Who here reads books?

buck65 · 2015-07-23 11:36:02

Heard an interview in relation to this article on Newstalk last evening https://medium.com/@hughmcguire/why-can-t-we-read-anymore-503c38c131fe like the writer I'm limiting my time on the net and the ole Telly and trying to read a couple of books a month. Good summer reading so far, read 4 or 5 books in the past 2 months…

#32 23-07-2015 01:45PM

Tom Dunne

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libelula wrote: »

I don't know how ye read more than one book at a time, I honestly don't. My poor brain would be mixing up plots and characters all over the place!

/thicko

Ha. I've five books on the go at the moment, and I can empathise, though not so much about characters. More about philosophers.

Four of the books are mind-numbingly intense, the other is John Grisham's "The Litigators". Helps me switch off. For some reason, I am making more progress with that book than the others.

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#33 23-07-2015 01:50PM

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I should make the move back to physical books eventually. Audiobooks have just taken over so much for me. But I have come across loads that I may have never seen before.

Probably the two best ones have been

Bird Box (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18498558-bird-box)

Boy Who Drew Monsters (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518987-the-boy-who-drew-monsters)

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#34 23-07-2015 02:00PM

geraardo

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I read alot of horror books especially Stephen King short stories, i constantly read them have done for years. Starting to read Lovecraft at the moment.

Tried the Kindle and others but couldnt get over the light in my eyes at night so went back to my bedside lamp but the Kindles are great for on holiday for storing many books,so i wont say i would be against them.

But i do prefer books,love buying secondhand ones as well seeing what notes or messages people write on them.

Do graphic novels count as books?

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#35 23-07-2015 02:02PM

Sleepy

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Yup, I'd read most days.

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#36 23-07-2015 02:17PM

Huntergonzo

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I don't read as much as I'd like to but I generally try to read at least 3 times a week and I genuinely enjoy it when I do. The problem for me is I'm very impatient, when I have a book I really want to get to the crucial bits, so sometimes I'm not focused at all on the page I'm reading.

When I am reading though it's rarely if ever fiction, just can't read fiction, has to be a biography, a true story, a book on history, sport, astronomy etc etc

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#37 23-07-2015 02:41PM

Shenshen

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libelula wrote: »

I don't know how ye read more than one book at a time, I honestly don't. My poor brain would be mixing up plots and characters all over the place!

/thicko

I got into the habit as a small child. My mother decided that I was spending too much time indoors, so started kicking me out to get some exercise in the afternoons.
So I got library books and started hiding them in the garage, to read while I wasn't allowed into my room.

So I was always reading at least 2 books at any given time.

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#38 23-07-2015 02:46PM

Shenshen

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geraardo wrote: »

Do graphic novels count as books?

Yes, definitely.

To my mind, they are the epitomy of visual art - the written word and the illustrations in perfect harmony.

Ok, maybe that's a bit much, not every Superman comic would live up to that, but when I think of graphic novels like Maus, for example, or Sandman, or even Habibi - the medium of graphic novels gives those narratives an impact that I think could not be achieved by words alone.

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#39 23-07-2015 03:24PM

Earthhorse

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I dunno; graphic novels are graphic novels and books are books. They're different mediums. Not all graphic novels have words either.

Personally, I read both but they are different.

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#40 23-07-2015 03:29PM

biko

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jpboard1 wrote: »

Any good recommendations?

Very long AH book thread here
Literature forum here

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#41 23-07-2015 03:33PM

sammyjo90

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I always have a book on the go, can't do the reading 5 different books at the same time thing.
Literally just finished a book last night so need to pick up the sequel sooooooon!

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#42 23-07-2015 03:45PM

Shenshen

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Earthhorse wrote: »

I dunno; graphic novels are graphic novels and books are books. They're different mediums. Not all graphic novels have words either.

Personally, I read both but they are different.

Not all literature has words, take Hand Christian Morgenstern's Fish's Night Song

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#43 23-07-2015 03:46PM

The_Valeyard

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I love a good book.

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#44 23-07-2015 04:05PM

Earthhorse

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Shenshen wrote: »

Not all literature has words, take Hand Christian Morgenstern's Fish's Night Song

It may be literature, but it's not a book.

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#45 23-07-2015 04:21PM

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

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Yes, always two books on the go. Factual popular science or history during the day and a fiction thriller type at bed time.
We are avid readers in our house and leave the public library loaded down with books every week. The kids and grandkids have followed in our footsteps.

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#46 23-07-2015 04:43PM

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I get through 2 - 3 books a week, fiction and non-fiction. I'm not into graphic novels, but I do see the artistry and creativity in them. I have a kindle fetish, but buy the physical thing if it's something I'm collecting or if it's a classic. Phones or tablets don't compare with the Kindle in terms of experience, it's much easier on the eye and the screen beats a phone. You're also not distracted by notifications.

Best book I've read lately is Sometimes a Great Notion, by Ken Kesey (who wrote One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest). T'was great, highly recommend it.

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#47 23-07-2015 04:49PM

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Cant stand Kindle. It has to be a real paper book, actual fecking pages to turn, none of your digital crap for me thanks!! I know its handy go going abroad and all, but I just much refer a real physical book to hold and read.

