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Do you read? If so, are you the only one you know who does?

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MathGirl
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23 Aug 2010, 4:26 pm

Aimless wrote:
Moog wrote:
Aimless wrote:
I wonder sometimes if people who say they don't like reading fiction think so because they are just reading badly written books.


With the big book retailers jammed corner to corner with sh**, I think that's fairly likely.


I'll spend an hour an the library, just picking up books and reading a little bit to see what grabs me. That's how I discovered some great writers.
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of fiction because it is harder to digest than non-fiction. I personally find it hard to follow the characters' individual storylines. I can enjoy fantasy and sci-fi, though, because the narrative can often be very scenic (and I like visualizing stuff in my head). I also find fiction easier to read if I can easily relate to one specific character in the book.

Overall, I can read very fast with low comprehension. In order to have higher comprehension, I have to read slower. I've apparently had Grade 7 reading level when I was 4.5 years old (as documented; I believe I've learned to read on my own even earlier but my parents didn't know). However, my reading ability has stayed pretty much the same since then. Most of the time now, my mind is always preoccupied with other things I have to do, so I find it hard to concentrate on reading for too long. Even a year ago, I was able to stay focused on reading for much longer. I think if I were to cut myself away from all of the responsibilities and simply retreat, I would be capable to focus on reading for more extensive periods of time.

Even though I don't read books as much now, I still constantly feel the need to engage with written or spoken language. If I'm not reading books, I'm either writing something, engaging in structured conversation, or reading/skimming online material. I think I've began to read more things online because I don't put as much pressure on myself to understand what I'm reading online as I do when I read actual books.


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Leading a double life and loving it (but exhausted).

Likely ADHD instead of what I've been diagnosed with before.


Aimless
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23 Aug 2010, 4:33 pm

MathGirl wrote:
Aimless wrote:
Moog wrote:
Aimless wrote:
I wonder sometimes if people who say they don't like reading fiction think so because they are just reading badly written books.


With the big book retailers jammed corner to corner with sh**, I think that's fairly likely.


I'll spend an hour an the library, just picking up books and reading a little bit to see what grabs me. That's how I discovered some great writers.
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of fiction because it is harder to digest than non-fiction. I personally find it hard to follow the characters' individual storylines. I can enjoy fantasy and sci-fi, though, because the narrative can often be very scenic (and I like visualizing stuff in my head). I also find fiction easier to read if I can easily relate to one specific character in the book.

Overall, I can read very fast with low comprehension. In order to have higher comprehension, I have to read slower. I've apparently had Grade 7 reading level when I was 4.5 years old (as documented; I believe I've learned to read on my own even earlier but my parents didn't know). However, my reading ability has stayed pretty much the same since then. Most of the time now, my mind is always preoccupied with other things I have to do, so I find it hard to concentrate on reading for too long. Even a year ago, I was able to stay focused on reading for much longer. I think if I were to cut myself away from all of the responsibilities and simply retreat, I would be capable to focus on reading for more extensive periods of time.

Even though I don't read books as much now, I still constantly feel the need to engage with written or spoken language. If I'm not reading books, I'm either writing something, engaging in structured conversation, or reading/skimming online material. I think I've began to read more things online because I don't put as much pressure on myself to understand what I'm reading online as I do when I read actual books.


My reading speed has always been higher than my comprehension level too. I'm embarrassed to say I don't retain much of what I read. As far as fiction goes, I just experience it "in the moment" and can't remember details later. I tried reading slower to improve my comprehension level but found my mind wandering. I read part of a book on right brained learning and the author suggested reading everything 3 times.