It has taken me just about four months to get 671 pages of my copy. It is 1444 pages. Still a long way to go. My goal is to get through the book before the end of the year. As it stands, I should be finishing up with it some time in October. I have been getting through the book seemingly in twenty page chunks. There are times when I can only get through ten pages and other times I look and I've read twenty five or thirty. It all depends on the writing.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
14 April 2018
Slogging Through
At the end of December I made both the smartest and dumbest decision I have made in quite a while. I decided to tackle one of the longest most in depth novels ever written: War and Peace. I say smartest decision because it is such an engaging book. There are such wide swings in topics in the book that it feels like at times I'm not even reading the same book. I also say it is the dumbest decision because it is such a long book. Everyone knows that. I have taken one small break in reading it just because I needed to read something different. It was like a palate cleansing.
It has taken me just about four months to get 671 pages of my copy. It is 1444 pages. Still a long way to go. My goal is to get through the book before the end of the year. As it stands, I should be finishing up with it some time in October. I have been getting through the book seemingly in twenty page chunks. There are times when I can only get through ten pages and other times I look and I've read twenty five or thirty. It all depends on the writing.
It has taken me just about four months to get 671 pages of my copy. It is 1444 pages. Still a long way to go. My goal is to get through the book before the end of the year. As it stands, I should be finishing up with it some time in October. I have been getting through the book seemingly in twenty page chunks. There are times when I can only get through ten pages and other times I look and I've read twenty five or thirty. It all depends on the writing.
29 January 2018
Classic Read
A little over a month ago, I made both a terrible and wonderful decision. I picked up 'War and Peace'. I got this book when I was in either high school or college. I tried once to read it. In fact, there was still a bookmark on where I left off. I was a little over half way through when I gave up. The copy that I have is 1444 pages long. I started reading on 20 December and it is now 29 January. So far, I am 323 pages in.
I am a notoriously slow reader. I feel like getting through fifteen to twenty pages a night is a wonderful progress. There are spans in the book that read quickly others that are slow and extremely detailed in writing. Tolstoy spends three pages describing a room with two people in it, but will only use up three paragraphs to describe an entire battle sequence. It's weird. The goal I have set for myself is to have the book read by 20 December 2018. I am giving myself an entire calendar year to get through the book. Should I have it finished by then? Probably. But you never know.
I am a notoriously slow reader. I feel like getting through fifteen to twenty pages a night is a wonderful progress. There are spans in the book that read quickly others that are slow and extremely detailed in writing. Tolstoy spends three pages describing a room with two people in it, but will only use up three paragraphs to describe an entire battle sequence. It's weird. The goal I have set for myself is to have the book read by 20 December 2018. I am giving myself an entire calendar year to get through the book. Should I have it finished by then? Probably. But you never know.
12 July 2017
Surprise Book
Last week, my wife and I went to a Barnes & Noble because she has run out of books to read. I always offer her any number of my books to read, but all my books aren't good (her words, not mine). Sometimes you just need to go out and buy a new book. I suggested going to Half Price Books, but the selection isn't always wonderful. Half Price Books is the place to go if you want to take a risk on a book you've never heard of and won't be mad if you don't end up liking the book. If you are looking for a new release or a book you want to buy and know you'll enjoy, places like Barnes & Noble is the place to go.
Whenever we go to the book store, I don't ever know what I want. I don't have a lot of authors that I read on a constant basis. I usually wander around and hope that something catches my eye. Not much does. Then I came across this display.
This is such a cool idea! All different kinds of options and topics to choose from I didn't really know where to look. I picked up the book that was wrapped and labeled as 'Blind date with an assassin'. The notes they had for the book:
Whenever we go to the book store, I don't ever know what I want. I don't have a lot of authors that I read on a constant basis. I usually wander around and hope that something catches my eye. Not much does. Then I came across this display.
