04-25-2018, 11:56 AM | #61 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 27,466
Karma: 192992430
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
|
Quote:
For me, there's really only two reasons I might slow down when reading fiction: 1) The author is what I call a "wordsmith." The writing flows naturally and it feels like I need to approach it with a more languid mindset. 2) The writing is so stilted or awkward (or pretentiously difficult) that I need to slow down (or re-read) for comprehension purposes. #1 is a fairly common occurrence that causes me no grief or discomfort. In fact, I sometimes don't even notice I'm doing it. It's only a slight slowing of my typical reading speed. #2 is just plain annoying and I won't voluntarily tolerate it. |
|
04-25-2018, 01:25 PM | #62 | |
Wizard
Posts: 2,776
Karma: 30081762
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: US
Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1
|
Quote:
My favorite type of book to read is moderately cozy-to-medium (not hardcore thriller) mysteries. These books usually have only the occasional fight/chase scene so I'm not skipping much there. An example of the kind of descriptive passages I skip - the first time I read one of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware mysteries, the character was driving somewhere and all the neighborhoods and scenery he passed were described in detail. Given that this was a mystery, I thought maybe there was a clue hidden there so I carefully read it all. However, I came to realize Kellerman apparently just likes to write travelogs - whenever the character drives anywhere outside his local area there are descriptions of whatever he passes. If I'm not in the mood for this I skip it. Last edited by 4691mls; 04-25-2018 at 01:28 PM. |
|
Advert | |
|
04-25-2018, 02:17 PM | #63 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 27,466
Karma: 192992430
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
|
Quote:
|
|
04-25-2018, 03:08 PM | #64 | |
o saeclum infacetum
Posts: 20,139
Karma: 222000000
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: New England
Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5
|
Quote:
|
|
04-25-2018, 03:28 PM | #65 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 27,466
Karma: 192992430
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
|
Quote:
But I get what you mean. Just because you let portions "wash over you," (great description, by the way) doesn't mean you don't pick up bits of it here and there--enough to get by, anyway. And it certainly doesn't mean someone who skims a bit here and there is "shortchanging" the experience in any way. You don't have to savor every single word of a book in order to love it. I'm never going to love architecture-speak. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a cool looking building when I see one. Nor that I can't love an author who tends to dwell a little too much on describing buildings. Skimming isn't skipping. I get the gist of what I skim. I just find little value in describing what a building looks like in exacting detail. Same with describing what every new character we meet is wearing in detail. |
|
Advert | |
|
04-25-2018, 04:37 PM | #66 |
Wizard
Posts: 3,968
Karma: 38840460
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Minneapolis
Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos
|
I'm just over 2 books a week. I'm retired and a caregiver. I'd actually read or listen to more books, but I have too many interruptions and do occasionally listen to music and watch Netflix. I like to save long books for projects. As much as I enjoy needlework, I need something more than music for endless rows of plain knitting or straight sewing.
|
04-25-2018, 05:10 PM | #67 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,817
Karma: 23400001
Join Date: May 2012
Location: USA
Device: K1/K3/BasicK Voyage/Oasis1/Oasis3
|
Quote:
So maybe at times its more of a defending ones reading. Not sure why I feel the need. I don't feel any kind of contest of competition with anyone. I am the least competitive person I know, I don't really care how much or little anyone else reads. I usually try to talk to those folks when I get a wee bit defensive what their hobbies are and now then imagining not doing some of those and reading instead. So they can understand why its not impossible to read a lot when ones priorities and off times are different. I wonder about reading speeds. I think I read fairly fast, but I think its also more of a matter reading longer session and being into a book more. Pages seem to fly faster that why, then when there are constant distractions. I read while I cook and I know that it takes me longer to read a section there than if I just sat down even for 20 minutes straight. Because I keep having to stop and start while stirring something. I don't read while chopping . But there is always some minutes here and there while something has to do its thing. But when I can just read a longer chunk with no disturbance, even if its just 10-20 minutes, I can get a lot more pages read. |
|
04-25-2018, 05:23 PM | #68 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 6,171
Karma: 16228536
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: UK
Device: Kobo: KA1, ClaraHD, Forma, Libra2, Clara2E. PocketBook: TouchHD3
|
|
04-25-2018, 05:36 PM | #69 |
C L J
Posts: 2,912
Karma: 21115458
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Birmingham UK
Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2
|
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.)
