Hello! Welcome to episode 57 of I’d Rather Stay In. This week, we are dishing about all of the books we love and our favorite book-to-movie adaptations.

Episode transcript

Welcome to I’d rather stay in with your host Megan Myers and Stephie Predmore. This week we’re talking about our love of reading our favorite titles and book to movie adaptations. Stay tuned.

Hi, Megan.

Hey, Stephie

What’s up?

Oh, not

much. Just been staring at my dog. She sleeps on the couch.

out of love her jealousy or both.

I mean, both. She’s really really cute. She likes to do the same. She like takes her pillow, not her pillow, our pillow and like, smashes it and moves it into just the right place.

Oh, do that.

It’s very cute. She’s also been very I know, something’s, like, making her anxious today. So she’s been kind of wandering around for hours not sleeping. And like, you look at your face dog,

like, take a nap. It’s like, I mean, it’s truly, there’s not a lot of difference between like, dogs and toddlers.

It’s true.

Like, it’s like when the when toddlers just won’t take a nap. But they’re so tired. You’re like, Just close your eyes. You’re not going to miss out on anything. I promise. It’ll be fine. anything exciting happens. I promise we’ll wake you up. Right, like, hang in there.

Oh, my goodness.

How are things for you?

Good.

I saw a new therapist today.

Oh,

yeah. So I as if you guys have been listening to the podcast for a while, you know that I have been seeing a therapist for quite some time. And I think it’s normal is like kind of outgrow your therapist. And she was great for the time period that I was seeing her in and tackling grief and stuff like that. But it was time I’m in a new period of life. And it was time to get connected with an adult adoption informed therapist and all that good stuff. And so I saw her for the first time today. And she was great. Of course she’s out of network for my insurance, because, of course she would be if she’s great. But she was great. Although I have felt very emotionally hung over.

Oh, yeah.

Because like I I don’t know, I forgot that. Like when you see a new therapist, you have to retell your whole story. That is very emotionally taxing. And so. But she was she was really cool. So I am, she gave me homework, which everyone knows I’m a nerd, so I enjoy that. But yeah, she was great. So that was my big thing for the day. Cool. Then I sent Alex to the vet with both dogs and one of the cats.

Oh, wow.

I’ve done this before to him. And every time he’s like, don’t do that again. And then I wait until the day before I’m like, by the way, you have to take both dogs and one of the cats that he’s like God damn it, woman.

I mean, you still go to a vet that is far away. So you kind of have to get your bang for the buck here on the trail trim. Right? That’s

what I was like, Look, if we have to haul ass out there. Like, I don’t want to have to do it frequently. And somehow we just ended up on a schedule where it’s not like both dogs and both cats are like on their own schedules. Like somehow we got three out of four animals having shots all at once. I don’t know how that happened. I was like, I probably should try to adjust that next.

Maybe try to do it. So it’s like one dog and one cat.

Right? One dog and one cat or we have done both dogs or both cats before and like that’s fine. Two, two is manageable. Three is a little too much.

I feel like we’re really getting stuff done today. I did all sorts of adulty type things that I’ve been putting off like

it isn’t early to

Oh, I had to do them right away because I knew it wasn’t gonna happen. Otherwise, I scheduled the dentist for all four of us.

Wow, I

contacted the groomer for the job. I scheduled an appointment to get LASIK done. Not yet not doing it but for consultation. I mailed my life insurance check catch

you today.

Well, I tried to do my IRA and it just didn’t around my IRA my 401k but that did not happen. But you tried, I tried a very much tried to look at all the forums and I couldn’t find the right forum. So want to try that? And

then you still get a point for trying, especially after you did all of those other things.

That’s right. See very accomplished.

Just so much. Oh my god, we’re like so adulty we are. So we’re so good. So because we are so grown, we say words like adulty.

Mm hmm.

Sounds so smart. We thought we would talk about books today. Because, interestingly, we have not touched on this topic

yet. Which, I mean, we

did talk about Harry Potter for a long time.

I mean, yeah, we had two full Harry Potter episodes. So I suppose that kind of counts. It’s Tim’s right? Right? It counts. But I know that you and I were talking about things that people often will do as New Year’s resolutions or whatever.

Mm hmm.

And we were talking about the very ambitious people. They’re like, I’m gonna read 100 books this year. And how we’re just like, how, how, oh my gosh, so we thought we’re gonna talk about books. Yeah, so we like to read y’all but we love to read. But those those new year’s resolutions slash New Year goals, still freak us out.

I mean, I guess if I made it my goal to read that many books, I would try to read that many books. But I, I have had problems actually reading books lately, in general. So I would have to try really hard. But to be fair, I have been reading nonfiction books, which makes me have to use my brain.

Yeah, you have to like think a lot more for that. Yeah, that’s tough. I have struggled to finish books lately. Because I have a baby.

Yeah, mom brain. Uh huh.

And I’m tired, and I’m tired. I get to the end of the day, and I’m fucking worn out. And sometimes I just like crawl into bed and I just like lay catatonic in front of Netflix. And that’s all I can manage. So I feel like I’m finally starting to come out of the baby fog a little bit and be able to like be a somewhat more functional human in certain ways. Getting 2021 It’s a new horizons a new horizon, my child’s almost one getting my life together. stuff just kind of got flipped upside down there. But like, like getting like I’ve been meaning to get in with a new therapist, literally since since Eden was like two months old, but you know, then there was COVID and all that crap. So just all of this prolonged like fog that I’ve been in, but I am starting to read again a little bit more. But I was I was that kid that would read books. Well. I would read books on the way to the bus stop. For for the school bus. Like while I was walking, but the probably the nerdiest thing about me. Alex nearly pooped his pants. The first time he heard this, like he legitimately fell off his chair. He was laughing so hard. So I would always read before bed. And as a child, my punishment, which this does not happen very often I was I was a very low key kid. But my punishment was not being allowed to read before bed.

You You’re weird.

Like that is what my parents took away from me. And it always worked. I was always like, Well, how do they take it away from you, though? Because I just wasn’t. They knew that they could be like, No, you’re not. I mean, they could tell if my light was on. Yeah, I just I had to go to bed without reading before bed.