This is such a cool idea! All different kinds of options and topics to choose from I didn't really know where to look. I picked up the book that was wrapped and labeled as 'Blind date with an assassin'. The notes they had for the book:
- Revenge
- Romance with a touch of magic
- Exciting fight scenes
- Strong Female Protagonist
- Unputdownable
03 April 2016
Visual Reading
I have recently found myself drawn to comic books. I don't know why and I don't know how, but I just find them much more enjoyable than novels at the moment. Maybe it's because comic book movies are very popular right now. From X-men to the Avengers to Deadpool, it is gaining momentum every time a movie is successful. Even television shows are popular. Arrow and Daredevil are two that I watch through Netflix. Part of it might also be because it is multi medium. You have the story telling and plot points, but you also have the visual aspect of it. My wife jokes that it sure does take me a long time to read a comic, but I enjoy reading the dialogue and then looking over the illustrations for full context of the subject. Plus, I only read a little bit at a time. I can't read for hours on end like she can.
I was never really into comics as a kid. I had a few. Mostly random X-Men comics that you could find at a bookstore. Had a couple of 'What If...' comics. I did have the death of Superman when it came out. I hadn't ever read any Superman comics before or since, but I just remember thinking I had to have it. So I think my brother and I went half in and bought it together. It is more than likely still at my parents house. I have no clue.
For a long time, I read non-fiction books, and while interesting, they were mentally draining. Sure, you learn a lot about a subject that you are interested in or know little about, but it just isn't always enjoyable. I'm not in school anymore, I don't really need to learn. I still have and read non-fiction books. I have a couple on my shelf right now that I am excited to read, but every time I look at them I give out a bit of a sigh thinking 'that's gonna take a long time to get through.'. Even fiction novels seem like slow reading to me.
So, below is my very modest collection of comics and graphic novels. It started out with 'Watchmen'. I read my brother's copy several years ago and gave it back. But then I wanted to re-read it because I felt like there were some things that I just missed in it. And I thought that while it would be just as easy to borrow it again, it would be a nice book to own. That way I could read it whenever I felt the need to. Then 'The Walking Dead' came to be. Once I got the first and second compendium, I wanted to keep with the theme. So I anxiously waited for the third one to come out. And sure, I could just start going out and buying the chapters as they are released, but I like having the big collections. Just how my mind works. And thanks to the successful Netflix show, I have really taken interest in Daredevil. The three that I have I bought for my birthday. They are the run that Frank Miller did in the late 70s and 80s. After reading the first collection, I am looking to add as much as possible. Going back to the very first one and adding everything in between. This is where sites like Amazon come in handy because you can find literally anything you want.
What I have found is that collections are the way to go, especially if you are interested in a comic or graphic novel that has been out for a long period of time. Or if you aren't up to having tons of little comics lying around. Plus, I'm not going to be running out every couple of weeks to update my collection. I would rather have these big books versus hundreds of small ones sitting around. It's all together in binding. You don't have to try keep going back to the bookshelf once you finish one and then find the next once. With collections you can just keep turning the pages.
I think that the one problem with comics is that there are just so many. And I'm not just talking titles, because we all know that, but plenty of comics books have been out for decades. DECADES. Daredevil started in the 1960s. So if you want to read everything that has been published, you are going through sixty years of publication. So you have the amount of time titles have been out, but then you also have different story arcs, alternate versions, crossovers, all kinds of things. And that's the cool thing about comics. In one universe you can have certain characters that are dead, but are brought back in other universes. Unless it's the 'Walking Dead'. Once you're gone, you stay gone. There is no alternate universe.
I was never really into comics as a kid. I had a few. Mostly random X-Men comics that you could find at a bookstore. Had a couple of 'What If...' comics. I did have the death of Superman when it came out. I hadn't ever read any Superman comics before or since, but I just remember thinking I had to have it. So I think my brother and I went half in and bought it together. It is more than likely still at my parents house. I have no clue.
For a long time, I read non-fiction books, and while interesting, they were mentally draining. Sure, you learn a lot about a subject that you are interested in or know little about, but it just isn't always enjoyable. I'm not in school anymore, I don't really need to learn. I still have and read non-fiction books. I have a couple on my shelf right now that I am excited to read, but every time I look at them I give out a bit of a sigh thinking 'that's gonna take a long time to get through.'. Even fiction novels seem like slow reading to me.