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#48 23-07-2015 04:49PM

osarusan

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Candie wrote: »

Best book I've read lately is Sometimes a Great Notion, by Ken Kesey (who wrote One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest). T'was great, highly recommend it.

It's brilliant. Just brilliant. (Look at him there saying it's brilliant. What does he know about books?) Some great characters and really evocative language. (Evocative language? Nonsense). I loved it.

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#49 23-07-2015 04:53PM

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The_Valeyard wrote: »

Cant stand Kindle. It has to be a real paper book, actual fecking pages to turn, none of your digital crap for me thanks!! I know its handy go going abroad and all, but I just much refer a real physical book to hold and read.

I dunno, I like reading in bed and holding a lighted ereader with one hand beats the pants off holding what might be a big paper tome in two hands, with a bedside reading light on as well. It's just such a convenient device. I always read a lot, but since the advent of the Kindle I read twice as much. It's also a wonderful thing for a person who's had to move several times, the books come with me but not in box after box!

osarusan wrote: »

It's brilliant. Just brilliant. (Look at him there saying it's brilliant. What does he know about books?) Some great characters and really evocative language. (Evocative language? Nonsense). I loved it.

It was brilliant, was recommended to me by another board person who's future recommendations will be taken very seriously!

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#50 23-07-2015 05:00PM

Ave Sodalis

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I love books! Always have. I started reading when I was a couple months old and I haven't really stopped since. I can't stand Kindles though or anything like that. It's physical books or nothing.

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#51 23-07-2015 05:01PM

Tombi!

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sup_dude wrote: »

I started reading when I was a couple months old

Ye wha?

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#52 23-07-2015 05:03PM

Ave Sodalis

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Tombi! wrote:

Ye wha?

Yup, obviously not Shakespeare but I could read words before my first birthday. Mum noticed one day when I seen the word teddy and went and got one. So she tried it with a few more words and I was able to point them out or say them if I could.

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#53 23-07-2015 05:08PM

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sup_dude wrote: »

Yup, obviously not Shakespeare but I could read words before my first birthday. Mum noticed one day when I seen the word teddy and went and got one. So she tried it with a few more words and I was able to point them out or say them if I could.

I could read (very basic words) at 2, which docs considered amazing. I can't imagine their reaction at an 8 week old baby being able to read

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#54 23-07-2015 05:12PM

Ave Sodalis

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Candie wrote:

I could read (very basic words) at 2, which docs considered amazing. I can't imagine their reaction at an 8 week old baby being able to read

I think it was more 8 months although I can't remember what I was told. I just know I wasn't 1 yet

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#55 23-07-2015 05:19PM

Mountainsandh

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I always have a fiction and/or a factual book on the go.
I have a Kindle Fire since last Christmas, and I have to say I love it. There was a time I thought I'd never switch, but now I don't have all these paper books piling up and I really appreciate the space.
My factual books are favourites, and they're paper alright.

The Kindle Fire's battery really lasts, especially if you just use it for reading : I find I lower the brightness to a minimum, it's perfect for reading and easy on the eyes.
Two drawbacks to the Kindle Fire imo :
~ access to the internet ! I grab it for reading, and end up browsing...
~ the power point is already dodgy on mine, weakness of the Fires I believe.

I couldn't read 2 novels at a time, how can you do that ? I completely immerse myself in the genre and mood of the novel I'm reading at one time, so having another one on the go would be like trying to watch 2 movies at the same time.

I have just started "We are all completely beside ourselves". Just finished a great psychological thriller : "I let you go" by Clare Mackintosh.

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#56 23-07-2015 05:26PM

PucaMama

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i love reading but i dont get reading enough. i read mostly post-apocalyptic or dystopian books, some zombies and horror. have a kobo and a nook, prefer reading from these than a phone. get headaches from reading from a bright screen.

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#57 23-07-2015 05:29PM

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sup_dude wrote: »

I think it was more 8 months although I can't remember what I was told. I just know I wasn't 1 yet

Ether way, you were some very clever little baby. My 2 years seems very backwards now and I thought I was great! I bet your mum boasts about you all the time.

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#58 23-07-2015 06:16PM

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I haven't read a book in about 8 years and only have read about 2 or 3 books in the last 15 or 16 years. Just doesn't appeal to me at all anymore. I used to read more as a child but just totally lost interest in it years ago. Its probably not helped by the fact I read a lot of technical stuff at work so the last thing I want to be doing is reading another big document.

I'd much rather watch the tv show or the movie rather than read the book. Or in the evenings watching tv or browsing around online are far more appealing than reading a book.

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#59 23-07-2015 06:46PM

Earthhorse

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Mountainsandh wrote: »

I always have a fiction and/or a factual book on the go.

Yes, those are the two categories of books alright.

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#60 23-07-2015 06:59PM

Fox_In_Socks

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Oi reed boks

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#61 23-07-2015 07:06PM

Elessar

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No, I just don't have much of an interest in books I'm afraid. There's always more internet to see or another movie to watch or something else to be doing! That said I have read some great books like The Road and Berlin/Stalingrad.

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