Because I have a child who will read until like midnight. Which on the one hand, like great he’s reading but also he is a teenager and he’s asleep. And he will like, turn his light off when he knows that like you’re coming or something like oh, I’m going to bed now. But then like sneaky. He’ll just turn it back on later. No, I

was not that sneaky. I was extremely well behaved.

So it didn’t happen very often. Anyway.

Yeah, it’s very Yeah, I haven’t very rarely and it was like that thing where you know, happens they take away my books for the evening and then Like never do whatever that thing was ever again, because I’m so horrified that my books got taken away that I wasn’t allowed to read before bed but no, like, staying up past when I was allowed to stay up to read was like I was pretty good about like, okay, I really have to, I really have to stop reading, especially if it was like a school night or something. But on the weekends, I would stay up way late reading my parents really whatever she’s reading, go for it kid.

Right?

I think they were like, Wow, she could have way worse spices.

That is true. That’s like, whenever I buy plants or whatever, um, like you guys, it could be crack.

Like, it would be way more expensive and way worse for me. Okay,

right. Like the plants die half the time, but it could be drugs. Be happy. I’m just killing plants.

We’re doing great over here. Were you much of a reader when you were a kid? I’m imagining Yes,

I was. Yes. I

so when I was in kindergarten. So I’m, what, eight years older than you? Yeah, like that. So I’m back in 1985. kindergarten kids didn’t weren’t didn’t know how to read. So like, now you know how to read in kindergarten usually. Or like you’re at least starting to learn how to read in kindergarten. And so nobody in my school knew how to read except for me. And so I would read to the other kids in class. Oh, yeah. Uh huh. Cuz that was a super nerd. Yes. Um, and then in first grade, I was also, I’ve always been like a writer person, too. So then also, I’d be like, I’m gonna write a story. And I would write like, these ridiculously long stories whenever we had writing assignments.

Because the two just kind of go hand in hand. Yeah. Well, my first grade teacher who was amazing, she would like give you like, us free time to like, write and draw on, like, write these stories, or whatever we wanted to. And those of us that, like, wrote these little stories that she would have was she called them like young authors, afternoons. And you could invite like, your parents, your grandparents, or your special adult or whatever. And then like, read your story aloud, and she would have like cookies and lemonade and stuff. And like, it was it was just, it was my favorite thing, because it totally indulged that like nerd book lover wanting to write like, she absolutely was like the teacher that was like, Yeah, right,

do it. That’s amazing. My aunt was an elementary school teacher for a long time. And so whenever we would go visit her she would always like have a new book for us to read books every time so that like really helped instill like the love of reading. She bought me like my first baby sitters club books.

Oh,

all of those. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. What

was your like, favorite book when you were a kid? Oh,

man, I really loved. Wow, well, I guess it depends on like, what age but the one of the books that I remember reading and just over and over and over. Was Ella enchanted.

Okay. Um,

which guys, the movie blows. It’s not even the same story. I like I can’t even we have to pretend the movie does not exist or I tarnishes Anne Hathaway entirely.

I think I will talk about movie adaptations in a little bit.

Yeah. Well, spoiler alert. That one sucks. The book is great. And I would love for them to redo it for real this time. But I loved that one. I’m trying to remember I like I would, I would read a lot of series. I read like all of the Chronicles of Narnia books. And I also like when I I’ve always been like, when I read series, I have to read them in order I cannot skip. Even if it doesn’t really matter, because like, you know, there are some series where they’re just like, they’re not totally connected. Right? Like chronologically. You could kind of read them in whatever order they kind of stand on their own. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not for this. Not for this type one. I had to read them always in order. So like Chronicles of Narnia, most people would read lion witch in the wardrobe first, because that’s like the most well known one, but I was like, no, that’s not technically the first book. chronologically, technically, The Magician’s Nephew is first after read that first so my mom was like, whatever. You’re so weird, do you?

How did you even know that? That as a kid, though,

because I saw it on the shelf, and it was like the way it was labeled, I was like, wait, this is number one. I was like, Well, yeah, but it’s a prequel. And I was like, I don’t care. It happens first, I have to first

I’m pretty sure the set that we had did not have it labeled as number one. It was labeled, whatever the the order that people typically read it in.

Yeah, there was something that Barnes like, however, they had it laid out at Barnes and Noble was like, that was what it was. But I mean, I just read at anything I could get my hands on. I was I remember, we had a really great children’s librarian at the library. In the town I we lived in when I was really little. And she was great, because, like, I got through basically all the picture books in preschool. And so then, she was like, Here, let me introduce you to the Newbery award winners, like Oh, man, and so I read caddie Woodlawn when I was like in kindergarten. And I just if I, I just, I would read all of it. stacks of books all the time. I mean, I was also an only child I didn’t have siblings to play with. We didn’t have like, video games or anything like that. I mean, I’ve watched TV but and you hate the outdoors. I hate the outdoors. I read and I like crafted and stuff. But I just read everything.

But

yeah, I mean, and then obviously. So Harry Potter came out, the first one came out when I was in fourth grade. And I read it when it came out and then read all of those many, many, many times. And then in high school, I read East of Eden for the first time, and it has been my all time favorite novel

from that point.

Because that’s a normal thing for a high schooler.

become obsessed with.

I mean, it’s just as normal as me in all grade. If ninth grade. I guess we could pick literally any book we wanted to read. Uh huh. To write a book report on and I picked Anna Karenina.

I mean, that was literally, I think I was it was also it was either and I, it might have been sophomore year might have been 10th grade. And they were like, yeah, pick any book to do a book report on I was like, is to be great.

Yeah, it was for me, I was best. I was probably like, oh, and I think I also tried to read I tried to read the yearling in sixth grade. And it was like, so boring. Because basically, I went to our school library, and I was like, What is the hardest? Yeah, this book in the school library.

I will read that. I remember checking out a book from the school library. It was just like a really fat nonfiction book just about facts about cats. I also love cats. Guy. It’s amazing that I grew up to find a man to marry me, I’m not gonna lie to you. Like that was cuz I was tired of the picture books. And I was like, wandered over to the section and I was like, I’m gonna read this book in the library and was like, whatever kid.