So, below is my very modest collection of comics and graphic novels. It started out with 'Watchmen'. I read my brother's copy several years ago and gave it back. But then I wanted to re-read it because I felt like there were some things that I just missed in it. And I thought that while it would be just as easy to borrow it again, it would be a nice book to own. That way I could read it whenever I felt the need to. Then 'The Walking Dead' came to be. Once I got the first and second compendium, I wanted to keep with the theme. So I anxiously waited for the third one to come out. And sure, I could just start going out and buying the chapters as they are released, but I like having the big collections. Just how my mind works. And thanks to the successful Netflix show, I have really taken interest in Daredevil. The three that I have I bought for my birthday. They are the run that Frank Miller did in the late 70s and 80s. After reading the first collection, I am looking to add as much as possible. Going back to the very first one and adding everything in between. This is where sites like Amazon come in handy because you can find literally anything you want.
What I have found is that collections are the way to go, especially if you are interested in a comic or graphic novel that has been out for a long period of time. Or if you aren't up to having tons of little comics lying around. Plus, I'm not going to be running out every couple of weeks to update my collection. I would rather have these big books versus hundreds of small ones sitting around. It's all together in binding. You don't have to try keep going back to the bookshelf once you finish one and then find the next once. With collections you can just keep turning the pages.
I think that the one problem with comics is that there are just so many. And I'm not just talking titles, because we all know that, but plenty of comics books have been out for decades. DECADES. Daredevil started in the 1960s. So if you want to read everything that has been published, you are going through sixty years of publication. So you have the amount of time titles have been out, but then you also have different story arcs, alternate versions, crossovers, all kinds of things. And that's the cool thing about comics. In one universe you can have certain characters that are dead, but are brought back in other universes. Unless it's the 'Walking Dead'. Once you're gone, you stay gone. There is no alternate universe.
21 December 2012
2013: The Year of the Re-Read
While struggling to get into Walden, I looked through the stack of books I have yet to read. They are all books that I really want to read, but didn't find any of them interesting right now. I went to the book shelf to see if there were any books I hadn't yet read, but couldn't find any. Then I started to look at some of books I have already read. Is the point of owning books to just read them once or twice then never again? I think not.
For the next year, I will be putting the books I have not read back on the shelf and will dig into some of the books I have read already. I grabbed seven books to start with. Everything ranging from Hemingway to Stephen King to one of the few memoirs I have truly enjoyed. In 2012, I made a point to read six new books and it was tough at times because I felt like I was on a time crunch to finish the books before the end of the year. I don't want to pressure myself into finishing a set number of books. I've said it before and will say it again, I am a very slow reader. So whichever books I get through that'll be good enough for me this year.
It's like comfort food for the mind. All year long.
For the next year, I will be putting the books I have not read back on the shelf and will dig into some of the books I have read already. I grabbed seven books to start with. Everything ranging from Hemingway to Stephen King to one of the few memoirs I have truly enjoyed. In 2012, I made a point to read six new books and it was tough at times because I felt like I was on a time crunch to finish the books before the end of the year. I don't want to pressure myself into finishing a set number of books. I've said it before and will say it again, I am a very slow reader. So whichever books I get through that'll be good enough for me this year.
It's like comfort food for the mind. All year long.
05 October 2012
Six Pack of Books
I have finished my six books that I set out to read through the year. While I feel great for reaching my goal, it's just six books. Although it did lower the stack of unread books on the bookshelf, this isn't some huge accomplishment. Having a goal of reading through just six books isn't the largest of goals, but it was for me because I don't read quickly. What I feel best about is that these books were not all novels, three of them were history books. Heavy reading well worth it based on the topics.
The last book I read, Suttree by Cormac McCarthy, was extremely depressing. I've read books that have had sad moments when you put it down at the end of the night and just want to cry yourself to sleep or wonder how you can avoid such a situation, but this book....the entire time I was reading it, I felt really down. Maybe it was the way McCarthy painted the situations, he has such a great way with words. Don't believe me? Read 'The Road'.
I think that the one scene in the book that just got to me was four characters sleeping in an abandoned car and starting a fire on the floor boards just to keep warm and make it through the night. You can just see this old rusted out car with no windows, no wheels, remnants of seats. You can picture four grown men huddled on the floor of this car and being okay with the situation because they don't know a better life. I finished that part of the book and didn't read for about two weeks.
As with all of McCarthy's books that I read, it was a good book just really tough to get through. I need to find something light and fun to read now. I still have seven books that I haven't read, but I may try to find an old favorite. As long as it isn't 'The Jungle', the most depressing book I have ever read. EVER!
