Read the book, see the movie.

RFB&D's library keeps apace with a modern trend: serving up a delicious menu of books that share mass appeal with their offspring from Hollywood.

Read the book first, or see the movie and then read the book? We've all confronted that dilemma.  Whether your passion is those ever-popular vampires from Twilight, or you lean toward the literary, like Beowulf, chances are, one of your favorites has been made into a movie. Purists and bibliophiles will tell you to read the book first; that is the original, after all. But then again, who hasn't been inspired to pick up a book after seeing it brought to life on the big screen? I'm sure Mel Gibson as Hamlet caused more than a few folks to dust off their volumes of Shakespeare! Well, have we got news for you! Our audio books keep pace with this modern quandary! Heading out to see Dear John?  You can download it from RFB&D first (or after). Just can't wait until Julia Roberts graces the screen as Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat. Pray. Love?  We've got you covered there as well. While RFB&D is known as the source for human-voice recordings of textbooks and other academic materials, we also offer a vast library of fiction, kids' books, classic literature and more. We're definitely Harry Potter fans here – in fact, we helped to release audio versions simultaneously with their print counterparts – and we think Percy Jackson and vampires are pretty cool, too. In that same spirit,  here's a sampling of some of 2009's hit movies based on books – all of which are available for download from RFB&D:

  Other movie hits from 2009 that can be found in our audio library include Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. If you're already a member, you can browse our catalog for these books and more. Not a member? Sign up now for a membership! 2010 promises to bring a new crop of books to movie adaptations. Stay tuned to this space so you can keep tabs on RFB&D audio recordings of Hollywood's latest releases. I date myself here, but the biggest book vs. movie dilemma for me revolved around The Color Purple and the hubbub over Steven Spielberg's movie version (and, in case you're wondering, I read the book first and then saw the movie). My verdict: they are two distinct entities, both great. - Betsy Codding