How much do you read?

edited March 2011 in Literary 007 Posts: 54
Not just Bond, but in general. It seems to me most people don't have time to read books anymore. A friend of mine will borrow novels only for them to go unread on his shelf for months while he plays Mass Effect 2. Bond is easier than most given that they're all pretty short -- but is reading novels, on the whole, on a downward trend in our brave new age of instant gratification, 140 character limits, and so on?
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Comments

  • nick_007nick_007 Ville Marie
    Posts: 443
    Quoting Fairbairn-Sykes: A friend of mine will borrow novels only for them to go unread on his shelf for months while he plays Mass Effect 2.
    I find this amusing because my friend has lent me a few novels that I've taken forever to read while HE played Mass Effect 2.

    I do most of my reading on the daily commute to and from Uni. Let's call it an hour a day where I'm not reading textbooks or solving problems or just watching TV/going online.

    I like to zone out on the metro. I've missed many a stop because I was engrossed in Fleming. for some reason Bond novels go great when you're travelling or on the move. for some reason...
    ;-)
  • Posts: 5,767
    Reading´s what keeps the world turning. I read in the tube out of habit, but also find the occasional consecutive hours spent reading very important.
    I enjoy very much to tune to certain writers. Dashiell Hammett for example I find a bit tough to read just like that, but once I´m into it his writings are pure enlightenment.
    I also enjoy taking on certain writers or charcaters in a kind of studious way. It´s great fun for example to delve into Ian Fleming´s world of James Bond, or Arthur Conan Doyle´s Sherlock Holmes. Especially such characters that have so very different incarnations in the film world, or in newer novels by other authors. Not to say those aren´t good, but it´s great to study the differences.
    And, of course, the best stylist in the world, Elmore Leonard, never fails to etertain me.

    Beside that, I have lots of scripts in connection with my profession, anxiously waiting to be digested by my feeble mind.
  • Posts: 7,653
    On average I am 30 books behind trying to catch up. Reading relaxes my mind. Generally read several books at the same time. Some are easily read while commuting another before sleeping while yet another is workrelated.

    I really consider reading one of my big vices.
  • Posts: 19,339
    I read all the time,mainly historical non-fiction as that's my passion,or if not it will be about the paranormal.
    If i want to give my brain a rest i will revert back to a Bond novel.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    Being a collector of all books related to James Bond (just a few short of 300) I love reading but I've found that recently I'm reading nothing but my Bond collection, I average about 2 books a week and alternate between reference and fiction. I should stress that spending this amount of attention on one subject is neither normal nor healthy and I should be widening my horizons. My biggest problem is that I seem to spend all my free time either on this site or scouring the net for more additions to the 'Saunders Archive' rather than reading.
  • Posts: 2,491
    i was reading but i havent read book in a while
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    Quoting SaintMark: On average I am 30 books behind trying to catch up.
    That's quite a lot SaintMark!
    I'd estimate I'm about 10 behind my objective in books, about 5 behind in graphic novels, and about 20 in movies/TV Series. The problem is that when I venture too deep in one territory, the other ones fall way off. It's all about balance!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited March 2011 Posts: 23,447
    I read a lot. I make myself clear my agenda so I can find the time to read several hours in a row. Sometimes the job does get in the way, which is why I don't finish a book every three days. I'm currently in the middle of a 15 book program, working my way through the great Isaac Asimov's Robot - Empire - Foundation legacy. I'm currently at the third book in the Empire series, which means I'll begin reading Foundation series very soon. Looking forward to it.

    I read a lot of Bond as well. The Flemings take less time now than they did when I first began reading them one and a half decade ago. After a while, you start being able to predict the next line. ;;) And like I watch all films periodically, I also marathon the books periodically. I mostly do that during the Summer holiday season, when I have the time to finish a novel in three days or less. I read books on Fleming and Bond in general as well. Finished the Legacy three times now. Such a jewel!