The last book I read, Suttree by Cormac McCarthy, was extremely depressing. I've read books that have had sad moments when you put it down at the end of the night and just want to cry yourself to sleep or wonder how you can avoid such a situation, but this book....the entire time I was reading it, I felt really down. Maybe it was the way McCarthy painted the situations, he has such a great way with words. Don't believe me? Read 'The Road'.
I think that the one scene in the book that just got to me was four characters sleeping in an abandoned car and starting a fire on the floor boards just to keep warm and make it through the night. You can just see this old rusted out car with no windows, no wheels, remnants of seats. You can picture four grown men huddled on the floor of this car and being okay with the situation because they don't know a better life. I finished that part of the book and didn't read for about two weeks.
As with all of McCarthy's books that I read, it was a good book just really tough to get through. I need to find something light and fun to read now. I still have seven books that I haven't read, but I may try to find an old favorite. As long as it isn't 'The Jungle', the most depressing book I have ever read. EVER!
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human SocietiesTell AllDamnedA Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas from 1492 to PresentSuttreeFounding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
06 August 2012
Chuck Being Chuck
I'm past the home stretch. I have but one book left in my little quest to feel like I have accomplished something in a year. After I finish up with these six books, I think I might just place every book I haven't read on my night stand. A bigger challenge to see how many I can get through before next January, which sadly is five months away.
When I was first introduced to Chuck Palahniuk's books I was a little skeptical. I read 'Fight Club' after seeing the movie so the twist in the book wasn't much of a twist to me. I picked up a few more of his books here and there and started to read them. 'Survivor' got me hooked on Palahniuk. Yes, his writing style is weird. Yes, his plots are twisted from time to time. Yes, I question whether or not I am ever going to read another one of his books. He has hits and misses, but doesn't every writer? The thing about his writing is he doesn't stick to one style. He changes his approach in each book and that is one thing I like about him. You never know how much different the next book is going to be. Is he ever going to win a Pulitzer Prize? Probably not. Would I read any of his books over, say, a James Patterson book? Absolutely.
'Damned' was a little more normal that I had anticipated, but still bordered on weird. After some of his other books that went way far out, it feels like he has dialed it back a little bit on the two books of his that I read this year. Just like 'Tell All' it took a while to get into the story because the main character didn't develop until a third of the way through the book.
I know that this book focused just mainly on the narrator, but what makes a book a good book or even a great book, is secondary characters. It's one thing to have a book mainly about one person, in the style of 'Old Man and the Sea', and have only a few minor characters that are around for just a few pages and it's another thing to introduce supporting characters, keep them around for the entire book, and not develop them. It's infuriating! But, it's what Chuck Palahniuk does. He writes whatever he wants to and probably tells his editor to get bent.
When I was first introduced to Chuck Palahniuk's books I was a little skeptical. I read 'Fight Club' after seeing the movie so the twist in the book wasn't much of a twist to me. I picked up a few more of his books here and there and started to read them. 'Survivor' got me hooked on Palahniuk. Yes, his writing style is weird. Yes, his plots are twisted from time to time. Yes, I question whether or not I am ever going to read another one of his books. He has hits and misses, but doesn't every writer? The thing about his writing is he doesn't stick to one style. He changes his approach in each book and that is one thing I like about him. You never know how much different the next book is going to be. Is he ever going to win a Pulitzer Prize? Probably not. Would I read any of his books over, say, a James Patterson book? Absolutely.
'Damned' was a little more normal that I had anticipated, but still bordered on weird. After some of his other books that went way far out, it feels like he has dialed it back a little bit on the two books of his that I read this year. Just like 'Tell All' it took a while to get into the story because the main character didn't develop until a third of the way through the book.
I know that this book focused just mainly on the narrator, but what makes a book a good book or even a great book, is secondary characters. It's one thing to have a book mainly about one person, in the style of 'Old Man and the Sea', and have only a few minor characters that are around for just a few pages and it's another thing to introduce supporting characters, keep them around for the entire book, and not develop them. It's infuriating! But, it's what Chuck Palahniuk does. He writes whatever he wants to and probably tells his editor to get bent.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human SocietiesTell AllDamnedA Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas from 1492 to Present- Suttree
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
06 July 2012
4/6, or 2/3, or whatever.
