I've contemplated this question over the years ...
Which is best: Watch the movie first or read the book first?
And I've gone back and forth on this: "It's best to read the book first because then I'll understand the movie better/deeper ... No, it's best to watch the movie first so that I have a mental picture of places and characters and then the book will come more alive for me ... No, book first because it's what the author intended and then when I watch the movie, I'll be able to know the real story, what the movie changed or left out ... But, wait, maybe that's why I should watch the movie first, because if I know the real story and can tell what the movie changed or left out, it'll ruin the movie for me ... But if I watch the movie first then I'll know how it ends, and I'll feel like I'm wasting my time reading the book because the ending won't be a surprise anymore ... But surprises aren't always good; I hate investing a lot of time in a book and then being burned by a terrible ending, so maybe it's better to watch the movie first so that I'll know if I like the ending or not, if it's worth reading the book or not, and I won't waste as much time finding out because movies are way shorter than books ... But maybe the fact that the book takes so long to read is a reason to read the book first because, if I don't know what happens but it turns out to have a great ending (but I won't know till I get there), then I get more time to savor the journey, to get more invested in it and to enjoy the mystery of where it's going ... etc."
Anyway, after going round and round on this for years, I think I finally figured out the best answer ...
