Do you read?

[PieFacE]

Mate I'm fairly sure you should be able to get help for that, that sounds like a form of dyslexia or something else similar

I did try a few weeks back. GP kept asking if I was depressed or stressed and then asked me what I wanted them to do  

 

 I should probably try again really. 

[mjmooney]

On the subject of reading, I was wondering if anyone is like me? (probably not the best thread to put it in?)

 

I pretty much can't read at all. I can read words fine, but I've never been able to read a book. Reading fiction is especially hard. When I try and read, I usually get to a couple of paragraphs or a page or two and my mind just kinda switches off. I find myself sat there with an open book in front of me, reading the words (i can hear my conscious saying the words i'm reading) but at the end of the paragraph I just think to myself "what on earth did I just read?" .... and I tend to just read sentences over and over again until it sticks in my head. It's almost like i'm just reading individual words and not stringing it all together. I find it scarily difficult to be able to read a paragraph and create the image of what i'm reading in my mind. People often say how reading a book is better than a film because you get lost in it... well, i've never had that, and i'm quite envious of those who can. I've never read a book in my life. So, count yourself lucky if you can read!

Reading on a Villa forum is so much easier because I already understand and know the context in what people are talking about, so I don't need that creative element in my brain. 

 

Wow. As an reading addict that makes me sad. But it's also intriguing.

 

What were you like at school? Because your post above is very well constructed, with good spelling and grammar; essentially, you're good with words - and that's usually the sign of someone who reads a lot.

[PieFacE]

 

On the subject of reading, I was wondering if anyone is like me? (probably not the best thread to put it in?)

 

I pretty much can't read at all. I can read words fine, but I've never been able to read a book. Reading fiction is especially hard. When I try and read, I usually get to a couple of paragraphs or a page or two and my mind just kinda switches off. I find myself sat there with an open book in front of me, reading the words (i can hear my conscious saying the words i'm reading) but at the end of the paragraph I just think to myself "what on earth did I just read?" .... and I tend to just read sentences over and over again until it sticks in my head. It's almost like i'm just reading individual words and not stringing it all together. I find it scarily difficult to be able to read a paragraph and create the image of what i'm reading in my mind. People often say how reading a book is better than a film because you get lost in it... well, i've never had that, and i'm quite envious of those who can. I've never read a book in my life. So, count yourself lucky if you can read!

Reading on a Villa forum is so much easier because I already understand and know the context in what people are talking about, so I don't need that creative element in my brain. 

 

Wow. As an reading addict that makes me sad. But it's also intriguing.

 

What were you like at school? Because your post above is very well constructed, with good spelling and grammar; essentially, you're good with words - and that's usually the sign of someone who reads a lot.

 

My English was terrible at school and it's improved dramatically since leaving. I actually found school really hard and left before taking my GCSE's, I really struggled with being in an educational environment, and have always struggled to learn (not being able to concentrate & read properly probably has something to do with that). My improvement in English is actually down to using forums & MSN. A friend who I used to talk to on MSN a lot used to correct me whenever I made mistakes haha (such as differences between their, they're and there, and when to us 'a' or 'an' etc). Really basic stuff, but I just didn't get it at school. So that helped quite a lot. When I write/type sentences I always seem to miss out crucial words, which makes what I write complete jibberish, but when I read it back I read it as if the word is there (my brain just makes the connection automatically). It's rather annoying! Doing some research I may have something like ADD or dyslexia apparently. More likely ADD as I just zone out all the time when people talk to me... I live in my head most of the time! 

haha... so there's my life story  Sorry for taking the thread kinda OT!

[Shillzz]

 

 

On the subject of reading, I was wondering if anyone is like me? (probably not the best thread to put it in?)

 

I pretty much can't read at all. I can read words fine, but I've never been able to read a book. Reading fiction is especially hard. When I try and read, I usually get to a couple of paragraphs or a page or two and my mind just kinda switches off. I find myself sat there with an open book in front of me, reading the words (i can hear my conscious saying the words i'm reading) but at the end of the paragraph I just think to myself "what on earth did I just read?" .... and I tend to just read sentences over and over again until it sticks in my head. It's almost like i'm just reading individual words and not stringing it all together. I find it scarily difficult to be able to read a paragraph and create the image of what i'm reading in my mind. People often say how reading a book is better than a film because you get lost in it... well, i've never had that, and i'm quite envious of those who can. I've never read a book in my life. So, count yourself lucky if you can read!

Reading on a Villa forum is so much easier because I already understand and know the context in what people are talking about, so I don't need that creative element in my brain. 

 

Wow. As an reading addict that makes me sad. But it's also intriguing.

 

What were you like at school? Because your post above is very well constructed, with good spelling and grammar; essentially, you're good with words - and that's usually the sign of someone who reads a lot.