FINALLY made it through my fourth book of the year. Ward Churchill's 'A Little Matter of Genocide' is an in depth look at genocide of the Native American populations since Europeans started their continental infestation in 1492. More importantly, he argues that genocide isn't a singular occurrence which happened during World War II. As we all know, the most well known case of genocide was perpetrated by the Nazis against Jewish, homosexual, and physically handicapped amongst others. Churchill doesn't argue that it didn't happen, he just points out that it has happened throughout time and across all around the globe.
It was an interesting read, but I found myself getting a little bored with it at times. There are several parts of the books where he goes into details about historical events that I have read about. He wrote about it to make his points, but I found myself wondering when he was going to make his point. In the end, it's a great 'Angry Red Man Book' as I hear my wife saying that, but it shows that the term 'genocide' can be used in more than just reference to World War II. That's not a shot at what happened then, it's just that people shouldn't get angry when others use the term.
So I'm almost done with my small list for the year. Six books doesn't seem like a lot, but I would have hated myself if I set a goal of reading something like ten books and not reach it. This way, I can say that I exceeded the goal. So I feel better about myself.
It was an interesting read, but I found myself getting a little bored with it at times. There are several parts of the books where he goes into details about historical events that I have read about. He wrote about it to make his points, but I found myself wondering when he was going to make his point. In the end, it's a great 'Angry Red Man Book' as I hear my wife saying that, but it shows that the term 'genocide' can be used in more than just reference to World War II. That's not a shot at what happened then, it's just that people shouldn't get angry when others use the term.
So I'm almost done with my small list for the year. Six books doesn't seem like a lot, but I would have hated myself if I set a goal of reading something like ten books and not reach it. This way, I can say that I exceeded the goal. So I feel better about myself.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human SocietiesTell All- Damned
A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas from 1492 to Present- Suttree
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
18 April 2012
Half Done
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human SocietiesTell All- Damned
- A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas from 1492 to Present
- Suttree
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
I'm not say that it was a bad book, it just wasn't for me. It was well written, it was well researched and informative, and it was.....meh. Oh well, you can't love every history book you read and this one falls into that catagory.
03 March 2012
Love Him or Hate Him
Two books down, four to go. Basically ten months left in the year.
The nice thing about his books is that they are fairly short. This one was under two hundred pages. A nice break considering the last book I read was a history book. And over four hundred pages long (still don't regret reading it). The bad thing about his books is that the hook to get the reader to keep going is past the halfway point. Oh well, I still love his books.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human SocietiesTell All- Damned
- A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas from 1492 to Present
- Suttree
- Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
The nice thing about his books is that they are fairly short. This one was under two hundred pages. A nice break considering the last book I read was a history book. And over four hundred pages long (still don't regret reading it). The bad thing about his books is that the hook to get the reader to keep going is past the halfway point. Oh well, I still love his books.
17 January 2012
How to best the books and timelines
*Author's note: this is the 600th post at My Own Manifesto. Kind of a big deal*
So I made a resolution to read six books this year. Not the greatest resolution ever and kind of setting the low for an entire year, but reading one book in two months is a decent clip for me, so I'm sticking with it. Besides, resolutions don't have to be an earth shattering goal. Sometimes smaller, easier goals are the way to go.
The best way that I can see going about this is setting a day to day goal for the books. The one that I am reading right now is 450 some pages. So, I figured that if I read ten pages a day, I would be able to finish the book in a month and a half. Right now, I'm on page 145, so I'm a little behind. To be fair, I worked closing shifts most of the week last week so it threw a kink into the plan, but I have the day off today so I might find some time to pick up the slack. Besides, there is still a fifteen day grace period between the second a third month in which I need to finish this book (if I keep on the pace of two months per book). But that's a bad way to look at it. Plus, it isn't like I'm going to wait for the two months to end in the event that I finish a book a little early. That just means that there is more time to read the next book.
With the novels, it might be a little more difficult to just read ten pages a day. Just reading ten pages can leave you in the midst of great story development or a character revelation. Who wants to stop half way through that? With the history books, you are reading for knowledge. Pretty dry stuff despite the fact that it is really interesting. It's history, it has already happened. It's not going anywhere you don't expect it to take a big twist. That is part of the fun with the history books. It is more about analysis and opinion than it is about the main character and story line.
