Books or Movies? Why Not Both? || LOH#234

When I think about how I spend my entertainment or relaxation time, I honestly can’t say I lean more into books than movies—or vice versa. I’ve always walked the line between the two, never fully devoting myself to one camp. Some days I’m deep in a fictional universe, flipping pages like my life depends on it. Other days, I’m curled up watching a movie, totally immersed in someone else’s imagination. I guess you could say I like to balance both worlds.

As a kid, I absolutely loved cartoons and animations. That was my go-to for fun. Tangled was my all-time favorite then, and honestly, it still is. Something about that movie just hits every time. It’s got serious rewatch value, like premium-grade stuff. But while I was binge-watching cartoons, I was also a major reader. People used to call me a bookworm, and they weren’t lying. I read everything. Newspapers, magazines, even the dictionary when I had nothing else. If there were words on something, I was reading it.

Books gave me a kind of freedom I didn’t even realize I needed. I could build entire worlds in my head, travel through time, fall in love with fictional characters, and become the heroine of a story I didn’t write but loved. And to be clear, I’m not talking about self-help or motivational books. I’m talking about fiction. Fantasy, romance, dystopian adventures, anything that lets me forget about reality for a bit.

I used to act out scenes in my room, reading sentences out loud in voices I imagined the characters might have. Sometimes I’d even cosplay and pretend I was part of the story. I’d share and talk about books with anyone who’d listen, friends, classmates, fellow book nerds. And the best part of it? Seeing fan art or hearing other people’s takes on a book I loved. It’s like the story keeps living, even after the last page.

But slowly, as I grew into adulthood, I got pulled into the endless scroll of social media. The world of audio-visual content is so tempting. It’s right there, quick and easy. Watching movies or short videos became the default way to relax. I hate to admit it, but it’s sometimes easier to concentrate on movies than books. With books, you have to commit. You’ve got to sit down, slow down, and actually get into it. You have to engage your imagination, follow every twist and turn, and create that world in your mind or you might just get lost.

With movies, all the work’s done for you. The story plays out visually, the emotions are spelled out in music and expressions, and if it gets boring? You can just dump it and move on. No hard feelings. And in this fast-paced world, it makes sense why a lot of people would choose movies over books. But still, whenever I get a stretch of free time, like a holiday or a long weekend, always find myself reaching for a book. It’s like hugging your mother after being away from her for a long period of time. A sort of homecoming.

So yeah, to answer the “Are you more into books or movies?” question: I’m both. Equally. Books fill me in a way that movies can’t, and movies entertain me in a way books don’t really do. They’re two sides of the same storytelling coin, and I love indulging in both.

What about you? Are you Team Book, Team Movie—or somewhere in between like me? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading.