Am I the only person who is obsessed with reading??

[SirTownsend]

This isn't really a question I just didn't know what to put as the title.  So let me start, I am 17 so mainly a teen, and i am kinda a beginner on WoT I am reading the fifth book now.  As most of you know the WoT books are a good size, they were actually the first large books I have read.  Now to my point, I was reading the fourth book "The Shadow Rising" about a month ago at school, and one kid happened to notice and was staring at me in horror.  I looked up and gave a "what?" look and he said, "How can you read that!  I can hardly read a 200 page book, what is that like 2000 pages!  Reading is so boring!"  I thought, that maybe he was just a random non-reader, but then the rest of the class agreed!  I do see this a lot, people amazed that I read for fun.  I love to read and I get every chance I can to do it, it seems no one my age or around enjoys reading....I think it's a bad sign.  I only know one person that is like me, and he is my friend, but otherwise out of all the people I talk to, nothing. 

 

P.S.  also what is it with guys and reading, people seem to see reading as a girls thing and that guys don't read a lot, only girls do.  I disagree because I am a guy!!

[ed2funy]

lmfao!!!

This happened to me so many times.

 

I just graduated this last year, but all my friends and classmates always stared at me in horror too.

They were like, "I am reading Twilight, and that is soooo big".

 

People don't like to read, and therefore, they are dumb...

 

;D

 

I only have like 3 or 4 friends that really love to read. Everyone else finds it a chore. I always thought they were stupid for not reading, or not liking to.

 

I agree with your disagree!

:D

[musiclover7]

I dunno.. it may just be your generation..  I am 33 now and also a male... not old, but not quite young anymore at least in body. I started reading WOT in High School, when only the first 3-4 books were out.  At the time, I read constantly, books from all genres, often during class if the teacher was not giving an interesting enough lecture, and I caught some heat for it from my fellow classmates, but not much..  These days, simple pleasures are glazed over in the pursuit of the flashy popular trends, and the visual onslought(Tv, Movies, video games)..  From my perspective here in America, we are living and encouraging a generic/plastic culture, especially where the young are concerned. There is little enough wholesome vibe left for anyone to gravitate towards, so if you are finding yourself drawn in that direction, I say go..  If you value reading, you are probably a jewel.  Stick with it, even if your only draw is for fantasy. Read enough, and you will have a depth within you no one can take away from you..  There is just so much nostalgia tucked away in literature to tug a souls heart strings, and heart strings grow sweeter over time it properly nourished.  My advice, keep reading.  Forget what your friends think.  Keep reading, as long as it continues to feed you, which should take quite a while in any case...

[ed2funy]

I have a sudden urge to buy weed and just listen to you...

 

that was deep....

 

lol...

;D

 

[SirTownsend]

I agree with both of you, there are times when the teacher will ask a question and some answers I hear are so wrong it's not even funny, I find that I know most things because I read.  I read anything, I mean anything, from fantasy to thrillers to sci-fi to horror, and to classics.  I love old literature, I REALLY get funny looks from that.  But it is true I find myself outsmarting my parents in facts because of it.....It just really annoys me when people act like I'm crazy because they see me reading a big book, maybe if they read they would have some common sense. 

[ed2funy]

In my English classes, i would always enjoy the assigned reading, and my friends would be like, "dude, it's a book!"

 

*nods*

 

Yea...I seriously laugh when people say reading is boring...then say they smoke weed because it helps them "escape"...

(I don't smoke/do drugs btw...that was just a stereotype. ;D)

[SirTownsend]

hahahaha I like the assigned reading also.  English is my best subject, because I read.  Hahahah if I ever got a low grade on a test the rest of the class would panic because I was the smart kid and if I got a low grade so did they. Reading is beginning to become a chore for our generation.  I really don't understand, well I kinda do, i have to admit I didn't always like to read, mainly because my school had a program that made me read, you had to chose books from a list and take test, well that destroyed my love of reading....until one day I read a really good book, and wanted to read the next in the series and read that, soon i had read the requirement and just kept reading and reading.  Soon I built up to today where I cannot stop....this was years ago by the way like 10 or 12.  I think there are people out there like us, but they just need a boost like I got, idk I just have this feeling that the world will grow dumber if this continues. 

