People who don't read books.

ceadaoin.

CarMe wrote: »

Me and my friend were talking about going to the cinema last night so I texted her saying "We need to talk about Kevin is out in the cinema, that's one of the best books I've ever read" to which she replied "Ah it wouldn't be my cup of tea if it used to be a book" from a girl who loves sex and the city!
Each to their own I say but I'm so glad reading is s part of my life I dip in and out of.

Sorry but that makes her seem like an ignoramus to be honest. Without even knowing what sort of film it is she won't see it because it was originally a book?! Bizarre. That's a lot of films she's ruling out.

I love reading and have done since I was a child. My first baby is due soon and I'm already looking at books I can read to her when she gets a bit older. Encouraging kids to get into reading is one of the best things you can do in my opinion.

stupidusername

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Sorry but that makes her seem like an ignoramus to be honest. Without even knowing what sort of film it is she won't see it becuase it was originally a book?! Bizarre. That's a lot of films she's ruling out.

Yeah, CarMe, you should let her know that Sex and the City was based on a book, and Bridget Jones Diary was a book first.

Da Shins Kelly

They should read more, reading is great for the imagination and people's grasp of language. You can really tell the difference between people who read a lot and those that don't - difference in vocabulary, writing skills, even in the way they speak. I also think reading helps with developing opinions and getting an insight into other people's opinions and ways of life since many authors put a lot of themselves and their own upbringings or cultures into their work.

It doesn't actually bother me or anything though if some people just don't like reading.

kowloon

stupidusername wrote: »

Yeah, CarMe, you should let her know that Sex and the City was based on a book, and Bridget Jones Diary was a book first.

Sometimes it's better not reading .

pickarooney

I rarely have the time or patience to read books. I think I've only finished two or three this year. I don't watch many films either for the same reason although I will often watch 4 half-hour programs in a row because it feels like less of a commitment.

stimpson

The King of Moo wrote: »

I had a friend as a kid who claimed to hate all music. Even at a young age, my mind completely boggled at that.

Louis Walsh?

sbsquarepants

Freddie59 wrote: »

I only read when on holidays. And then I could do a book per day. As for improving how you speak and write I would not necessarily agree. The biggest amount of damage to punctuation and grammar has been caused by text speak.

Pople cannot differentiate between 'their' and 'there', 'your' and 'you're', etc.

And WTF is 'would of' about??!! This is basic stuff!

But verily my good Freddie, language doth evolve!
It's just evolving at an unusually rapid pace right now and in a wholly unexpected direction, but it is evolving nonetheless. It shouldn't be shackled - in fact it can't be.

ScumLord

I think people who read fiction are no better than people who watch TV, it's all nonsense at the end of the day. I only red something factual, like manuals or educational books. If your not learning something I don't see the point.

ynul31f47k6b59

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I used to be really judgmental about people who didn't read. But my since meeting my boyfriend, I changed my mind. He tries his best but for some reason he just cannot concentrate on more than a few pages at a time. And it's not like he is stupid, he does really well at work, he just cannot read a book.

Exactly this. I could never, ever understand why people wouldn't read, or why I'd get responses like - "You're reading a book?! Jaysus you should get out more" (I seem to know a LOT of people who have never read a book) - until I realised that some people just don't have the patience to sit and work their way through a big novel. I'd read anything and everything (except magazines) all day if I could, have been the same ever since I was a child. My other half is the complete opposite. If it's something he's really interested in, he'll still skim a few pages and then leave it down. Some people just don't like reading, it doesn't bother me, why would it?! Sure as long as I can read and am happy doing it, it doesn't really bug me that a lot of people have no interest.

paddyandy

There is'nt the quiet in a lot of homes as there once was and i find reading tiring i hav'nt read a book in years.Useless information mostly.

The King of Moo

ScumLord wrote: »

I think people who read fiction are no better than people who watch TV, it's all nonsense at the end of the day. I only red something factual, like manuals or educational books. If your not learning something I don't see the point.

From fiction:

You can learn about the beauty and power and effective use of language.

You can learn to greatly improve your imagination which is a necessity for a huge number of jobs.

You can learn lots of historical and geographical facts from many fictional works.

