WHY do you read?

[Tamia78]

I've seen the threads about what books we're reading and so forth, so I'm asking a different question: WHY do you read what you do?

This is actually sparked from a thread about Harry Potter that was started a little while ago. It created a bit of tension (which has since been resolved 😀), but it did get me thinking, "Why do I read what I read?"

Me? I LOVE Harry Potter. My absolute favorite author is Stephen King. When I was 11 I read a little book of his called IT. The 1st chapter scared the bejeebus out of me, and I stopped reading it until about 2 years later. No lie. Because of this, my reading tastes tend to lean more toward the Horror genre. Why? Because I love a good story. I am an avid reader, I have been since an early age.

Some people like the Classics. I don't. Does that make me stupid or unenlightened? Not at all. Frankly, I probably don't have an appreciation for any of the classics, because I'm not really a fan of History. It doesn't do a thing for me. I read what I'm interested in, plain and simple. In school, even the books we were made to read, while good, they just didn't grab me.

Why does horror fascinate me? I LOVE being scared. Yeah, weird, I know, but when it comes to scary things, I have an overactive imagination, and would like to think I would act like some characters in the books I read. Most likely................I would probably be the only black person in the book who gets killed in the 1st chapter 😀. (Oh stop it, you know it's true! )

So, WHY do you read? What books grab your interest? Why do you gravitate toward a certain section in Barnes and Noble and avoid others? What's the meaning of life?

--T

 

[Persephone]

I absolutely love to read and have too many books to even fit in my book shelf anymore! My favorite kinds of book are considered "horror" but I don't really see them on that level. Horror books to me are like Stephen King books. I am just talking about the books by Anne Rice. I've loved all her books for over eight years now. They are just fantastic.

I am also a HUGE history buff so I always gravitate towards the history section in Barnes and Noble. I mostly prefer history books on European history or ancient history 🙂 that kind of stuff fascinates me. However, for some reason lately I've really been on this path of reading lots of books about our founding fathers! It's just a phase 😀.

But reading is amazing and it definitely helps my vocabulary expand ^_^!

 

[chicago]

I like Charles Bukowski a lot. Most of his writing is about the stresses of everyday life, the work day in day out for what seems like nothing, and so on. But his writing is raw and powerful and I can relate to it.

My favorite poem is by him:

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I also like Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky because it tells the story of a man that has this theory that some people are above the law. To test it, he kills two people, one by accident. The rest of the book tells of the three days after while the man is slowly psychologically unraveling. It's fascinating to read about the character going insane. And they paint the character perfectly. Some characters are so one sided, but Raskolnikov is multi faceted. On one page, you hate him, on the next you feel sorry for him.

I also like Cormac MacCarthy. He has a way of writing that pulls you in and even if the story is about an apocalyptic world, the characters are realistic.

I read a lot when I'm in a writing slump because it tends to give me some inspiration.

 

[RobAce]

I read only for eductation. To further things I already know or learn something new.

I don't read for enjoyment or thing like that. To me it is either when I *ahem* use the restroom and need something to occupy me or for knowledge.

That is all.

And yes I know....TMI. But it was asked.

Rob

 

[LD_Tickler]

Escapism, mostly. I love stories.

 

[Deleted member 66627]

I read to relax and basically just get away from the bullshit of real life. -- I'm an avid chick lit reader; all I basically read can be considered "garbage" by the more educated lot here, aside from the occasional Holocaust biography.

 

[Musicroxmysox]

I truly read anything and everything.

I've been obsessed with reading since I was little because books are such escapist things to me. Every story takes me to a different place I maybe could never know or understand in real life. Books have also been great substitute parental forces and familial forces for me.

They have basically taught me how to survive life and how to maybe even make it enjoyable.

 

[natural tickler]

I read because reading is fundamental......*expects smack in the head*😛

but mostly because I think everyone needs to have their minds expanded, the more knowledge, the better

 

[c7_assassin]

Whatever blows my hair back.

I just finished "The God Delusion." Tomorrow I'll probably find something totally different. There's so much stuff out there. 🙂

 

[Fluffie]

I truly read anything and everything.

I've been obsessed with reading since I was little because books are such escapist things to me. Every story takes me to a different place I maybe could never know or understand in real life. Books have also been great substitute parental forces and familial forces for me.

They have basically taught me how to survive life and how to maybe even make it enjoyable.

Amen. Coming out of a good book is like coming out of a lucid dream in which you have already consummated lasting relationships with people, regardless of their reality. I have been known to actually mourn the end of a good book, feeling as if these people have died. But then, i'm sure i suffer from some sort of reality complex too. 😉

 

[meangry]

I read because it's a window.

 

[TonyInMyThroat]

I read only for eductation. To further things I already know or learn something new.

I’m with you Rob; I prefer Stephen Hawking over Stephen King. I haven’t read a novel (and probably unfinished) since I was forced to in high school. There’s way too much good science, nature, & innovation to keep up with; no time for fiction. I think Brian Greene has done a great job picking up where Hawking left off BTW.

 

[Knot Amewzed]

I read only for eductation. To further things I already know or learn something new.

I don't read for enjoyment or thing like that. To me it is either when I *ahem* use the restroom and need something to occupy me or for knowledge.

That is all.

And yes I know....TMI. But it was asked.

Rob

You took the words right out of my mouth; not while you were on the toilet, of course.

 

[DLazarus]

I love to read and i'm an avid reader. My favorite authors are: Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, patricia Cornwell and Mary Higgins Clark.

Each of those authors keep me on the edge of my seat and i can hardly put my book down.

