Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book looks at popular movies to draw comparisons between the original book and the movie.. As an avid reader and self-proclaimed movie buff, this was right up my alley! I enjoyed learning more about some of my favorite stories.

I’ll be honest most these films I knew were books first but some really surprised me. This would be a fun gift for the movie lover in your life. Because trust me the book was better.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced digital copy to review -

This book was fun and interesting when comparing the books to the movies, and exploring how each format of each book was a classic in it's own right. It is a great book for movie and book enthusiasts to enjoy, and an equally great book for those learning about classic books and how they came to be movies.

Author Kristen Lopez writes that she always reads the book before watching the movie. Movies sometimes are true to their book, but many times circumstances are ignored and/or changed. Presented by Turner Classic Movies, Lopez has chosen 52 screen adaptations and the books that inspired them. Beginning with a famous line from each entry, there are 3-4 page reviews, trivia facts, and suggestions about how to proceed.

The movies cover from 1931 through 2021 and include REBECCA (1940), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), BLADE RUNNER (1982), JURASSIC PARK (1993), THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) and so much more. There is an extensive bibliography and interesting illustrations. I've seen 16 movies but I've only read 10 of the books which surprised me. Having recently watched two versions of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999), the discussion of the differences between various directors/countries putting their own slants on the original 1955 work by Patricia Highsmith was interesting.

BOTTOM LINE: Seems like a perfect gift for both book readers and movie lovers. RECOMMENDED.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delighted to highlighted this charming new release in “Oscar Ready,” a round-up of new and notable Hollywood-themed titles in the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

This is a good look into how reading the book first can affect outcome feelings of the movie.
An interesting read. I haven't read all these or seen all the movies.
An interesting topic that will make for good discussion.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was archived the same day that I won a copy. I wasn’t able to read it at all and was looking forward to reading it.

But have you read the book?!

How many times have I asked this question to my partner, my brothers, or my friends before going to the movies or watching a tv series with them? Let me tell you: too many. So many that I am currently on probation to go to the movies with my partner: next time I lean over and tell him something along the lines of “the book does this differently” he will allegedly leave the room and not come to the movies with me anymore.

With this premise, it is not a surprise that I loved the book “But have you read the book?”, by Kristen Lopez, which came out earlier this week. A collection of 52 short essays that compare 52 great movies (from Gentlemen prefer Blondes to Jurassic Park, from Jaws to Clueless) to the (great) books they are based on / inspired by. I learned so much, and have now a plan for the next year to watch the movies mentioned in here (one per week), and to slowly make my way across this very interesting reading list.

Bonus: I read the digital version of the book, but the design and cover look amazing. I am looking forward to purchasing a physical copy and put it on my coffee table, to add a splash of colour to our black furniture and to have at hand so many conversation starters and did-you-knows.

This was an interesting an enjoyable read! This book goes through some of the most popular movie adaptations from the beginning of cinema to present day. The section for each film are brief, but cover interesting tidbits about differences between the books and their film adaptations, as well as random trivia about the creation of the films. There are some spoilers within the book, so if you are interested in reading and/or watching any of the stories presented in the book, it may be best to skip that section until later. It's overall an interesting book of trivia that any movie lover will enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of But Have You Read the Book?

I'm that person who reads the book first before watching the movie. Of course, it depends on the book.

I won't read the book if it's 1,000 pages, which is why I haven't read Lord of the Rings yet.

I liked the inclusion of classic, golden age movies with modern movies but the format of the book left much to be desired.

The author's description of the movies versus the book's original text was muddled and hard to follow for some of them.

I did like the trivia and how in the old fun timey old timey past, filmmakers turned to books for inspiration, and not rehashing or rebooting classic movies or superhero movies like they do now.

I would have liked to know more about how the moral code of the past influenced how movies were made, supplanting happy endings opposed to the unhappy endings in some of the novels.

This book covers the differences between the book and the subsequent movie adaption for several stories.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction anymore. I did find these short essays interesting, but ultimately I found there were a lot on books and/or movies I hadn't watched or read. I still skimmed these ones, but they weren't as interesting. I'd recommend this to anyone who's seen a lot of movie adaptions and likes fun, trivia style facts about them.

“But Have You Read the Book?” is an interesting collection of short essays about film adaptations and the novels that inspired them. 52 movies are covered, and each piece presents some background on both the film and its source material and their similarities and differences. A variety is covered, from classics like “Frankenstein” to critical darlings such as “The Remains of the Day” to modern blockbusters including “The Hunger Games.” The essays aren’t particularly extensive or eye-opening but do give enough basics and interesting tidbits to be a good trivia source.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted online on February 2, 2023 to Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5237682293.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

But Have You Read the Book? looks at 52 screen adaptations of literary gems. If you, like me, enjoy books about books then I highly recommend you read this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy.

NetGalley approved t reading request of this ARC in exchange for a true review.

"But Have You Read the Book?" is a small list of movies that were books first. I've always enjoyed reading books then comparing them to their movie adaptions; the stylistic choices that go into what's included and what's not has always fascinated me. "But Have You Read the Book?" was boring.

It was a boring read. Nothing was that different in this book than others like it. I liked the inclusion of Classic, Golden Age Hollywood's book-to-screen examples. It's strange to think that since the beginning of movies, books were a source of inspiration. The book mentions the censors and codes that productions had to follow, and I wish that it had explained that part a bit more.

Several summarizations of the story plots were muddled and hard to follow: examples, Wuthering Heights, True Grit. The summary of Wuthering Heights needs to be rewritten.

A lot of the titles mentioned are mentioned in other genre books like this. Really, there was nothing new, and that's why I won't recommend this title.

I do love the cover art, though!

This fun book looks at a group of classic movies and the books that inspired them. The analysis isn't terribly deep, but it's an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the variety of the films listed in this book. I love the idea of charting the differences in movies and the books they are adapted from. I just wish this hadn't felt so much like personal opinion rather than fact based.

I have read exactly 5 of these books, but have seen 22 of the movies featured in this book. This book takes readers through film history focusing on 52 books that inspired famous movies. The short chapters (2-3 pages each) compare the plot of the book and that of the movie focusing on what was adapted directly and what was changed. A few of the chapters also include vignettes of additional fun facts. The book is well written and clearly explains things well without crossing the line into pretension. I do wish that there would have been stills or movie posters included in the book as I am a visual person and found myself pulling up the films' IMDB pages just so I could see the characters and actors referenced. This book is very approachable and one that can be recommended to the more casual movie fan.