Do you like to read?

[Amaris]

It's not that I like to read, it's that I'm angry at letters.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

^What did letters ever do to you?

 

[Amaris]

^What did letters ever do to you?

All they do is sit there and stare at me, so I just stare right back at them.

 

[Jan]

Do you love to read? What kinds of books or other publications do you prefer? Do you read for pleasure or for academic reason or both? What say you?

I not only love to read, it's essential. I didn't realize until my mid-20s that not everybody can pick up a book and become immersed in the story. Doesn't matter if it's a detective story or science fiction or romance, once I pick it up, I'm in the story.

If I don't have something to read, even for a few minutes, I can't get to sleep. I once had an airline lose the book I'd brought for a multi-day trip and had to make do with an abandoned People magazine until I could get out to a bookstore the next day.

Nowadays I never leave the house without my Kindle. I'm doing my best to fill it up with my old favorites that I re-read regularly. For the most part that's SF and fantasy because I learned early on that those make me slow down and think while other genres generally don't.

Jan

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I not only love to read, it's essential.

I like that.

 

[feek61]

I am always reading and love it. I usually read biographical or technical stuff; very little fiction. Strange too because I love to watch sci-fi; just don't read it.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I love to read, but it's been difficult for me to do since I was a teenager. The main reason being that I've been in school full-time almost continuously, with a good chunk of that being grad school, so I read so much for school that I have little time to read for pleasure. In fact, I think I've only finished five books of my own choosing within the past 8 years.

I am also a very slow reader, partly because of my OCD tendencies. I get "stuck" on certain words or sentences and have to read them over and over. Or sometimes I will be reading and it will just feel like something in my brain is fighting with me the whole way through. So I just have to stop and put the book down, because it feels like more trouble than it's worth. With schoolwork, I have to keep going, so it becomes a tiring experience and by the end of the semester I need a long break from doing any reading at all.

My mind is just going too fast in the middle of the day to get any reading done, so I've learned to read only in the early mornings, before even getting out of bed, or late at night before I go to sleep. My mind is more "quiet" and I can concentrate better and don't get "stuck" as often.

There was a two year period where I was out of school, and during that time I was able to read more often, though I am still pretty slow. To give you an idea, I really loved the Harry Potter books and would get them on the day they were released, but even when I read at every possible moment I had a chance, it still took me about a month to finish one. I marvel at the people who could read it all in one night or even weekend. I just can't mentally go that fast, even though I really wanted to with those books!

I mostly enjoy murder mysteries (especially Agatha Christie) and historical fiction.

I consider myself a very slow reader, too, especially when it comes to reading fiction novels. When I was a teen, it would take me at least a few weeks to finish a TNG paperback. It took me almost a month to finish reading Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm a very visual reader and like to picture things in my mind as I read. This can be both a blessing and a bane. Yes, I enjoy the imagery that I conjure up in my head, but at what cost? And having a short attention span, I get distracted easily and feel I have to take a break after a while.

Wow, you guys do read a LOT. Having a short attention span, I just can't get into fiction novels anymore. I used to read Star Trek novels as a teen, but those days are long gone. Although I have the entire collection of Harry Potter books, I've only read Prisoner of Azkaban. Even nowadays I can't seem to sit still and read for more than an hour unless I happen to be reading one of my graphic novels or some articles in a magazine.

The first two volumes of Harry Potter are actually shorter and faster-reading than Prisoner of Azkaban. You might want to give them a try, especially since you already own them.

True, I only started with PoA because I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. That was the first and only novel I've read so far, and I made myself sit alone in a quiet room to read it. Several times.

Just to give everyone an idea of how many books I own, here's an old list that I haven't updated lately, which means I have more titles I haven't yet catalogued.