 

My English was terrible at school and it's improved dramatically since leaving. I actually found school really hard and left before taking my GCSE's, I really struggled with being in an educational environment, and have always struggled to learn (not being able to concentrate & read properly probably has something to do with that). My improvement in English is actually down to using forums & MSN. A friend who I used to talk to on MSN a lot used to correct me whenever I made mistakes haha (such as differences between their, they're and there, and when to us 'a' or 'an' etc). Really basic stuff, but I just didn't get it at school. So that helped quite a lot. When I write/type sentences I always seem to miss out crucial words, which makes what I write complete jibberish, but when I read it back I read it as if the word is there (my brain just makes the connection automatically). It's rather annoying! Doing some research I may have something like ADD or dyslexia apparently. More likely ADD as I just zone out all the time when people talk to me... I live in my head most of the time! 

haha... so there's my life story  Sorry for taking the thread kinda OT!

 

 

I was very similar to this, not so long ago. Up until a few weeks ago, I'd barely read a book in my life, but since 'getting into it' I've gone through 6 books in the past couple of months alone.

 

I would find myself reading and re-reading the same paragraph in order to get it to go in. I was (and probably still am) a particularly slow reader, and found that quite disparaging, I never thought I'd be able to get through a book without losing interest.

 

However, I've got a real appetite for it now, and I make a point of setting aside atleast an hour every week-day in order to get some reading done. It really helps me to relax and escape my mind for an hour or two.

 

If you want to breach the void, then these tips may help:

 

1. Find something that REALLY interests you. The biography of someone you really admire is a good starting place.

 

2. Find a book presented in a large font, you'll get a sense of accomplishment as you rifle through your book with greater ease than you'd ever imagined.

 

3. Find a book where you don't have to take too much notice of the details. Few characters and an easy story line make it simple to follow. Because of this, you don't feel the need to concentrate so much and re-read the same lines over and over. If you skip a bit of detail, then it doesn't really matter. Perhaps even read something where you already know the plot.

 

4. Set aside a space of time when you're glad of the escape. Not TV time, because it'll feel like a chore. Something like your lunch hour in work, or commuting on the train.

 

5. Get rid of all music and background noise. Consider downloading something like Ambiance onto your phone. This provides calming background noises perfect for reading.

 

I hope the above tips help, because I've found getting into reading to be massively rewarding and a great escape for the mind.

 

Am currently in the closing stages of this:

 

[PieFacE]

Thanks for that Shillzz! I have to say I've never tried to read a biography so that may be a good starting point! Nice to hear i'm not the only one who has to keep reading things over and over again to get it to stick in, and it's even better to hear that you can get over it!

 

Gunna shop for a Biography now Thanks!

[Shillzz]

Thanks for that Shillzz! I have to say I've never tried to read a biography so that may be a good starting point! Nice to hear i'm not the only one who has to keep reading things over and over again to get it to stick in, and it's even better to hear that you can get over it!

 

Gunna shop for a Biography now Thanks!

 

Good luck!

[Chindie]

Never read any Iain Banks, so what should I begin with? Thought I would read some of his back catalogue as he was very highly thought off round these parts and in general.

On his straight fiction, you can read any of it really, depends what interests you.

If you like the sound of a thriller revolving around a series of murders and the drug addled journalist trying to solve it, read Complicity.

If you fancy reading a coming of age story set against a mystery, the Crow Road is incredible.

The Bridge is a layered puzzle of a book featuring 3 starkly different narratives intertwined.

... and so on. He has his weaker moments - Canal Dreams he personally believed was the weakest of his work.

His sci fi is more difficult. Most of it is set against a far flung society called the Culture, where massive AI brains run things and the society lives a completely free life, able to fulfill any whim imaginable. The books about the Culture tend to describe what happens when the Culture encounters other civilisations outside its remit - be that through war, curiosity or, more often than not, trying to secretly influence that civilisation to it's own whims.

He had written non-Culture sci-fi, most notably the Algebraist, which was very well received and has some similarities to his Culture work.

If the Culture interests you, the Player of Games is a good place to start. It's a simple story set in the Culture and has lots of the themes and motifs the Culture stories all have, without the mildly impenetrable stuff there other books have. The first Culture book, Consider Phlebas, is usually said to be a fairly poor jumping on point as it's story looks at the Culture from the outside, which makes a lot of what is discussed a little more odd. I read it after having read a few Culture books and think I got more out of it that way. Do not read Excession first - I did that and enjoyed it far less than I should have as without the context of the other books it's quite a weird, confusing read.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Chindie

[bickster]

... and so on. He had his weaker moments - Canal Dreams he personally believed was the weakest of his work.

