This is probably the reason why there are so few readers out there - Page 12

DMB · 01-10-2011, 11:46 AM

The makeup or book idea makes me laugh. When my 16th birthday came along (in the mid-1950s) I had discussed with my mother what I wanted for my birthday. I was just in the early stages of using makeup and mascara wands had just been introduced by Helena Rubenstein as an alternative to the cakes you spat on and then rubbed a tiny brush on. I coveted one of these.

My mother, who had a demanding job, said she didn't have enough time to look for one, so she gave me the money. Clutching it in my hot little hand, I made my way towards the town centre on Saturday morning. But on the way I passed a bookshop. In the window there was a new hardback edition of the complete works of William Wycherley. I was transfixed. It was no contest: I was soon the proud owner of the Wycherley, the first brand new hardback I ever bought. I still have it.

I have to say that studying English literature to A-level standard at school opened up a whole new world to me and got me interested in literature in a way that might never have happened otherwise. I was always an avid reader, but I did read a lot of junk as a child.

I do sympathise with people who find reading books a bit of an uphill struggle. I am a fast and fluent reader -- in English. I can and do read books in French but not as much as I perhaps ought to. The reason is simply that it's more effort. My reading speed goes down and I have to look up occasional words in a dictionary, which spoils the flow.

BecomingMe · 01-10-2011, 07:00 PM

Alas I've seen the behaviour described by the mother many times...one of my student's had a shirt that said "I'm too pretty to think"...her mom bought if for her and thought this aptly described them both (her mom bought one too)...this is but one of many...

I also have a BIL who believes that those who read are socialized communists...until "The Shack"...BTW he is a Born again kinda guy with very NPD issues...oh, and he didn't read the book, it was an audio book, because "reading is stupid"...but yet he is married to my sister who is an avid reader...go figure. I know that he has some learning disabilities and I think he overcompensates for that by deriding anyone who likes to read...

I'm also grateful to my parents for their example that they set. When I was younger my sister (the one mentioned above) didn't like to read, so a teacher suggested that she read at least 10 minutes a day at home...but my parents wanted the best and tended to go a bit overboard, so every day for a minimum of 30 minutes every day, everyone had to read. TV was off, no talking, no anything, parent's read too...so you either read, or were dearly bored and/or got a spanking (no I don't advocate spanking, just explaining how it was in my house)...

Since that time, I can read for most anything, to escape, to learn, to understand others...the world is at my fingertips...I hope this little girl can keep it up...

wvcherrybomb · 01-10-2011, 08:08 PM

This is an interesting conversation because it makes me think of my own childhood and wonder where my sister and I got our love of books and reading. We are addicts.

I never once saw either of my parents read a book. I saw my mom reading magazines sometimes, but only when we were camping or on the beach and there was no tv.

By contrast, my kids have seen me reading nearly every single day since birth and yet only one reads as much as I do. The other three are all occasional pleasure readers. They are all adults except one so I think their reading patterns are pretty well established.

My husband will be 50 in March and has only read one book in his entire life. Sad but true.

WT Sharpe · 01-11-2011, 05:53 AM

I took the car in for an oil change yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at how many people were reading books while waiting for their car to be serviced. The bad news is that I took my Kindle, and wished I hadn't, because I was there in the morning after a 12-hour shift, and could barely keep my eyes open. I was afraid at any minute I'd fall asleep and drop the reader on the floor. Also, at one point I was trying to read a bit in Greek, and I find as a newbie in the language that I can't read without moving my lips, which makes me look sort of lame.

boxcorner · 01-11-2011, 06:17 AM

Whenever I visit people, I look for books and notice if they leave the TV on.

silasgreenback · 01-11-2011, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Whenever I visit people, I look for books and notice if they leave the TV on.

An empty bookshelf and Jersey Shore up loud isn't as bad as a bathroom full of beauty products and nary a bar of soap to be found outside the tub.

RolandD · 01-14-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Whenever I visit people, I look for books and notice if they leave the TV on.

I wonder what you'd make of my house? The TV is on most of the time for background noise, and only one or two books in sight. No Kindles, Nooks, etc., but you might find all four of us sitting around looking intently at our phones.

Jar Jar Binks · 01-14-2011, 09:36 PM

"This is an interesting conversation because it makes me think of my own childhood and wonder where my sister and I got our love of books and reading. We are addicts.

I never once saw either of my parents read a book. I saw my mom reading magazines sometimes, but only when we were camping or on the beach and there was no tv.

By contrast, my kids have seen me reading nearly every single day since birth and yet only one reads as much as I do. The other three are all occasional pleasure readers. They are all adults except one so I think their reading patterns are pretty well established.

