Why do you read? (2 Viewers)

[ellen.louise]

i'm stereotyping..
but people who arent generally avid readers, tend to read mainstream books, which are predominately things like dan brown, etc etc....

so avid readers [who think they're better than the occasional reader,] dont want to be seen reading the same book as those occasional reader as they view the occasional reader as uncultured, and mediocre haha... reading only what popullar culture tells them to read, because they're not intellectual enough to investigate other, less mainstream books...

i read alot.. and i know a few of those.. occassional readers who tend to like 'jody picoult' or something? and for that reason.. i will not touch those books... its horrible and judgemental.. but i just refuse to.. [also because they sound kinda soppy from what the comfam girls have told me.. best friend dies? car crash?? letters?]

i read dan brown's da vinci code, for the only reason that other people were reading it.. [i had taken a stand for about 2 yrs...]
and i didnt particularly like it at all.. it was very fast paced and adventurous but i didnt really see any amazing writing style in there at all...


i read... 1. because i like how reading can take youplaces.. [and god that sounds cliched] but its true...
2. to be 'cultured'... alot of people refer to books to further their arguements/ discussions.. and i want to be one of these people so for that reason, i generally read alot of classics.. ie jane eyre, wuthering heights, catch 22, catcher in the rye, perfume.. et al...

Yeah. Sure it's stereotyping, or 'intellectual snobbery' as the legendary Mrs Buxton (one of the best english teachers who ever lived) calls it. But it's true. Books targeted to the generic masses normally DO NOT stimulate higher brain function. My sister calls me a book snob all the time, because I refuse to read a lot of the shit she wants me to (mostly trashy romances).
I don't think people who don't read much are uncultured, because there are plenty of other outlets for creativity. It's just that I don't get anything from books that tell a story and nothing else. They've got to relate to you somehow, and be a bit clever. And I'm sorry but what the fuck is so clever about the age-old theme of dissing christianity? Or Indiana-Jones style action? (I'm referring to Dan Brown obviously).

I love stuff like Thomas hardy. Sure, I haven't read one yet that isn't a bit morbid, but the way he writes... When you read it out loud it just rolls off your tounge like music. He writes beautifully, he's clever about it, and he actually has something to say. The man didn't write for the money: he wrote because he had a beautiful talent for it.

That's why I read. Because it 'takes you places' and, call me corny, but it teaches you how to think for yourself.

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.

People who do that are kinda pathetic. There's nothing wrong with reading popular books. And those people probably just go home and read them.
Also: people who will not read outside their favourite genre, especially when said genre is fantasy. Sometimes it's good to read the more popular books, to see what makes them so well-read. A lot of the time you get disappointed, but sometimes you stumble across a brilliant novel that every second person has read.

 

[jhakka]

It's a bit silly to not read outside of a particular genre at all. I actually had a look at my bookcase the other week and thought "Shit, I have a lot of fantasy there". So the next time I went out, I bought (in addition to more sci-fi/fantasy stuff) books like Catch 22 and To Kill a Mockingbird. That's not to say that I want to move away from my preferred genre, but it is always nice to break things up again and have a bit of variety.

I'm also trying to get through some of those "must reads" (just started Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - it's not great so far, but it's certainly not terrible), just so I have an idea of what has been rocking the writing world over the last fifty or so years.

On a side note, I still think intellectual snobbery (based PURELY on the fact that a book is popular) is incredibly stupid. If you read the book and genuinely don't like it, I can understand the bashing, but refusing to read it because "occasional readers" or the masses are reading and enjoying it is incredibly illogical. Odds are, the people who think that way are nowhere near as smart as they think they are, and are trying so hard to prove that it's not the case.

 

[trolloutaface]

I read for entertainment purposes!

 

[nicole21290]

I'm also trying to get through some of those "must reads" (just started Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - it's not great so far, but it's certainly not terrible), just so I have an idea of what has been rocking the writing world over the last fifty or so years.

On a side note, I still think intellectual snobbery (based PURELY on the fact that a book is popular) is incredibly stupid. If you read the book and genuinely don't like it, I can understand the bashing, but refusing to read it because "occasional readers" or the masses are reading and enjoying it is incredibly illogical. Odds are, the people who think that way are nowhere near as smart as they think they are, and are trying so hard to prove that it's not the case.

