Aussie Readers discussion
You and Your Books!
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*Why do you read?
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I certainly don't read to fill in time - there is never enough time for all the reading that I want to do! I have to make time for it.
I don't know why I like specific genres. Some books just call out to me and others leave me cold. That's the fun of reading!
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Thanks Bette for a really interesting thread idea:)
I agree with Dale, this question kind of feels like being asked why I breathe!So many reasons, and so hard to verbalise. I do read for escapism, but it's more than that. Reading is a chance to experience lives and experiences beyond my own. Some that I might not want to experience because they're dangerous, some aren't possible, and some just aren't my life. But I can experience the emotions through reading, and that is brilliant.
I work with them all day and I enjoy reading them. That's about it.I don't understand why other people don't read.
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I don't understand why other people don't read."
That's a good point Liam...why DON'T some people read? I feel sorry for them!
I can't imagine not having a book in my bag or on my bedside table - it's just a part of who I am and what I do! I love the way certain writers use language, but what I love most about reading (and good films, TV and theatre, I guess) is the encounter with characters and the situations they find themselves in. So I guess I don't have a favourite genre, I just like things with interesting characters. As for why some people don't read, the only thing I can guess at is that there are people whose knowledge of writing is limited to the stuff they had to read in school - Jane Austin, Charles dickens and catcher in the rye can turn people off books, I guess! I do find that a lot of people who say they don't like to read end up reading again later in life - once they realise that, whatever they're interested in, there's probably a book written about it!
Liam wrote: "I work with them all day and I enjoy reading them. That's about it.I don't understand why other people don't read."
Exactly! I've grown up with books, and as James said, it's just a part of who I am and what I do -- I always have my Kindle within easy reach.
To read is to get into the mind of others, when an author writes he/she opens their readers to an insight into the mind. It allows me to get a different perspective to experience lives that I could never have. It makes me think deeper about almost everything and it shocks me and gives me hope at the same time. I get shivers when I think about the favourite books and characters that I have read about. I crave the next story and the next perspective and the next time I will fall in love with a character.
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I've been reading since I first learned how, I love getting lost in a good story and I love reading new authors and there's nothing better than finding a good new series. I like to read mysteries, Detective/PI, thrillers, horror and action, not real keen on science fiction or romance though. I have been keeping track of what books I read for quite awhile but I'm kicking myself now that I didn't start earlier. I also don't understand why some people don't read, they are missing out on so much fun!
Why do I read? Oh, let me count the ways. I simply cannot imagine not reading. It's as necessary to me as breathing; I get irritable and irrational if something prevents me from have a good word 'fix' every day. I have such a love of the written word; always been spellbound by an author's ability to weave a web.For me, a book is an entire new world for me to be part of. New lives to be part of, situations to learn from, things I can experience that I don't in my own life; it's like stepping into an alternate universe. The knowledge I've picked up from books is amazing; it is learning via osmosis and you are not even aware that it's happening.
I like being inside part of the imagination of an author. It's like stepping into their own private thoughts for a while. For that reason, while I love any genre of fiction, I will happily dive into books by great poets like TS Eliot, A E Houseman, Oscar Wilde and Dylan Thomas.
If someone tells me they don't read, I think 'How strange...' That is how 'normal' reading is to me.
Liam wrote: "I work with them all day and I enjoy reading them. That's about it.I don't understand why other people don't read."
Liam, I am so with you there. I mean, 'Really??? not read???' Almost beyond my comprehension...
Brenda wrote: "I just love to read! I always have, and I always will I guess. I really don't know why, except that my parents instilled that love in me, and it continues today. I love thrillers, crime, mystery, s..."Every day, I mentally thank my parents for opening the world of books to me.
James wrote: "I can't imagine not having a book in my bag or on my bedside table - it's just a part of who I am and what I do! I love the way certain writers use language, but what I love most about reading (and..."That's what gets me in, too: it's the use of language. Certain authors just have a special gift.
Michael wrote: "That is a really great question Bette. For me it's a way for me to escape the drugeries of life and go into the world of the book i am reading. There is nothing better than escaping into a story an..."Thanks. You are so right: a book is an adventure.
I've been reading since I was 4 and can't imagine life without books. The comment I often get from others is' Oh I don't have time to read.' Neither do I. I make it by not doing other things lie doing crafts or watching TV or doing other things people do to relax.