[ed2funy]

My parents said I have always like reading, not that I really remember anything before the grade.. :P

 

I think it starts with the parents, and at home.

 

My dad used to make me read the newspaper and highlight words I didn't know, then look them up.

 

Now, I am smart enough to figure out most words from context.

 

I know what you mean about kids being worried if you got a low grade on a test. My friends always tried to cheat off of me when we took reading quizzes.

And my teachers wouldn't want me to answer too many questions in class because I always read ahead, so I had read it at least two times.

 

I had that program in 8th grade. But by that time I had already loved reading, so it was fun for me.

 

I tried to find like local book clubs a few years back, but couldn't find any....Not a lot of people like to read, and the few that do don't think there are a lot of readers, so they just read by themselves or with friends.

 

[musiclover7]

A wise man once said to me something like, 'If you want to know where/who you will be in 5 years, take a look at the books you are reading now and the friends you are hanging out with.' Now, what if you are one of those who are reading no books now, or only begrudgingly reading the books your teacher assigns you?  I suppose that means such a person would be stuck with just the influence of the friends they are hanging out with.  Sad, but true if you look at it...

[ed2funy]

true....

My reading is sorta dragged down balanced by my friends...

[musiclover7]

Yeah.. I do not think it is fair necessarily to make a blanket statement like the one I made, because in truth there are a lot of other potential influences, but books and friends are high on the list.  With good books, and friends to boot, you might do like I did and go down a completely different stream than the one upon which the rest of your family is sailing... and never look back either.  It is possible.  With shitty friends, and no books, better hope you came from a decent family.  Your friends should compliment the books you are reading, if they are books you like.  Of course, I can't readily advise you to get new friends, especially if you are still a teen-ager.  If you are still in high school, well, then I suppose your friends can be as much circumstance as choice, and needing friends, you are sort of stuck with small pool in front of you.  Of course, you could always eat your lunch under a tree in the heart of the commons with a good book for company.  Years later, you will look back and pat yourself on the back for having that kind of courage; for simply not trying to "fit in" like the rest of your com-padres.

[ed2funy]

lol...

 

I would always just talk with my friends and read in class...

;)

Then I would read after school while hanging out in the JROTC room...unless I had paperwork to do...

 

I go to college now, but I am not very social, just go to class, and then go gome...

;D

[Reyoru]

I'm totally agreeing with everyone in this thead. I'm in my last year of school here in the UK, next year I'm off to university to study medicine - and without reading I'd have got absolutely nowhere. I totally agree, reading is such a pure pleasure - for years I'd read books of all genres and enjoyed them all. I did it simply for the enjoyment but I gained so much more, in developing my general knowledge, my way of thinking and my opinions on matters. Reading totally expanded my horizons - if you love to read and improve your knowledge, as was said by musiclover earlier you are onto something great. I'm currently working my socks off in revision and study, but when I'm done with my exams I'm gonna grab me a good book, find me a secluded tranquil place (hard to find these days ;)) and detach my mind from the world.

[The Fisher King]

I just have to say real fast that for a loooong time here, reading Reyoru's thoughts on books and series has been one of my favorite things. :  )

 

 

 

Fish

[Reyoru]

I just have to say real fast that for a loooong time here, reading Reyoru's thoughts on books and series has been one of my favorite things. :  )

 

 

 

Fish

 

Why thank you The Fisher King, likewise here  :)

 

I don't post too often here, but you make a helluva load of good threads here. Keep it up man  ;)

[SirTownsend]

(hard to find these days ;)) 

 

That is soooo true!  I have the hardest time finding a place to read, my house is to noisy. Outside is nice but the weather never agrees to be good. School is a good place but it can get noisy also, I can block out some, but at times it can go overboard.  Everything today seems to be so busy and noisy, nobody relaxes anymore or takes the time too, it may just be my laid back nature but I find myself happier when I relax and read a book.  It can take your mind away from the busy day, or anything else on your mind....like going to another world, wow that cliche.  It's true though, hahaha I find myself confusing books and movies at times, I will think back and try to remember what movie that was from, or where I saw the scene in real life, then I relize it was from a book.

[SheaththeSword]

Haha ppl thought i was a swot in 3rd class cos i read all the books in the 'eye-witness' series...

