Book lovers vs. nonreaders

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Wow! Karen1996, you expressed exactly how I too feel about books and reading! I still sometimes have dreams about the library in our small New England town that I practically lived in when I was a kid (and I’m no kid any more, that’s for sure!). Shows how strong an impression all those books made on me at a very early age. I can remember getting bored with the children’s section and heading off to the “grown up” books when I had no idea what they were about. I read “Look Homeward Angel” when I was probably 12. Didn’t really know what it was all about, but I devoured it just the same. Maybe its time to re-read it now that I have a little more “life experience”! But what do I do with all the other books that are patiently waiting for me next to my bed? Decisions, decisions. . . .:hmmm:
 
Here’s a sort of bizarre memory about my book-ish childhood: I had a lot of Golden books and Ding Dong School books and I loved them and handled them so much they were pretty much in shreds. Somehow I always managed to work the spine off the books, I don’t remember how I did it, only that it happened over time. And I was forever poking myself in the eye with the spines. I’d be reading, the spine would finally come off in my little fist and before I knew it I was accidentally sticking myself in the eye with it. I still remember what that felt like, and that it happened fairly often. What a maroon…you’d think even a 3 or 4-year old would learn after the first time.
 
Karen1996 said:
Wow, what an interesting thread! I love the weight of a book in my hands. I feel lost without a book nearby, and like to carry one in my purse. I love the smell and crispness of the paper, and I’m always a little sad when the pages start to yellow. However, I don’t mind a well-worn book, because this means it’s well-loved. While I read a lot, I don’t tend to keep a lot of them, only a very select few. I love to pass along books to others. I absolutely love looking at others’ bookshelves.
As a reader, I don’t think I’m looking for an escape. That would sort of be like drinking with the sole purpose of becoming intoxicated.

I just love words.

Attention all book lovers, y’all have got to read Stephen King’s On Writing. I immediately thought of that book while reading all these posts.
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Read it!

😃
 
livnlern said:
I’ve always wondered why some people love to read books (myself included) while others would rather do anything else but that in their free time. I realize that if a person does a lot of work related reading, the last thing they want to do is open a book in their time off. But what about everyone else?
What is different in people who love to read vs. people who don’t? Are they more imaginative? More introverted? Just looking for an escape?
I have one family member that can literally read the covers off of books that she loves (she can re-read the same book many times) and another that would be bored to death to sit down and have to read anything.
Anyone have thoughts on this?
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I sure wish I knew the answer to this. I’m one of those people who grew up LOVING to read. I devoured everything I could get my hands on. I don’t even remember when I learned to read; I feel like I always knew how, although I’m sure it was probably sometime in kindergarten. My mother took me with her to the library and let me bring home as many books as I could carry. To this day the smell of a library when I first walk through the doors takes me back to my childhood.

When I grew up and started working, I started collecting books. I started with the Little House on the Prairie series, one book at a time, and I still have them, almost 35 yers later. I went to used book sales, library sales, thrift stores, the bargain sections of the bookstore…and now, my house is full of books, everything from all the old teen romances I loved when I was a kid, to histories of England, from stories of the saints to the Harry Potter novels, from Shakespeare to Anne Rivers Siddons. If you can’t find something good to read at my house, you’re either too finicky, or you don’t like to read. :rolleyes:

So I really wish someone would explain to me why neither of my two now-grown kids don’t really enjoy reading. :eek: I read to them when they were little, all the time. They seemed to enjoy that, and each had their favourite stories. They saw me reading a lot, and I always made sure there were good books and magazines around that were aimed at their age level or a little above. But it seems that as they grew up, they just didn’t want to bother reading for fun, and it was also a struggle to get them to do the reading they were assigned for school. My daughter will read a novel occasionally, and she was a big fan of the Potter books, but reading is just not really a passion with her. My son despised reading all through school, although he was a very strong reader, which I can’t figure out. He read at an eighth grade level when he was in second grade, for example, but on his own would never pick up a book, until very recently. He’s finally started reading some Catholic novels that his spiritual advisor loaned him, and has expressed interest in some other inspirational Catholic books as well. So there seems to be a little hope for him at last!. 😃

To sum up, I *think *I did everything right to encourage a love of reading, but it just didn’t quite take. :rolleyes:
 
Well, for some people it is physically difficult. My husband has an eye condition called esophoric sight, meaning that his eyes focus at slightly different places. He’s not dyslexic or learning disabled, but his eyes get tired easily, so he doesn’t enjoy reading. He calls himself a “mission reader” in that he reads what he needs to to do his job, etc., but other than that he’d rather pursue other interests.