30 Second Mysteries Case Files
A Dictionary of American Idioms, Fourth Edition
America's Presidents
An Invitation to Health
Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife
Art: A World History
Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide
Big Book of Brain Games, The
Brain Strains Power Puzzles
Business English
Comparative Politics in Transition
Complete Book of Dreams
DC Comics Encyclopedia
DC: 52, Aftermath - The Four Horsemen
DC: 52, Volume 1
DC: 52, Volume 2
DC: 52, Volume 3
DC: 52, Volume 4
DC: Blackest Night
DC: Countdown to Final Crisis, Volume 1
DC: Day of Vengeance, Countdown to Infinite Crisis
DC: Final Crisis
DC: Infinite Crisis
DC: Infinite Crisis Companion
DC: OMAC Project, Countdown to Infinite Crisis
DC: Rann-Thanagar War, Countdown to Infinite Crisis
DC: Sinestro Corps, Volume 1
DC: Sinestro Corps, Volume 2
DC: Villains United, Countdown to Infinite Crisis
DC: World War III
Dinosaur Encyclopedia
Do You Know the Real You?
Encyclopedia of Earth, The: A Complete Visual Guide
Exiles, Volume 1
Exiles, Volume 2: A World Apart
Exiles, Volume 3: Out of Time
Exiles, Volume 4: Legacy
Exiles, Volume 5: Unnatural Instincts
Eyewitness Travel: Las Vegas
Fabulous Creatures and Other Magical Beings
Favorite Folktales from Around the World
Geographica's World Reference
Giant 1001 Puzzle Book, The
Ginormous Book of Dirty Jokes
Grimm Fairy Tales, Volume 1
Grimm Fairy Tales, Volume 2
Grimm Fairy Tales, Volume 3
Guide to Getting It On
Hammond World Almanac World Factbook
Hammond World Almanac: Book of the United States
Handling Difficult People
Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide
Holy Bible (New International Version)
Human
Human Body Book, The
Introduction to Sociology
James Bond: The Secret World of 007
Jesus of the Bible, The
JLA Avengers
Justice League 1: Tornado's Path
Justice League 2: The Lightning Saga
Justice League 3: The Injustice League
Justice League 4: Sanctuary
Justice League 5: Second Coming
Justice League 6: When Worlds Collide
Justice League 7: Team History
Justice League Elite, Volume 1
Justice League Elite, Volume 2
Justice League: American Dreams
Justice League: Crisis of Conscience
Justice League: Divided We Fall
Justice League: Earth 2
Justice League: Golden Perfect
Justice League: Identity Crisis
Justice League: Justice for All
Justice League: Justice, Volume 1
Justice League: Justice, Volume 2
Justice League: Justice, Volume 3
Justice League: League of One
Justice League: New World Order
Justice League: Obisidian Age (Book 2)
Justice League: Obsidian Age (Book 1)
Justice League: One Million
Justice League: Riddle of the Beast
Justice League: Rock of Ages
Justice League: Rules of Engagement
Justice League: Strength in Numbers
Justice League: Syndicate Rules
Justice League: Technis Imperative
Justice League: Terror Incognita
Justice League: The Tenth Circle
Justice League: Tower of Babel
Justice League: Trial by Fire
Justice League: Ultramarine Corps
Justice League: Virtue and Vice
Justice League: World Without Justice League
Kokology 2
Life Application Study Bible (New Internation Version)
LOST Encyclopedia
MacBeth (Barron's Simply Shakespeare)
MacMillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Myths & Legends
Magandang Balita Biblia
Marvel Encyclopedia Vol. 1
Marvel Encyclopedia Vol. 1: X-Men
Marvel Encyclopedia, The
Marvel Ultimates 2.1: Gods & Monsters
Marvel Ultimates 2.2: Grand Theft America
Marvel Ultimates 3: Who Killed the Scarlet Witch
Marvel: Secret Invasions
Marvel: Ultimate Power
Marvel: Ultimatum
Marvel: Ultimatum - Requiem
Marvel: Civil War
Marvel: Civil War - Marvel Universe
Marvel: Decimation - X:Men, The 198
Marvel: Decimation - X-Men, The Day After
Marvel: House of M
Marvel: Marville
Marvel: X-Men, Messiah Complex
Merck Manual of Medical Information, 2nd Home Edition
Mythology (DK Eyewitness Companions)
National Geographic Essential Visual History of the Bible
National Geographic Essential Visual History of World Mythology
New X-Men (Volume 1 Hardcover)
New X-Men, Volume 3: New Worlds
New X-Men, Volume 4: Riot at Xavier's
New X-Men, Volume 5: Assault on Weapon X
New X-Men, Volume 6: Planet X
New X-Men, Volume 7: Here Comes Tomorrow
Personology: The Precision Approach to Charting Your Life & Career
Presidents Fact Book
Quotable Star Trek
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
Reader's Digest Book of Puzzles & Brain Teasers
Rules of Life, The
Rules of Work, The
Secret Universe of Names, The
Simple Chinese Astrology
Star Trek Chronology
Star Trek: Alien Spotlight, Volume 1
Star Trek: Year Four
Star Wars Episode One Visual Dictionary
Star Wars Episode Three Visual Dictionary
Star Wars Episode Two Visual Dictionary
Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology
Story of Christianity, The
Streetfigther Tribute
Teen Titans #1: A Kid's Game
Teen Titans #11: Deathtrap
Teen Titans #2: Family Lost
Teen Titans #3: Beast Boys and Girls
Teen Titans #4: The Future is Now
Teen Titans #5: Life and Death
Teen Titans #6: Titans Around the World
Teen Titans #7: Titans East
Teen Titans #8: On the Clock
Teen Titans #9: On the Clock
Timelines of World History
Titans: Old Friends
Tolkien's World - Paintings of Middle Earth
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Movie Guide)
Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America
Uncanny X-Men, Volume 1: Hope
Uncanny X-Men, Volume 2: Dominant Species
Uncanny X-Men, Volume 3: Holy War
Uncanny X-Men, Volume 4: The Draco
Uncanny X-Men, Volume 6: Bright New Mourning
Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die
Urban Legends
Uzumaki: The Art of Naruto
Vatican, The: Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City
What Type Am I?
Who are You? 101 Ways of Seeing Yourself
Wizardology
World Religions

