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How do you read/how much do you read a week/do you avoid tv? Various questions
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Ed
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Dec 27, 2008 09:07PM
How much do you read a day? I'm always fascinated by people who love books...want to consume them and live in their worlds..how much time each day they are able to read? Do you go for a book a week or more or less?
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Depends on the book and my other responsibilities. I don't avoid TV, but it does tend to be more of background noise. My main distraction is the internet. If the internet burned calories, there'd be nothing left of me.BTW, Ed, you have great taste in books. :)
I'd rather read than watch tv. My family absolutely shoots me the thumbs up on this - it means one less person vying for the big screen in the livingroom. Haha!!I sit in my favorite chair and relinquish the remote and everyone wins. During the week, this is only true for an hour or so every night - but longer on the weekends, if we've few outside obligations. I also have a nightly habit of reading in bed until my eyes are heavy. Some people say this is a bad habit, but those people don't sleep in my bed. So there!
I'd much rather read than watch TV. I don't have to worry about anyone fighting for the TV in my house though, it's just my boyfriend and I, and we have three TVs and two computers, so there is no shortage of entertainment for him while I am reading. Unless said entertainment involves my participation, and then he's out of luck. ;)I do like certain shows though, Heroes being one of them, and don't like to miss them or interrupt my reading to turn on the TV. So I bought a DVR. Now I watch TV on MY terms. Take that Network Primetime scheduling personnel!
I usually read between 2-3 hours a day. I have an hour-long bus ride for my commute in both the morning and evening and when possible, I also like to read during my lunch break. And if left to my own devices, I’d rather read than watch TV. However, my husband is not a reader and he can’t seem to stop himself from talking to me and/or asking me what I’m doing while I’m sitting around with an open book. And so in the interest of doing something together, we’ll either go out in the evenings or on occasion, flip on the tube and see what’s on. Neither of us are that into TV, we probably watch less than 4 or 5 hours a week, but if I’m at a good part of a book and desperately want to read, I’ll recommend some time in front of the TV, which means I can (and will!) multitask with reading my book and hanging out with my husband. That usually seems to appease him, especially if I don't do it too often.
I agree...I try to avoid the tv but often am sucked in or do so to spend time with my wife who likes to unwind for an hour or so around 9 watching the news. We both like Lost and a few shows but find reading to be more rewarding.
I try to read more than I watch TV but it doesn't always work, although I don't watch that much. My downfall is this place and other forums I visit! If I cut down my time on here I'd read loads more! I like to read a couple of chapters in bed too.
For now I read a lot, whenever I am inside and not using the internet or cook. Can't use the internet too much because I am using the laptof of my boyfriend who can be on it the whole day. We don't have a tv for the moment, so n time goes to that besides sometimes the news online or when we watch a film on the computer. And as I don't work for the moment.....most of my time goes to reading. when I do work I read on bus or train and a bit during the weekend.
agree with you Fiona, there are those treasure books that you just start and read and read and read and you finish them the same day. I adore them!
I used to read much more when I was younger... Unfortunately now I'm out to work nearly 12 hours a day so there's not much time left for books when get back home. I try to stick to a habit of reading every night before sleeping, though. And usually, I prefer a book to TV, unless there's some interesting movie on, which seldom happens anyway. When I'm on holiday anyway, I could spend a whole afternoon reading, finishing off entire books in a day or two (if they're VERY thick!). It's also my favourite time to re-read my alltime favourites. That's what I'm spending most of time doing these days, in fact...
I'd say I read about 2 hours a day. I actually get more reading done on days when I am at work; I get an hour lunch break so I sit in my car and eat and after that I get about 30-40 minutes of uninterrupted reading time. When I'm at home I usually only read during commercials when the TV is on or when my boyfriend decides to play video games or something.
I work 2 part-time jobs - one at home - so during the day I feel guilty about reading unless my schedule is clear, the house is sparkling and there is a cake or cookies ready for snack time.After making and eating supper it is normally after 9:30pm and my eyes can't stay open for reading. If there is a TV program I want to watch I have to knit to keep awake.
Saturday morning is reading time for my husband and me but that also means catching up with any personal correspondence.
Saturday is our only day off work so between preparing breakfast and lunch, and spending quality time with hubby and the kids I get 2-3 hours to read if we have no surprise visitors or outings.
During the week I read while waiting for my children and waiting for the bus. It is 10-20 minutes here and there but deciding to utilise that time for reading rather than chatting/day-dreaming is what go me back into the habit of reading. In this way I finish about a book a month.
Mod
But when I am off, I read as much as possible. I will do some house chores and then plop my ass in my reading corner and read for hours!!!
I dont watch much tv at all. I have three shows that I watch religiously (Lost, Fringe, Dexter) and never miss one! But other than that, if the tv is on, its becuase the kids are playing video games or watching thier shows...
Depending on what I am reading, I can average a book a week, sometimes two. Other times I seem to be on the same book for two weeks. It all depends....
I'm guessing that I read 2-3 hours per day. Generally I get in at least an hour or so after my daughter is in bed, with my hubby watching TV. Other than that I tend to snatch time as I can (waiting for dinner to finish, during homework when help is not required ...). The internet tends to be a distraction for me, but I seem to drift into book related sites even there.