I personally love to read; I usually have a book in each room, and if my stack of reading gets below about 2 feet tall I start to get uneasy. I read while I brush my teeth, while I change clothes, while I’m cooking, while I’m watching TV–if I could figure out how to do it in the shower, I’d read there too!j

But I’m not interested in the electronic books. I don’t like staring at a screen, I like to have physical books close at hand for reference etc., and in a real book the batteries don’t go dead!
 
Newtonium said:
Well, for some people it is physically difficult. My husband has an eye condition called esophoric sight, meaning that his eyes focus at slightly different places. He’s not dyslexic or learning disabled, but his eyes get tired easily, so he doesn’t enjoy reading. He calls himself a “mission reader” in that he reads what he needs to to do his job, etc., but other than that he’d rather pursue other interests.

I personally love to read; I usually have a book in each room, and if my stack of reading gets below about 2 feet tall I start to get uneasy. I read while I brush my teeth, while I change clothes, while I’m cooking, while I’m watching TV–if I could figure out how to do it in the shower, I’d read there too!j

But I’m not interested in the electronic books. I don’t like staring at a screen, I like to have physical books close at hand for reference etc., and in a real book the batteries don’t go dead!
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I’m with you on the electronic books. As someone above said, I like to hold a book in my hands. And as you say, you don’t need batteries or anything electric (maybe a lamp or flashlight if it’s dark!). I call it portable entertainment…you can take a book anywhere with you and it doesn’t make noise or bother anyone, it just holds a story inside for whenever you’re ready to open it up.
Has your husband tried listening to books on cd? That might be helpful for someone with his condition.
 
Great thread!

Reading has always been my favorite pastime. I began to read before I started school. I know this was because my parents were voracious readers, also.

I read everything, everywhere. I am like many of the previous readers/posters: I read while I wait for a doctor appointment, while in the car waiting for a train, while in the potty ( :eek: yep - I even have certain types of books I keep for the potty - they tend to be paperbacks that I get for a dollar at the used books rack at work), I read during commercials while watching a TV show. And so on and so on…

I mostly read murder mysteries, but I am a very diverse reader - I think the library people believe I am bipolar or have multiple personalities by the weird varieties of books I check out at the same time!

And I also always have AT LEAST two books going at once! Most of the time three or four. Hubby cannot imagine how I keep their themes and characters straight!😃 I read very quickly - I have read the new Dan Brown book already - it only took me three sittings.

I have two children and only one of them is a reader. My son reads a lot of books, but to me his choice of material is odd - but to him, fascinating. He reads about economics and politics. He was excited to hear recently that I had never read the Karl Marx mandate on Socialism - so he immediately gave me his copy to read. OK — I will read it - really, I will…😊

I also love reading anything about the human body and how it works, disease, science, etc. I particularly like to read about the Civil War era - fiction and non-fiction.

Karen1996 - you described me, too! I don’t think I will ever enjoy a Kindle unless I get one in order to have a book at the ready in my purse! My favorite day is any day that a cardboard box on my porch is waiting for me when I get home! (Because it contains my latest book club purchase!) I try to only purchase those books that I know I will truly enjoy and re-read. Otherwise - my book bill would be a rival to the National Debt!

