Reading ....

I think we're down to about 5-6 participating members here now, so I may be pissing into the wind by even posting anything here, but I just needed to break away from my reading as I realized I've gotten carried away the past few days and my feet have started rooting to the floor. I know there are a few avid readers here, but I've never really been a big BOOK reader. Do I read? I read a LOT actually. This morning I started thinking about my reading habits and have done a bit of self analysis. I guess I have a short attention span. I'll admit, I have read a few books over the years, but I'm the type who has to read it cover to cover. I can't read a few paragraphs, lay it down, come back and read a few more paragraphs and repeat. It doesn't help that a can't stand to read fiction. It clutters my brain and I find myself in a conversation years later and I may start to comment on something, then have to catch myself as I have to think whether I'm about to state something as fact .... or is it something fictional that I READ somewhere along the line? It's like repeating "fake news" these days.

TV shows kill me! I HATE series type shows where they leave you with a cliff-hanger, then you have to wait another week to see what happens, only to be left with another cliff hanger. Then I'll take a cruise, an out of town trip, or simply be too busy to catch the following week's show(s), then I'm behind and lost ... or have to find re-runs to get caught up. GRRRR!! With my attention span, I guess I like short stories. I want to know how this thing ends BEFORE I walk away from it.

My problem is, since Al Gore invented this here Internet thingy, I find an unlimited source of reading material and can monitor the length of the "articles" I read. The problem is, sometimes I get started and can't stop. In the early days, we called it "net surfing". I suppose it's still the same ... I just don't hear the term as often as I used to.

The impetus to this post? I just realized I spent ALL DAY yesterday reading short internet articles and went right back to it this morning. In the meantime, I haven't done a dang thing around here ... including working on eBay! What I'm wondering is, does anyone here do this sort of thing? Of course, I suppose you working stiffs can be counted out, unless you do it on weekends or something.

I'll many times surf different sites, but I can spend hours upon hours reading at https://www.inverse.com/science for example. I spend 95% of my time in the Science category, but occasionally hit the Innovation category or Culture from time to time. I don't think I've ever even taken a peek at Mind & Body or Entertainment ... it's just not my thing generally. (categories are found by hitting "explore" at the top of the page) For some reason, I picture P-hole zipping through the Science section here, not sure why. I DO notice a slight Liberal view at times, but when it comes to hard science, it's sometimes hard to slide political views into the mix, so it's a non-issue for the most part.

Sorry to ramble, but this site has been about as boring as the seating area at an old folks home recently and I needed a break from my reading addiction.

I'm just the opposite Jim, I love fiction and history which is pretty much the same thing nowadays. I like big old 1000 page novels and whodoneit's. Crime stories both real and fictional. I absolutely despise autobiography's, self help and DIY books. Occasionally I read a little scifi. TV is pretty much the same except I watch some college sports

Do you ever watch the history guy videos online. I figure that would be right up your alley

I loved sci-fi as a kid, but I guess I "grew out of it". I don't do sports AT ALL ... zip, zilch, nada. I've never, my whole life, given a flip about ANY sport that included a ball of any sort. Heck, I even dropped NASCAR over the past few years. I guess I'm just an official old fart now as I slowly, then totally lost interest with the new "kids" coming up through the ranks and taking over the scene. Between them and NASCAR management, it finally got to the point I just walked away from it. I'm pretty sure I watched the Daytona 500, but I guess I wasn't really into it as I have zero recollection of it. Same with Talladega. I attended my first race when I was still in my mama's belly and followed it religiously for 60+ years, but it finally got to the point I threw in the towel.

Reading? I'm narrow-minded. If it ain't real, I just can't get into it. The weird thing is, history is about as real as you can get, but I've never been a history buff. I'm more of a "what was discovered this morning and what can be done with this discovery in the future" kinda guy. I suppose "some" of that could be considered sci-fi if you want to stretch the imagination a bit. Kind of like Jurassic Park ... I can see that (once you remove the Hollywood fluff), it could be possible. I'm fascinated with the DNA thing and can grasp the reality of salvaging some DNA from a long frozen Siberian Mammoth and crossing it with an elephant to get some sort of hybrid. That's the kind of stuff that floats my boat.

But, I can grasp how that sort of thing works. What I can't wrap my head around is how transistors work, for example. Or microprocessors. How the "F" can a tiny piece of "plastic, sand and metal" do what they do? I don't think my mind is even closely able to figure that out, but the process fascinates me anyway.

I've always had a place in my heart for travel and other cultures (including their food) since I was VERY young and that's still probably my biggest passion these days.