    Work-related literature is part of the job as well. Books on chemistry mostly. I'm constantly trying to increase my own expertise on the subject. ;;)

    And then there are mangas, graphic novels and comics. Not sure most people want to classify that as literature, however I did spend 12 days completing the Death Note series. :P
  • Posts: 2
    I am an avid reader. I normally read about two to four fiction novels a month. I prefer printed pages, but have expanded my readings to include books on my iphone, that are easy to read while exercising. This gives me at least an hour of reading time most days while on the treadmill.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited March 2011 Posts: 13,882
    I've got a backlog of books building up. Mainly due to A) i'm a very slow reader and B) I keep finding new book series i'd like to try. I'm currently crawling through Duncan Falconer's The Hostage (John Stratton book #1)
  • Posts: 114
    I'm an avid reader. I try to read anything I can get my hands on. Got a bit of a backlog built up, but I've done a good job of getting through it.

    As a rule I try to get in at least 20 minutes of reading a day. Not to much to ask for on a demanding day, but enough to be able to actually get into the story. On days when I'm not busy it is usually more.

    I usually have a nice balance between long, non-fiction works and shorter fiction works so I don't get bogged down in one work for a few weeks.

    I usually aim for about 100 books a year, but with college and work it doesn't always prove successful.
  • Posts: 421
    I would love to read more. The problem is that all my reading seems to be academic and research at the moment. The pleasure of having a quiet couple of hours to get really engrossed in a good book is great, but it's having the couple of hours spare time which is the hard part for me :-|
  • Nowhere near as much as I'd like.
  • Posts: 162
    Sometimes more than others. I always make sure I have a book with me any time I'll have some time to kill. This includes, but is not limited to:

    -The 1 hour a week I have to spend accompanying my students to their off site P.E. class

    -The two times a week for roughly 1 and 1/2 hours at a time it takes to collect my blood plasma for sale

    -All doctors appointments

    -Anytime I know I'll be early somewhere

    -Any time I know I'm going to be eating/drinking coffee alone (when I was a child, I didn't limit such reading time to when I was alone...)

    I read a little bit every night. Sometimes this is just my Bible, and/or just a couple of pages from another book. I also read anytime I can't get to sleep.

    I tend to have one fiction and one non-fiction book going at any given time. Of course, since I tend to read books on the thicker side, I often to only get through 3 books a month, but that's at minimum. That usually means 1 fiction book, one non-fiction book, and whatever novel I may be reading with my students at the time.

    What I miss is just taking time to read for hours at a time. I just don't do it as I once did. I have good intentions for the summer, though.

    As others have mentioned, I have quite the queue of books I want to get through....
  • edited March 2011 Posts: 114
    Quoting lalala2004: What I miss is just taking time to read for hours at a time. I just don't do it as I once did. I have good intentions for the summer, though.


    I miss those days. Far and few in between. I wish there were more! I'm hoping this summer I can manage at least a day a week in which I could read for a few hours.

    Easier said then done, but I can hope!


    *Edited my poor spelling for lalala. That's what I get for posting after working on a paper for several hours and being completely drained. :P
  • Posts: 162
    Quoting Moore: *Edited my poor spelling for lalala. That's what I get for posting after working on a paper for several hours and being completely drained. :P
    Your corrections will be reflected in your final MI6book grade for the semester. Well done! I'll just assume your changing of the phrase "few and far between" is a personal choice, there ;).
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,567
    I go through phases when I read for several months, then I will stop suddenly and read nothing for months.
    At the mo I have a kindle app on my mobile so I can read anywhere. Not convinced by them particularly but we have just run out of space for more books in my house.
  • Posts: 162
    Quoting NicNac: At the mo I have a kindle app on my mobile so I can read anywhere. Not convinced by them particularly but we have just run out of space for more books in my house.
    I just downloaded the app for the PC, and I was blown away by all the free books! Can't go wrong, there. It's nice if you have the hard copy, but want a way to read a book in more than one place if you need to.

    For instance, I downloaded Hound of The Baskervilles, which I was reading with my students. I didn't want to take it home with me, lest I end up forgetting it at home, so I read it on the computer. It was pretty easy on the eyes, too, with the print being big.

