I've noticed a fair few people, myself included, express a frustration with their reading habits.
"I used to read a lot, but I jut don't seem to enjoy it as much anymore."
If you're anything like me, you likely lost your reading habits because you started doing other stuff. School or work started taking up loads of time and mental energy. Or maybe you just started to fill your free hours with something else, like video games, tv, or internet. Whatever happened, you suddenly found yourself putting books down partway through and not picking them back up. Reading became a chore.
This thread is about ways to deal with this problem.
I've had some success with the "brute force" method. If I find that I'm not reading for pleasure anymore, I read anyway. Force it down until you've re-acquired your taste for it.
Read stuff that's relatively easy. Pick a guilty pleasure sort of book or something that you read back when you still enjoyed reading. Harlequin romance, dorky sci-fi, cookie-cutter fantasy novels, mysteries, whatever. I know that for a while I was on a non-fiction binge, which eventually killed my ability to enjoy reading until I rediscovered the joys of Terry Pratchett and the like.
Don't try to choke down some really dense classic if you're picking up reading for pleasure up again after a long break. You want something that will give your brain lots of cheap and easy rewards, so that your brain develops a "reading = fun" connection in place of a "reading = work" connection.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Another thought/question:
People with e-reader devices, how much use do you get out of them? Do you find them as useful as they seem to be for reading-on-the-go and such?
Quote from: Cainad on July 31, 2010, 05:47:41 PM
I've had some success with the "brute force" method. If I find that I'm not reading for pleasure anymore, I read anyway. Force it down until you've re-acquired your taste for it.
This was my approach through adolescence, at least with things I decided to read. And if I didn't understand something, I would read it again and again until I did understand it. It worked wonders. And now, for whatever reason, I just don't do that anymore.
However, I do make extensive use of audiobooks in transit between work and home.
Quote from: Cainad on July 31, 2010, 05:49:27 PM
Another thought/question:
People with e-reader devices, how much use do you get out of them? Do you find them as useful as they seem to be for reading-on-the-go and such?
Yep. Read it in waiting rooms and I expect I'll spend a lot of time with it while traveling this fall.
Quote from: Cainad on July 31, 2010, 05:49:27 PM
Another thought/question:
People with e-reader devices, how much use do you get out of them? Do you find them as useful as they seem to be for reading-on-the-go and such?
I bring it to work every day, it's light enough to carry and hide so I get a lot of use out of it.
I use an E-reader, and the big thing is that I always have a huge selection of work to choose from. Also, it's always there so its like, wating for computer to load, read a little, can't get to sleep, read a little, dinner's in the microwave, read a little.
Think it in terms of its vague possible usefulness.
Idk, say, "Hamlet" is "useful" in the sense that you are learning of a fictionalized take on a historic moment, you are learning about Shakespear's stylistics, you are learning of human nature -or at least someone's perspectives on it-.
I dont think that reading just for the sake of it is of value, is what we make of it - also, i dont think that its inherently pleasurable to read, or at least, its a very abstract manner of pleasure derived.
One thing I have been pondering for a while about reading.
Yes, being literate is important, but why is it that reading for entertainment is viewed as better than watching tv or playing video games?
When reading a book, you are being passively entertained. I guess more neurons are firing because you are supposed to be imagining everything that is going on in the book you are reading, so it generally more active than tv. Part of the reason I stopped reading as much for pleasure as I did when I was younger is that I've noticed more and more books are just garbage, and that I am really lazy. The few times I have set out to read some classic, I have generally gotten bored, mostly due to minor changes in language and the writing styles of then vs now.
Granted, while I own a TV, I do not have cable or an antenna. And the few times I have watched tv I just end up tuning it out and doing something else, as tv seems to more garbage filled than the pulp masses lining the walls of BN.
And as an aside. Hamlet and other works of the Bard aren't meant to be read, they are meant to be performed, or at least read aloud. Reading plays is like reading screenplays for tv shows and considering it literature. I shudder to think that one day centuries from now, transcripts from Jerry Springer might be read as part of the 20th/21st century American Literature class, or even Star Trek.