I love reading its my way of relaxing and escaping into another world. I didn't have books when I was young. My parents weren't readers and I never got bed time stories read to me. So I guess I'm making up for lost time now. I always have a book on my coffee table and my bedside table. And since I've joined GR I keep finding more books to add to my TBR list.
I think this one goes to Most Different Motivation for Reading.Yesterday, a friend told me he read to avoid his wife. He says while he has a book in his hand, she doesn't disturb him. Gotta admit; that's one I have never heard or thought of...
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Yesterday, a friend told me he read to avoid his wife. He says while he has a book in his hand, she doesn't disturb him. Gotta adm..."
Haha! Bette, the poor man!! lol
Sharon wrote: "I love reading its my way of relaxing and escaping into another world. I didn't have books when I was young. My parents weren't readers and I never got bed time stories read to me. So I guess I'm m..."Yes, Goodreads has certainly added to my TBR list.
This is an interesting question that I hadn't really thought much about before (and this has become a very long post - sorry in advance!). And I've come to the conclusion that there's no simple answer, for me. I was going to say that I normally read to escape into an author's world because books fascinate me - when they're sitting on the shelf, I look at them and think of all the potential stored inside them - especially if they are books I'm excited to read!But I'm not sure that is my main motivation - if there's nothing else handy, I'll read the back of the muesli box - and I'm not trying to escape into the muesli copywriter's world!! Maybe I just don't like mental silence (or my own thoughts!) very much, so I fill it with words... Even when I'm crocheting, I prefer to crochet with something going on - an audiobook, music, TV or a movie.
But maybe my main motivation for reading (although I do read for other reasons like the back of the muesli box to escape boredom at breakfast!) is to unwind. Even when I was studying, and really didn't have time to be reading anything other than journal articles and textbooks, I did like to have a familiar book handy that I'd read before and could dip into for half an hour before going to bed, or for 15 minutes while I'm having morning tea. And because I'd reread books I was familiar with, I knew what happened so I wasn't desperate to keep reading and could put it down whenever I needed to.
And I can actually identify with the man who reads to escape from his wife - in one place I worked, I would occasionally (depending on my mood) take a book down to lunch with me because then people wouldn't tend to disturb me if I was engrossed in my book. But it is pretty anti-social in a group setting and I would feel rude, so I didn't do it very often! I mainly reserved my book for when I had missed the normal lunch crowd so had no one to chat to :-) Why we read is certainly a complex concept with lots of different facets - at least for me!
I love to read, and I can't imagine not reading on a regular basis, but having said that, I can certainly understand people who don't like to read. A friend of mine has dyslexia, and while I read to unwind, reading certainly wouldn't help her to unwind because what comes naturally to me doesn't come naturally to her and she'd have to be continually working to unravel the words in her mind - not so relaxing! Some people are also very physically active - like my dad - so to read a book, which requires sitting down for periods of time (unless you're listening to an audiobook) would be absolute torture to them! And I guess for some people other activities are just higher priorities for them than reading...and I can sympathise with that since I also like to watch TV shows, movies, cook, crochet, scrapbook, walk/go to the gym, catch up with friends, shop (very occasionally!), go bushwalking, explore my local area and surf the internet - but reading is normally given pride of place on my list of hobbies!
As for specific genres, I am interested in history, so I guess it is natural that I would enjoy reading historical fiction. I like chick-lit (in small quantities) because it's normally a light and fluffy read. I like family sagas because they detail a way of life that could be going on in some people's lives, giving me a glimpse of how other people live and I like memoirs and biographies for the same reason. I like detective stories - I'm not sure why because I certainly don't think I'd make a very good detective myself! Maybe because, once again, I'm seeing another side of life that I wouldn't otherwise. I DON'T generally like fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal because I can't see the point in reading about things that aren't true and will never be true, and trying to visualise things that are so far from my reality just seems like hard work! And that was interesting Margaret_M to hear that SF used to be Science Fantasy - I've only ever know it as Science Fiction... I don't like romances where there's precious little else to the plot other than how the hero and heroine get together because they are just so predictable and make me roll my eyes!