I guess reading has been my one and only unwavering influence throughout my life. Positive inlfuence, at least. We could all write reams on consumer culture, i'm sure. ;)

 

I know a few guys in my year who really read. About three. One of those reads Homer. ....And Terry Goodkind XD

 

Too tired right now to elaborate...but i will say that after i read LOTR, though perhaps 80% went over my head (i was too young), my vocablulary was several times that of anyone in my class (that's grade, to you Americans)

 

[Lanthirrhos]

Hmmm... people like me... I'll leave now though because I'd rather be reading a book than talking about reading books... ;D

 

(Yes, and we can see why people think I'm anti-social ;) STFU, I'm reading >:( )

 

;D

[ed2funy]

I will think back and try to remember what movie that was from, or where I saw the scene in real life, then I relize it was from a book.

 

OMG......this happens to me too! I will remember a scene so vividly, then try and remember what movie it was from. I will look it up or something, and find out it was only a book.

;D

 

...anyone in my class (that's grade, to you Americans)

 

lmao...we know what a grade is you....w/e you are. :P

 

Hmmm... people like me... I'll leave now though because I'd rather be reading a book than talking about reading books...  ;D

 

(Yes, and we can see why people think I'm anti-social  ;) STFU, I'm reading  >:()

 

Who says they like you....:P

[Talmanes]

Wow nearly everyone posting hear sounds so similar to myself. I always shad people thinking I was crazy when they saw me reading the WoT! Most people I know aren't big readers, but I know a few. I always have read a lot. I had those program things in school too. I would always just breeze through a couple books that I had to and then move on to what I wanted to read. I actually finished the last 200 pages of a book today. I am really good at blocking out background noises though. I just ignore it all. If I can't though I just listen to my mp3 so I can't hear anything else. I've read a huge variety of books and yeah I do know a lot of words I wouldn't of otherwise known as well. I so far haven't found anything I liked better than the WoT, although LoTR was really good the excessive songs included in full in the text annoyed me a bit. :)

[ed2funy]

I can usually block out anything...unless it is my parents b**ching at me do to this or that. Every time I lay down to read, and not even 5 minutes in, no..not even 5 pages in, they tell me to get up....It never fails...

:P

 

I think reading just enriches someone more than a lot of other things could.

Any time there are songs or long poems in books, yes even WoT, I tend to skip em.

I try to read the whole thing, but most of the time, there are repeating phases, and I don't want to take the time.

 

:P

On my rereads of WoT, I pretty much skip the Aiel singing battle hymns...takes to much time. ;D

[Reyoru]

Ah, I'm still with everyone on this thread  :D This has gotta be a record, this many people posting without disagreeing!

 

I wish I had time to read more, cos revision just gets dull and boring eventually. Comparision:

 

Round 1

Ecology and the environment vs. Reading

 

Winner: Reading

 

Round 2

Integration and calculus vs. Reading

 

Winner: Reading

 

Round 3

Carboxylic acids and their derivatives vs. Reading

 

Winner: Reading

 

 

Need I go on?  ;D

 

[NetSlider]

I remember staying all night reading in high school back in the day and than sleep in half of my classes. At one point in my physics class teacher saw me reading one of WoT books and asked if I would rather joined the class discussion. I was always honest and said I would rather not because my book is a lot more interesting. Anyway, he was cool and had a little chuckle. But most people, I'm afraid to admit, are not like that. "Oh, you read, than you must be a nerd." (and as RJ said once "I ware my tattoos proudly") or "Oh, you read, you must have no personal life." It's all bs. Individuals that say they hate reading simply never had a chance to read a book that they liked. And it is their loss. As Dumas wrote, no one can take something that is inside your head; it will always belong to you. :)

[Talmanes]

Yeah I did the same thing a lot when I was reading a really good book. Sometimes you just don't want to stop. I also agree completely that most people who say they hate to read just need to find the right thing. I got my cousin to start reading (still can't convince him to read the WoT though lol), and now he reads a lot more. Oh and a big lol at the record for longest thread without a disagreement! It'll come eventually someone's gonna talk about hating reading. So far though, the record stands.

[ed2funy]

I would read until like 2 in the morning, get up for 0 period at 7 AM, though I usually wouldn't dose off in class. I would read in class too though.

 

;D

 

I slept after school for a few hours, and then I was good.

 

lol...the record thing is funny....I can't wait to see if there is an argument...it would be funny.