Quote from: The Great Bovinity on August 02, 2010, 02:43:43 PM
One thing I have been pondering for a while about reading.
I am really lazy.
Yes, being literate is important, but why is it that reading for entertainment is viewed as better than watching tv or playing video games?
I am really lazy.
When reading a book, you are being passively entertained. I guess more neurons are firing because you are supposed to be imagining everything that is going on in the book you are reading, so it generally more active than tv.
I am really lazy.
Part of the reason I stopped reading as much for pleasure as I did when I was younger is that I've noticed more and more books are just garbage, and that I am really lazy.
I am really lazy.
The few times I have set out to read some classic, I have generally gotten bored, mostly due to minor changes in language and the writing styles of then vs now.
I am really lazy.
Granted, while I own a TV, I do not have cable or an antenna. I am really lazy. And the few times I have watched tv I just end up tuning it out and doing something else, as tv seems to more garbage filled than the pulp masses lining the walls of BN. I am really lazy.
I am really lazy.
'nuff said.
To me, it's a matter of time management. If I have computer access, I tend to prefer that because it's more engaging. I read a lot more when I have somebody to discuss it with (the book threads I've been involved with on this board have been a lot of fun). And I read a lot more if I have to manage a period of time without computer access. When I was commuting to work via train or bus, I was reading about .75 books per week.
I've mentioned this before. How to Read a Book by Adler and Doren. It's what got me interested in reading again, especially those things that I used to /think/ I /should/ have read (cf. Less Wrong, I forget which post) but now I actually crave to read. Like Homer.
It's basically a primer on reading, the way I wish I had been taught in school, rather than the nearly stupid way we would read Shakespeare. The authors outline the four levels of reading (elementary, inspectional, analytical and syntopical) and then describe in detail how to actually do this. There's a link to a pdf on Gigapedia, but I prefer my print copy, makes it easier to write in.
Most books require only an inspectional read (like most novels), but others require a second, analytical read to actually understand the whole of it. If only I had known that in high school, I would have read Hamlet straight through in one sitting (the best way to go about inspectional reading) and then come back and done a thorough analytical read on my own. Make up my own mind about things rather than letting the teacher put ideas in my head about meanings. Or letting the class ruin shakespeare for me by the slow plodding way they work through the script, a poor inspectional read done at the same time as an even poorer analytical read. Whereas now I'm doing my analytical read of Iliad, and delighting in how well I understand the characters and their motives after reading through once in, while not a single sitting, a relatively short period of time without analysis of what I was reading other than to imagine the events. This is the book that should be taught in high school English classes.
Quote from: Doktor Alphapance on August 02, 2010, 03:03:18 PM
Quote from: The Great Bovinity on August 02, 2010, 02:43:43 PM
One thing I have been pondering for a while about reading.
I am really lazy.
Yes, being literate is important, but why is it that reading for entertainment is viewed as better than watching tv or playing video games?
I am really lazy.
When reading a book, you are being passively entertained. I guess more neurons are firing because you are supposed to be imagining everything that is going on in the book you are reading, so it generally more active than tv.
I am really lazy.
Part of the reason I stopped reading as much for pleasure as I did when I was younger is that I've noticed more and more books are just garbage, and that I am really lazy.
I am really lazy.
The few times I have set out to read some classic, I have generally gotten bored, mostly due to minor changes in language and the writing styles of then vs now.
I am really lazy.
Granted, while I own a TV, I do not have cable or an antenna. I am really lazy. And the few times I have watched tv I just end up tuning it out and doing something else, as tv seems to more garbage filled than the pulp masses lining the walls of BN. I am really lazy.
I am really lazy.
'nuff said.
Did you have a point? Other than to elicit a response from me?
