Bookworms: How Do You Read So Many Books?

[tempest@de]

I dislike greatly when an author tends to repent something along the book, like the recap in the mystery that was mentioned before, sometimes authors like to repeat some description or the connection between some characters or whatever, I found it annoying, it was said before so why repeat it? For me the only reason to do so is to write a longer book so the chances that I’m going to read another book from that author are greatly diminished.

I read fiction and sometimes I also skim the scenes that are to descriptive, when it is about something that I don’t really care about and that ads nothing to the book, like the detailed wardrobe of someone, also don’t want to read about sports, I’ve come across some books where the character played some kind of sports, I don’t want to read a scene detailing a sports game , with all the rules and whatever, when they talk about innings and goals, I can’t make sense of it has I don’t know the sport and let’s face it I don’t care enough to try to understand it, so I jump right through that.

Someone talked about architectural details, for me it a bit the opposite, if I read that the house was a cape cod house I wouldn’t know what the house looked like, so I need a little more detail than that to envision it, that being said I don’t expect the author to detail the house in several pages, just a paragraph with a description is enough for my imagination.

[Wearever]

I don't consider myself a bookworm, but I have been reading more books lately. I read to relax. I don't watch much T.V. only once in a while if I see something on Prime. I cut the cord on cable years ago. So I read at night mostly.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Atunah

You know, sitting around all day surrounded by cats eating bon bons while reading romance.

Except for the 'reading romance' part, that doesn't sound so bad to me.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I don't understand why so many skip or skim descriptions of scenery or places. For me, a strong sense of place is important in order to become immersed in a book. I especially like writers who write descriptions using all the senses, so I know what a place looks like, smells like, feels like, sounds like, yes even tastes like. (At the moment I keep reading about the salty taste of the sea.)

I'm with you there. Descriptive passages, even 'overly descriptive' passages can really help me cement a particular time/place and mood to a story.

I realize that's not to everyone's taste, but I appreciate it. I do notice sometimes when reading a book that I have no clue what the characters look like. For me, that's worse than having their clothes, etc described.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by issybird

Speaking of myself, I couldn't begin to say how fast I read and as has been said above, my reading speed varies widely with conditions anyway.

My reading speed is exactly 30 pages in 60 minutes, so I take 10 hours to read a 300 page book. Caveat: This is with my own custom setting for page counts in calibre, and therefore every 300 page book is exactly the same length as any other 300 page book.

However, when reading someone like Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, where he sticks names like J'ao E'Tuni'kai'i throughout the story (and then, 500 of them), it does tend to drop my reading speed.

PS: I actually dislike this. Just call the city Jao Etuni Kai or something, so my eye doesn't catch on the apostrophes as if they're thorns. It saves me a lot of sorrow and memory.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

PS: I actually dislike this. Just call the city Jao Etuni Kai or something, so my eye doesn't catch on the apostrophes as if they're thorns. It saves me a lot of sorrow and memory.

Someone once referred to that as apostropocalypse. I've used it ever since.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

However, when reading someone like Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, where he sticks names like J'ao E'Tuni'kai'i throughout the story (and then, 500 of them), it does tend to drop my reading speed.

PS: I actually dislike this. Just call the city Jao Etuni Kai or something, so my eye doesn't catch on the apostrophes as if they're thorns. It saves me a lot of sorrow and memory.

Or better yet just call it Jao City.

I'm allergic to unpronounceable words with apostrophes. No amount of Clarinex will keep me reading.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I'm with you there. Descriptive passages, even 'overly descriptive' passages can really help me cement a particular time/place and mood to a story.

I realize that's not to everyone's taste, but I appreciate it. I do notice sometimes when reading a book that I have no clue what the characters look like. For me, that's worse than having their clothes, etc described.

Descriptive, yes. Overly descriptive to the point where you are boring the reader, no. The point where the reader gets bored is personal. For me, the line is where I begin to wonder if the author accidentally published their entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Descriptive, yes. Overly descriptive to the point where you are boring the reader, no. The point where the reader gets bored is personal.

Yeah, kinda like how spicy is too spicy?

For me, the line is where I begin to wonder if the author accidentally published their entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest.

I've mulled over reading some of his work

[ekbell]

I am completely unable to visualize so I tend to skim detailed descriptions for connotation/implication and any non-visual detail (I do enjoy a author that includes all the senses).

From my point of view a good description covers as many senses as feasible and either sets a mood (say grim&gritty or happy&cheerful) or provides information that the reader of that genre can be expected to be interested in.

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by Atunah View Post
You know, sitting around all day surrounded by cats eating bon bons while reading romance.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Except for the 'reading romance' part, that doesn't sound so bad to me.

Who would be eating the bon bons. You or the cats?

[Deskisamess]

My only real complaint about long descriptive passages is when they are being used as filler. One Amish fiction book I read had a description of their characters clothing on almost every page. 5-6 times in one chapter, I was told about the male character's dark blue broadcloth pants and shirt. He wore the same thing all the time, it wasn't necessary to mention it over and over again. The only purpose was padding.

If the material for the book isn't full enough for a full book, write a short story or novella. Don't turn a 120 page novella into a 230 page piece of padded fluff.

I skim long segments of descriptions that I don't understand. The Martian had many passages concerning math & science that I didn't understand, and I did skim those.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Except for the 'reading romance' part, that doesn't sound so bad to me.

Ha. For me its only the cats that I would enjoy. And the reading romance.
Although I am currently cat-less until I move. Even if I could, I don't think I would want to sit all day. And bon bon's would have to be low carb. Maybe cheese sticks and salami instead.

My legs fall asleep if I sit to long in one spot. Its something that happens at times when I get caught up in a book and forget to move. Doesn't take long either.

[Alohamora]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I skim long segments of descriptions that I don't understand. The Martian had many passages concerning math & science that I didn't understand, and I did skim those.

Oh my yes. I tried to follow the chemistry explanations the first few times, with little success. My enjoyment of the book increased immensely once I start just glossing over the science details. I have no idea if the explanations were pausible or not and I never cared a bit.

[Catlady]

I don't consider descriptions as an aid to visualizing--I don't visualize--but the words themselves are important to the mood the writer is creating. I would never skip descriptive passages; doing so would be like reading an abridged book.