I read every night before I sleep, curled up in bed, for at least an hour. Sometimes two hours. Sometimes I forget what time it is and I look up and it's four AM.I always read then, but might read anytime at all.
I also watch TV - actually, aside from football, I'm pretty much the only one who watches TV here. So no fighting for the remote - it's mine, all mine!
I read two to four books a week, depending on the books. Every once in a while, I'll pick up a snore-fest and it'll take me a full week to get thru it, or I'll find one well over 1000 pages. But most of the time I can depend on at least two a week. I read, on the average, whenever I'm not working or sleeping. Occasionally I'll watch TV - True Blood or Battlestar Galactica are my biggies - and this past spring I went back to school, so some of my time is being eaten up by studying.... But, hey, that's still reading, right? Just not for pleasure.
I do not avoid TV, but I really do not watch much of it either. I read probably 2-3 books a week and usually read before work w/my cup of coffee (1/2 hour) and about 1 1/2 before bed. I read a lot during the weekends.
I use to watch TV a bit more but I'm bored with TV. I found that I would watch abotu 1 hour a day now I'm reading that extra hour a day. Much better. Keeps my mind fresh & alert.
I try to get my reading done at night. I usually get in a half hour to an hour of reading done before bedtime because its the quietest time in my house.
I read around work - if I like the book, I will read it on and off all day. I'm on the computer too much except for over Christmas when my machine collapsed and all I had was crappy tv or reading. So I read.
I, probably, read 2 hours a day. I could read more, but I do sometimes struggle at pulling myself from the tv and the internet.
I am not sure how long I spend a day reading because while I am reading a book I keep it with me constantly. I read it at home when I have nothing else to do. I take it with me to work, just in case I have a free moment. I take it with me on my errands incase I have to wait. Depending on the book it can take me only a couple of days or but never more than a week to finish a book.I do also watch tv with the hubby. Never miss House, Bones, Top Chef or Pysch. TV definatly comes in second in my list of loves.
I try to read 2-3 hours every night, and finish 2 books a week. I prefer reading over tv, and don't have many shows that I like to watch. And if I do, they are being recorded on my DVR box and I'll catch up on them on the weekends, because I'd rather read in the evenings then watch them. My husband loves this because he gets control of the tv for the entire evening, while still spending time with me (even though I'm just sitting on the couch engrossed in a book). But we're still in the same room together, and it works! The only time I get frustrated is when the tv is too loud that I can't concentrate on what I'm reading (my husband has hearing issues, or the book isn't good enough to keep my attention from glancing at the television), or when I'm so exhausted from work that I fall asleep while reading. I hate what I do that.
I, too, read while my husband is watching television. And I have the same issues about a loud tv. A curious thing has been happening to me lately. When I sit down to watch a program we've taped from the DVR, I fall asleep within fifteen minutes. After I wake up, I'm good to read for at least two to three hours before I go to bed! So in that way, maybe TV is a good thing?
lol...that's been happening to me too. I'll fall asleep for an hour, and then when I come to, I can read for 2 more hours before I go to bed. But then I find I'm really tired in the morning, because I stayed up too late reading. Vicious cycle...
Glad to let my hubby know he isn't the only one watching TV while I have a book in my face. The noise factor is an issue with me too, so we have to negotiate that. We have a few shows we like to watch weekly, so that gives me a diversion for a while. Typically, I read at least 1 book per week, most times 2 and only read in the evenings after work & dinner. I am so happy to have found this site & groups as now I realize I am not alone in this addiction, & now hubby knows he is not alone either:))
Kendra - you are not alone! I feel comfort too, in knowing I'm not the only one obsessed with reading :)
I don't look at reading/tv as an either or. It really just depends on my mood. I have a DVDR which means I record shows and then watch them whenver I want to. I generally will watch TV while eating etc.I do have a commute where I ride a train/bus so I read to/from it and on my lunch hour. Then I usually read before bed so I probably read 3 - 5 hours a day.
I need to turn the tv off and I think then my reading will increase. I hope to pick a week in January to turn the tube off. :)
I read every night before bed, it's always been my thing and I really feel like I can't fall asleep without reading at least a few pages. I usually read about a book a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. I too read at night while the tv is on and also on weekends while my son is watching Max and Ruby or Caillou for the millionth time. If I'm really into a book I make the time to sit and read it (even if that means hiding in the bathroom or something!) I don't really know how many hours a day I read, it really varies.
It varies. Some days, I can't put a book down. Some days, I can't pick a book up.The biggest slumps I go through are when I simply can't figure out the best book to match the mood I'm in. I'll look at my entire TBR pile and think, "Ugh, no, too long and convoluted, gross, not in the mood for YA, hmm, that book looks too much like the last book I read," etc.
It's moments like that when I usually try to pick up a really easy read (like...Jodi Picoult or something) ot just fly through in 3 hours or so, and then it usually cleanses the palate, like ginger!, and I can try again.
I don't own a TV, but I do download some of my favorite shows (Dexter and...Gossip Girl, I admit it), to watch sometimes. I don't live in the US, so I forget when the shows are on sometimes, so I don't actually watch those shows once a week. I'll usually go on a downloading frenzy, and watch one episode a night till I'm all caught up.
I try to read any time I'm on public transportation, but again that depends on how stop-and-start the train is. I can get motion sick pretty easily, so sometimes I just have to put the book down, no matter how good it is.