    It may also let me read a few classics I may not have bought, but can easily read for free, now....
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    I may be old fashioned, but I don't understand how a kindle or whatever it is ensures one can read wherever they are - why on earth couldn't someone do that with a paperback? That's what it was invented for - you can read it in an armchair, on a train, on a plane, in bed, in the bath etc... :-??
  • Posts: 162
    Quoting St_George: I may be old fashioned, but I don't understand how a kindle or whatever it is ensures one can read wherever they are - why on earth couldn't someone do that with a paperback? That's what it was invented for - you can read it in an armchair, on a train, on a plane, in bed, in the bath etc... :-??
    I'm with you, mainly, and I certainly wouldn't want to risk dropping an expensive electronic device in the bath, but a few people I know that have them have really good reasons to do so. I'm not a believer, but if I had an iphone or ipad, I'd for sure get an app for it.

    Case 1: One of my friends is getting her masters in adolescent literature. At any one time she's reading about 10 separate novels for her classes. Can you imagine lugging around 10 books at once? The kindle was practically made for her. She can have her whole library at her fingertips.

    Case 2: You are going on vacation, with the sole purpose of reading. The kindle saves space.

    But unless you have a case like that...It doesn't seem like money well spent to me. Except for the free books part. Those are awesome. But you can just get a free app for that....
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    edited March 2011 Posts: 1,699
    @lalala2004 Yes, I see your point. The academic case is indeed a good one. But, for me, when you have time off or indeed are on holiday there's nothing like actually curling up with a book. Using an electronic device instead would be a huge second best - it'd be like reading a novel or whatever on a small laptop or something. And I have to do that enough when I'm writing, you know...? ;)
  • Posts: 5,767
    Considering the condition some of my books are in after I constantly carry them around in my soft bag, I would be much too afraid of breaking any electronic reader ;-) .
    But I can understand a certain space-saving issue for heavy readers. Myself being not such a fast one, I suffice with one modest bookshelf at home ;-) .
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,447
    For those who like to carry small books with them, we have these now in our region:

    image

    These are printed in a small but not unreadable type size, pressed on extra thing paper and thus can contain the entire book in something that fits any jacket or even shirt pocket. I have one of those, Memoirs Of A Geisha, and I find it very convenient. Also, it's still a book, and there's something sexy about holding a book IMO. Furthermore, the cover is very flexible, so you don't actually have to keep the book open manually. It leaves itself open at any page desired, like the average hard cover book does.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    @DarthDimi Quite an interesting idea, them, but not too sure how much they'll catch on what with the type being so necessarily small.

    They're likely to be most intended for regular readers, I'd imagine; the same people who may read a great deal during the day and, thus, may be minded about the dangers of over-straining their eyes, you know? Small type wouldn't really help with that - especially if such peeps without glasses or contacts are looking to keep their eyesight that way... ;)
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,567
    I will be getting a kindle soon, and my only reasoning is space. My home has enough books and buying more means some favourites would need to go.
    I know the answer is 'go to the library' but like lalala said an ereader is good for holidays.
    And as I have started wading through Lee Child's Jack Reacher books I think storing them on a kindle is perfect.

    They will never replace books though, for all the reasons Georgio has given.
  • Posts: 5,767
    Quoting NicNac: I know the answer is 'go to the library'
    Interestig thought, but where I live no library has the novels I like to read :-| .
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,567
    ...and if they are popular novels you have to wait for them to come back in because everyone wants them. ;-)
  • nick_007nick_007 Ville Marie
    Posts: 443
    If all my textbooks were available on Kindle I'd seriously consider buying one. Lugging 30 pounds of paper around will certainly take it's toll by the time I get my degree.

    As far as novels are concerned I'm very traditional and have plenty of room. When I manage to find myself out of room I'll consider eFiction.
  • Posts: 11,189
    I certainly don't read as much as I should but I'm trying to read more. I'm a pretty slow reader if im honest. Funnily enough the books I've probably flicked through the quickest r the bond novels.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    I never read, well apart from online but as for novels, I've really only read Fleming's books. I've got other interests I suppose though they'd not be called as a great as a good book is.
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