The YA Book Club discussion

What do you think of the tv show? Better or worse than the books?

I like the tv show, but i haven't read the books yet. are they anything alike?

It's been years since I read the books, but there are some big differences. I think you'll like the books either way, though.

okay, i'll put them on my to read.

The TV show was WAY better. I've read the first 4 and it was good.. the next 4 was kind of different. I stopped reading and supposed to be I'm on Shadow Souls

oh my god! there are so many number ones for vampire diaries! which one is really the first?

The first copy I have is which is actually book 1 and 2 in the series. That's the version most bookstores sell, so that's probably what you'll end up with. Book 3 and 4 is

@Beatrice I agree that the first 4 books were better than the others. Probably because it was supposed to end after the first four, but the L.J. Smith decided she wanted to keep writing 18 years later, so the writing is way different now. She was actually fired from writing them, so now they have a ghostwriter who writes the new ones. The TV show is pretty great though.

I have heard a lot of people say the tv show is way better. My sister read the first book and didn't like it, she is a huge fan of the tv series. A lot of people say big differences. Is it workth the read? if you're a fan of the tv series should you read the books? If I were to read it should I buy or rent (library/ lent)?

I think it's worth the read. I love the TV series, but I read the books first and initially loved them. There are some MAJOR differences, like Elena is blonde and fair, has a little sister (Jeremy does NOT exist in the books), She has a best friend named Meredith alongside Bonnie, who they just left out of the TV show. A lot of last names are different in the books. And Caroline is more of a rival than a friend. The thing that makes most people dislike the books is that they watched the show first, and can't deal with the major changes in characters and plots. If you can treat it like a whole new series and not like the tv show, you should like them. I would say rent from a library, just incase you hate them.

@Halley - I really enjoyed the first four. I wonder why L.J Smith let that ghostwriter to write new ones? I mean, it's really not the same and I didn't enjoy the next books. and it was a LOT now.

Hailey wrote: "I have heard a lot of people say the tv show is way better. My sister read the first book and didn't like it, she is a huge fan of the tv series. A lot of people say big differences. Is it workth t..."

Rent it. It was really different from book to tv show and vice versa.

@Beatrice L.J. Was actually fired from the series, so she isn't allowed to write anymore TVD books. The publisher had all of the rights and hired a ghostwriter, supposedly because LJ was going to end the books with Damon and Elena getting together, and the company didn't want that. So now she has NO rights Over her own series.

@Halley - :( that was just sad. The sequence of the books were kind of confusing. there were different sets and I don't know which to go first. It's kind of dragging... Damon and Elena look good together. :) That company is so... >:|

I know! I want Damon and Elena together so badly! It probably won't happen in the books now, but maybe there's still hope for the TV show... :)

cross fingers on that. :) that company made the wrong decision. Do you think that it's the author's right on how her novels should end? :( just curious.

I think that the author should be able to decide how her own books should play out. But I guess she must have made a mistake when signing a contract somewhere along the line, giving them that much power over the books. Most authors have the rights over their own book when it comes to writing. Also, usually there isn't a conflict like that because the before a company even considers publishing a series, the author is supposed to send an outline of the whole series to them, so all of the main points would be mentioned in that outline, along with how the series would end. If she did that, then the publishers would have known that she planned to put Damon and Elena together. But who knows what happened? Obviously someone messed up somewhere.

I got season 1 of the Vamp Diaries for Easter, like, two years ago. 3 months later, I watched it and loved it. then season three started, and I watched it without watching season two and was totally lost, but I got season two later that year for Christmas.
After watching season 1 and before season 3, I read the books.
I didn't like them. Damon was a (view spoiler)[bad guy (hide spoiler)] in those books any way you slice it and I love Damon, so, yeah.
Also, book four didn't make sense to me.
And I hear there's, like, a dozen novella's and spin-off books, but I haven't read them. I'm just not interested. I think the tv show is better.

Definitly prefer the TV Show to the books! The books are too confusing and drag on for too long. I got about a quarter of th way through Midnight, was severely bored and lost so I gave up tring to finish it.

The first 3 books are by far the best. You can watch the show and not read the books (Or Vice-versa) and it wouldn't matter because they are like two complete different series but with the same name and characters.

If you have a lot of time on your hands and like boring, confuing books then give them a shot otherwise just stick to the show, you wont be missing much.

ok so i've watched the vampire diaries from the first episode...so i decided to try the books out..I read this book first and i liked it..so i tried to read the next book but i didn't like it because it was wayyy different from the tv show..So i think the tv show is wayyyyyy better than the books....i love the vampire diaries !!!

Halley wrote: "I think it's worth the read. I love the TV series, but I read the books first and initially loved them. There are some MAJOR differences, like Elena is blonde and fair, has a little sister (Jeremy..."

Meredith does appear in the tv series. In season three. The mysterious Dr. Fell.
Admittedly, she's not the same character from the books, but, hey, she's there.
Also, that's another reason I didn't like books. No Jeremy. Her little sister was cute, but Jeremy as a character provides more dynamic, between hem and Elena, him and Vicki, him and Anna...
plus, come on, let's face it: He's dang CUTE!

you know in the tv show i NEVER seen a little kid there before,...maybe im wrong but i dont remember seeing any kids...