My Hubby isn’t passionate about reading - he is the reader who only reads to keep up with his job. But he says he enjoys it when I read aloud to him some snippet I think is amusing, interesting or necessary for him to know. But then - we have been married for 37 years. Maybe he has learned that is what makes ME happy! 👍
 
I like reading about the civil war too. Years ago there was a series by John Jakes. I think the first book was “The North & the South”. I like historical fiction, especially American history. Years ago when I was still teaching, I had my 7th graders read “My” Brother Sam is Dead". It centered on Conntecticut family just prior to the Revolutionary War. Sam was committed to the cause, but his father was loyal to the king. There were consequences that tore a family apart. The kids loved it! It was smart, educational and entertaining all at the same time.My own son still remembers that book as one of his favorites. And he hated to read! Still does! Now he has 3 boys of his own. Maybe that book will just “show up” in a couple more years. . . . who knows? 😉
 
livnlern said:
I’ve always wondered why some people love to read books (myself included) while others would rather do anything else but that in their free time. I realize that if a person does a lot of work related reading, the last thing they want to do is open a book in their time off. But what about everyone else?
What is different in people who love to read vs. people who don’t? Are they more imaginative? More introverted? Just looking for an escape?
I have one family member that can literally read the covers off of books that she loves (she can re-read the same book many times) and another that would be bored to death to sit down and have to read anything.
Anyone have thoughts on this?
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Hi there. What if we fall into both categories =). I love reading quality works and exceptional books. I also enjoy well formed and throughout text books. However, loving and enjoying it is not quite the same, in my method of speech at least, as actually reading them. I have ADD so I cannot concentrate even though I love the results of reading. So for now, I have to rely on others to read to me.

I love the results of reading, getting the information, but I have difficulties with the ability to read so I hardly read books.

Maybe some are like me where reading is difficult. Some may be very smart back lack the linguistic skills or patience so they hardly read and fine it to be painful. Others may love the results of reading such as a different perspective, greater information, and challenges to the imagination so they love to read. I guess my answers are pretty obvious now that I skim over what I wrote.
 
StillWondering;5739253I’m not blind but I cannot concentrate even though I love the results of reading. So for now said:
Have you ever heard of LibriVox? It is a great site where volunteers record books in the public domain. Totally free. Some a great quality, some not so much, but hey, it is free. 😃
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KarenElissa said:
Have you ever heard of LibriVox? It is a great site where volunteers record books in the public domain. Totally free. Some a great quality, some not so much, but hey, it is free. 😃
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WOW! This is great for me. Now I can bother my fiancee quite a bit less, thought she seems to really enjoy reading to me. It makes her happy.

Thank you very much!

As an aside, I was unsure if I should post originally because I felt like I was acting like a person that likes to see his own text in display. I guess I overcame that thought saying “that’s silly to think that, you gotta represent the book lovers that can’t read group”. I’m glad I did; I never even thought there is such a site that has free audio readings.
 
I love to read books. I used to be a very voracious reader. I used to read everywhere except when doing a necessary thing. I’d even read while on the potty. I could easily read 400 page books/novels, etc. I still love books to that degree, but I have a big challenge as to why I cannot read that much now. My eyes just aren’t as good as they used to be. All the books I want to read must be large print or bold or in a thick-enough font, but its obvious I can’t read normal books without my eyes getting easily strained and getting a headache with a tense neck. The most hurtful part of this is that large print books are costly. The kind of books I like to read also add to the hurt; they’re hard to find in that format. I wish I could get entire collections in large print, but even those cost a lot. The price of large print textbooks are ridiculous. Its ironic that I can perform math better on an abacus (soroban) than I can with pen/pencil and paper. Calculators don’t help me much.

I tried learning braille. I’m able to learn it and I can braille well, but my fingers aren’t sensitive enough to make me as fast a reader as I am with my eyes. Oddly enough, there’s a lot more books available in digital/ebook formats than in large print or braille, so that’s the direction I may be forced to go. Audiobooks are a nice idea, but unless there’s enough volume amplification, I can’t use them. I’m deafblind but not 100%. It helps that better nutrition and less meat in my diet has improved my eyesight, but not by much at all.

I still read and still enjoy it, but I just can’t do it everywhere anymore and not to the same extent I used to. The world of reading has opened up my ability to use captioning/subtitling, chatting/Instant Messaging, writing/brailling letters, free studies online, and email. All this is probably amazing considering reading and education was not emphasised at home nor encouraged. If anything, it was discouraged and even banned to a point. I had to sneak around just to check out library books and to write stories.

And oh yes, I loved Little Women!
 
I think there are differences between readers and non-readers. Many thoughts have already been expressed. But, I’ll use my family as an example.

