Reading.

kingfisherblue

Tiglath wrote: »

We both read a lot, especially at night. I also read during my commute. DH prefers paper books and will read maybe one a week, whereas I have moved over to my Kindle except where the book I want isn't available for it and I read maybe 3 a week. We also each have a bathroom book for those times of 'quiet contemplation' but I've been known to read the wrappers of toilet paper if I've run out of books to read in there.

We have these too! We actually buy some books specifically to put into the bathroom. My daughter pointed out another today, but I didn't buy it because we have several others to read first.

Birdie85

I am forever thanking my lucky stars that my OH loves to read. We read most nights in bed, we actually went to bed at 9pm last night and read for a couple of hours!

When we go on holiday we choose to go somewhere where we can lie around and read for 12 hours a day and catch-up on our back-log of books that there's just never enough time to read normally! The only issue is that OH is a much slower reader than I am so if I'm waiting for him to read a book then lend it to me I can read 2-3 books in the time I'm waiting for him to finish 1!

We're going on holiday with some friends this year and one of them never reads and I just don't get it! She says she doesn't have the imagination to 'see' what the words are saying so gets frustrated and fed up. Utterly bizarre and I feel so sorry for her! Also hoping that she's got something else to entertain herself at the beach as I *will* be reading most of the time!

pukkamum

Tiglath wrote: »

We both read a lot, especially at night. I also read during my commute. DH prefers paper books and will read maybe one a week, whereas I have moved over to my Kindle except where the book I want isn't available for it and I read maybe 3 a week. We also each have a bathroom book for those times of 'quiet contemplation' but I've been known to read the wrappers of toilet paper if I've run out of books to read in there.

:rotfl::rotfl: I thought I was the only person in the world who read toilet roll wrappers, I know more than any layman should about the composites of loo roll.

pukkamum

Birdie85 wrote: »

I am forever thanking my lucky stars that my OH loves to read. We read most nights in bed, we actually went to bed at 9pm last night and read for a couple of hours!

When we go on holiday we choose to go somewhere where we can lie around and read for 12 hours a day and catch-up on our back-log of books that there's just never enough time to read normally! The only issue is that OH is a much slower reader than I am so if I'm waiting for him to read a book then lend it to me I can read 2-3 books in the time I'm waiting for him to finish 1!

We're going on holiday with some friends this year and one of them never reads and I just don't get it! She says she doesn't have the imagination to 'see' what the words are saying so gets frustrated and fed up. Utterly bizarre and I feel so sorry for her! Also hoping that she's got something else to entertain herself at the beach as I *will* be reading most of the time!

I remember the days of endless reading on the beach or by the pool, then I had kids.........................

Bangton

Interesting question - I'm up and down with reading. I can find a good book and be absolutely hooked and then when it's finished struggle a little with starting a new book and getting to know new characters! I give up on books easily too...I'll read a chapter or two and think this is s**t and that's my reading over. Strange as I commute 25 miles a day and often twiddle my thumbs all the way there so a bit daft really! When I have a great book I can be the one reading my kindle as I get off the train and walk through clouds of people at the train station because I'm not yet at the end of my chapter! (probably to everyone's annoyance!)

My OH reads at the speed of light. I bet he has read literally 1000s of books and as a consequence outdoes me completely in intelligence! He tends to read in bed for the most part although strangely he hasn't even started the new Dan Brown book that he pre ordered last month. I think he's been too preoccupied to read at the moment as we are expecting our first baby in 3 months and he is nesting!

Birdie85

pukkamum wrote: »

I remember the days of endless reading on the beach or by the pool, then I had kids.........................

Currently pregnant with my first so I'll be taking a LOT of pleasure in my holiday reading this year with the knowledge it'll never be the same again!

daisiegg

What a wonderful thread! So lovely to see so many people love reading Obviously, as an English teacher, this warms my soul

Of course, I am a big reader. I was raised in a family where it was completely the norm for everyone to have a book on the go at all times. In fact, growing up I literally didn't realise that there were people in the world who didn't always have a book on the go. It was just life.