At least I find it fun.
So I made a resolution to read six books this year. Not the greatest resolution ever and kind of setting the low for an entire year, but reading one book in two months is a decent clip for me, so I'm sticking with it. Besides, resolutions don't have to be an earth shattering goal. Sometimes smaller, easier goals are the way to go.
The best way that I can see going about this is setting a day to day goal for the books. The one that I am reading right now is 450 some pages. So, I figured that if I read ten pages a day, I would be able to finish the book in a month and a half. Right now, I'm on page 145, so I'm a little behind. To be fair, I worked closing shifts most of the week last week so it threw a kink into the plan, but I have the day off today so I might find some time to pick up the slack. Besides, there is still a fifteen day grace period between the second a third month in which I need to finish this book (if I keep on the pace of two months per book). But that's a bad way to look at it. Plus, it isn't like I'm going to wait for the two months to end in the event that I finish a book a little early. That just means that there is more time to read the next book.
With the novels, it might be a little more difficult to just read ten pages a day. Just reading ten pages can leave you in the midst of great story development or a character revelation. Who wants to stop half way through that? With the history books, you are reading for knowledge. Pretty dry stuff despite the fact that it is really interesting. It's history, it has already happened. It's not going anywhere you don't expect it to take a big twist. That is part of the fun with the history books. It is more about analysis and opinion than it is about the main character and story line.
At least I find it fun.
03 January 2012
Onward resolution makers!
New year resolutions are a joke. I think that is why they are broken so easily. Not everyone has the tenacity to keep up year round on what they decide to do at the beginning of the year. I think one factor is that resolutions aren't specific enough. Some people want to lose weight over the course of the year, but does weighing 210 pounds in January and weighing 208 pounds at the end of December constitute a completion of a weight lose resolution? When people talk about losing weight, they don't target two pounds as a goal. What about exercising more? If you didn't work out at all the previous year, going to the gym once fulfills the resolution. For every failure there are successes too, don't get me wrong, but if you talk to people in June about how they are doing on their resolutions, how many of them just flat out laugh about it?
This year, I want to read a bunch of books, and by a bunch I mean a handful. I'm okay with the fact that I am a slow reader, but I have picked out six books I want to read over the course of the year. Six books doesn't sound like a lot, but it is a good goal for me.
So it begins. *Dramatic movie music*
This year, I want to read a bunch of books, and by a bunch I mean a handful. I'm okay with the fact that I am a slow reader, but I have picked out six books I want to read over the course of the year. Six books doesn't sound like a lot, but it is a good goal for me.
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
- Tell All
- Damned
- A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas from 1492 to Present
- Suttree
- Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
So it begins. *Dramatic movie music*
07 December 2011
Reading more (quickly)
I haven't ever really kept tabs on how many or how quickly I have read books. It's always been one of those things that I have done slowly, but it's one of those things I have enjoyed doing. I have people in my life, like my mom and wife, who can breeze through any book that they pick up. I know my mom will bring two or three books with her on vacations because she has always enjoyed reading and reading at long periods of time. That's why we got her a Kindle for Christmas last year. That way she can just bring that little tablet as opposed to her small library that she has back home. My wife is the same way. She can sit down for a couple of hours and just read. I've had to kick her out of bed a few times in the past because I had to get up early in the morning and she was still reading at midnight. It's just one of those things that some people can do for great lengths of time.
Not so much me. I think that part of the problem is that I read at night. I will want to keep reading, but I know that if I do, it wouldn't take long before it's eleven or later and I have to get up in four hours. So I read a chapter or two a night and call it good. Now, depending on the size of the book and the amount of chapters, that can take a very long time to get through just one book. And then there are the books that are broken up into three or four parts as opposed to chapters then it's all about finding a good stopping point. With a well written book, that is hard to do at times. It's usually about finding a page with a sentence ending it.