I really get into the characters and put myself into the book of characters. Do I make sense here?

 

[Fangz]

I read a lot of self improvement books to work on some things. Aside from those it's a lot of crime fiction and some horror although the horror lately has mostly been Lovecraft.

 

[Bugman]

I read for relaxation,entertainment and knowledge.History mostly,because i'm such a history geek.I read many of what would be considered the Classics when i was younger,and feel no need to revisit them.Science fiction does nothing for me,although i did enjoy some of Arthur C. Clarkes work.

 

[BlackestLily]

I read for a few reasons.

1. It's fun and I get a great deal of enjoyment out of curling up with something.

2. I hate feeling ignorant about anything, so I treat that illness with the cure.

3. I like being brought places I've never been, and in many cases, will never be. A week or two ago I read A Thousand Splendid Suns. I will never be in the position of those women, thank god for that, and so the only way to understand their experience is to read about it. If it's a good adventure book, sometimes while reading I get so involved it's as if I can live vicariously through that person and go through the same.

There might be more, but those reasons jump to mind first and foremost. Once you get into the habit and find a handful of amazing books, it's nearly impossible to try stopping yourself from finding more.

 

[desdemona]

Sometimes I read to escape (like Crystal, I read trashy chick fic...love your kitty pictures btw). Sometimes I read for educational purposes (both within my professional scope and outside it). Sometimes, it's to broaden my horizons - and certainly, exercising the brain is easily overlooked. So even if I skip the gym, I like to think I get to go outside for some fresh air in some alternate reality.

 

[..Glamorous..]

I love to read to relax and I hate reading for school, lol. I usually read anything that catches my eye, mostly chick books I guess.. nearly every book I own is pink. haha

 

[BellaRisa]

R.I.F. '70's kids!!!!

Reading is one of life's greatest pleasures for me, I'm usually keeping up with at least three books at a time. You get to lose yourself in a whole 'nother world for awhile, with imagery and sounds that aren't spoon-fed to you from a screen. As to why I read what I read: I've been a (good) Stephen King fan since I had a part timer job at a dusty and awesome used bookstore in Brooklyn in 1989, I randomly picked up The Shining and I was HOOKED. Being wrapped in a blanket and reading vintage King by candlelight or by my fireplace is one of my FAVE things to do. I read romance novels back in the day, at first because they had awesome romantic tickling and spanking scenes but then because many were just plain great stories (Johanna Lindsey and Jude Devereaux and Bertrice Small FTW!) These days I'm always reading books on finding your center and balance like Don Migel Ruiz's work, every good humor book I get my hands on like Dave Barry and Stephen Colbert and Woody Allen's written work, and I like autobiographies of people I enjoy like Paula Poundstone and Gilda Radner 🙂

 

[solescratcher99]

I mostly read non-fiction but my favorite fiction books are The Heart of Darkness and The Idiot. The Idiot especially.

Why do I read? Hmm. Like most people, if I find something interesting I'll usually pick up a book on the subject. Depending on the mood that strikes me, I'll read anything from random forum posts to philosophical writings on phenomenology. So, I probably read because of spontaneous moments of curiosity.

 

[Fangz]

I mostly read to keep my mind in a focused state and to ready myself to go to sleep.

 

[Flatfoot]

I prefer reading fantasy, simply because that genre "catches" me. I've always been fascinated by wizards, dragons, and the like, wondering what it would be like living in a world with the lack of technology we have today, countered by the ability of some to use "magic powers" to get by. I've always kinda wished that I could cast spells. Terry Goodkind is my favorite author, because not only does he tell a good story (with sometimes more adult elements.), but his writing is inspired by his belief in Objectivist philosophy. Some feel that his work is too "preachy", but I think he does a really good job of using his philosophy to tell a good story, and I dig the whole "Objectivism" thing. Another great fantasy author is George R.R. Martin. There's magic in his stories, but it's not as prevalent until later on in the series, and it's more of a grave issue, then. His stories are full of sex, political backstabbing, and each chapter is in the perspective of a different character in the story. Some characters you hate at first, and then grow to love. Others fall from grace. Then there's characters you think are crucial to the story that suddenly get killed off mercilessly. It's awesome!

Like Rob, I also like to read while I'm "relaxing". 😀 I usually read MSNBC on my phone when that's the case, though. I like to read news that catches my attention, so I'm not always reading things that may be relevant, except to me. I couldn't give a rat's ass about Sotomayer, or Sarah Palin's resignation. I'd much rather read about President Obama fighting to keep his Blackberry, weird news about dumb criminals and whatnot, and I sometimes kept up with news about GM, because I wanna know that I'll be able to get parts for my truck if they ever went belly-up. I'm also a big fan of the Red Tape Chronicles, which expose a lot of B.S. from people and businesses who try to screw you over on a daily basis.

 

[giantfan121262]

I like to read because frankly there isn't much on TV that ticklies my fancy. Most of the books I read are suspense thrillers. This is my favorite genere because I love to be in suspense and look forward to what will happen and what the fate will be for the main charactars.

 

[Knox The Hatter]

There was a time when I read novels, by the dozen. Usually obscure ones by people trying to capture a slice of life- which is the kind of fiction I always wrote. Some time in the mid '90s I moved on to histories and bios and stuff like that.

As for novels, right now, I'm kind of like in the middle of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, a much-ado-about-nothing concerning a group of vacuous under-employeds with way too much disposable income, who do nothing but go to restaurants and drink, and then, because they have nothing to do, go to Pamplona to outrace the bulls. It would figure that this novel is mascotted by a bull. Perfect.