Is all reading good?

[nomesque]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Most books I read are good. Informative. Only a small percentage is recreation.
I like SF books, but don't frequently read one anymore.
In this demanding times where time seems to be shortened, I spend more time reading informative books like science or history books, rather than entertainment books.

Aha! Now this is an interesting point I see before me (or I think I see it)!

Please don't take offense at this... but I understand from your signature that you're unemployed at the moment?

When I'm not working fulltime, I tend to read history, theology, science, etc. Some very in-depth stuff. However, I've been working full-time for over five years now. And my work is very involved, and requires a lot of brainpower and research. Hence, I'm not at ALL interested in reading anything educational when I get home. I'm all researched out. Reading for fun, these days, is anything that entertains me while not requiring me to think too hard or keep ahold of too many concepts at a time. Light, pulpy stuff.

[Stitchawl]

Read everything. Let your brain sort out the useful or informative or entertaining from the trashy wasted time. Read everything.

Ever been on a looong backpacking trip? The sort where you've finished your book by the 4th-5th day and have nothing left to read? And you find yourself reading the directions to the dehydrated soup? Reading the manufacturing tags in your clothing? Reading your palm?

Reading is brain exercise. Reading Chaucer, Joyce, or Clauswitz is sort of like doing 500 sit-ups followed by 500 push-ups (press-ups for our UK cousins,) lifting free weights for an hour, followed by running 50k. A wee bit excessive for everyday exercise.
Reading Kellerman, Brown, Child, Parker, etc., is quite like riding a stationary bike for 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes on the StairMaster, then 20 minutes fast walking on the treadmill. Perhaps a wee bit too easy on the body, but still with some effect.

Alternating days with these two exercise plans might just be the way to get/stay in shape?

Read everything. Let your brain sort out the useful or informative or entertaining from the trashy wasted time. Read everything. Nothing will be lost.

Stitchawl

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Most books I read are good. Informative. Only a small percentage is recreation.
[...]
In my mind, entertainment is good for people who have the time to be entertained.
I have plenty of time, but not enough to be 'wasted' on entertainment books...

I also find that a lot of unmotivated people love to read entertainment books,while motivated people, if they are reading, are often reading stuff that will help them in their course of life.

Woah, dude! You need to, like, chill out! Seriously. Life is too short to waste your time on a purpose (or all of your time anyway). What are you doing all this for, if it's not to enjoy yourself once in a while?

You seem to assume that anything enjoyable is either useless or shameful. And to assume that a book cannot be good and entertaining at the same time. You are missing out on a lot of life, you know.

Just because a book isn't a user manual to life doesn't mean it's not useful. Life isn't something you figure out with a manual.

[Hellmark]

I work and go to school full time, leaving very little time for doing a lot of different things, but since I am being productive most of the time, I prefer to read for entertainment. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. When I went camping for the first time a month back, where did I learn how to start a camp fire? Stephen King. I've learned a lot of things just reading for fun.

[nomesque]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

I work and go to school full time, leaving very little time for doing a lot of different things, but since I am being productive most of the time, I prefer to read for entertainment. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. When I went camping for the first time a month back, where did I learn how to start a camp fire? Stephen King. I've learned a lot of things just reading for fun.

Well, beats learning it from Lord of the Flies I guess... (beat up some nearsighted kid, steal his glasses, focus the sunlight into a pinpoint)

[lovestoreadalot]

*****

[lovestoreadalot]

*****

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by lovestoreadalot

Who's James Baldwin?

Can't say that I've come across him, but perhaps this chap?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin_(writer)

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by nomesque

Well, beats learning it from Lord of the Flies I guess... (beat up some nearsighted kid, steal his glasses, focus the sunlight into a pinpoint)

I suggest beating up a *far*sighted kid if that's your goal

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

I suggest beating up a *far*sighted kid if that's your goal

Probably make a better story that way.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

I suggest beating up a *far*sighted kid if that's your goal

Or you could do a Larson and beat up a farsided kid.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself...

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can't say that I've come across him, but perhaps this chap?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin_(writer)

Harry! I'm a bit surprised.
We are of roughly the same generation and to not even know of Baldwin's writings is almost a sin! I guess you could be forgiven as you are not an American who lived through the turbulent 50's, 60's and 70's and the racial problems that plagued America.

Baldwin was an outspoken author of novels, plays, and short stories dealing with racial issues, one of the major authors bringing to light the problems faced by black people in the US, as well as the various common problems faced by all people but through the eyes of a black character. Excellent stuff, quite enlightening at the time, and well worth looking in to.

If you're interested, I'd recommend;
"Another Country"
"Go Tell It on the Mountain"
"Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone"

Stitchawl

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Hey everyone... this is a really interesting discussion. Let's stay positive with everything. Wrt PKFFW's original comment, I thought it was a good one and I appreciated what was shared. Even the most dedicated pursuit of life's goals will (usually) leave some time for much needed recreation, and that fits with reading as well.

Seems to me that books are a lot like other activities in life - we choose them for a purpose.

I think you are making an assumption here that is not true for all people and I do not think it is true for nearly all either. And that is that people have a purpose and that people mostly make informed decisions in pursuit of this purpose.

Of course it is true in a trivial way if you consider to read interesting or entertaining books as a purpose. But I assume it was not that kind of purpose you were talking about.

[Bob Russell]

Originally Posted by tompe

Of course it is true in a trivial way if you consider to read interesting or entertaining books as a purpose. But I assume it was not that kind of purpose you were talking about.

Actually, I agree with you. I probably didn't explain myself very well before, but I am saying that entertainment is a legit purpose for reading a book. (As in "a purpose for reading the book", not "a life purpose that the book is meant to support".)

When I choose a spy thriller, it's not because I feel like I'll learn something. I might learn something by accident if the author has exotic locations I get to "experience", or describes spy gadgets that I didn't know about, or has interesting situations that make you think about life and human nature or whatever. But with that style of fiction, you rarely know what's true and what's made up or exaggerated for the story.

So, bottom line, my entire purpose for choosing that kind of book is pure entertainment, and I think that's a valid purpose. In fact, when I have insomnia, it's also a nice way to read myself to sleep. (Of course, that can backfire as well, because if it's a real page turner, I won't put it down until I can't hold my eyes open anymore!)

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by lovestoreadalot

You have not read it yet still say it isn't that great of a story?
How can a story of a vampire who falls in love with a human girl yet has to control his urge to kill her NOT a great story.

Not everyone likes love stories.
Not everyone likes vampires.
Not everyone likes vampire love stories.

If you don't like those things, you won't like Twilight. Forbidden love is one of the oldest stories there is, and Stephenie Meyer's take on it isn't entirely original. In many ways, Twilight is like the Da Vinci Code. It's very successful and extremely popular, but most professional writers don't consider it very well-written.

However, it is a book that connects with one group of people on a very deep level, and those people (Twilight fans) love it. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes all a book needs to become someone's favorite is that it be the "right" book at the time, not necessarily the "best" book they've read.

Not everyone is going to like Twilight, nor should they. Personally, I don't think it's going to go down as great literature, but really it's too early to tell. One of the keys to great literature is that it's timeless - and it takes time to realize that. At a minimum it takes a generation, and Twilight hasn't been in print long enough. If Twilight speaks as strongly to the children of its current readers when they are in their teens, it may become a classic. If other books hold their attention, then Twilight probably won't become a classic.

Personally, the thing I like best about Twilight is that it's made a generation passionate about reading; and that's a good thing.