And things could have turned out really differently for you.

Yes, it really could have.

Speaking of cats, though, one of my favorite stories that I read when I was kid, I don’t remember how old I was when I first read it. But it was a book that my aunt’s had. actually a really old book it I looked it up and it’s actually from 1967 Oh, and it’s called Pyewacket by Rosemary weird about street cats. And Pyewacket is like the main character and he has like one eye and like a tattered ear it’s the cutest book ever. I really it’s hard to find because it’s like out of print. You can like get used copies. But I really want to get it so I can read it again. It’s it’s just really cute.

We had one when I was little and I’m so I’m, this is one of the great annoyances of my life is my mom had said there were a few books that my mom saved for when I was little for for my kids. And I don’t know where she put them. Oh, and I can’t I have no idea where they are. I’m hoping maybe when we go through the storage unit of herself, like will magically find them. One of them. I’m pretty sure she saved our copy of love you forever. But I’m not gonna go in the trash. But I know she said

Oh my goodness.

Are you my mother? Uh huh. Are you familiar with that one? Oh, yes,

we have that one. Okay. Yes. Well,

I did not I, I was way older than I should have been when I learned that snorts are not actually called Stuart’s. We just always called them snorts. Um, but then there is this book called Robert the rose horse. And he, Robert, the rose horse. It’s from like, 1961. And it’s so cute that he is allergic to roses, they make him sneeze. And so like, but then like, his this issue, like, makes him like, save the day, but at the end of the book, or whatever. But it’s just so it’s really, really cute.

Maybe your mom has a copy of this book that I have been looking for since I was a child. Because that would be amazing. Because I don’t know what it’s called. I’ve literally not been able to find it. And I keep trying to search for it with like, random things that about the book, and that it is. And I have it. Like, I feel like I’ve dreamed it. But I know it was a real book.

I hate that. Like, I can’t remember,

it was about this man who like only ate candy and junk food. But then he like started to get sick from it. And so then he learned that like he could go and like forage like wild berries and like watercress from like the stream side and like, all this random stuff. And then he at the toward the end of the book he like bought seeds and was growing carrots. And so basically like I learned about real food in this book, but it was so cute. And I have no idea what it’s called. And I have not been able to find it.

That’s a bummer. Yeah.

I feel like it’s a really good lesson. I have no idea what it is. But I mean,

if it doesn’t really exist, maybe maybe you dreamed it because you were supposed to write it.

Maybe but then I’ll write it and then somebody be like, I have that book. I’ve even searched like, there are forums that are like forgotten children’s book.

Uh huh. Like

chat forums and stuff. And I’m, I’ve looked there and I can’t find it there either.

You’ve gone down the rabbit hole.

I really have I really wanted to find that book man.

I also have very distinct memories of making my mom read. She would read to me every night until I got old enough to read her. And making her read Fox and socks over and over faster and faster. And she was always like, I’m gonna get your kid that book because karma is a bitch. So then, like after she passed away and after. After Eden was born, our friend Kathleen sent me a copy of said eaten a copy of that book because she was like, I know Julie would have wanted Eden to have this book.

Like,

you’re so me, but she did get she did get the board book. So it’s like the shorter version at least. So I did throw me a small bone on that one.

I think that’s one that we don’t have. We have a bunch of other Dr. Seuss books, but I don’t think we have that one.

Well, it is no we do.

I don’t know. If we do have it. It never became a favorite in our house.

Well, apparently your kids like to torture you as much as I like to torture my mother for reading Fox and socks faster and faster.

Oh, man, so

Okay. What are some of your favorite books now as an adult?

So my all time favorite book is Great Gatsby. Okay. Which also was weird because I don’t have a copy of it. So that’s my number one favorite book. And then there’s other books that I like to reread a lot like little women and the whole and Anne of Green gables series. I read all of those so

hard with that and I couldn’t do it really?

Because it’s outdoorsy, maybe.

I don’t know.

I just I remember I got the whole set for Christmas one year.

Mm hmm.

And because it’s like a classic. I’m all that and I Tried to read it like five times and like could not get through the first one. And finally I just gave up.

Did you read? Do you like the Little House books? Yeah.

I wasn’t like obsessed with them.

But I did.

I mean, I enjoyed them. And I read them.

Did you read them? Like more than once? Or like,

I think, yeah. See?

I think there’s just like, that different interest level, I guess, because they’re kind of the same, you know, genre. That makes sense. So for whatever reason, like I was like, Oh, yeah, I really like pioneer living in the middle of nowhere, I guess.

Honestly, it makes sense knowing you as an adult.

I mean, I guess it does. Yeah. Also, like in Little House on the Prairie, like the first book there in Wisconsin, and I was like, Oh, my God, I’m in Wisconsin. I think that was part of it for that. Yeah. Those books. Um, what else are my favorite? Like, Harry, I really I reread Harry Potter. There’s not a lot of books that I reread, though. Because I have like a pretty good memory when it comes to novels. And so sometimes when I read them, I’m like, Oh, well, I know what’s going to happen. Exactly. So and

I have a few that will reread. I mean, I’ve read used to be more times than I can count. But I a lot of the books that I really enjoy are not exactly uppers. And so like I loved The Book Thief. I love john green novels. I love The Fault in Our Stars. Looking for Alaska. Like books like that, that just like also completely wreck you.

I did not read any of those because I don’t think I would like them.

I apparently just love to cry. I remember reading the Book Thief. And because I also I have this real like love hate thing with like Holocaust novels. Like I always end up really loving the book. But also they always make me just like they I just turned into I’m a wreck. I’m a complete wreck by the end of the book, usually by like the first third of the book. But I remember when I was reading the Book Thief, I had like left off one night because I like stopped reading one night, because I knew I just had a feeling it was about to get like ultra sad. And I was going to have to like to like power through the end of the book. And so then like the next night, when I picked it up, I distinctly remember going out into the living room. This is when Alex and I lived in our one bedroom apartment. And like went out into the living room and I was like I am going to finish this book tonight. And I’m pretty sure it’s gonna make me cry. So I’m just warning you now. You didn’t do anything. I’m crying because of the book. Right? It was like, okay, Thanks for the warning. And sure enough, I was just like, he like walked by the bedroom. It’s like go into the bathroom. And I was just like sobbing while reading. Oh, such a mess. I remember what I read The Fault in Our Stars. I was crying so hard. The cats were like, What the fuck is wrong with you?

