Is all reading good?

[kazbates]

I love books that are set in other countries. I'm not much of a traveller, so experiencing different locals and cultures through an author's writings is a bonus no matter what genre I am reading. With the cost of travel and the vagaries of life, I doubt I will ever get to someplace like Sydney, Australia. Sure I can google Sydney and see pictures or even see the city in a movie setting, but, many times words paint a deeper picture for me.

That is also a reason I prefer reading a book as opposed to seeing a movie based on the book. I like to build my own pictures with my imagination, flexing my brain "muscles", so to speak. If I let someone else's imagination do the work, I feel like I've lost something of my own.

As for the actual purpose of reading, I read a lot of trade journals to keep up with the latest and greatest in my profession particularly since I am not working at the moment. Even in those illustrious publications, I have to separate the wheat from the chaff to find what I think will work best for me. In other words, it doesn't matter if I'm reading for personal or professional growth or just for fun, there is always going to be good stuff and bad stuff. It's up to you, the reader, to decide which is what.

[Format C:]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

It is easy to say that reading more is good. We all seem to agree it's better to read more. And many find that e-books help with reading, because they make it convenient and enjoyable.

But does it also matter what we read? Mark Twain said, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."

Clearly, there are multiple ways for books to be good for us. They may profit us because we learn. Because they make us think about the world, our life, and the people we relate to. We read in books of people who we desire to emulate in ways. Some books are profitable because they are an escape and a chance to refresh ourselves and reset ourselves in a demanding world. (If we do that with TV, for example, we may feel all the more like we wasted our time or that we are more tired than when we started.)

But I think that it's true. I'm better off for reading some books, but could be all the worse after reading others. Think about the books you read. Are they harmless fun, clearly profitable, or are they potentially even not good for you? I tend to think that we say reading is always good simply because we all have different opinions of which books are good for you and which are not, and because we optimistically assume that we only read the books that are good for us, whether to make us a better person or just to provide entertainment.

So that's the question of the day - Why do you choose the books you read, and are they "good for you"?

I'm a junkie.
I mostly read while subject to withdrawal symptoms.

Once I did read to escape from reality, but it was a long time ago...

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by Format C:

I'm a junkie.
I mostly read while subject to withdrawal symptoms.

Once I did read to escape from reality, but it was a long time ago...

Withdrawal? Never had one in my life. You just have to have a book ready at all times

[nomesque]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

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

Hence, not learning fire-starting techniques from Lord of the Flies!

(not that I've tried this, but apparently the focal effect is all wrong for starting fires in glasses for near-sighted folks, so the boys could never have lit a fire using Piggy's glasses)

[jbjb]

Originally Posted by nomesque

Hence, not learning fire-starting techniques from Lord of the Flies!

(not that I've tried this, but apparently the focal effect is all wrong for starting fires in glasses for near-sighted folks, so the boys could never have lit a fire using Piggy's glasses)

Near sighted people have concave lenses in their glasses. To start a fire you need a convex lens.

/JB

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by jbjb

Near sighted people have concave lenses in their glasses. To start a fire you need a convex lens.

/JB

This must be the cultural difference. Where I grew up they taught us to make fire by rubbing a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout together.

Stitchawl

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

This must be the cultural difference. Where I grew up they taught us to make fire by rubbing a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout together.

Stitchawl

I thought they did THAT on their own.

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

This must be the cultural difference. Where I grew up they taught us to make fire by rubbing a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout together.

Stitchawl

I've gotta tell you, Stitchall, the more of your posts I read, the more I realize you've lived a VERY interesting life!!

[ahi]

Originally Posted by jbjb

Near sighted people have concave lenses in their glasses. To start a fire you need a convex lens.

/JB

Couldn't you just flip it around?

- Ahi

[Abecedary]

Originally Posted by ahi

Couldn't you just flip it around?

- Ahi

No, silly. Then you wouldn't be able to see what you're doing...

[jbjb]

Originally Posted by ahi

Couldn't you just flip it around?

- Ahi

No - a concave lens is thinner in the middle than at the edges. Flip it around and it's still thinner in the middle than at the edges.

A concave lens is diverging - it will spread out the light. A convex lens is converging, and will concentrate the sunlight onto a point, which is what is needed to start the fire.

/JB

[kennyc]

Lens....Prism....Mirror

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kazbates

I've gotta tell you, Stitchall, the more of your posts I read, the more I realize you've lived a VERY interesting life!!

I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

Stitchawl

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

Stitchawl

and if you say any more, you'll have to kill her, right?

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

Stitchawl

Aww, don't go all Washington Politician on me!! I think a Tell-All book should be in the works for you. I know I would be the first in line at the ebook stores to download it!!