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Reading Books


Yes , This is how I read books 1 votes

Only when necessary 8 votes

I never do this and read every word 7 votes

metirish
Apr 01 2017 03:44 PM

I have a book due today at the library ,Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva , Gabriel Allon Israeli Master Spy. Nothing heavy , typical international spy series , I do like Silva a lot and Allon is an excellent series. Thing is I didn't pick it up much during my time with with(125 pages in ) and this morning up early to watch the soccer I picked it up with the intention of finishing it. I read it but it was skim reading , I didn't skip chunks but rather skimmed through it .

I was not able to renew as there is a hold on the book.

Have you ever read like this?


I don't feel like I cheated the book, again it is light fare

Slate has an interesting article that i skimmed

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_ ... eview.html

cooby
Apr 01 2017 04:45 PM
Re: Reading Books

When I read books, I try to read all of them but I am notorious for getting almost to the end and just skipping the rest and reading the last page to see who lived.

I always skip long involved sex scenes, long involved violence, details of children or animals being hurt, and technical stuff about guns and motor vehicles.

That being said, I really like murder mysteries!

Also I keep telling myself I should write down a cast of characters to keep from having to go back and figure out who "Mitch" or somebody is 50 pages later.
Once I was reading a library book and found that somebody had done just that! I was not only thrilled, but stunned to recognize the writing as my mother's! I kept it and showed her and we had a good laugh.

Edit: I skimmed the article, too, metirish :D

Lefty Specialist
Apr 01 2017 05:01 PM
Re: Reading Books

Read. Every. Word.

A Boy Named Seo
Apr 01 2017 05:07 PM
Re: Reading Books

There's def a few books I wish I would have skipped parts or skimmed. But even with a shitter, I will continue reading well past the point of "I should be interested in something in this stupid book by now."

themetfairy
Apr 01 2017 06:53 PM
Re: Reading Books

I try to get my way through whatever I start, even if it takes a while.

Zvon
Apr 01 2017 08:02 PM
Re: Reading Books

I just read A MOST WANTED MAN by John leCarre.
I started to read it because I was bored. Its not the kind of subject I'm into. I like escapism mostly. But this was about international intrigue and terrorism and spys and the way various agencies interact with each other. More so, it was about people, characters lavishly brought to life through leCarres words. I didn't expect to get into it but I was sucked in right away. Excellent book. Recommended.

[fimg=100:gz86dlif]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41XLJTQkMCL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg[/fimg:gz86dlif]

If anyone has read this, or plan to, let me know. I have one burning question in regards to the book, but no one I know has read it.

Zvon
Apr 01 2017 08:07 PM
Re: Reading Books

I never skim read and if my mind wanders while Im reading and I didn't quite absorb all the words read (and this would make the scene described incomplete), I'll stop, clear my mind and go back over the paragraph.

Skim reading is good for some stuff, articles and whatnot, but never skim on a book. At least if you find yourself into the story. If you do you are cheating yourself of the intended experience.

Chad Ochoseis
Apr 01 2017 09:59 PM
Re: Reading Books

I'll skim. I have a short attention span, and when I attempt to read every word, I lose focus. I did read every word of "Moby Dick", and it was great, but it took two years, and I probably would have gotten more from it if I'd skimmed.

I will stop and read over key passages several times. Also, if I really enjoy a book, I'll usually re-read it multiple times, at which point I'll have read every word.


cooby wrote:


Also I keep telling myself I should write down a cast of characters to keep from having to go back and figure out who "Mitch" or somebody is 50 pages later.


I'm Mitch. Hope that helps.

Frayed Knot
Apr 01 2017 11:24 PM
Re: Reading Books

Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Apr 02 2017 03:09 AM

cooby wrote:
Also I keep telling myself I should write down a cast of characters to keep from having to go back and figure out who "Mitch" or somebody is 50 pages later.


