Why do you read? (2 Viewers)

[bally24]

I read to relax and calm down before i go to sleep after studying....ive found that now i cant sleep unless i read something. i just read what i find interesting and enjoy, i really liked dan brown's books cuz i like books relating to history, but some of my friends don't read anymore because they think it's too much like doing school work which doesnt make much sense to me...

 

[Sarah168]

How can you have a 'lack of personality'? I never understood this phrase to be honest.

I find that when people say "lack of personality", it usually just equates to "boring/dull personality"...

To stay on topic of this thread, I don't just love reading books but I LOVE, like REALLY LOVE readings newspapers (good ones anyway. Don't get me started on trash papers....). My friends think I'm weird that way to have loved reading broadsheet newspapers since I was a kid but I just like it. I'm trying to explain why but I don't know. I just do. Lol.

 

[Emph]

I read for a number of reasons...

Although probably cliche, I use reading as an escapist tool. Sometimes I just can't handle where I am so I read and 'go' somewhere else.

On the other hand, I read so that I appreciate my life more. Some of the things in books, especially non-fiction, truly amazes me. Biographies are good for this.

I also read to improve my writing. I don't think I would be as half a good writer as I am now (and that is saying something because I am really not that good) if it was not for reading. Everything I read gives me a new idea. All these ideas merge and so coming up with my own ideas for stories is made easier. By reading published material I also figure out what is good and what is not in the relm of writing.

By reading I am also able to articulate myself better. My vocabulary increases with each new word and so I now have a broader bank of words at my disposal. Seriously... imagine if all you ever had read were those kindergarten appropriate books. Could you really express yourself properly with "the hat is blue. the shirt is green. his pants are red..."? Reading improves vocab and thus intelligence.

Uh I can't think of much more.

 

[Oddy Nocki]

i prefer philosophical texts.


getting too deep into something isn't something i'm particularly interested in.

...

Yeah, that makes sense.



As for me. I never Harry Potter become I'm unwilling to read "children stories"

Dan brown I read, interesting concept using historical background to give validity to the story. Very Lovecraft. Other then that it's a pretty poor effort.

Why do I read?

To know I'm not alone. In the 2000 plus years of recorded history I very much doubt that stuff I'm going through is very different from anyone else. So I seek to learn from them as well as stimulate different ways of thinking about life.

 

[w00dy.]

i dont exactly think i could contribute anymore on the topic of the whole Dan Brown thingy. purely because i have no doubt that someone out there has already voiced an opinion close to my own.

i read for interest. as a process of coping. i use reading for an escape. and something to do.

its not something i do to fill in time. but rather something i do. because it gives insight into lives that although are fictional, do have some sort of grip on our own present realities.

a book. takes you to another world thats not your own. opens up doors and allows you to explore a writers mind. through the eyes of your own imagination

or something like that

 

[M-turkey]

i use reading for an escape. and something to do.

its not something i do to fill in time. but rather something i do. because it gives insight into lives that although are fictional, do have some sort of grip on our own present realities.

a book. takes you to another world thats not your own. opens up doors and allows you to explore a writers mind. through the eyes of your own imagination

or something like that

I'd be the same, reading for escape would be my main reason.

 

[Enlightened_One]

I pretty much read fopr enjoyment. I haven't read the Da Vinci Code simply because I have never found a library with a copy on the shelf. I read anything I find interesting. I will gladly read Shakespeare and the classics of English literature (provided they're worth reading), along with the greats of philosophy and at then the next book I read may be the most trashy, mass popular intellectually frowned upon work conceivable. I read Rowling (who is, whether elitists like it or not, a master of her craft) and James Patterson, Jack Higgins and the like. The last two don't really tackle any big issues but if they're enjoyable then I consider ita worthwhile read.

The debate with elitism is just the snobbish reaction to mass popular culture. There was the criticism about turning pride and predijuce into a mini-series because it 'cheapened' the work simply by paving the way for the masses to enjoy the story.
I think it's more a case of belonging to a reserved group. If you're high brow than you're distinct from the cheap masses, you're refined, you're better than them. That's how they see themselves. It's about identity.

 

[tlodg]

1. to feel alive
2. to fall asleep

 

[55078]

1. to escape
2. to understand
3. to feel understood
4. to be entertained!

 

[walrusbear]

The debate with elitism is just the snobbish reaction to mass popular culture. There was the criticism about turning pride and predijuce into a mini-series because it 'cheapened' the work simply by paving the way for the masses to enjoy the story.
I think it's more a case of belonging to a reserved group. If you're high brow than you're distinct from the cheap masses, you're refined, you're better than them. That's how they see themselves. It's about identity.

is that to suggest there isn't a distinction between lit and popular fiction? that it's all in the perception of a 'reserved group'?

 

[daledugahole]

I read to be entertained and to learn. Once I get interested in a subject I want to know all about it hence the reading (yeah I'm a history student).

I love mostly the classics, huge Jane Austen fan but really enjoy more modern authors like Tim Winton and Helen Garner.

I read The Da Vinci Code and I didn't like it for a few reasons. I felt really let down by the ending Brown admittedly takes you on an exciting adventure but in the end you I felt really dissatisfied like he had to meet a deadline so he just ended it. I think there is something disjointed in the way he writes and I prefer a novel that has a certain flow or rhythm to it like Jane Austen novels and Tim Winton. There was also something I found unsettling about the way he treated religious issues.

As for the Harry Potter books I love them, they're great light entertainment when you just feel like a bit of fun. JK Rowling does a great job in creating multi dimensional characters and a very vivid image of another world.