I have always loved to read…and still do. I am also a re-reader if the book (or series!) is good. I always read after my work was done in school. I ordered tons of books from Scholastic … every time! I have told my daughter that if I had to choose to give up books or TV, the TV would be out. I read whenever I can. I sit and read on my break at work… and have for years. If I could clean house and read, I would!

I have one daughter to whom reading came easily. She reads above grade level and is in gifted education programs. She went through a time that because she HAD to read for school, she resisted it. But now, if she has a good book, she will take it with her to read in the car and reads at bedtime.

On the other hand, my other daughter has great difficulty with reading. She will read her favorite books repeatedly. But, these are easy readers with pictures. She’s in 4th grade and struggles to read (and spell, and anything related!) Do I expect to see her with a book in her hand the rest of her life? Not likely.

My husband used to read a lot, but now says he doesn’t have enough time. Or at least, he chooses other activities over reading.

So, yes there are real reasons why some read and some don’t.
 
seremina said:
I love to read books. I used to be a very voracious reader. All the books I want to read must be large print or bold or in a thick-enough font, but its obvious I can’t read normal books without my eyes getting easily strained and getting a headache with a tense neck. The most hurtful part of this is that large print books are costly. The kind of books I like to read also add to the hurt; they’re hard to find in that format. I wish I could get entire collections in large print, but even those cost a lot. The price of large print textbooks are ridiculous.

I still read and still enjoy it, but I just can’t do it everywhere anymore and not to the same extent I used to.

And oh yes, I loved Little Women!
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Seremina, can’t you get the large print books at the library? Or how about Amazon? Their prices can be pretty reasonable.
“Little Women” is a definite classic!🙂
 
I have always likened reading to a high form of meditation. The sacred Word comes to us us in the form of a Book, but it must be read to be fully absorbed…I believe. I have been reading the Gospels all of my life, yet somehow they remain fresh…like lands yet to be explored. Also, reading is very significant in neurological terms for the benefits it affords the brain as an organ. I have been more deeply and profoundly moved by some of the things I have read than I have by any other medium. Just look at some of the beautiful quotes posted on this sight from the written works of some of the greatest luminaries of the Church…They take your breath away.
 
unafraid said:
I have always likened reading to a high form of meditation. The sacred Word comes to us us in the form of a Book, but it must be read to be fully absorbed…I believe. I have been reading the Gospels all of my life, yet somehow they remain fresh…like lands yet to be explored. Also, reading is very significant in neurological terms for the benefits it affords the brain as an organ. I have been more deeply and profoundly moved by some of the things I have read than I have by any other medium. Just look at some of the beautiful quotes posted on this sight from the written works of some of the greatest luminaries of the Church…They take your breath away.
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Absolutely agree! I save quotes from my favorite books in a (computer) file. No matter how many times I re-read them, they still inspire me, make me laugh, make me cry…whatever reason I saved them as you said they never get stale. Like some classic music, you can hear it over and over again. I still get chills every time.

What is your favorite Gospel? I love John for the beautiful poetry. I saw a one man performance where the entire Gospel of John was recited and acted out in the space of a couple of hours. It was simply amazing!

Lisa a
 
My favorite Gospel is Mathew. Also, to expound on your thoughts a bit…I have always found that the best films are those which incorporate the literary base of the piece by having verbatum narration at key spots in the movie: ie, “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “Sophie’s Choice”. Words composed gracefully in a book read somehow more powerfully than mere dialogue. It’s sad that great literature has hit a lull. But, do not fret, books will make a comeback when the pace of society slows down again. Times always change, and the ebb and flow of it allows for different things. Rumors of the written word’s demise have been greatly exagerated.
 
I’ve always been a book lover; my parents used to read to me when I was still in my mother’s womb actually. 🙂 I didn’t even learn to ride a bike until I was almost ten because I’d rather read my new chapter book from the library.

Then, I started writing them. 😃 One little creative writing assignment in Seventh Grade opened up many doors for me. The fantasy genre has been my niche recently, but I do dabble in modern-day romances.

Oh, the places you’ll go …
 
LisaA,
I also save quotes on my computer! A nifty turn of phrase is huge turn-on. But even whole paragraphs and pages end up on my computer if they’ve made me stop and think in a new way about something.
 
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