I've recently taken to doing just that when reading fiction titles; non-fiction books usually have an index for reference so it's less necessary there.
I'm bad with names of real people to begin with so when I'm reading I have the similar annoying habit of blanking through names even while paying attention to everything else. So while I'll tend to remember
for instance all the details of the plot and that's it's set to go off at exactly midnight, I'm likely to forget who's part of said plot before hitting the next paragraph because the names barely registered in the
first place.
It's not like I do extensive notes or anything, but jotting a quick lists of names with labels like 'brother' or 'Senator' or other such quickie descriptions tends to help, particularly early in the book while the
characters are still settling into my brain.



As to the original question, I don't see the point in skim-reading.
I'll quit on a book part-way in if I don't like it, but if I do like a book then I don't want to skip anything anymore than I'd want to miss scenes from a TV show or movie that I'm invested in.
In the case of an unfinished book that's due back to the library or to the person I borrowed it from, well then I'd check it out again later on and either pick up from where I left off it the time lag
wasn't too long or re-start it from the beginning if it was

DocTee
Apr 02 2017 01:19 AM
Re: Reading Books

I read every single word. I owe it to myself, and to the author.

There are books I really, really hated but I stuck with them like the masochist I am. But the vast majority of times, I find some value in even the most tedious of reads.

My new job has a lengthy commute-- I'm experimenting with books on tape. Not finding it terribly enjoyable thus far. Car radios is mostly inane background noise, but books require some concentration, which means that I'm not focused overmuch on driving, which ain't too smart. Suggestions?

Rockin' Doc
Apr 02 2017 02:36 AM
Re: Reading Books

I'm a rather slow reader, but I read every single word. If I find I lose focus and the words aren't sinking in I will
put the book down for a moment and then reread from where my mind drifted off.

Ceetar
Apr 02 2017 02:50 AM
Re: Reading Books

Generally don't. Either a book's interesting enough that I'll make a point to read it, even if it's "due back" (There are sometimes ways around this on a Kindle) or I'll just let it go. I figure if I'm interested enough to want to know the major plot points and such, I'm interested enough to find time to finish it.

Though there are probably some books that I find less than pleasing and skim through just to know how it ends up, but it's been a while for that. Actually I haven't been reading nearly enough in general and a lot of my reading has been audio books because I _know_ I have an hour in the car everyday dedicated time.

seawolf17
Apr 02 2017 02:54 AM
Re: Reading Books

I'll skim if need be, and I'll also give up on a book halfway through if it's not doing anything for me. I don't have time to read anything that can't hold my interest.

Vic Sage
Apr 04 2017 09:33 PM
Re: Reading Books

Zvon wrote:
I never skim read and if my mind wanders while Im reading and I didn't quite absorb all the words read (and this would make the scene described incomplete), I'll stop, clear my mind and go back over the paragraph.

Skim reading is good for some stuff, articles and whatnot, but never skim on a book. At least if you find yourself into the story. If you do you are cheating yourself of the intended experience.


all this, and a bag of chips.

But if i get 1/3 way into a book and its not doing anything for me, i just stop and move on. The world is filled with interesting books. Why get sucked into one i don't like? But if i do like it, there's no way i'm skimming. I only do that with stuff i have to read for work, if it's not interesting enough on its own.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 04 2017 09:45 PM
Re: Reading Books

It's very rare that I abandon a book once I've started reading it. (I can only thing of two examples in the last 35 years.)

As for skimming, I don't generally do that either. The only exceptions are when I see a paragraph that's in French, which happens sometimes (there's no point reading a paragraph that I won't understand) or if there's a lengthy list. For example, last year I read a book about how the press covered Joe McCarthy. Some of the paragraphs would be an itemized list of papers that ran a pro- or anti-McCarthy editorial on a given day. When I see a list of 40 newspapers separated by semi-colons, I'm going to skim. But other than such odd examples, I do read every word. At least, the ones in English.

cooby
Apr 06 2017 01:09 AM
Re: Reading Books

Question for metirish:

If a person in Dublin were to smash his brothers windshield with a Hoover, what would the Hoover be?