I have been an avid reader since I was a little kid. And my reading interests have always been about as varied as my music interests, which kind of makes sense I guess.
The first novels I can remember devouring was everything written by Zane Grey. I had to hide them as my parents thought reading was a waste of time, unless it involved the Bible or Sunday School lessons. And, oh my gosh, Grey’s novels were in PAPERBACK and had words like ‘d—-‘ (literally printed just like that). That made me love them even more. I graduated to Louis Lamour and in junior high got into sci fi and read everythingI could get my hands on by Heinlein, Asimov, Orson Scott Card, and all the rest.
And it has continued my whole adult life ranging from The Magister Ludi amd Siddhartha to the Hannibal Lecter crime novels. Throw in pulp fiction like the nautical novels of Obrien, Forrester, and Alexander Kent.
It all started unravelling when I started reading, and loving, pretty much exclusively non-fiction history books in my late 50’s. Books about everything from food to the history of humanity.
Nowadays, I can hardly finish a book. They just don’t grab and keep my attention like books used to. The only exception to that are John Medina’s books about the brain, but that’s pretty rare.
Crazy how that has worked out because I miss reading. But my ADD must kick in or something.

Or I’m just getting old.

BKb

Can''t remember the last time I read a book, I do like the newspaper in the morning, and a few articles in mags, but have never gotten into books. ( unlike my wife, who has her face buried in one daily)
I guess my main reading is on sties like these, short subjects from each member, then answers.
To be very honest with you Thump, I very seldom bother reading your posts, other than maybe the first few lines to get an idea what you're talking about.
Went through 6 years of college, BS & MA and honestly never read the text books
I, scanned the first few sentences, then move onto the last few and miss all the junk filler between. I made it through by being a very detailed note taker during the lecture, seemed I remembered the stuff more by writing it down, vs reading it.
Didn't take long to realize the prof, made up his tests from lecture material vs. the book he wrote that the school required you to buy for a dollar a page.
Taught 7 years in the class room without ever reading the textbook I used. Would scan the subject of the lesson, then teach from experience.
If I have a free moment it's used to scan Al Gores invention, gives me all the reading material I'll ever need.

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To be very honest with you Thump, I very seldom bother reading your posts, other than maybe the first few lines to get an idea what you're talking about.

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OUCH! Are you saying I get "wordy". ;)

JB, if you haven’t had a chance to read Matt’s book about fishing, you should. I think you’ll like it.

BKB

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Originally Posted by Thumper

OUCH! Are you saying I get "wordy". ;)

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I don’t read books. I just try to get through your posts..,


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How many tall stools have you worn out around here?

Posty, I have Matt's book, scanned it much like other books, interesting, but not enough to sit down a go cover to cover.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP53O9_V9sY

here you Jimbo, history condensed into sound bytes

Interesting.

I'm not sure at all that my reading tastes even qualify as real reading. I mean I have books that I have read a dozen times. I'll finish them, let them lie for a year or two, and then go right back and read them. Same with movies. I guess it is because I really like the place or situation that the book/movie takes me to. For example I have read "Child of Storm" and "King Solomon's Mines" each at least 6 times. As far as new reading goes it is hit or miss. My wife got me a few new westerns from some guy I had never heard last week. I'm working my way through one of them now. Not bad.

OTOH I guess I just don't want to waste time on a book I won't end up liking that much. I tried a new western author a few years ago and there was this big fight in the middle of the book where this gent must have killed 50 people. I was so disgusted that I had wasted my time on this drivel that I never bothered to pick it up again.

Will

I’ve always been a big reader with varied tastes. My dad was a big Louis L’Amour fan, so I read a lot of those when I was growing up. Always had a thing for history so that’s been a big part of my reading, especially WWII history since my dad and uncle were both veterans, my dad in the Pacific with the Navy and my uncle in the Army in Italy.

I’ve also read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy too. I’ve read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as well as the entire Narnia series at some point.

When I was down with my knee surgery and was off work for almost three months I tore through the Patrick O’Brian Aubrey/Maturin series. Someone here recommended them, I think it might have been Johnboy.

Lately though I’ve really cut back on reading for fun because of how busy I am with my classes for my Masters degree.

I must have rubbed off on my kids since they rarely are without a book in their free time.


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My Dad had a service station when I was growing up and once I hit 6th grade I was required to work there after school and in the summer. By the time I was in the 8th grade I would run the place myself as Dad was farming.

Small town businesses can be busy as all get out or slow as molasses. During the slow times I would read...and read...and read. Mostly westerns but also hunting and fishing magazines.

I've dabbled a bit in other topics over the years and though I still like to read, it doesn't seem to be the priority that it once was. Maybe that is because I have to do so much reading as part of my job?

Beans - I think you’re dead in about the impact of jobs on reading. Growing up I was an avid reader, but I have to read a lot for my job. While I still have the desire to read, I rarely have the energy other then when on vacation or a long airline flight.


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Is Bwana’s new nickname ‘Beans’?

I’m down with it!
BKB

Bwana, my dad also had a service station when I was very young (until I was maybe 13 or so). I went to work with him almost every day I wasn't in school. Those were the days you'd pull in for $2.00 worth of gas, get your oil and antifreeze levels checked, ALL tire pressures (including the spare), get your windshield cleaned AND have the car swept out. I had my own little whisk broom and the sweeping was my job. I'd actually get a nickle or a few pennies tip at times. (for a nickle, I could buy a coke from the coke machine!). He originally owned a Sunoco station and later changed to Phillips 66.