By the way, I wasn't refering to 'recall' when I mentioned comprehension. I mean a full feeling of the nuances of the author's meanings, as well as the plot and character. For example, this afternoon, while sitting on my sofa reading, I came across this passage in Frenchman's Creek: "And somewhere too there is a Dona of tomorrow ... to whom all this will be a thing to cherish ... to remember. Much will be forgotten then, perhaps, the sound of the tide on the mud-flats, the dark sky, the dark water, the shiver of the trees behind us and the shadows they cast before them, and the smell of the young bracken and the moss. Even the things we said will be forgotten, the touch of hands, the warmth, the loveliness, but never the peace that we have given to each other, never the stillness and the silence." At this, I laid aside my kindle, looked out of the French window at the birds playing in some trees in my garden and thought about things I remember and forget. I mused for about ten minutes before continuing to read. This often happens while I'm reading - I'll stop and consider a passage, turn over the ideas in my mind. They often get highlighted on my Paperwhite, with a short note beside it. I had no intention of beginning a reading version of Python's "The Four Yorkshireman" when I made the original post. I'd been watching book review videos on youtube (my biggest time suck) in which individuals reviewed many books a month. I couldn't help wondering if they had a secret store of time to which only certain people had access (a bit like Platform 9 3/4). Last edited by BookCat; 04-25-2018 at 05:48 PM. |
04-25-2018, 06:05 PM | #70 | ||
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 27,466
Karma: 192992430
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
|
Quote:
Quote:
And if there's prose worth slowing for in any of those long descriptive passages, then I've probably already noticed and have slowed my roll accordingly. I read in many "gears." Skim is just one of the higher ones. I know when to downshift. Some people need to accept that savoring every syllable is not the default, nor the proper way to enjoy reading. It's merely A way to do so. There are many, many others. |
||
04-25-2018, 06:30 PM | #71 | |
Groupie
Posts: 180
Karma: 616200
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Spain
Device: Kobo Forma, Hisense A5
|
Quote:
|
|
04-25-2018, 09:39 PM | #72 | |
Bibliophagist
Posts: 34,557
Karma: 144552660
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Vancouver
Device: Kobo Sage, Forma, Clara HD, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos
|
Quote:
|
|
04-25-2018, 11:11 PM | #73 | ||
Wizard
Posts: 2,776
Karma: 30081762
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: US
Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1
|
Quote:
Quote:
When a character is first introduced, being told whether he dresses impeccably in the latest expensive designer fashions or wears mismatched worn-out old clothes is enough information for me - if the author starts listing designer names I will skim over those. After I've met a character once I don't need a detailed description of their clothing next time they appear unless there is some significance to it (for example, a usually tidy person turns up messy due to having been in an accident). The good thing about reading fiction purely for your own enjoyment is you can choose for yourself what type of book to read and whether to savor every word or skim over passages that don't interest you. I typically read mysteries that focus more on actions and motivations and so I skim (not skip) over the often pedestrian descriptions of people and their surroundings in these books. On the other hand, it sounds like BookCat derives great satisfaction from pondering over an evocative description and probably tends to choose thought-provoking literature. Therefore, comparison of our reading speeds would be meaningless. |
||
04-26-2018, 12:54 AM | #74 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
|
Basically just one word at a time. Choosing something you find hard to put down helps of course. And I take my kindle with me when I go out. I understand when Stephen Hawking was a kid visitors to the house would find that at the dinner table every family member would have a fork in one hand and a book in the other.With me it's my kindle.
|
04-26-2018, 02:40 AM | #75 | |
Guru
Posts: 958
Karma: 3475832
Join Date: May 2012
Location: France
Device: Elipsa, Sage
|
Quote:
|
|
Tags |
bookworm, reading lots |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
As a tangent to the re-read thread: if you do re-read, which books do you re-read? | maxbookworm | Reading Recommendations | 38 | 06-12-2016 11:54 AM |
Hello bookworms | mramorgan | Introduce Yourself | 4 | 03-04-2013 05:54 AM |
Greetings bookworms, its the new guy! | insomniacsdream | Introduce Yourself | 3 | 04-27-2009 03:23 AM |
Hello fellow bookworms! | Red Stapler | Introduce Yourself | 5 | 09-08-2008 04:34 PM |