influences are resonating with me too. The person who I call my guru recently sent me the Tao Te Ching, and it's so refreshing to read. I actually referenced that in my post Empty cup- https://jeanwinks.substack.com/p/empty-cup. I have always loved the Bay area. My parents' family are from California. San Francisco was always my favorite fun excursion location when we'd visit my mom's side. Thank you again for sharing so we could connect more dots here : )
Great question! Probably an Agatha Christie mystery because once you know the ending, the book/movie is forever changed.
🔥
The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. I was 19 the first time I read it. Unforgettable.
Epic. Shadow of the Moon kept the magic going.
Stieg Larsson's The Millennium Trilogy in one sitting. I was engrossed with the books the first time I read them and to date will insist they're the most entertaining fiction I've ever read. When I finished the trilogy was the first and only time in my life I felt the French word "désœuvré" literally.
Les Miserables
I read this in high school and then told my father the story as we drove between Seattle and Portland, 1967. The movie...saw it at 10 in the morning in the theater...the lights came on as I wiped my tears, then shopped at Costco humming.
Gone Girl. It's not my #1 book or movie even in its subgenre, but boy was that a fun twist. I would absolutely love to relive that surprise.
Great question Matt. As I've gotten older I find it harder and harder to re-envision those states of openness that I once inhabited. I do remember a book that impacted me extraordinarily though in my college years. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenece. The psychological, spiritual, philosophical journey that Pirsig took us on was unparalleled in my experience up to that point. The ramifications of that book stayed with me for years. It is one of the very few books that I was compelled to reread. In more recent times, maybe 15 years ago, Murakami's Wind-up Bird Chronicle was similarly impactful. But . . . which book (or movie) would I LIKE to reexperience with a "beginner's" mind?? That will require some additional ruminations. I'll have to get back to you Matt.
2001 A Space Oddysey "Open the podbay door Hal." With so much going on with AI these days, this is almost prophetic, amazing given when it was written!
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is my go to book and the movie was fine too. Another one is Madam Bovary by Gustav Flaubert but I have yet to watch the movie.
When a movie comes out my first impression is of loss of my imaginary world of the book and it is mostly ruined.