If books were first then its always the books because in film versions a lot of detail is left out to allow for a watchable length without being too long; the acting can destroy a totally good story.
But if the film came first then book tends to be a regurgitation of the film so the film is better in that situation.
I somewhat dislike reading, but somehow... whenever I read a book and then watch the movie the book is always better! Best example is the book "The War of the Worlds"! The book made me imagine the whole thing vividly and the movie... was such a dissapointment, especially the second one with Cruise, which was nothing like how I imagined it to be! Some parts fitted, but most of it was too commercial and deviated from the actual book... =/
And so, I guess I have to answer that I like the books better than the movies even though I'm more of a 'visual person'... =)