It's in my Tana French book

Frayed Knot
Apr 06 2017 01:15 AM
Re: Reading Books

My money is on 'vacuum cleaner'.


oe: from Wikipedia (so you know it's true): Although vacuum cleaner and the short form vacuum are neutral names, in some countries (UK, Ireland) hoover is used instead as a genericized trademark, and as a verb. The name comes from the Hoover Company, one of the first and more influential companies in the development of the device. The device is also sometimes called a sweeper although the same term also refers to a carpet sweeper, a similar invention.

cooby
Apr 06 2017 01:25 AM
Re: Reading Books

Well that's what I was thinking too, but I figured why bring the vacuum out of the house when a handy brick or something would do? So I thought maybe a tool of some type

metirish
Apr 06 2017 01:54 AM
Re: Reading Books

My money is on 'vacuum cleaner'.


oe: from Wikipedia (so you know it's true): Although vacuum cleaner and the short form vacuum are neutral names, in some countries (UK, Ireland) hoover is used instead as a genericized trademark, and as a verb. The name comes from the Hoover Company, one of the first and more influential companies in the development of the device. The device is also sometimes called a sweeper although the same term also refers to a carpet sweeper, a similar invention.



This , it was always a hoover

cooby
Apr 06 2017 01:57 AM
Re: Reading Books

Hmmm. Odd mental image

Frayed Knot
Apr 06 2017 01:59 AM
Re: Reading Books

My money is on 'vacuum cleaner'.


oe: from Wikipedia (so you know it's true): Although vacuum cleaner and the short form vacuum are neutral names, in some countries (UK, Ireland) hoover is used instead as a genericized trademark, and as a verb. The name comes from the Hoover Company, one of the first and more influential companies in the development of the device. The device is also sometimes called a sweeper although the same term also refers to a carpet sweeper, a similar invention.



This , it was always a hoover


I remember that from ONCE where the guy's father worked at 'repairing Hoovers' whether the machines were actually Hoover brand or not.
Think of it as "Xeroxing" something even if you're using a Canon or Ricoh copier.



I'm currently reading a novel set in England and I had to go to the interwebs to find out what an "off-license" was.
Answer: a regular store that also sells alcohol but only to be consumed 'off-site'; IOW, they have a license to sell but not to be a bar where the drinks can be consumed on premises.
Had never heard that term before.

metirish
Apr 06 2017 02:10 AM
Re: Reading Books

Yes, I don't even think growing up I thought about it because it was always a hoover even if it wasn't ,you "hoovered the carpet" it is weird. Off-License is another alright .Sellotape would be another one used for any adhesive tape

cooby
Apr 06 2017 02:12 AM
Re: Reading Books

Sellotape is in this book

Frayed Knot
Apr 06 2017 02:18 AM
Re: Reading Books

metirish wrote:
Sellotape would be another one used for any adhesive tape


That was another new one on me from the same book. I assumed it was a shortened version of Cellophane-Tape but it wasn't important to the plot so I didn't bother to look that one up.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Apr 06 2017 04:51 AM
Re: Reading Books

I don't skim-read unless I'm getting tested on the thing.

cooby
Apr 06 2017 12:14 PM
Re: Reading Books

Frayed Knot wrote:
metirish wrote:
Sellotape would be another one used for any adhesive tape


That was another new one on me from the same book. I assumed it was a shortened version of Cellophane-Tape but it wasn't important to the plot so I didn't bother to look that one up.




FK you read this too?

Frayed Knot
Apr 06 2017 12:40 PM
Re: Reading Books

Probably a different book since no one in mine has heaved a Hoover (or even a Dyson or an Electrolux) through a windshield.
But sellotape and off-license were both new ones to me; off-license was mentioned often in the book, sellotape only in passing.

cooby
Apr 06 2017 12:48 PM
Re: Reading Books

This is in the Trespasser...I love trying to figure out sometimes the Irish slang, but Hoover through the windshield was something I just had to check out!