[books] why do you read?

[seeksadventure]

minnalavendar started a conversation about reading over in her journal, and I was so excited by it that I wanted to know about your reading habits, as well.

Here is my comment to her, copied and pasted:

Books a week? Probably ten or eleven. During the worst weeks, I read a book a day, and usually two or three. I used to read more, while I was at university and not working full time and writing full time, probably twenty or thirty books a week, on top of my schoolwork.

I love to read. The only thing I love more than reading is writing, and that includes sex, creating photo manipulations, being with my friends and family. I can't help it; all those things are wonderful, but reading and writing always top my list.

I learned to read around two, as well, and my first memories are of my mother reading to me, big, thick books that took a couple of nights to finish. By the time I made it to kindergarten, I'd finished all the reading lists for fourth and fifth grade. In high school, when I had to do book reports, I'd go back and reread things I'd read in elementary school.

I'll read anything once. I devour most fiction, in gulps. I still hate to be disturbed when I'm reading; there's a scene in A Little Princess that describes it well, that anger at being interrupted, all the fast thinking to keep from blowing up at someone.

I read while I do almost anything. If I sit down to watch television, I have a book in hand. I read while I eat. I read while I cook (which, ok, doesn't really mean much, because I don't cook much). I read first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. I read at work, on my breaks, if I show up early. I've stayed late (off the clock, but still in the store) to finish books. The one thing I get in trouble for is flipping through books while on the clock. I read at parties, I take books to movies to read before the lights dim, I've read in bars and at coffee houses and at restaurants. I've read at games, only putting the book down to go march. I need to read like I need to write, like I need to breathe.

I love to drive, too, but I am looking forward to not having a car while at law school, simply because I can read on the commute.

I'm all gushy about reading, enthralled with thinking about it now. I love books. This is why I got a job at a bookstore in the first place, because I love to read and I wanted to share that with other people, before I became smart and jaded about corporate bullshit and customer stupidity.

I truly don't understand people who don't enjoy reading. Jacob doesn't, not really, and I just don't get it. He reads more now, because of my influence, and it still blows my mind that he doesn't like it.

I read to relax, to calm down, to learn, to laugh, to cry, to feel at peace. People have comfort food; I have comfort books. I reread voraciously, as well, a hundred times, probably a thousand times on some of my favorites. I can't comprehend trading books in at a used bookstore, or not buying things you find at the library.

So how many books do you all read a week? A day? Why do you read? What do you read? Recommend some of your favorites to me.

And if any of you don't read, could you tell me why?

~~*

Gaming went well tonight, as it did last week. Well in the way that really means our GM is an evil bastard and he tortures me, offering a happy situation just long enough for me to be happy before it's all messed up. Not that I don't still love B--- as a GM, and that should say something, because it takes talent to do something horrible, and yet I still love you as a GM. Or as a writer. It's all similar, you know, cruelty to players or readers. It's all similar, in the creation process, too.

The writing is going better than I expected, too, but I'll talk more about that after I get through with today's writing. Because now that I've a little of the feedback I owe people, I can continue with my own project for awhile. Only two more days off on my vacation, and I dread going back, but at least it has been a wonderful week.

Comments

[carlamlee.livejournal.com]

You found me out! And here I thought I was pulling off the 23-year-old mutt woman who doesn't even really know what that job is quite well. Hee.

College did dampen my reading bug, but most of the novels I had to read I'd either already read or I enjoyed them while I was reading them. And I loved analysis, but I didn't have to do any of them until my junior year (stupid university studies classes taking up all my time).

I've never read either Sandresan or Mukherjee, but I will as soon as I can. You've made them both sound interesting. I keep intending to start the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, but it's a very daunting task.

I think if I proofread/edited more at work, I'd read less in my off-time.