Yeah, definately. I read The Da Vinci code for the reason that I was interested to see why everyone was making a big fuss over it - I found it was generally okay but I found the 'villain' very easy to identify and I found some parts rather boring. However, it was interesting to see what it was about as I am a Christian and I find it fascinating how others see Christianity and why. I try and read all sorts of different things, though I admit I tend to be stuck in a particular genre or author for a while until I can't find any more books that they've written

 

[watatank]

me like reading.

 

[emmaj3an]

I read to escape life - I enjoy anything with a little mystery in it, and I love fantasy, because it enables me to just totally immerse myself in another world. I love it!
Anyway, I don't really understand all the people who claim that they "Hate" such and such book (Eg, Rowling/Brown), if they haven't read it ...
You'd be surprised the amount of people that actually DO read, in fact yesterday I discovered that one guy I NEVER thought I would see reading (not to mention in a LIBRARY), and he was reading a book thicker than a fool!!!!!!
Anyway (BTW, that wasn't meant to be insinuating to anyone in any way), I think people just think that, because "popular" books and authors have the status of popular, they automatically disdain them. It's unfair. They're popular for a reason - those people seem to forget that popular authors and books must be pretty good, and have (at least) decent storylines and techniques...
Well that's my two cents worth - do with it what you will

 

[Forbidden.]

Other than prescribed texts in English Standard, I read no books or novels. My aliteracy is to blame for this

 

[white lady]

to escape real life and coz i enjoy it

 

[offwithhercardi]

I don't read Rowling because in my opinion it is poorly written, the fact that it is popular and many people read her books has nothing to do with it.

 

[testiclepilot]

Because playboy has articles.

 

[blakegman]

Because playboy has articles.

lol winner
/thread

 

[CromptonChanan]

because television/films always let me down, my imagination is way more vivid.

 

[hopethisworks]

I read just to:
- improve my culture and become socially successful
- learn about how (and why) everything works

 

[Forbidden.]

I read because I'm forced to.

 

[KFunk]

I used to read (fiction) mainly for the pleasure and escapism. In recent years my reading has been dominated by philosophy with bits of neuroscience and pop-physics thrown in for good measure. Why do I read this stuff? It's hard to say. I think I quite enjoy the challenge and stimulation (this is taken to its masochistic extreme when I read stuff on metalogic/modal logic/set theory ). I love interlocking abstract ideas and philosophy brings these by the pint. I also get a twisted kind of thrill from having my belief system challenged to the point where I have to reevaluate things. Nowadays if I pick up fiction it tends to have an absurdist or magical realist bent - it frees up my mind in a nice way.

 

[Felix Jones]

Why won't you read when travel on the train's 6/7 days a week? Some prefer to listen to music intead though I prefer to read, anything.

u bastard dont lie to..i know where u live

 

[Felix Jones]

Why won't you read when travel on the train's 6/7 days a week? Some prefer to listen to music intead though I prefer to read, anything.

u bastard dont lie to me..i know where u live

 

[Jess007]

i read to sort of put myself into another 'world' i just imagine being the main character. i used the idea of story in my hsc...so reading opens up my minds to knew scenarios

 

[stillwaters]

i read because its so cool being able to escape into a nother world and its kinda like youre let in on peoples secrets... also for the romantic heroes/ males who would probably not survive the real world if they did exist i.e. mr darcy, chick lit romantic interests... and also ...
actually i dont know.
except that i also have to for the hsc... grrrrrr....

 

[MaNiElla]

I used to read (fiction) mainly for the pleasure and escapism. In recent years my reading has been dominated by philosophy with bits of neuroscience and pop-physics thrown in for good measure. Why do I read this stuff? It's hard to say. I think I quite enjoy the challenge and stimulation (this is taken to its masochistic extreme when I read stuff on metalogic/modal logic/set theory ). I love interlocking abstract ideas and philosophy brings these by the pint. I also get a twisted kind of thrill from having my belief system challenged to the point where I have to reevaluate things. Nowadays if I pick up fiction it tends to have an absurdist or magical realist bent - it frees up my mind in a nice way.

wow, nice.