Reading.

pukkamum

I read books more than once, justifying, in my mind, my book hoarding.
I am finding books I read as a teen/young adult have a whole new meaning to me now I am an adult, I must also confess to sometimes reading trash. I tend to go through phases in my reading, there is only so much chick lit I can stomach before I crave a lengthy tome with a beefy story line.
As I said before I am revisiting a lot of the Stephen King books I read years ago and really enjoying them.
You would watch a film twice so why not read a book twice?

However, my absolute favourite books are Dr Seuss, I have been reading them to children for years and years and can recite many from memory, I think they are wonderful books for teaching children to read and even my 12 yr old stills enjoys me reading them, my 2 yr old can pretty much recite I Am Sam all through and can find the words I and am in other books.

Dunroamin

daisiegg wrote: »

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?

I'm a great rereader as well and virtually never get rid of anything. It was quite a wrench to give my classics to the charity shop when I bought the Kindle but we were so desperate for shelf space it had to be done.

I wonder whether it's those of us who read quickly who re read more as I find a get more and more out of a book at each reading, even with detective novels. When I was at university I read everything three times, once for the seminar/tutorial, once for the essay and once for the exam.

daisiegg

LannieDuck wrote: »

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.

I'm the opposite - the plot is the least of what interests me about a book. In fact, I have been known to read the last few pages/look up the plot online, just so I am not distracted by wondering what is going to happen. Strange, I know, but I read for the characters, the use of language, the world created in the book, rather than the plot.

geri1965_2

tea_lover wrote: »

I read, my OH looks at pictures of cars on the internet.

My OH reads, I look at pictures of handbags on the internet

I do read on holiday but I am too tired most evenings after being at work all day. My brain is usually frazzled by the time I get home.

katie1812

Used to read loads then changed jobs, bought a house and got married. Read the news now and that's it!

rosalie-lavender

I read and I made sure that all my three children-now young adults were encouraged to read. I had some opposition because my mil, although she reads herself, couldn't understand why anyone would want to have lots of books in the house. Her view was you just got them from the library which is fine, except our library only opens two days a week and is very small. My dh also tried to limit how many books the children could have on their shelves.

Luckily I won the battle and my three all read and one of the first things the boys pack to take back to uni are their books. Even my dh has taken to reading so it must have rubbed off.

lostinrates

daisiegg wrote: »

I'm the opposite - the plot is the least of what interests me about a book. In fact, I have been known to read the last few pages/look up the plot online, just so I am not distracted by wondering what is going to happen. Strange, I know, but I read for the characters, the use of language, the world created in the book, rather than the plot.

I like both, though I often 'realise' where it's going' and that's fine. If a book hinges on plot because its weak elsewhere and you know where it's going its a bit depressing!

I reread. Old favourites from childhood, or things I read last week. I have a very, very poor memory, coupled with the fast reading, I can re read a book a few times and get as much 'joy' as the first time. A really good book, IMO, the joy increases when it feels less new and becomes a different sort of pleasure.

jacqhale

I love to read, always have done for as long as I can remember! I will read anything, anywhere although unfortunately reading in the car makes me sick ��. I also believe reading is the greatest gift for a child and am trying to encourage the kids as much as possible because I know how much pleasure I have had from my love of books. I am so proud now ds can read and I can share my collection of over 250 Enid Blyton books with him.
I read so much and so quickly that I can't afford to buy books so I get them all from the library now!
I love my kobo, although I always said I would never have one, but I do like to alternate and read a proper book.
DH won't read books, says he prefers to watch the movie ... I just feel sorry for him, he doesn't know what he is missing!

jackomdj

Do you like green eggs and ham?



Oh and in answer to your question - some books I can read only once, some books I can read twice and some I could read again and again.

go_cat

I also love reading and have done from a very early age.

In fact tonight I have just downloaded another 25 FREE books off amazon onto my kindle so its even better as I am not paying for any of the books

My son aged 6 has just started to get to grips with reading and I love listening to him reading