 

[phatic]

I mainly read to learn, though I don't read nearly as much as I used to, unless reading music counts.

 

[Nesty]

to learn.. and helps with sleeping

 

[BlackDragon]

i read to escape from this world into better, more exciting worlds where life means something.

 

[ObjectsInSpace]

I's natural for me to read bause I've been surrounded by books my entire life.

 

[gaypsych101]

I've read the book "How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World" by a guy i forgot.
It's really interesting, filled with philosophical arguements about the "pomos" and sociologist demollision deconstructionists and stuff.
Also, when i hold the book, it makes me feel smarter. lol (jking)

 

[millieforever]

With so many personalities in this forum and perspectives on reading, I'm interested to see why people read. What books do they like, and for what reasons?

I was in my English tute the other week and one girl said "I'm making a point to never read Dan Brown." I look in Honi Soit today (to read waf's letter that was never going to get published but then did) and there was a token "DAN BROWN IS TEH SUCK LOLOL!" comment in one of the articles. As far as I can tell, these people are bashing Brown because he's popular and (apparently) a bad writer.

I don't get it. I can understand disliking a book for poor writing, but hating it because it's popular is just beyond me. Why do people hate Brown or Rowling before reading them? I haven't read Brown simply because I'm not interested, but Rowling's books are entertaining and engaging and reach their target audience. I don't see why people automatically hate them just because they're popular.

Why are these people embarassed to be seen reading a book that everyone else likes? Does it make them feel inferior because they're reading what the idiotic masses like? I don't know.

I read to be entertained. When I get home from uni or work, I don't particularly want to do much hardcore thinking, so I pick up a novel (maybe a Rowling book, more often something in the more traditional style of fantasy) and read. It's not really an escape, but it's a passtime. It's enjoyable. It's fun. To me anyway.

Then there are people who want to read out of interest in something. Whether that be in astronomy or advanced linear functions or political theory, it's still the same thing.

Others seem to read to prove that they're better than everyone else. To enlarge their intellectual penis. Those who wouldn't be caught dead reading a popular book.

Can someone explain this last to me, please? I just don't get it.

Oh, and why do you read?

i dont hate reading dan brown as ive never read his books-my whole family loves them, but i dont have the time to read as much as i used to and i want to finish a few other series before i start anything new...
i used to like j.k.rowling's novels but that was before it became commercialised, and other people started liking the stories as well, however, this liking was only created by the novel being transmitted to a film [some of my friends who read less than me say they just watch the film, so as to avoid the books, as theyre too 'big'] hence, i do not like harry potter anymore-too many other people like it for the films, and not for the novl... also, i found out that jk rowling stole her characters, and it dawned upon me that the story line was rather on the cliché side, even if it was rather cleverly written and was entertaining-i don't like cheats. People should be able to come up with their own ideas and not need to steal other characters to do so [she stole the potter family, by the way]
i dont read the novels which have become blatantly over used or are clichéd [i.e. any romance book {no offence peopz}] or suffer from commercialism... [yup, i thought that Rowling {im just using this as an example as evidence can be found everywhere} turning her novel into a film wasn't going to be all that brilliant as it would have ruined my imaginative aspect of the characters, not to mention the whole novel... however, with the film came little harry potter figurines, books, pencil cases-the usual crap. Hence, a constant reminder of Daniel Radcliffe-a teenager who is no different from us, only he got lucky and got the role. Thanks to the film i had a lot of friends swooning about him, so that probably didnt help... plus, certain aspects of his character in the novel and film didnt add up and it irritated me [yup, perfectionist^^]
and i like fantasy and sci fi... lol... ummm i read it cause it takes me from the reality that my life is and it opens up my inner child [aka i remember how i used to believe in the concept that anything is possible]
lol^^ and sorry for the long post... to whoever actually bothered reading it -_-;; LOL^^

 

[Sandraxx]

To the indifference of all, this is my first post!

I used to find forums almost as intolerable as Myspaces until the power of procrastination drove me to this amicable little thread.

In answer to that question, i believe i read in order to hmmm the answer appears to work brilliantly in my mind but in words... it's not lucid at all!

I suppose it's to stimulate my thoughts with contextually differing situations, which tends to subsequently shape new ones, et cetera.

Well, at the moment i'm reading fiction much more than non-fiction in order to prepare myself for the differing concepts non-fiction brings along. For example, with philosophy one would read Sartre's novels (fiction, of course) to understand the author through his prose and then read his non-fiction with a general comprehension of Sartre the Author to understand his Ideas. But perhaps the relationship is reciprocal? lol "Discuss"

To me, reading enriches an individual and i try to select books that will achieve this. Perhaps later in life when i've read the canonical texts i'll dedicate some time to pop culture "books". Until then, my biblioelitism remains.

 

[jhakka]

To the indifference of all, this is my first post!

Hi! Welcome to BOS, and I hope to see you around here a bit.

Nothing wrong with pop culture books, my friend, and its always good to experience as much of what is available as possible.

 

[Gangels]

I always read before i go to sleep. It just seems more fulfilling to me. My favourite authors are bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, i love ancient history and love to read about others views on it, plus it makes for an entertaining read. Yes, i absolutely love Rowling, she is a genius. I think people hate her because she stole ideas from Tolkien (apparently). Someone told me she stole the idea of a giant spider from him, i laughed my arse off. I never got into Brown, i just am not interested in his writing, saw the da vinci code, was boring. I spent all day reading cornwells newest series today though. One book to go.