My husband will be 50 in March and has only read one book in his entire life. Sad but true. "

Hmmm that makes me wonder what got me into reading I never saw my parents read. Ahhh but my grandmother read to me when I was a child. And She was so good at it.
Thanks for the memory trigger WV cherrybomb

teadonkey · 01-14-2011, 09:47 PM

This is more in response to the OP than what's going on now, but I sort of blame schooling for lack of readers. In order to really appreciate reading, you need to be a critical thinker. In schools today, you don't learn critical thinking. You learn to memorize and regurgitate information for a number scale grade. How can you learn to appreciate reading if nobody's teaching you?

Clearly, though SOME people are learning to appreciate reading, if there's a forum like this. And if eReaders are making money. And if bookstores are making money. I'd argue there's a heck of a lot more readers out there than people give society credit for.

Also - This is just a thought I've had recently. I think that people who REALLY love reading are the visual learners/thinkers. Y'know how teachers are always splitting people in groups of visual/auditory/whatever? I don't really know all the types, I've never put much stock into it. I find I learn best when I do all kinds of learning. But my point is, to really enjoy a book, you'd have to be able to visualize the world being set up for you. Otherwise, you're just staring at a ton of letters and who wants to do that? So... not everyone is made to be a reader?

boxcorner · 01-15-2011, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RolandD

I wonder what you'd make of my house? The TV is on most of the time for background noise, and only one or two books in sight. No Kindles, Nooks, etc., but you might find all four of us sitting around looking intently at our phones.

Continue the quest for civilisation, naturally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teadonkey

... I think that people who REALLY love reading are the visual learners/thinkers. Y'know how teachers are always splitting people in groups of visual/auditory/whatever? I don't really know all the types, I've never put much stock into it. I find I learn best when I do all kinds of learning. But my point is, to really enjoy a book, you'd have to be able to visualize the world being set up for you. Otherwise, you're just staring at a ton of letters and who wants to do that? So... not everyone is made to be a reader?

The eureka moment for me was back in the 70s, when I read Tony Buzan's book Use Your Head.

Maggie Leung · 01-15-2011, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Whenever I visit people, I look for books and notice if they leave the TV on.

I rarely invite people into my book room. All my books are there. All my husband's books are in his office. Judging by the parts of the house that we let most people see, we don't read, lol.

We cut out TV years ago, so we have to warn guests before they come stay. Some get twitchy without TV.

boxcorner · 01-15-2011, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I rarely invite people into my book room. All my books are there. All my husband's books are in his office ...

Some people prefer to keep their books in a study, but ours are spread throughout the house, as they're an essential part of our lives. It is interesting watching expressions, when visitors discover they are surrounded by books. Some people cannot keep their eyes off them, whereas others ignore them completely and express surprise that we don't keep a TV in the living room.

Maggie Leung · 01-15-2011, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Some people prefer to keep their books in a study, but ours are spread throughout the house, as they're an essential part of our lives. It is interesting watching expressions, when visitors discover they are surrounded by books. Some people cannot keep their eyes off them, whereas others ignore them completely and express surprise that we don't keep a TV in the living room.

I consider a book room essential. I won't buy a house without room for one, lol.

Latinandgreek · 01-15-2011, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RolandD

I wonder what you'd make of my house? The TV is on most of the time for background noise, and only one or two books in sight. No Kindles, Nooks, etc., but you might find all four of us sitting around looking intently at our phones.

And yet, judging by your ticker you average an astonishing book read every two days.

DMB · 01-15-2011, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teadonkey

Also - This is just a thought I've had recently. I think that people who REALLY love reading are the visual learners/thinkers. Y'know how teachers are always splitting people in groups of visual/auditory/whatever? I don't really know all the types, I've never put much stock into it. I find I learn best when I do all kinds of learning. But my point is, to really enjoy a book, you'd have to be able to visualize the world being set up for you. Otherwise, you're just staring at a ton of letters and who wants to do that? So... not everyone is made to be a reader?

I wonder if you're right on this. I certainly fall into that category. I take in information much better from the printed page than from listening to someone speaking. My husband is the other way round and drives me mad by reading stuff aloud to me instead of letting me read it for myself.

01-10-2011, 07:00 PM	#167
BecomingMe Member Posts: 12 Karma: 68 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Arizona Device: Nook	Alas I've seen the behaviour described by the mother many times...one of my student's had a shirt that said "I'm too pretty to think"...her mom bought if for her and thought this aptly described them both (her mom bought one too)...this is but one of many... I also have a BIL who believes that those who read are socialized communists...until "The Shack"...BTW he is a Born again kinda guy with very NPD issues...oh, and he didn't read the book, it was an audio book, because "reading is stupid"...but yet he is married to my sister who is an avid reader...go figure. I know that he has some learning disabilities and I think he overcompensates for that by deriding anyone who likes to read... I'm also grateful to my parents for their example that they set. When I was younger my sister (the one mentioned above) didn't like to read, so a teacher suggested that she read at least 10 minutes a day at home...but my parents wanted the best and tended to go a bit overboard, so every day for a minimum of 30 minutes every day, everyone had to read. TV was off, no talking, no anything, parent's read too...so you either read, or were dearly bored and/or got a spanking (no I don't advocate spanking, just explaining how it was in my house)... Since that time, I can read for most anything, to escape, to learn, to understand others...the world is at my fingertips...I hope this little girl can keep it up... Last edited by BecomingMe; 01-17-2011 at 01:01 PM.