I was like that at the end of what Alice forgot.

Just some books.

I don’t know if you read that book or

not read that book.

Oh, man. It’s uh, you probably don’t want to read it. Because of what Alice forgot. Basically. It’s like so, so freaking sad. At the end. You’re just like,

like, Why?

It’s like, it’s just heartbreaking.

I just and I end up always ended up just like really? Like, I love those books, but then I hate them because they’ve wrecked me so much. And I like I love them and I recommend them to people but then like, I’m like, I’m like too fragile to reread them. Like, I can’t do it too much. Like I am I have been halfway through the Song of Achilles for months, because I know how it’s gonna end and I know it’s gonna make me cry. Cuz like, when it’s literally about Achilles like you know how that story ends. It’s not gonna be a happy ending. This is not gonna be like a happy love story for him and Patrick looks but yet here we are halfway through this book. And I’m like, it’s so so so good. But I also am like afraid to keep reading because it’s gonna make me grind so hard.

I remember one book that made me cry a lot. Was cash it was in college. I think that I read it so you would have been maybe in like middle school, but it was like really, really big when it came out the red tent. Oh, uh huh. Yep. And I cried a lot reading that.

I read the read time. I don’t remember. I’m sure it made me cry. Movies don’t well, movies make me cry more now than they used to. But it used to be that like movies and TV shows very rarely made me cry, but books made me cry all the time. Now, I just cried everything. Yeah,

I mean, that’s, I feel like that’s coming from being a parent.

Probably a little bit.

Because I cry like everything now. Like, I cry commercials. I will cry at movies that I have seen 15 times. Like, I cry watching friggin frozen. Like the first frozen, like, every time and I’m like, I’ve seen this movie so many times. Why am I crying?

I know, you texted the other day. And you’re like, Well, my kids wanted to watch Coco. So I just finished weeping through the end of it.

Yes, well, it was like internal beeping because I try not to like cry super hard in front of them. They’re like, what’s wrong with you?

Cry.

So sad. They just love each other so much. Yeah.

Uh, yeah, it’s

definitely it’s definitely only gotten worse as I’ve gotten older and become a parent . I cry all the things. So okay, so what have you what are some things that you’ve read recently, I know that reading has been a struggle, and understandably so we all have a lot of things going on and a lot of things in our brains. But

yes, so I am one of those people who has like a huge stack of books to read. Yes, and have not gotten through like any of them. She’s just really, really pathetic. But, um, I have mostly been reading nonfiction. Like I said, I I’m not sure why, I guess partially because I don’t like to reread books. And so if I’m gonna, like buy a book, I want it to be intellectual, I guess, which sounds really snobby. I don’t want to like buy a novel, and then be like, Well, that was fine. And then I have it. Sure. And because like, of COVID, like, there’s not really like the libraries aren’t necessarily in full service, and all that. So it’s really hard to like just, you know, go check out a book and like, just browse whatever suits your fancy kind of situation. And I don’t want to just buy a book and then just like have them so I’ve been trying to stick to nonfiction or like books that I know that I should read. So like, I have a copy of East of Eden. I have not read it yet. I have a copy of the Invisible Man. I have not read it yet. It’s kind of it’s just really sad. My whole stack is like 15 books tall. But the most recent one that I read and finished was untamed. Hmm. Which is excellent. I highly recommend any of Glennon Doyle’s books. I have all of them share all. They’re all excellent. She’s they’re all good. And also, like she wrote them, obviously each and like different parts of her life, right? or times of her life. And so I kind of am glad that I was able to read them chronologically. Oh, uh huh. So I kind of felt like you could, like grow with her in a way and they all like hit different points and stuff. So I think they’re all really great. Um, you can’t see me but I’m like gesturing a lot. For some reason I don’t talk with my hands

rubbing off on you.

I just really like books, I have to use my hands. Um, I also just read his book, which is the third in a series by Austin kleon. So Austin kleon is he’s an author and also an artist. And he has written a few books about like inspiration as an artist and like how to be an artist and be a creative person. And the newest one is called keep going. So it’s basically like 10 ways to keep going and be who you are. The first the other ones are steal like an artist and show your work. And they’re not like long books or anything. They just have like little tidbits of advice, but I really like them. I think they’re very helpful if you’re like, stuck in your you have a creative job and you Feel like, blocked or whatever. And then the other one that I have been reading is the very uplifting tale called perilous bounty, the looming collapse of American farming and how we can prevent it. I read very cheerful books.

I love you so much.

I need to read like some fluffy novel, but I don’t really like a lot of fluffy novels. So I don’t really know what to do with myself.

I,

I mean, I will I read almost anything except for like, horror. And, but I still find myself having to be like, I need to read something fluffy. And usually that’s when I’ll like read like a Stephanie plum novel or something like that. Because they’re kind of raunchy, and I enjoy that. Anyway,

you

that last one, man, that sounds riveting.

I mean, I have a lot of like food policy books because I’m that that person. So I just am weirdly into it. I guess. I don’t know. I wanted to remind me, actually. So you said that you were like, and you’ve read basically anything except for so? Do you read romance novels?

I don’t read. I don’t I don’t read like, like romance novels. It’s not necessarily that I wouldn’t. I just don’t write. I don’t I don’t consider myself like too highbrow to read them. I just, there’s always something else that I’m like, I’m gonna read that. But like, if someone was like, Oh, my gosh, you need to read this. I would. I would. I would read it. Like I would have no problem reading it.

I don’t know if that makes sense.

Yeah, that makes sense. I I was thinking of that. Because last week we mentioned flowers in the attic. Because it I mean, I don’t know, the reason why brandy. Oh, yes. Brandy said that someone gave it to her. But like, for many people, my age, like their parents just like had it on the shelf. And so like, it wasn’t necessarily forbidden kind of thing.

Sure. Yeah.

