Trying Hard Not to Be "That Guy"

Despite what some people may believe, I am not a "well read" man. Name a classic, odds are I haven't read it. Now this factoid stems from a variety of childhood issues I don't care to get into at the moment. What I will say is this, due to my lack of literature exposure I have never felt an inclination towards the "book was better" argument with respect to film/book comparisons. On the rare occasion (Grapes of Wrath/Of Mice and Men - high school Steinbeck phase) that I had read the book prior to indulging in its literary companion I was perfectly able to distinguish both parts and appreciate them for their respective elements. LOTR was a big part of my childhood but I only half remembered the books through the films and didn't really do a mental comparison until I read them again this past summer. Which leaves my current dilemma: will I get through the next few years on the same track?

If you don't follow me on twitter then you're probably not aware that I'm a rather big fan of the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. If you don't watch a lot of HBO you may not know that novel series is getting a television adaptation entitled Game of Thrones after the first book. Despite a cast that include Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Mark Addy, the novels are mostly centered around the tales of the younger actors (sort of - Dinklage's character is a pretty big one throughout) most of whom are unproven, first timers. Which has me a bit worried. Then again, seeing one of my favorite fantasy reads come to life has me rather excited. And I'm just not sure I'll be able to watch this series with the same unbiased opinion with which I have so frivolously approached adaptations in the past.

Which of course brings me to challenge #2: The Hobbit. Despite my passing half-read of LOTR as a kid, I must have absorbed the words of the tale of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and Thorin Oakenshield more times than I honestly care to count. I know pretty much each aspect of the tale by heart, and how Jackson weaves his spin into form will be under stringent novel correlation. I truly hope when the credits role on each, assuming they don't turn out to be absolute rubbish of the lowest order, I'll be able to appreciate both for their respective merits...

... however, I can't promise anything.