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01-10-2011, 11:46 AM	#166
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	The makeup or book idea makes me laugh. When my 16th birthday came along (in the mid-1950s) I had discussed with my mother what I wanted for my birthday. I was just in the early stages of using makeup and mascara wands had just been introduced by Helena Rubenstein as an alternative to the cakes you spat on and then rubbed a tiny brush on. I coveted one of these. My mother, who had a demanding job, said she didn't have enough time to look for one, so she gave me the money. Clutching it in my hot little hand, I made my way towards the town centre on Saturday morning. But on the way I passed a bookshop. In the window there was a new hardback edition of the complete works of William Wycherley. I was transfixed. It was no contest: I was soon the proud owner of the Wycherley, the first brand new hardback I ever bought. I still have it. I have to say that studying English literature to A-level standard at school opened up a whole new world to me and got me interested in literature in a way that might never have happened otherwise. I was always an avid reader, but I did read a lot of junk as a child. I do sympathise with people who find reading books a bit of an uphill struggle. I am a fast and fluent reader -- in English. I can and do read books in French but not as much as I perhaps ought to. The reason is simply that it's more effort. My reading speed goes down and I have to look up occasional words in a dictionary, which spoils the flow.

01-10-2011, 08:08 PM	#168
wvcherrybomb Sharp Shootin' Grandma Posts: 847 Karma: 1123940 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Literati (has been adopted by my daughter)	This is an interesting conversation because it makes me think of my own childhood and wonder where my sister and I got our love of books and reading. We are addicts. I never once saw either of my parents read a book. I saw my mom reading magazines sometimes, but only when we were camping or on the beach and there was no tv. By contrast, my kids have seen me reading nearly every single day since birth and yet only one reads as much as I do. The other three are all occasional pleasure readers. They are all adults except one so I think their reading patterns are pretty well established. My husband will be 50 in March and has only read one book in his entire life. Sad but true.

01-11-2011, 05:53 AM	#169
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,073 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I took the car in for an oil change yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at how many people were reading books while waiting for their car to be serviced. The bad news is that I took my Kindle, and wished I hadn't, because I was there in the morning after a 12-hour shift, and could barely keep my eyes open. I was afraid at any minute I'd fall asleep and drop the reader on the floor. Also, at one point I was trying to read a bit in Greek, and I find as a newbie in the language that I can't read without moving my lips, which makes me look sort of lame.

01-11-2011, 06:17 AM	#170
boxcorner »(°±°)« Posts: 826 Karma: 775629 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: divisive reader	Whenever I visit people, I look for books and notice if they leave the TV on.

01-14-2011, 09:36 PM	#173
Jar Jar Binks Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Lindsay,Ontario Canada Device: PRS650 And PRS 350 Yay I got it !!! I got it !!! I'm in love.	"This is an interesting conversation because it makes me think of my own childhood and wonder where my sister and I got our love of books and reading. We are addicts. I never once saw either of my parents read a book. I saw my mom reading magazines sometimes, but only when we were camping or on the beach and there was no tv. By contrast, my kids have seen me reading nearly every single day since birth and yet only one reads as much as I do. The other three are all occasional pleasure readers. They are all adults except one so I think their reading patterns are pretty well established. My husband will be 50 in March and has only read one book in his entire life. Sad but true. " Hmmm that makes me wonder what got me into reading I never saw my parents read. Ahhh but my grandmother read to me when I was a child. And She was so good at it. Thanks for the memory trigger WV cherrybomb

01-14-2011, 09:47 PM	#174
teadonkey Zealot Posts: 132 Karma: 2179008 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3 WiFi	This is more in response to the OP than what's going on now, but I sort of blame schooling for lack of readers. In order to really appreciate reading, you need to be a critical thinker. In schools today, you don't learn critical thinking. You learn to memorize and regurgitate information for a number scale grade. How can you learn to appreciate reading if nobody's teaching you? Clearly, though SOME people are learning to appreciate reading, if there's a forum like this. And if eReaders are making money. And if bookstores are making money. I'd argue there's a heck of a lot more readers out there than people give society credit for. Also - This is just a thought I've had recently. I think that people who REALLY love reading are the visual learners/thinkers. Y'know how teachers are always splitting people in groups of visual/auditory/whatever? I don't really know all the types, I've never put much stock into it. I find I learn best when I do all kinds of learning. But my point is, to really enjoy a book, you'd have to be able to visualize the world being set up for you. Otherwise, you're just staring at a ton of letters and who wants to do that? So... not everyone is made to be a reader?