Quote from: Kai on August 02, 2010, 04:49:37 PM
I've mentioned this before. How to Read a Book by Adler and Doren. It's what got me interested in reading again, especially those things that I used to /think/ I /should/ have read (cf. Less Wrong, I forget which post) but now I actually crave to read. Like Homer.
Can you give me a link to that book?
Quote from: The Great Bovinity on August 04, 2010, 07:33:58 AM
Quote from: Doktor Alphapance on August 02, 2010, 03:03:18 PM
Quote from: The Great Bovinity on August 02, 2010, 02:43:43 PM
One thing I have been pondering for a while about reading.
I am really lazy.
Yes, being literate is important, but why is it that reading for entertainment is viewed as better than watching tv or playing video games?
I am really lazy.
When reading a book, you are being passively entertained. I guess more neurons are firing because you are supposed to be imagining everything that is going on in the book you are reading, so it generally more active than tv.
I am really lazy.
Part of the reason I stopped reading as much for pleasure as I did when I was younger is that I've noticed more and more books are just garbage, and that I am really lazy.
I am really lazy.
The few times I have set out to read some classic, I have generally gotten bored, mostly due to minor changes in language and the writing styles of then vs now.
I am really lazy.
Granted, while I own a TV, I do not have cable or an antenna. I am really lazy. And the few times I have watched tv I just end up tuning it out and doing something else, as tv seems to more garbage filled than the pulp masses lining the walls of BN. I am really lazy.
I am really lazy.
'nuff said.
Did you have a point? Other than to elicit a response from me?
As a third party observer, I would interpret his point as such: The repeated statement within your post is succinct, and no further elaboration is necessary.
18bs nailed it. It's ok to be lazy, if that's what you want, but there's really no reason to make excuses and try to rationalize it.
So, by your rational reading books for entertainment is better than watching tv because it takes a sliver of more effort?
I'm fairly sure I didn't say anything about "better" or "worse". It would serve you well not to read into my posts what isn't there.
I'm sorry, I just took the mildly insulting quote editing as you taking the stance I am lazy because I generally no longer read for pleasure.
And maybe instead of just pretending to address my points with, "I am really lazy," you could have addressed some of the points with something more than retarded copy paste.
Some of my points could be read as, "I am really lazy," but not all of them.
Okay.
Quote from: The Great Bovinity on August 02, 2010, 02:43:43 PM
One thing I have been pondering for a while about reading.
Yes, being literate is important, but why is it that reading for entertainment is viewed as better than watching tv or playing video games?
When reading a book, you are being passively entertained. I guess more neurons are firing because you are supposed to be imagining everything that is going on in the book you are reading, so it generally more active than tv.
Indeed. Instead of seeing a guy throw a ball in frong of a CG image of Mars, you have to go through many different layers of cognition, metaphorical analysis, abstract pattern recognition, and textual analysis to be able to picture in your head a guy throwing a ball on Mars. You are creating something that never existed in the world.
QuotePart of the reason I stopped reading as much for pleasure as I did when I was younger is that I've noticed more and more books are just garbage, and that I am really lazy.
No comment needed.
QuoteThe few times I have set out to read some classic, I have generally gotten bored, mostly due to minor changes in language and the writing styles of then vs now.
This is also lazy, in two parts: You can't be bothered to learn new patterns of communication; and you are too lazy to search out something you're actually interested in, and accept someone else's definition of a good book.
QuoteGranted, while I own a TV, I do not have cable or an antenna. And the few times I have watched tv I just end up tuning it out and doing something else, as tv seems to more garbage filled than the pulp masses lining the walls of BN.
You admit that books are more active than TV, and that there is more content in books, and yet you are too lazy to find something to read that interests you.
QuoteAnd as an aside. Hamlet and other works of the Bard aren't meant to be read, they are meant to be performed, or at least read aloud. Reading plays is like reading screenplays for tv shows and considering it literature. I shudder to think that one day centuries from now, transcripts from Jerry Springer might be read as part of the 20th/21st century American Literature class, or even Star Trek.