Um, but also, that’s not really a romance. But I know that back when I was a kid like Harlequin romances were like, so huge. Yes. Like, like, the Fabio covers and all of that. That was for a while, and then they feel like they went away. But now they’ve sort of resurfaced in like this historic romance genre.

Oh,

yes. And they’re not necessarily I mean, I guess they are because I haven’t I don’t read them because I I don’t know, I don’t I’m not super interested in just like reading about people having sex. Especially because the way that they write about people having sex is just weird.

So are you talking about like, so like, Outlander and bridgerton? and stuff?

Yeah.

Which I’ve heard those series, both of those series are really good.

Yeah. But also people are like, they’re just so hot. And I’m like,

Well, it’s interesting, because because our friend today is actually reading the bridgerton novels right now. And so it’s so is Kathleen. And it is further along than Kathleen is and like the way because I was like, are they as horny as the show? And I was like, I don’t know. cuz she’s like, I like the way that she when she reads I guess the way that she reads. She’s not necessarily like, picturing things as vividly as like some people do. And so but Catholic because Kathleen was like, Yes, there is horny as a show and odd is like, I don’t really know, like, I don’t know. So I think it’s interesting that you’re like, doesn’t really do anything for me because you I’m wondering if you sort of read books in the same way that she does. Or something

I mean, I don’t think so. I think it’s just more like the way the way that some of those books are written. Like I just feel like the writing is just really lazy. And they’re just like, throbbing chest blood and like, I don’t know the adjectives are just like it’s just so over the top that I’m just like, it doesn’t sound sexy to me.

Yeah, I have not read Outlander or the bridgerton

books,

but they have come highly recommended. So They’re like sort of on the list or like, maybe I’ll read them someday. Maybe I Well,

I don’t know. Yeah, I

also never read Twilight. So I was that person too.

So I didn’t I didn’t read that either.

I’m not somehow I’m not surprised by that.

I did go see I saw one of the movies with my friends because she and her girlfriend had broken up. And so I went with her, because she loved Twilight. So I was like, I will be a good friends, your good friend, and I will watch this movie with you.

That’s probably the only way that I would have seen him seeing them too. I’ve still I’ve still never seen any of them either. But you know, it’s fine. I watch triplet though. Um,

I did read it. A lot of the True Blood books. I will admit that. See, there you go. So maybe I just need like the weird aspect of like, vampires and werewolves and whatever other random Tiger people I don’t

use a tiger right. We’re

pant Panthers.

I think Panther. I can’t remember. Oh, I

can’t remember a whole lot more than Eric northman.

fucking hot.

It’s fine. Everything is fine. I don’t remember what I don’t remember what I was gonna ask you now because I got down the Eric northman Trail.

Bless my heart.

Alright, so we kind of jumped with words. We’re starting talking about a little bit. So let’s talk about adaptations. Yes. Oh, because man.

They could go

well, or really bad. And mostly they go really bad.

Yeah, that’s mostly they go I

okay.

So mostly, they either go really, really bad. They’re just terrible. Or the movie basically ends up being a different story.

Mm hmm. For example,

The Count of Monte Cristo is actually a decent movie. But it’s a completely different story than the book. I have to actually I have to completely separate the two things in my mind. I can’t even think of them as the same thing, because they are so vastly different from each other. I love the movie.

2002.

Yes.

Henry Cavill was in that movie?

Yes.

Anyway, uh, yeah. Like, they just changed the plot, basically, they’re like, but there’s a guy named Monte Cristo though,

right? Like, same thing. Like it’s, it’s skeletally the same ish. You know, like, he gets falsely imprisoned and gets thrown in prison by the jealous love the you know, the jealous guy. And then they presume that he’s dead. And then he comes back The Count of Monte Cristo and yada, yada, but like, that is pretty much the most that they have in common. Like the book, The ending is totally different. And the book, like there’s just, there’s so much more that happens in the book. Whereas the movie just sort of like wraps things up, like, much more like succinctly and nicely and whatever. And so I look at like, I don’t really have any problem with the movie, like, I enjoy that movie. But I have to think of it as actually like a completely different story from the novel, because they’re just, to me, so very different.

Well, apparently, there is a version from 1998. That is 400 minutes long.

So maybe is that

one is that isn’t about how long it would have to be to actually include all of the plot from the novel.

I mean, the Lord of the Rings movies are like 1000 hours long, and they’re still missing so much. There’s so

long, there’s so long. That’s another series I couldn’t get into reading.

Oh, I really liked them. But I don’t remember why I like got into them. I guess. I don’t know. It was just because like, my parents read a lot of fantasy novels. And so they were just always around. And so

I love I love fantasy novels. But for some reason I just and like, I don’t, I don’t mind the movies. And I think the story’s interesting, but for some reason, there’s just something about Tolkien’s writing that, like kind of a slog. Yeah, you’ll be like bopping along for a few pages, like a pretty good pace. And then there will just be like three pages of describing like a tree and you’re like, God, why?

Yeah,

so I think I just sort of petered out, maybe a third of the way Halfway through the first one, I was like, that’s I that’s, I am okay. It’s fine. And then the movies came out and I was like, oh swatch.

It’s kind of like the Game of Thrones books to where it’s like, there’s like exciting action for like a third of it. And then the other two thirds of the book is like, endless, endless detail and exposition. You’re just like, oh my god, guys, just kill everyone already.

I know. It’s gonna happen. Just get to it.

Finish your boom, boom. Your books, sir.

Yeah, get your writing hop to it.

It’s probably not going to probably not.

Okay, what is what is a book to movie adaptation that you enjoyed?

Hmm.

I know, we have to think really hard on this one, don’t we? I know you really enjoy the newest Little Women movie.

I did really like the newest Little Women. A lot of people have feelings about it. But I guess it depends on like how you feel about the books too.

You know, but I

thought it was I know that they were like, oh, there’s too much modern need added to this. Blah, blah, blah. It’s it’s not a fun joke, blah. But I really liked it. And I especially liked the way that they did the ending. Which is different than the way that they did it in the what went on a writer version, which I also really liked the window writer version. But there’s just so many other there’s so many great things about the new one to make it stand out like the dad is more there. I feel like even though like he goes, he’s off at war, but then he comes back and I think he’s like more of an actual character in this one. And then the mom is like, way more of a person, actual person who has feelings and thoughts. And I really appreciate that. And I do think the Lord of the Rings movies actually like it was good as you probably could get. Yeah, for like what they are because they’re ridiculous. I

mean, yeah, they are a little bit ridiculous.