Around Christmas time and my birthday (only two months apart), I get several books or gift cards to a book store. I rush out to get books and add them to my collection. The problem? I still have books on the shelf from last Christmas and my last birthday that I have yet to read. I counted them out when we moved to Minnesota and if I remember correctly, I have fourteen books on the shelf that I haven't read yet. Some of them have been hanging around for more than a year. The bad thing is that I see them there collecting dust and I try to tell myself that I will read faster to get to them. The problem? Once I get to them, I will slow right down because there are more history books than novels. It's going to be heavy reading. It'll be like I'm back in college, but with no paper or discussion circle around which historian the author hacked or what facts did the author leave out to make their point or why book 'A' is more important than book 'B'. It'll be for pleasure. History reading for pleasure? Yeah, it happens.
I think that the best way to go about reading more in a year is to set aside more time during the day to read. During my weekends off finding time to sit in the bedroom away from the television and the computer and lose myself in the pages. You hear people say that they just want to curl up with a book and read the afternoon away and it can be easy for some people to do. I just never have because I am a slow reader and take my time reading through the piles of books that never have an end to them.
Not so much me. I think that part of the problem is that I read at night. I will want to keep reading, but I know that if I do, it wouldn't take long before it's eleven or later and I have to get up in four hours. So I read a chapter or two a night and call it good. Now, depending on the size of the book and the amount of chapters, that can take a very long time to get through just one book. And then there are the books that are broken up into three or four parts as opposed to chapters then it's all about finding a good stopping point. With a well written book, that is hard to do at times. It's usually about finding a page with a sentence ending it.
Around Christmas time and my birthday (only two months apart), I get several books or gift cards to a book store. I rush out to get books and add them to my collection. The problem? I still have books on the shelf from last Christmas and my last birthday that I have yet to read. I counted them out when we moved to Minnesota and if I remember correctly, I have fourteen books on the shelf that I haven't read yet. Some of them have been hanging around for more than a year. The bad thing is that I see them there collecting dust and I try to tell myself that I will read faster to get to them. The problem? Once I get to them, I will slow right down because there are more history books than novels. It's going to be heavy reading. It'll be like I'm back in college, but with no paper or discussion circle around which historian the author hacked or what facts did the author leave out to make their point or why book 'A' is more important than book 'B'. It'll be for pleasure. History reading for pleasure? Yeah, it happens.
I think that the best way to go about reading more in a year is to set aside more time during the day to read. During my weekends off finding time to sit in the bedroom away from the television and the computer and lose myself in the pages. You hear people say that they just want to curl up with a book and read the afternoon away and it can be easy for some people to do. I just never have because I am a slow reader and take my time reading through the piles of books that never have an end to them.
24 June 2011
Reading ADHD
I just finished reading the book 'The Handmaid's Tale' and while I enjoy reading a novel, I have a big place in my heart for short stories. Before I get into this writing, if you want to read a great science fiction novel about religious suppression and governmental realignment (amongst the more overt topic of the book), this is for you. It had been a while since I had read a sci-fi book, and this book held it's own.
Short stories are great for a reader just because they are something that are quick to pick up, get to the point, and wrap up. They are perfect for the end of the day, just need to relax before going to bed situation. Or if you are lying by the pool or at the beach during the summer while having a drink or two. You can't beat short stories. The nice thing about short stories is you can buy anthologies at bookstores so you can shop by genres. Earlier this year, I finished up a short story anthology that revolved around noir stories. So, they were very dark stories which was right up my alley. A few years ago, I read a book of spy short stories, which was something that I had never really read and it was something different than what I was use to. The books are fairly cheap if you shop right and can be economical for how much you spend on the book. If you can get twenty short stories for twelve dollars, it's worth it.
On the other hand, there are novels. The upper hand that novels have over short stories is development. Just overall development. Story development and character development. Novels really draw you in and can connect you to the characters. With short stories, it is over just as quickly as it began that there is no real connection you can make with any one character. You don't always have to identify with the main character of a novel, but it is easy to do. It is great to find a secondary character to connect with and find real meaning for them being involved in the story. The one downside to novels is how long it takes to read. You take a three hundred page novel versus a ten page short story, it's obvious which is easiest to get through, but in the end, you can get more satisfaction with reading a novel. There is just so much to get through and analyse as you are reading. I know when there are times when I want to go back and re-read something that I thought I read but cannot remember where it was and if you are half way through a novel, that can be difficult trying to find.