Didn't know that but it makes me glad in a way because I'e always rated it as his one crap book. I also have a signed first edition

[Chindie]

 

... and so on. He had his weaker moments - Canal Dreams he personally believed was the weakest of his work.

Didn't know that but it makes me glad in a way because I'e always rated it as his one crap book. I also have a signed first edition

 

Yeah, he described it himself as the runt of the litter. He rated the Bridge and the Use of Weapons as some of his better work.

 

I've never read Canal Dreams actually - I intended to get through all of his works fairly shortly and then had life catch up a little. I actually cleared some shelf space the other day and am intent on getting the lot and running through them soon, though.

[bickster]

Mate I'm fairly sure you should be able to get help for that, that sounds like a form of dyslexia or something else similar

I did try a few weeks back. GP kept asking if I was depressed or stressed and then asked me what I wanted them to do  

 

 I should probably try again really.

Yes most definitely, My Bro-in-law wasn't diagnosed until he was 30+

He has a mechanical engineering degree now, everyone just thought he was lazy and thick (including his mother - a teacher)

... and so on. He had his weaker moments - Canal Dreams he personally believed was the weakest of his work.

Didn't know that but it makes me glad in a way because I'e always rated it as his one crap book. I also have a signed first edition

Yeah, he described it himself as the runt of the litter. He rated the Bridge and the Use of Weapons as some of his better work.

 

I've never read Canal Dreams actually - I intended to get through all of his works fairly shortly and then had life catch up a little. I actually cleared some shelf space the other day and am intent on getting the lot and running through them soon, though.

Wanna buy a signed first edition of anal Dreams to start you off ?

[mjmooney]

OK, it's not his best, but I kinda liked Canal Dreams. 

 

I was more disappointed with Espedair Street. Rock'n'roll novels never work. 

[Chindie]

I quite like Espedair Street, actually.

Of what I've read, his best are the Crow Road, Complicity, the Wasp Factory and Transitions. With honourable mentions to the Bridge and Whit.

His sci fi, the Player of Games and the Use of Weapons stand out, with the Algebraist and Inversions coming up behind. Inversions largely as it is a simple but clever idea done well.

[bickster]

Espedair Street has so many nuances that are absolutely spot on for the music biz, its one of my favourites tbh. Not his most complex novel but certainly something that was written with a certain amount of observed knowledge. 

[leviramsey]

Was cleaning up and found this (autographed by the author, no less). To describe it, I'll quote a bit from Newsweek (25 June 1973) reprinted on the back cover:

Ht is listed in Who's Who in America, has written several books on labor and economics, and sits on seven different boards of directors. But for two months this spring, John R. Coleman, president of suburban Philadelphia's Haverford College, a liberal school with Quaker roots, was just another 51-year-old laborer looking for a job.

Inside jacket blurb:

John Coleman had to leave his job as a ditchdigger in Atlanta; it paid $2.75 an hour with time and a half for overtime. But he had to hurry back to Philadelphia to preside over the monthly meeting of the Federal Reserve Bank, as he was Chairman of the Board. The next meeting compelled him to quit his job as sandwich and salad man at a Boston seafood restaurant, but he got another one as a garbage collector working a route in suburban Washington, D.C.

John R. Coleman is the president of Haverford College. He had often urged his students to break "the lockstep," to take time out and vary the rhythm of their lives. He had been frightened by the May 1970 clash between students and construction workers on Wall Street, an event which dramatized for him the widening rift between the academic and working communities in America. When he was given a short sabbatical leave by his trustees, Dr. Coleman decided to follow his own advice and take time out far away from the academic world. He did this by moving over to the other side; he started at the bottom as a laborer.

[Shillzz]

Finished this last night.

 

An absolutely unbelievable story of survival, and a thoroughly good read to boot. Though, it is packed full of mountaineering terms that are hard to understand at first. 

 

[Pelle]

Currently reading Dan Browns latest book, Inferno. If you like Dan Brown I'd say it's decent. But it's got an interesting thought in it. And scarrying as well. And I don't think it's impossible.

[mjmooney]

Currently reading Dan Browns latest book, Inferno. If you like Dan Brown I'd say it's decent. But it's got an interesting thought in it. And scarrying as well. And I don't think it's impossible.

 

Are you reading it in English, or Swedish?

[Pelle]

Swedish. Some books I find better to read in english, but some, with a bit of an academic language, is better to read in swedish. And to be perfectly honest, Dan Browns books are hardly the ones where the beautifull language gets lost in translation.

[coda]

Currently reading Dan Browns latest book, Inferno. If you like Dan Brown I'd say it's decent. But it's got an interesting thought in it. And scarrying as well. And I don't think it's impossible.

 

What's the interesting/scary thought? (You might want to use the spoiler edit if it's a major plot point). 

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

 

 

What's the interesting/scary thought?

 

 

That he manages to sell as well as he does.