Oh, okay, I

got a bone to pick here. So, one of them is The Princess Diaries.

Okay, I’ve never read The Princess Diaries. They’re delightful,

but I do like the movies. So I like the movies. But I think the books are far more delightful. And I also like this is because I was actually I think I was talking about this with Ade and Kathleen not too long ago. The so the books are delightful, even like as an adult delightful to read. But there’s so many things like so in the movie. The grandmother is played by Julia Andrews. She’s, you know, lovely. She’s Julie Andrews in the book. The grandmother is like terrifying, and mean and has her tattoo her eyebrows tattooed on. Harry’s around this, like tiny little dog and a purse. And it’s just not a nice person is like Loki terrifying. Also, the dad in the books is alive. He just had testicular cancer and can’t have any more kids. And so that’s why, like, she ends up being like the next in line or whatever. Hmm. Because they’ve been thinking like he would end up having like a male heir and then he did not. And so there’s just like, again, I like I really enjoy the Princess Diaries, movies. But to me, they’re very different from the books because like, some of the characters are just completely different.

Right?

That would be a good like fluff one for you to read. Hmm, yeah, that

would be good. I it’s funny because I’m just thinking of ones that I think are bad. So So I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I

read like three of those as well.

Right. So there are two movie versions. Yes. There’s like the Swedish one. Yes. And then the American one. And the Swedish one is amazing. And the one is terrible.

I knew that’s what you were gonna say cuz I have feelings about it. Yeah.

This one is so good.

Yes,

yeah, I feel like I like the fact that you have to read the subtitles.

right but like I don’t know if it’s because like the book is Swedish or I don’t know if it’s Swedish or just,

I think it is Swedish.

Okay. So I don’t know if that’s why it’s so much better. But like, I feel like that one like a really captured all of the craziness. And then the American one just didn’t.

Yeah. The American Lung fell very flat for me. Which is probably why they didn’t do the other two the other ones because they did all three of the books. The Swedish movies, they did all three of them, right?

They did.

Ah, did at least two of them.

They did at least two but they did two of the, of the one for in America two. Oh, did they?

Excuse me?

Oh, because I really thought that they just like stopped because they were like we did a bad job. We should just quit while we’re ahead.

They do that a lot with kids books actually like series that they think is going to be like the next Harry Potter. And then they just abandon it, which is really sad. Like the Percy Jackson books. They did only two movies of that. But there’s there’s four books in the original series, four books or five books. I can’t remember. But the story is really good. And like it could have been really great. And they were not. And they I don’t think they were promoted correctly. And

yeah, I think it’s a hot mess. I enjoyed Actually, I enjoyed the hate you give. I thought they did a pretty good job with that one.

I did not watch that yet.

It’s It’s really good. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the I really enjoyed the book. And I think that I thought that they did a pretty good job with the movie. Like there’s definitely a couple things that were missing. But I thought overall, it was a pretty good.

It was a pretty like accurate. I thought the same thing about the fall in your stars.

Which it didn’t make me cry as hard as the book did. But I still it still made me cry. But yeah, I thought you did like pretty decent job with both of those. I was The Goldfinch was fine.

as well. So I thought the book was fine as well. Like, I didn’t love the book.

I thought the book was like it was better than fine. highkey fine.

I mean, so part of the thing when I was watching the movie, it was that I realized I forgot a lot of the book. So

the book is so long. It’s so long. It’s so long. Yeah. There’s like five side plots. It is like five side plots. So the thing I did like about the movie is I felt like it like sort of condensed it. I was like oh yeah, that’s right. Okay. Yep. Uh huh. All right. Yep. Yep, yep. Yep. Yep. Like so I felt like it hit like some of the high points or whatever, and made it like a little bit more digestible because

it is such a long book.

So much happens.

I mean, I wasn’t like offended by it. I felt like the book was highkey fine. And the movie was lowkey fine.

Yeah,

it was. Yeah, I don’t know. I probably would not read or watch either one. Again.

I mean, I don’t think I’m going to reread The Goldfinch because it took me forever to get through the first time. So yeah, and that’s back when I was flying a lot for work. And so I would like read it on the plane and now that I don’t really travel for work anymore.

Right. That’s I never get all my reading done. But right.

I’m gonna read.

I could put headphones in pretend to listen to something. Read a book, and then no one talks to me. It’s perfect. Another one that I just thought of that actually just had a remake. Movie done. is Rebecca.

Oh, uh huh.

That is a really good book. And I really liked the original Hitchcock movie. Partially because I really like Hitchcock movie. But I just think that it’s it’s like so much creepier like the the main characters so much creepier in the original movie. But I do think that the new version is very beautiful. And I think they got some of the stuff done really well. So I think they’re both worth watching. Actually.

Perfect. Oh, probably avoid because creepy.

It’s not like the new ones. Not like super, super creepy. But I think maybe they might have changed a little bit of the plot at the end.

I’ll consider it.

You could just read the book. It’s a great book. Okay.

I’ll do that. With all the lights on it’s fine.

It also she also the same. Daphne du Maurier also wrote my cousin Rachel, which is Also movie. But I never was I’d never read my cousin Rachel. But I did watch the movie. And that is a very strange movie, but it’s kind of similar to Rebecca. In his in a certain way, it’s similar. So

anyway, I don’t read Stephen King, or watch a Stephen King movies. So I cannot speak to any of those. Because my out of me,

my dad’s favorite author is Stephen King. Like, every single book, which meant if I needed a book to read, sometimes I would read them. And I do not recommend that. If you are easily freaked out like me, I don’t I don’t recommend reading pet cemetery when you have many, many pets. It’s terrible. There’s one book called, I think it was called insomnia. Yeah, insomnia. And that book gave me like, a ton of nightmares. For like, a long time.

I shall avoid Oh my God, I’m like, I found another like 40 best film adaptations? Well, one of them they’ve listed is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I fucking hate that book. So fucking much.