In the end, I am never going to turn down reading a book. I think one thing that keeps me going back to short stories is the ease of reading them. From start to finish, you can get through the short story in half an hour at the most. Novels on the other hand can take me a month or so to read. I am a slow reader, I admit it. I have always used the term reading ADHD or ADD when it comes to reading. I like reading novels, but I get distracted and bored at times with them. Especially if it is a slow moving novel at the beginning of it. If it takes sixty to seventy pages to get going with the storyline, it can drag on for quite a while.
Short stories are great for a reader just because they are something that are quick to pick up, get to the point, and wrap up. They are perfect for the end of the day, just need to relax before going to bed situation. Or if you are lying by the pool or at the beach during the summer while having a drink or two. You can't beat short stories. The nice thing about short stories is you can buy anthologies at bookstores so you can shop by genres. Earlier this year, I finished up a short story anthology that revolved around noir stories. So, they were very dark stories which was right up my alley. A few years ago, I read a book of spy short stories, which was something that I had never really read and it was something different than what I was use to. The books are fairly cheap if you shop right and can be economical for how much you spend on the book. If you can get twenty short stories for twelve dollars, it's worth it.
On the other hand, there are novels. The upper hand that novels have over short stories is development. Just overall development. Story development and character development. Novels really draw you in and can connect you to the characters. With short stories, it is over just as quickly as it began that there is no real connection you can make with any one character. You don't always have to identify with the main character of a novel, but it is easy to do. It is great to find a secondary character to connect with and find real meaning for them being involved in the story. The one downside to novels is how long it takes to read. You take a three hundred page novel versus a ten page short story, it's obvious which is easiest to get through, but in the end, you can get more satisfaction with reading a novel. There is just so much to get through and analyse as you are reading. I know when there are times when I want to go back and re-read something that I thought I read but cannot remember where it was and if you are half way through a novel, that can be difficult trying to find.
In the end, I am never going to turn down reading a book. I think one thing that keeps me going back to short stories is the ease of reading them. From start to finish, you can get through the short story in half an hour at the most. Novels on the other hand can take me a month or so to read. I am a slow reader, I admit it. I have always used the term reading ADHD or ADD when it comes to reading. I like reading novels, but I get distracted and bored at times with them. Especially if it is a slow moving novel at the beginning of it. If it takes sixty to seventy pages to get going with the storyline, it can drag on for quite a while.
23 October 2009
Books
I finished reading a book last night and as I tried to pick out another one, I came up with a thought. If I could only choose three books to keep, which would they be? I came up with two of them, but can't think of the third one. These aren't books that I picked because I have just recently read them, these are books that I have read over and over again. Books that I can start even when reading other books and will finish before finishing any other book.
The first two are The Catcher in the Rye and The Road. I first read Catcher in high school, tenth grade. The perfect time to read it. Perfect character association for any boy of fifteen or sixteen. Immediately I was hooked. Because of this book, I went out and bought the rest of the short stories that J.D. Salinger wrote and just read through them like they were the Sunday paper. I suppose I also admire Salinger for giving everyone the big middle finger and going to live in the middle of nowhere. Reclusive lifestyle is the way to go.
And then there is The Road. With Cormac McCarthy it all has to do with style. Once you get use to reading the way he writes, you are done. Some of the sentences that he puts together are just mind blowing. I re-read several paragraphs in this book just because they were beautiful. My brother bought this book for me, and I can never thank him enough. After finishing it the first time, I started reading it again. Yeah, it is that good.
But that is it. I have yet to find that last great book that I can read and read and read.
The first two are The Catcher in the Rye and The Road. I first read Catcher in high school, tenth grade. The perfect time to read it. Perfect character association for any boy of fifteen or sixteen. Immediately I was hooked. Because of this book, I went out and bought the rest of the short stories that J.D. Salinger wrote and just read through them like they were the Sunday paper. I suppose I also admire Salinger for giving everyone the big middle finger and going to live in the middle of nowhere. Reclusive lifestyle is the way to go.
And then there is The Road. With Cormac McCarthy it all has to do with style. Once you get use to reading the way he writes, you are done. Some of the sentences that he puts together are just mind blowing. I re-read several paragraphs in this book just because they were beautiful. My brother bought this book for me, and I can never thank him enough. After finishing it the first time, I started reading it again. Yeah, it is that good.
But that is it. I have yet to find that last great book that I can read and read and read.
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