Here's a list of magazines I subscribe(d) to:

Entertainment Weekly
Smithsonian
National Geographic Traveler
The Food Network Magazine
Condé Nast Travel

 

[Kestra]

Do you love to read? What kinds of books or other publications do you prefer? Do you read for pleasure or for academic reason or both? What say you?

I not only love to read, it's essential. I didn't realize until my mid-20s that not everybody can pick up a book and become immersed in the story. Doesn't matter if it's a detective story or science fiction or romance, once I pick it up, I'm in the story.

I'm not sure where you're from, but you might want to consider volunteering with a literacy group. Think of everything that reading has done for you, and then imagine what it must be like to be an illiterate adult. I know it was a life-changing experience for me, and seeing how passionate you are about reading, I just thought I'd offer it up as something to think about!

 

[Tora Ziyal]

^Excellent suggestion, Kestra. I taught literacy-level writing and math to adults and loved it. I felt like I was opening up a whole new world for them.

 

[Kestra]

It's so gratifying, isn't it? The man I was paired up with was having a son and wanted to be able to read to him because he wasn't able to do that with his two older children. There are so many things that we take for granted.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ That's nice. It seems like literacy is treated with disdain these days.

^What did letters ever do to you?

All they do is sit there and stare at me, so I just stare right back at them.

You know what Nietzsche said: "If you stare long enough at the letters, the letters stare back at you."

 

[Yoda]

I've long outgrown computer games

Computer games are not something to be outgrown. Especially when you're ultra-enthusiastic about your comic book collection

 

[Sam_I_Am]

I love reading. I love my Kindle because I read much more frequently nowadays. It's certainly so much easier to peruse Amazon and download something rather than heading to the book-store, charity shop or library.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I've long outgrown computer games

Computer games are not something to be outgrown. Especially when you're ultra-enthusiastic about your comic book collection

Alas, I must say I was quite immersed in City of Heroes/City of Villains MMO up until a year before the online game shut down. Ahh, the good old days of farming and Double XP weekends. But I was never really a hardcore gamer, averaging only 3 to 4 hours per week until I lost interest.

 

[Amaris]

^^ That's nice. It seems like literacy is treated with disdain these days.

^What did letters ever do to you?

All they do is sit there and stare at me, so I just stare right back at them.

You know what Nietzsche said: "If you stare long enough at the letters, the letters stare back at you."

That explains why I love green eggs and ham!

 

[RJDiogenes]

If you stare long enough at the eggs, the eggs stare back at you.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

You know what Nietzsche said: "If you stare long enough at the letters, the letters stare back at you."

Ahem... you are aware of the fact that Nietzsche died in a loonie asylum, aren't you?

Sorry about the late reply - I only just discovered the thread.
I learned how to read at the age of 3 and ever since nothing in print has been safe from me. When I was at primary school I used to wake up in the night and I would always sneak to my dad's office and read the 12 volume lexicon You may know the effect from Wikipedia: you look something up, find an interesting keyword, follow that to a different article which leads you to a third and so you get from meatballs to streetcars.
My eyes aren't that good anymore and I appreciate this new invention of ebook readers that allow me to enlargen the print. Also, in digital form books take up so much less space. Plus I can easliy edit out typos and bad grammar =) (the noble custom of proof reading appears to have been abolished).

I used to read in every spare minute, alas, the older I get, the less time do I find for reading Recently I started to sell those books I am not interested in anymore but I still have half a moving van of book crates.

 

[Amaris]

If you stare long enough at the eggs, the eggs stare back at you.

That is SO disturbing, but I love it.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^

You know what Nietzsche said: "If you stare long enough at the letters, the letters stare back at you."

Ahem... you are aware of the fact that Nietzsche died in a loonie asylum, aren't you?

Nietzsche is dead?

 

[RandyS]

Do you love to read? Do you read for pleasure?

Yes and yes.