Hate making a new version of I hate Charles Dickens.

I’m sorry, I can’t his style is terrible. The thing that annoys me a seat this is I think the thing that really annoys me about that book is that it’s not actually I don’t hate the story. I fucking hate the writing. I

hate the book.

Like if somebody else wrote that story, I would read it. Right. Charles Dickens wrote it. And so it’s terrible. I was actually having a conversation with my tattoo artist about this. I saw him a week ago or whatever. We were upset because he he was laughing about how like, He always gets the nerd clients because he is a nerd. And he loves to read and just like, be out in nature and whatever. And we were talking about how Dickens is like one of the worst authors to read because he’s just so dry and boring. So that’s, we both we both have some big feelings about that.

I think that’s really funny. Because, I mean, I don’t like Charles Dickens. But also I have the you’re gonna get really mad for a second of the john Steinbeck books that I have read already. I feel like they’re very boring.

Well, okay. Which ones if you read

Grapes of Wrath. Okay.

Read what’s, what’s the one that everyone has read?

Yeah, because we had to read it for school. So, um, advice and men? Of course, you had to read that for school?

Yes.

I also read the Perl.

Yeah, we had to read that in school, too.

I feel like there was one more that I’ve read.

Maybe that’s all.

I so. I did

it. Isa reading is written much, much later than Grapes of Wrath. So yes.

And so his short stuff is fine. To me. I think that I think that for I don’t really know why everyone has glommed on to grapes of wrath is like the Steinbeck novel. Oh, because it was fine. I, I read it. I enjoyed it. It does not hold it to me it doesn’t hold a candle to ease to beat and I’ve had multiple people that I recommend East of Eden to that did not enjoy Grapes of Wrath and found it very, very boring and loved used to beat in.

So I think

I think the reason why people like to glom on to trips and wrath is because it’s like so tied into like, history, American history. I mean, and so they’re just like, Oh, we can give you a history lesson at the same time as you reading a book you read East of Eden, you could read about a prostitute. Yeah, some reason I don’t understand why they would not recommend that in school.

I just don’t understand either, like a prostitute like blackmails all of like the politician

grants and we did also read the jungle in school, so Oh, uh huh.

Well, you know,

everything is fine.

One of the other books that I was like scrolling through this list, and it reminded me of like, so great expectations was a book that we read in high school that I did not finish and I just like, read the sparknotes version of and the other one was wuthering heights.

Oh, I read Wuthering Heights. And it was, okay. I read it and I feel like I was like, oh, maybe I like this. And then I read it again like 10 years later and I was like, what was I thinking? Like in this book? It is so boring.

Because I love Jane Eyre. And so for some reason I was like, well probably enjoy weathering heights. No.

You don’t like the the Moore’s No,

everyone’s fucking in that book. Yes, they’re so whiny and grumpy. And I’m like, just fuck off.

Like the worst. Aside from like, the the problematic racism and Gone with the Wind. They’re also very whiny, very whiny. Although

I enjoy the movie. I read the book and seen the movie multiple times. And I mean, yeah, it has not aged well.

No, it has not, but

I didn’t necessarily Yeah, there were whiny although I didn’t really necessarily have like any overt problems with that, like I did. I don’t know. There’s just something about Wuthering Heights from like, you guys are really whiny.

I think it’s because they were just moping about the house like the entire time.

Yeah, like they never left the house. Just everything was great to me. And also

Jane Eyre has scandal. So,

so good.

Also like that, of course would be way better also to Yeah, uh, one of the other books and movies that I actually forgot. I have this book and I forgot it was a book. is Princess Bride is an excellent book to movie.

Yes.

It is so good.

I love the Princess Bride.

It’s great.

It gets two big thumbs up.

I really liked that. Like, I didn’t know it was a book until I don’t maybe like 15 years ago.

Yeah,

I was not aware that it was a book until a while after I had seen the movie.

Yeah, it’s just delightful to like, read it after you like so familiar with the movie and just like, Oh, this is so good. horrified.

This, maybe two years ago, I really found out Alex had never seen The Princess Bride. And I was like, hold the phone hold the fucking phone.

My children have seen The Princess Bride.

normal human beings have seen The Princess Bride. Also. I was like so

at this. At that point,

we’d been together like six years or something. Five or six years. I was like so you’ve spent the last 565 or six years not understanding half of the quotes that I just randomly say. Like, did you just think I had like Tourette’s? Like what? Like, you just went with it. You just didn’t understand any of the references I was making. This is terrible that I made him sit down and watch it.

Oh, good. It might be my favorite movie

ever. Good. It’s so good. It’s such a delight. Just perfection.

Are you we were watching right? The other night. They’re so bad is so good all

the other day we were watching the great Muppet Caper, which is from like, 1981. Yes. Um, but Whoa, what the heck is his frickin name? The guy who played Columbo Oh, wait. Yeah. Peter Falk? I think it was Peter Falk. That was in them in the movie. Okay, so he is in the great Muppet Caper. He has not credited in IMDb for whatever reason. But he came on the screen and I wanted like, Yeah, tell my kids. I’m like, that’s the grandpa in Princess Bride. And then they would probably both have been like what? And then I’d have to explain. It would be like a 20 minute thing to have to try and explain. But it’s fine. It’s fine. I mean, Bob has already tried. JOHN Cleese is also in this movie. And Bob was already trying to explain who john Cleese was to read. Because they apparently they had been talking about Monty Python earlier in the day and he just did not follow the line of conversation. So

come home not overly surprised. Bless it. Yeah. Well, do you have anything on your to read list that you think you’re gonna read next?

Well, so I don’t want to I’m trying not to buy stuff. So that’s causing Like, a wrench in my book plans, um, but I really want to read the third book in the Kevin Kwan series, because I never read it the third one. And I really enjoyed the first two as like super fluffy, mindless books. Uh huh. I think they’re great. So I really want I want to read the third one, but I don’t want to buy it. I had to figure that out. And it’s funny because I have a Kindle. But also I don’t like using it. Because I like paper. Yes, same way. So I don’t know. We’ll see. I have been looking at some other new books I really one of the later, not later, one of the more recent books that I really want to read is Mexican Gothic. Okay. That’s supposed to be really, really good. had a lot of friends recommend it to me. So I am looking forward to that one. It’s a novel. It’s not a nonfiction books. But it’s still in hardcover. So some books I wait to, you know, like, there’s certain books that you get hardcover, and then certain books, you’re like, I wait for the paperback, yes, kind of thing.