If Springer or Star Trek was written in a well-crafted poetic meter, then maybe. But your comparison falters.
Happier?
Much
You may notice that it adds up to the same thing.
You may also notice that the first version was funnier. We needn't drag this out any further, TGB.
Aaaanyway, having a physical book (or at least a reader) as opposed to using a computer screen makes a big difference. I am far more likely to finish a book if I am holding it in my hands than reading it off my laptop in pdf format.
I agree on both parts, aside from the humor.
I, living in very spacious Troop Billeting, have very little space to amass physical books, which is the real reason I don't read much currently.
Any advice on an ebook reader?
Quote from: DALEKK on August 04, 2010, 08:13:04 AM
Quote from: Kai on August 02, 2010, 04:49:37 PM
I've mentioned this before. How to Read a Book by Adler and Doren. It's what got me interested in reading again, especially those things that I used to /think/ I /should/ have read (cf. Less Wrong, I forget which post) but now I actually crave to read. Like Homer.
Can you give me a link to that book?
http://gigapedia.com/items/5135/how-to-read-a-book--a-classic-guide-to-intelligent-reading
Quote from: Cainad on July 31, 2010, 05:47:41 PM
I've noticed a fair few people, myself included, express a frustration with their reading habits.
"I used to read a lot, but I jut don't seem to enjoy it as much anymore."
If you're anything like me, you likely lost your reading habits because you started doing other stuff. School or work started taking up loads of time and mental energy. Or maybe you just started to fill your free hours with something else, like video games, tv, or internet. Whatever happened, you suddenly found yourself putting books down partway through and not picking them back up. Reading became a chore.
This thread is about ways to deal with this problem.
I've had some success with the "brute force" method. If I find that I'm not reading for pleasure anymore, I read anyway. Force it down until you've re-acquired your taste for it.
Read stuff that's relatively easy. Pick a guilty pleasure sort of book or something that you read back when you still enjoyed reading. Harlequin romance, dorky sci-fi, cookie-cutter fantasy novels, mysteries, whatever. I know that for a while I was on a non-fiction binge, which eventually killed my ability to enjoy reading until I rediscovered the joys of Terry Pratchett and the like.
Don't try to choke down some really dense classic if you're picking up reading for pleasure up again after a long break. You want something that will give your brain lots of cheap and easy rewards, so that your brain develops a "reading = fun" connection in place of a "reading = work" connection.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
I totally agree with you.
Whoops, I completely missed the tail end of this thread.
Reading on the bus works great for me, even if it's serious material, as long as it's not
intricate. Certain books are alright to read for only ten minutes at a time. They don't have to be pulp, they just have to be less intricate.
I have not attempted
Infinite Jest on the bus, as it seems best read in longer stretches. It's hard to say, though--I've only gotten a few chapters in.
Quote from: Cudgel on August 05, 2010, 12:41:46 AM
Any advice on an ebook reader?
I don't know much about ebook readers, but I will say this:
Make sure it's not on lockdown, or that you have a way to circumvent it, if it is. I don't much care for the prospect of constantly being sold books. Piracy aside, there's a vast amount of great literature available via Project Gutenberg. It would be a shame to pay for classics you could be getting for free. Plus, if you did engage in piracy, you would have access to an endless supply of books for only the price of the reader. Basically, regardless of how you feel about piracy, remember that you don't have to pay for
everything.
I may be something of an annomaly, as I chew through books, and quickly.
I'm not sure where I picked up the habit, but possibly when I was very young and needing an outlet to keep my mind busy.
I found several authors I liked and maintain a library of their books. I take suggestions from other readers who's opinions I trust on good stories.
I occasionally have to brute force something that's considered a "classic" such as Gravity's Rainbow. More because of Pynchon's writing style than not liking the story.
don't know that I have any advice, except to try several authors of subjects you already enjoy and keep the book with you everywhere. I take mine to the bathroom, have it in the car for when I have to go somewhere and wait, work for lunch breaks.