Now, I probably don't read as much as I should. I can be lazy and it is easier to mooch around the MSE forums than to read a book - I must get out of the habit of that. I am a very fast reader (on honeymoon where we were just lying by the pool all day I read around 4 or 5 books a day) and when I get into a book, I often struggle to put it down. I have many physical books (a floor to ceiling book case covering one large wall in my study, a book case in the living room, another in the dining room, and one in my husband's study, as well as old university books in boxes in the loft that I will probably never use but can't bear to part with) but I have moved more to the Kindle/Kindle app on iPad now. I always swore I never would but then I swallowed my pride and it is so much easier.

I read....every day on the loo (sorry, but I can't be the only one!), if I have a bath I read in the bath, I read in the morning whilst eating my breakfast, I read whilst blow drying my hair (with the iPad propped up in front of me on the dressing table), I often read while cooking, if I need to leave things for certain amounts of time I will sit down in the kitchen and read. I spend a lot of time at home on my own and I will often spend it reading. I read in the car sitting at the station waiting to pick my husband up from work. If he is away, I read whilst eating meals, too.

As I said, all my family read. My husband is not such a big reader - he says he will only read books that are fewer than 200 pages long! He has to read/digest immense amounts of information all week for work, so reading isn't the first thing he thinks of for relaxation. He mostly reads on planes if he is travelling for business, or when we are on holiday. If we are having quiet reading time at home, he will rarely be reading fiction - he feels like he should be reading work-related things all the time. He is very literate though and has read a surprising number of 'the greats'.

I have got into a really bad habit of reading utter trash. I know it is trash, and I know as I am reading it how bad it is, but it's almost like watching a soap opera...it's just recreation. Sometimes, much as I love literature, reading literature after teaching it all day can feel like a bit of a busman's holiday(!). I know it's bad though and is not doing my brain any good and I must STOP IT.

I must applaud those of you who foster a love of reading in your children. Please do your best to keep it going as they grow older! When asked by parents what they can do to help their child with English, the first thing I say is 'get her to read!'. I can always tell you without checking first which students in my class are readers and which aren't. The readers without exception do better in my subject. Their vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and just creativity and ideas are always better. All of my lessons begin with ten minutes of silent reading because I think it is so important, but for some students I know that is the only time they read; some of them are reading the same book for the entire year! You then get Year 11 students who come to the exam and realise that they have to read and digest two texts, each a couple of pages long, and answer questions about them in the space of an hour. Some who are not used to reading regularly can find this a huge shock, and sometimes take 15 or 20 minutes just to read the texts, leaving very little time to answer the questions. So even on a practical level even if a child is never going to be a bookworm or go on to do anything English-related, just in terms of helping them get that all-important C in English, it is so essential to be used to reading. So - all you parents who encourage your children to read, thank you!

While we are on this thread, can I ask a question too? Do people read books more than once?

I do, but I know people (my mother and my husband in particular) who think that is absolutely bizarre. I have certain books that are like old friends and I read them a couple of times a year. What do other people do?

LannieDuck

Yes and yes! My OH is an avid reader. He always has a pile of books waiting for him, and gets through a couple a week. I love reading too, but am much slower. Hopefully it'll rub off on our LO

LannieDuck

daisiegg wrote: »

While we are on this thread, can I ask a question too? Do people read books more than once?

My OH does. He says he always discovers something new in them.

I don't, but half the fun for me is a good plot, and I'd prefer to read a new book than one where I know the plot in advance.

Mr_Toad

Pixiechic wrote: »

Radio 4 is always on in our house and for some reason, I have recently shown an interest in the Archers

Beware! It can become addictive. It sneaks up on you.

Radio 4 was always on in my parents house so I developed a habit of listening to the Radio 4 news at an early age.

When I was in my late 20s I often used to be driving home from some meeting or other when the Archers came on. Not a typical show for a 20 something to get hooked on but I did and it took years to break the habit!