But the Book Was Better

I've been an avid reader since I got a copy of my first Laura Ingalls Wilder book in my hands. After conquering Little House in the Big Woods, I read my way through the entire series and didn't look back.

Many times over the years, I'd swap books with like-minded friends as we kept the power of the written word alive. Then, with the advent of the Kindle and other e-readers, it suddenly became super easy to access books that were difficult to find in a brick-and-mortar store or that piqued our interest based on a friend's recommendation or the making of a book-based movie.

When my friend Christine and I ran out of copies of our Stephanie Plum novels to share, we decided to start a book club to expand our horizons and share the love. That was five years ago this month!

We started out with a handful of friends and, even though she moved away, much of the core group of 6-8 has continued to meet monthly ever since. We pick a book on a rotating basis and the "hostess" leads discussion at the designated local coffee house. I love it and I love these ladies! They're definitely my soul sisters!

A few times we manage to add a Girls Night Out to the mix when one of the books we read was playing on the big screen (book is always better) – or the movies is simply called Book Club. That was a hoot!

Tonight two of us went to see a free showing at the library of The Hate U Give, a book we read last November. As usual, the movie was good, but the book was better. Still, it does help to know the story so we can fill in the gaps if needed.

And it's always good to have a Girls Night, no matter what!

Still, this theory of book first, movie second, might not always work.

I recently purchased tickets to finally see the musical Hamilton this fall. So, so excited!! On a whim, I thought maybe I should read the book that the creation of the show was based on. So I ordered Alexander Hamilton on Amazon and this is what came in the mail...

I guess the listed page count (800!) escaped me. And it's small print!

I'm sure I'll plow through it at some point – maybe with Mr. Deck Chair's help this summer – but I can guarantee that come October, the show will be much better than the book!

Keep the word alive, my friends.