Self control when reading

Trojan

I was just thinking about this when posting about my issues with A Game of Thrones.

Essentially, I'm just not that into it. It's not terrible, but I'm not crazy about it either.

I'm able to read a bit, put it down, come back to it. Not reading til I hear the birds singing in the morning and realise I'll have 45 minutes sleep before I've to get up again! Not reading one last chapter before I run for the train for pints with mates and end up arriving an hour late (better than bringing the book to the pub which I'm not to do again). Not feeling disappointed when I realise it's number one in a trilogy and next one's due in a year.

This is an interesting silver lining - it's nice to read a book where I have some modicum of self control!

Do you folks have same lack of self control when reading good sff? How do you deal with it, especially on a school night?

Zapp Brannigan

If I know there's no next book released yet or it's the end of the series I always seem to dawdle and procrastinate. I still haven't finished the final book in The Dark Tower! Got too sad when

Jake dies

and couldn't bring myself back to it. Same with the most recent Malazan book haven't finished it and I won't until the next one is out.

looksee

I could not get into A Game of Thrones at all, even though it seems to be the kind of book I would normally read. When I want something very easy and undemanding I reread a favourite, at the moment I am on Feist's Empire trilogy - again. I have read it several times so that while I enjoy reading it there is not the urgency to keep reading so if I am falling asleep I can just put it down rather than reading till 4am.

ixoy

I've always been disciplined like that - I set aside a certain portion of each evening to my various hobbies. Now I do get into a good book but I also know I need my sleep so I'm never up too late. Generally, I read until I'm drowsy.
I'm not a fast reader - I just read a lot - so I try to take a somewhat leisurely pace.

Having said that I've been up until 2am too much lately as I read "Under the Dome". Less than six hours sleep a night isn't conducive to good work...

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

me-skywalker

Why need self-control? If you like it that damn much then you should be letting it TAKE control sleep is over-rated anyway!

Gearheart

I have this "problem" all the time, especially when reading a warhammer 40k novel, or this particularly good book I recently read called The Dwarves by Markus Heitz. I read it for three days and did nothing else. XD

Sleepy

Funnily, the A Song of Ice and Fire series is one that makes me lose all control and I end up reading until there's only 3/4 hours until I've to be in work. The week A Dance with Dragons was released wasn't a productive one for me in work: went to the midnight launch and read until 4 or so each night that week!

Manach

I usually save reading till on the commute home. As a treat at day's end.
Also, I always have difficultly reading an author's final work, for instance Davids Gemmel's Troy series, knowing that there will be never be any more.

the_syco

Trojan wrote: »

This is an interesting silver lining - it's nice to read a book where I have some modicum of self control!

Do you folks have same lack of self control when reading good sff? How do you deal with it, especially on a school night?

No control. I am going through a not reading phase atm (I go into phases of reading/not reading that can last a few years), but when I do read, I pick a time, and try to stick to it, but sometimes get lost in a book, and when I look at the clock it'd be 4am, and I'd be up in 3 hours.

So now I watch TV shows, which are usually easier to only watch one. Unless it's a cliffhanger. Then I must watch the next one

I see a pattern

pH

the_syco wrote: »

No control. I am going through a not reading phase atm (I go into phases of reading/not reading that can last a few years), but when I do read, I pick a time, and try to stick to it, but sometimes get lost in a book, and when I look at the clock it'd be 4am, and I'd be up in 3 hours.

That's interesting, because, while not years sometimes I find myself turned off reading for many months, then I'll start again and devour book after book, again for months.

Normally quite good at putting a book down at night and going to sleep, very rarely stay up too late.

AnCapaillMor

Terrible self control, lost count the amount of times, i've been knackered in work because i was up till 3 or 4 finishing off a book. the minute i get anywhere near the end of a good book, i won't put it down till i'm finished. I read the 2nd endymion in one go once, thank god it was a saturday night\sunday morning nd i was on evenngs that monday.

OwaynOTT

the_syco wrote: »

No control. I am going through a not reading phase atm (I go into phases of reading/not reading that can last a few years), but when I do read, I pick a time, and try to stick to it, but sometimes get lost in a book, and when I look at the clock it'd be 4am, and I'd be up in 3 hours.

So now I watch TV shows, which are usually easier to only watch one. Unless it's a cliffhanger. Then I must watch the next one

I see a pattern

I'd be similar to this. Prolonged periods of picking up a book and thinking 'blah this is crap' and putting it back down. Missed out on a few books that way 'The Magician', 'Dragonbone Chair', among others.
Then I enter a phase of read, read and more reading. In that at the moment. Was up till 1am last night reading. I'm nowhere as near as bad as I use to be. Wheel of Time series resulting in some serious loss of sleep.
Fantasy books are probably nothing years off my life, kinda like fags do to smokers.
Heres to books coming with a health warning.

Being unemployed at the minute and all control is gone, I'll often start a novel planning to read for an hour before bed and read till well after the break of dawn, in recent weeks it's been the post coming that has made me realise that I've read for 6 or 7 hours straight. I started rereading 48 by James Herbert the other night, planning on two chapters a night (I have an odd thing where I like to be on even numbered chapters) and ended up reading the first 150 pages and would have gone on had my eye lids not been ready to close for good. For anyone who has never read 48, pick it up first chance you get, it's one of the most thrilling novels you'll ever read and the first 100 or so pages are among the most exciting around.

Wolfe Tone

I'm blessed/cursed in that I can read very fast, and retain what I read, a book only ever lasts me 2 days at most.

Sin_J

I always end up reading for way too long at night. Last proper run of sleepless night was reading the dresden files. Think i went through all 12 of the books over a week and half. Wheel of time did it to me as well. Lot of late nights.

When a book does keep me up late reading it's usually because i don't find a good break in the story to stop, or if i do find a break or lull it's not late enough that i'd want to stop. Tis a viscious cycle.

I also go through phases of reading almost constantly. On the way to work, lunch break, on the way home, then way too long in the evening. Then i'll just not read at all. I just won't want to or if i do try to read something i just won't get into it and stop. Currently trying to get myself out of a non-reading phase. Bought a load of books the other week so need to push myself to get the reading bug again.

Temptamperu

I have no restraint whit these light cursed books, ive been up till about ten in the morning for the past few weeks reading the wheel of time and the hyperion books.
The GF really hates it.

OwaynOTT

Sin_J wrote: »

I always end up reading for way too long at night. Last proper run of sleepless night was reading the dresden files. Think i went through all 12 of the books over a week and half. Wheel of time did it to me as well. Lot of late nights.

When a book does keep me up late reading it's usually because i don't find a good break in the story to stop, or if i do find a break or lull it's not late enough that i'd want to stop. Tis a viscious cycle.

I also go through phases of reading almost constantly. On the way to work, lunch break, on the way home, then way too long in the evening. Then i'll just not read at all. I just won't want to or if i do try to read something i just won't get into it and stop. Currently trying to get myself out of a non-reading phase. Bought a load of books the other week so need to push myself to get the reading bug again.

Both series have caught me up till all hours.

Gearheart

I definitely love a good read and id stay up for most of the night if i was really into the book.