I don’t know. I feel

like the only book people are like, I understand what you mean. And other people are like, you want to read it just get it? Like No, no. It’s like, it’s an aesthetic thing. Like, ah, it has to feel a certain way in your hand is hard. That’s also why I don’t like I don’t like audiobooks.

I will I will listen to audiobooks, but not as much anymore because I’m not on the road like I used to be, but I will listen to audiobooks, I do have like I, I consider that I read the power, but I listened to it. Right, which is a very good book, I,

I have that one actually in my Audible,

because I recommended it to you

probably I have a lot of books in my audible that I have not listened to. Because they make me fall asleep. Because the person reading it usually has such a lovely voice that I just fall asleep. And then I wake up and I have to figure out where I fell asleep at in the book. Yeah, and so the last novel that I tried to listen to was little fires everywhere. And I just kept falling asleep. So many times, over and over because unlike the series, she talks incessantly about Shaker Heights, and like the history and all of that and that it was so boring. You’re like I can’t sorry, do it. Maybe it would have been better if it was a paperback if it was like a paper book. I feel like I’d be able to get into it better.

I don’t know. That makes sense.

I do like nonfiction books on audio though.

I don’t know if I have like a preference on. On which I’m what I’m consuming in which way I like I have several books on my audible that I need to listen to though.

Yeah, I have like, seven that I listen to

Oh yeah, I’ve got a I’ve got quite a few. I listened. I did listen to all of the Harry Potter books, which I highly recommend actually because so I’ve read them all. I’ve seen the movies over the mall multiple times. I’ve seen the movies multiple times. I’ve listened to binge mode

multiple times.

But then I listened to the audiobooks for the first time, like in the last year and a half or so. And there I got different things out of it by listening to them on audiobook that I did. Like that I’d never picked up before. So I thought that was really interesting because I wasn’t necessarily

expecting that. Yeah,

that makes sense. I live and I listened to like I listened to bossy pants by Tina Fey and I listened to born a crime by Trevor Noah on audiobook so like books like that I do really well. Educated is in my in my audible that I still need to listen to.

That is also in my audible.

Yeah, so I’ve got I’ve got a couple couple of those that I need to like.

I have so many so sad. It’s just it’s just bad.

It’s fine. It’s fine.

Uh,

What’s bringing us joy?

well with that. What’s bringing us joy this week, Megan?

Well, I registered for a conference today. Hello, this is gonna go let’s go see me circling back to my super nerdy book that I’m reading. I sorry, I’m trying to find the tab because now I sound like an idiot. Okay. So I registered for a conference today it is January 27 28th. It is the food resilience, access and equity conference interesting. And it’s going to have a bunch of people that talk about food and food policy, and basically like how food systems need to be improved, and how COVID has changed all of the industries and food insecurity and all sorts of super nerdy but important things that we need to be talking about right now. And so I’m really excited about that, because I, as I said earlier, I like that sort of thing. And I’m a member of food waste, Texas, and I would go to their, their symposium every year, and it would always be a couple days of talking about food topics. And last year obviously had to be cancelled because of COVID. So this kind of gets like, my little food nerdy button pushed, I guess. Yeah. But I’m excited partially, because I think a lot of these issues are really important. And also, I think a lot of people now that the election is over, they’re kind of like looking for something else to like, put those like election energies into Yeah. And I think like food banks and the inequality of the food system and insecurity and stuff is like a super important issue that we need to be paying more attention to. So hopefully, there will be more people that will be making some good changes as a result of this conference. And we’ll put the link to that in the show notes because I think I’m looking to get some probably still be on sale. So

yeah, I’m looking at the website. It looks like a lot of the featured speakers are is this done by an organization out of Texas because it looks like HGTV folks since Texas, AFL CIO and guy from Austin news are all like featured speakers.

Yeah. So it’s been led by a woman. Joy shivali. A, she’s a she works on a lot of food policy stuff. And she owns it’s like a it’s called the cooks neck. And it’s sort of like a incubation learning area. And like a food promotion. It’s hard to explain, but she does really great things. She’s a really good promoter of local food systems and all the things that are happening. And there’s this group called the food tank, and they’re like the CO not presenters, but the CO organizers. And they work towards you know, promoting food stuff. smarter than that I sound like a dummy when I’m talking about foodstuff. It’s like a food. Like, you know, there’s other companies that have like think tanks. And so this is food tank when they basically are like they help startups that work to solve food issues.

Awesome. Yeah, that’s cool.

So what about you?

The inauguration is tomorrow.

It is tomorrow. And also last week?

Yes. It is tomorrow, and that is bringing me joy.

I asked

my son if they were gonna watch it at school and they are not actually Oh, and I don’t know if that’s just because he has English class during the inauguration or they might be worried that something’s gonna happen and they don’t want them to watch it live.

I mean, so you and I are going to be together tomorrow at my house organizing and I’ve already had this like, Okay, do we do we walk do we watch it? Do we turn it on the background like very nervous? Right. But also unlike a lot of feelings. A lot of a lights

have there. I saw a time lapse today. of the the flag installation being put up, and it was very emotional to watch the sped up Instagram video got me all in the fields as we go

over a lot of things. Right. This gets us all at our meals.

Next week’s episode

Yeah. So it’s a it’s a it’s exciting. Yeah, it’s exciting. So that’s pretty much joy. All right. So, next week, we are going to be joined by a special guest. And we will be talking about the topic of purity culture.

This is something that I feel really passionate about it has affected my life in a lot of ways. It’s affected our guests life in a lot of ways. And so I am really excited to dive into this topic. In the meantime, leave us a review on Apple podcasts and listen to us on your favorite platform. You can also follow us on social media at irsipodcast or send us an email at idratherstayinpodcast@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from our listeners.

Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai