J = Just Reading
"What are you doing?"
"Just reading."
I suppose this post is sort of a tie-in with B and F and my upcoming K entry. Books are wonderful, and we all have Favorites, and K would be telling so let's hold off on that one.
I'm just reading... Done on the weekends with my morning coffee while I sit in my rocking chair, or done outside in the shade in an adirondak, or done sprawled out on a towel at the beach. And let's not forget those blog posts when I'm sitting in front of a computer. I'm just reading.
This whole blog is basically about my reading habits, and while I read some genres more than others, I read a little from almost every one. I'm a thrill seeker; excluding my aversion to carnival rides, skydiving, reckless driving, or anything else that could get me injured or killed... Okay, maybe 'thrill seeker' is the wrong term but I'm constantly looking for the next book to thrill me, enchant me, fill me with passion, sweep me off my feet, suck me in, take me away - you get the picture.
I read for the adventure of it. A book, as previously stated in B = Book, can take you on the adventure of a lifetime. So it stands to reason, reading many books makes you quite the dedicated explorer (without having to sign some sort of liability release form).
I read for educational purposes. I'm constantly learning new words, concepts, places, persons, and things. Every book makes me a little more knowledgeable even if book smarts may not be the same as street smarts and I'm not sure which one is better to have. God knows I don't have street smarts.
I read for the fun of it. After a 40+ work week, paying those bills, doing those chores, running those errands, and all-around adulting, you need something fun. Television, videogames, adult coloring books, knitting, gardening...Reading. For me there's nothing like hunkering down with a good book.
I've taken some flak for my reading habits over the years. Some people think reading is pretentious. Others call it lazy. Based on this information, I can deduce that I've somehow earned myself the title of lazy snob. I'm not sure why there's a stigma against reading, why it would warrant a character assassination, but as Kurt Vonnegut would say, "So it goes."
And because an extremely long post about my reading habits is actually starting to feel pretentious, I want to ask you:
What do you like to read and where do you like to read it? Why do you like to read? Do you have any reading habits or rituals you like to do?
Tell me about you.
Reading has always been my favorite pastime, and I do read a variety of genres, though my favorite tend to be Regency romance and contemporary thrillers. I don’t like a lot of gore, so I generally avoid horror, but I read Stephen King anyway. I can enjoy sci fi if it’s character driven. Biographies and memoirs can be interesting too. I like books about animals! Philosophy and poetry too. Yep, I am all over the place…
ReplyDeleteVariety is good!
DeleteI am surprised and disappointed that others have given you flak for reading. I guess that's more about them than it is about you. I generally don't gravitate to thrillers or fantasy, but I well-written book is always worth a read.
ReplyDeletei agree about a well-written book!
DeleteI like to stretch out when I read, either on a sofa or lying in bed. It feels fairly decadent to lay down on my bed in the afternoon and read a book. Yes, I will often fall asleep. I love to read, and although some people I know feel guilty about reading for pleasure, I enjoy it without a shred of guilt.
ReplyDeletedecadent is a great way to describe it!
DeleteI rather think those that disparage reading don't do it themselves. Which is telling on themselves, really. Are they not intellectually curious? We're pretentious? It's funny how people manage to make people doing better than them feel like they're doing worse. Let's not let them.
ReplyDeletesometimes i think the people who criticize others for reading were those kids in school that 'got left behind'. like maybe they struggled so much academically that it produced adults who hate reading. not that i'll ever be accused of being academically gifted, i was a terrible student.
DeleteI suppose when you don't read it's odd to meet someone who does, as odd as I find people who don't read, or don't build stories in their heads...make notes in notebooks, phones or napkins. Stay reading, it's a fun past time.
ReplyDeletei love a good notebook.
DeleteI'm told I taught myself to read. I really don't remember, but I've always loved to read. I tackled adult books early on, before I even had an understanding of a lot of what I was reading. But I also read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. By age 10, I had discovered science fiction. As a teen, I got into James Michener for a while. I hear you about pretentious. On my first day at work at one of my jobs while living in Arkansas, I couldn't believe some of my co workers thought I was a snob because I had brought a book to read after eating my lunch. I still don't understand that attitude. As for what I read now, some SF, some dystopian literature, some alternate history (Harry Turtledove) and some contemporary fiction (Katherine Center is a favorite) along with a number of blogs.
ReplyDeleteDystopia was my word for D this year. At the risk of sounding morbid, I love how many ways there are to destroy the world and the creativity that comes with imagining what comes after it. My company throws a summer cookout every year for employee apreciation. I usually bring a book to read. if they want to pay me to eat a hamburger and do something i enjoy, who am i to disagree?
DeleteYes! We need to do more "just reading"! Getting lost in a book is one of the best feelings in the world. And not a fixed reading program: just reading is letting your fancy take you from one book to another, without any pressure.
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was in primary school (some 30 years ago), they used to have a daily activity called "SSR"--Sustained Silent Reading. I wonder if they have it anymore?
After many years when my work dictated what I had to read, I have returned to "just reading". I'm out of practice, but it has started coming back.
It is a great feeling! I also did an SSR is school. I think it was my favorite part of the day. i don't know if it still exists though.
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