This is a wonderful thread Bette and thankyou for putting this up.I’m very much like Sharon that while I’m reading a book I’d like to be taken to a different place, home, lifestyle and family. I will read basically any genre but I find that I have been picky over the years and I like books that will simulate my mind and senses. I use to like light fluffy reads occasionally but they don’t do much for me now.
But regardless of the type of book I read…reading is the only way I know how to relax at the end of the day. As soon as I pick up that book, I can instantly feel mind and body unwinding.
What a great question to ask Bette, although I'm not sure I can answer it!!! I've read since I was a very young child. I was always known as the kid who had her nose in a book. I guess as an only child reading and books for me were company. They took the place of the siblings I didn't have. And so as an adult the habit is fully ingrained and I can't imagine a life without books and reading. I have an insatiable appetite for historical fiction and non-fiction and for biographies. The past and other people's lives, fascinate me. I also admire the skills and discipline it takes to research and write a good book. I read a quote a few years back that for me truly sums it up, "Do not read as children do,to amuse yourself....No,read in order to live."
Elaine wrote: "What a great question to ask Bette, although I'm not sure I can answer it!!! I've read since I was a very young child. I was always known as the kid who had her nose in a book. I guess as an only c..."What an excellent quote.
Mish wrote: "This is a wonderful thread Bette and thankyou for putting this up.I’m very much like Sharon that while I’m reading a book I’d like to be taken to a different place, home, lifestyle and family. I ..."
Thanks, Mish. It's really interesting to discover why other 'Aussie Readers' read. And really good to hear that lots of us have read since we were kids.
I like to read fictional books for the pure enjoyment of it. I read biographies & true crime for nourishment for the brain. I encourage my children to read for the enjoyment of it.
I read for fun and pleasure and to keep me sane :)I read every chance I get, reading makes me calm and happy and I find if I haven't read for a while I'm irritable haha ;)
Katie wrote: "I read for fun and pleasure and to keep me sane :)I read every chance I get, reading makes me calm and happy and I find if I haven't read for a while I'm irritable haha ;)"
Just need your 'book fix', hey? Me too, I get reading withdrawal:)
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I'm another who feels undressed without a book in my bag (and another in the car - usually the tougher read). As for my bedside table...I can't see my alarm clock any more!
Phrynne wrote: "I even read while I am doing the house work and out walking. (audiobook of course). Otherwise I feel I am wasting time."You are one devoted reader, Phrynne.
Would anyone like to share with us reasons why you read?
For escapism, or to learn, or to be cheered up..
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Haha! Well, yes....
I read because I like the stories.Everyone has a story and when you meet me for the first time, sit next to me at a dinner etc, I'll come away knowing more about you than you ever intended!
I think about books in the same way. Fact or fiction, I happy to listen to them all.
My main focus isn't on the 'reading' it's on the story and I think that's why my recent transition to audiobooks has been so easy for me.
I honestly think I can relate to every persons response in one way or another!
Patricia wrote: "I read because I like the stories.Everyone has a story and when you meet me for the first time, sit next to me at a dinner etc, I'll come away knowing more about you than you ever intended!
I th..."
I so agree with all of that, Patricia. Where I used to work they used to call me the 'Gestapo' because I could always get people to spill their stories! And it's the same with books - I am genuinely interested in the story.
Angela wrote: "For escapism, or to learn, or to be cheered up.."Yep, all three of those I can concur with.
To shut out the thoughts going through my mind which otherwise might drive me insane. I also love looking through covers for novels and just imagine the story from the cover!I try and not shut out any genre of book because I might be saying no to the best book I've ever read. I used to be quite against sci-fi because it didn't really appeal to me but then I realised a lot of my gaming is sci-fi related (in a way).
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I think GR also helps expand peoples interests in other genres because nearly every book is right at your finger tips for easy reviewing.Haha..Yeah, gotta admit vampires don't really do it for me either.
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I do that too!! Especially around this time of the year when bookshops are putting out their catalogues. Kinda dangerous thing as TBR pile isn't looking any slimmer lately.
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Why do other Aussie readers read? What is our motivation to delve into books? The Net says we read for a variety of reasons; escapism, pleasure, quest for knowledge, boredom, love of the written word, curiosity, to fill in time...
So what is your motivation to read? Let us know here the reason you read - we're curious to know why you spend time delving into books. Why you like specific genres?