@Monica Really? I've just started watching season 3, so I must not be there yet. Well I'm glad they were able to work her in somewhere, even though she isn't the same Meredith. I also like Jeremy better than Elena's little sister, but I still liked the books better, probably because I read them first, and they're the originals.

Does anyone ever wonder why they change character's names when they make TV Shows? I mean, I just never can figure it out, unless they think it sounds better. Like on the TV Show it's Bonnie Bennet but in the books it's Bonnie Mcullough. (I know I probably just butchered the spelling of those) Or in the TV show it's Katherine Pearce, but in the Books its Katherine Von Swartzchild.

I saw the show when it premiered and loved it so checked out the books. I loved the first 4. Even the next few were good although I was getting a bit tired of the repetition of the triangle. But when she was fired from the series it all sort of went downhill for me. I refuse to read the most recent one.

I do however still adore the show.

One thing I have to give the books credit for, they went a completely unique direction than a lot of the other vampire series I've seen.

I hope the author finishes her Night World series soon, only one book to go but it has been left unfinished for so long.

I really love the show better :)

I read the Vampire Diaries before the show come out and really liked the books. Once the show started I was sooo disappointed how different the book and show were, I was very close to boycotting it. I finally had to seperate the book and tv show (in my head), and now I LOVE the tv show!!! So much :)

I watched a trailer for the next season premiere earlier today. It was really good. Looks like Elena may be a bit resistant to her new life.

I dont like the books. the tv show is way better.

Season 4 on October 11. >:D I can't wait!!!!

I saw a new trailer today.

Stephen says that Elena told him to save Matt, so he did.

Damn, our king of one liners, says "and now the world has one more quarterback. wohoo." Or something like that. <3

I love the tv show so much!
So i tried to read the books but there were to many differences like instead of a brother she had a little sister this is the one I remember because this difference was so big...I read but when i tried to read the next one i just couldnt get throught it... if i read the books first i probably woulkdnt like the tv show but i saw the tv show first...

I love the tv show and I can't wait to see the fourth season....

Me2.... It's going to be so awesome!!

Ikr. Tyler as Klaus. Omg. Klaroline.

It comes back this week!

Is anyone else excited?

I love the tv series, i love how they have brought the orginal vampires in, which wasn't in the book, but i love Klaus :) i think Elena is a bit whiny in the tv series from what i've seen so far from Season 4 one minute she doesn't want to be a vampire, then she does so she can't die, then she doesn't becuase she can't handle it. i like Elena i do i think she's loyal to her friends but with her, stefan and Damon she's turning into another Katherine with the swapping of the brothers.

Anyway, i like the Klaus and Carline plot they put up there and i really like Caroline character.

The one before last had that one girl from Secret Circle and that Tyler cheated on Caroline. N I think that Elena should be with Damon not Stefan.

I haven't read all of the books but I personally like the television show better than the books. In the tv show Elena is so much more of a strong independent character. I absolutely love Nina Dobrev as Elena. I honestly like that she is brown haired instead of blond haired personally (no offence to anybody though. This is just my opinion). But I like that Elena on the show is actually brown haired, brown eyed, and I like how they made her less selfish and stronger than Elena in the books.

I really like the TV series..like HEAPS I'm obsessed, but I also want to read the books, but can't find them anywhere and how many are there 'cause if there's like 20 or something, I'm not buying them all. Can someone help?
oh and I'm team Damon...DELENA FOR THE WIN!!!
Ian Somerhalder is so hot...

He's actually dating Nina in real life or so that's what the internet says...

i know!!! omg more reasons for team damon... they are so cute!

I just started reading the series after watching the tv show, but I'm already disappointed with Elena's character in the book. Quite different from the Tv Elena. The Tv Elena has more depth and layers than the superficial girl that I'm reading about in the book. She plots how to win a boy she just met while mourning at her parents' graves? Ugh. I hope her character grows as the story develops.

Beatrice wrote: "The TV show was WAY better. I've read the first 4 and it was good.. the next 4 was kind of different. I stopped reading and supposed to be I'm on Shadow Souls"

This is so true, the books were good at the start but then became unrealistic and the characters in the book... I didnt really enjoy but the TV show is much much better :)

<3 Damon

I started reading the first book, but I didn't really like it so I put it down. Then I watched the tv show, which I like, and it's making me think I should give the books another try.

I've read every single book and I watch the TV show...I think the TV show has an edge but I loved the books as well.

I love the books. TV show is not that good

I hated the show in the beginning lol, and one day I watched an episode in season two and I was hooked with that and told myself "Ok, I need to start at season one again!" Now I am in love with this show lol.

I watch the tv series. I got season 1 on dvd as a gift, watched it, loved it, began watched season three on tv, decided to read the books and... hated them.

in other words, I love the tv show, but I want the books to die and burn.

I love both the books and the T.V. Show. They are very different so it's like your getting two versions of the series which is ok with me. The characters were cast very well in show which is a huge plus when watching it. Its one of my favorite shows. Go team Klaus! :D

I've never read the books but I'm totally hooked on the show! I thought I was the only one in freakin love with Klaus lol