For starters.

Dravokivich

Ah all ye on about kindered childhoods reading books come out of it. Books were freely available in libraries and a reasonably cheap past time. In comparison to now, movies are a rather cheap past time and easily available.

What would have been a costly luxury when I was a kid are now easily affordable consumable items be they movies / music / video games as they drop down in prices rather quickly. Take into account also with the fashionable desire for hi-tech gadgets as well which can be easily affordable, it's no wonder why interest books would drop.

Along side that don't forget it's only a hobby/interest, not everyone is going to be interested in reading. It's rather foolish to base your opinion on someone by measuring them against what they don't participate in.

Duggy747

Fine stench here of:

Read books = Smart

Don't read books = Stupid

I love reading myself but I rarely have the time or patience to invest in a book (unless it's on certain subjects like cinema, space, nature, etc)

Growing up I litteraly read anything I got my mits on, cereal boxes, the sister's girly mags that be left around the kitchen, notes on the back of crisp packets :pac:

Alzy

I love reading and I find it weird that some people don't but that is up to them. It's no big deal. I just love a good book that you can't put down and I always think if you don't read you miss out on that. Then again I don't sky-dive so I'm sure I am missing out on the buzz. lolz ... Like I said if ya don't wanna read that's ok .. your choice

Please Kill Me

No I don't read. So what?? I have 5 kids and a busy job, so I don't have time. The little bit of time I DO have, I like to spend it watching a movie with my partner, spend a bit of quality time with her. Jesus, just cos people don't read, you don't have to have a witch hunt FFS! :rolleyes:

Oranage2

I havent read a book in about 7 years I'd say -

I just dont enjoy reading -

Da Shins Kelly

ScumLord wrote: »

I think people who read fiction are no better than people who watch TV, it's all nonsense at the end of the day. I only red something factual, like manuals or educational books. If your not learning something I don't see the point.

There are plenty of educational aspects to fictional works.

stimpson

Freddie59 wrote: »

Pople cannot differentiate between 'their' and 'there', 'your' and 'you're', etc.

Stimpsons law: A post criticising spelling or grammar on boards invariably contains a spelling or grammar mistake.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68777739

Pherekydes

People who don't read books [for pleasure] don't know what they're missing, for the most part.

Dotrel

stimpson wrote: »

Stimpsons law: A post criticising spelling or grammar on boards invariably contains a spelling or grammar mistake.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68777739

Thought that was Hitler's Law?

confusticated

CarMe wrote: »

Me and my friend were talking about going to the cinema last night so I texted her saying "We need to talk about Kevin is out in the cinema, that's one of the best books I've ever read" to which she replied "Ah it wouldn't be my cup of tea if it used to be a book" from a girl who loves sex and the city!
Each to their own I say but I'm so glad reading is s part of my life I dip in and out of.

That's horrendous. What if you didn't tell her it was a book and she saw the film? Would her opinion change on it if she found out afterwards that it was based on a book?

I don't really look down on people for not reading, they're not doing me any harm by it, but I can't understand how they don't. It's just something I take for granted in my life. I'd be miserable if I wasn't allowed to read, it was actually the punishment that worked best when I was younger - no reading until my room was tidy!

conorhal

kowloon wrote: »

There is a fair bit of snobbery around the printed word.

I remember reading a particularly annoying narrative of a battle that really could have done with a map. Instead the author thought it was better to describe contour lines and the course of a river.

Sometimes pictures, charts or film are a better way of putting the point across. A lot of academics seem to forget that they're supposed to be laying out their argument as clearly and as efficiently as possible and get lost in their own bullshit.

As for entertainment, it's entertainment and is entirely a matter of taste. Picking film over book doesn't make someone stupid anymore than owning lots of books somehow makes someone an intellectual.

Yes... poet Siegfried Sassoon’s writings on the Somme and his detailed descriptions of the battles at Bois Francais really could have been dispensed with if only he could have just drawn a map, that would have really captured the emotional content of the occasion……

The King of Moo

Please Kill Me wrote: »

No I don't read. So what?? I have 5 kids and a busy job, so I don't have time. The little bit of time I DO have, I like to spend it watching a movie with my partner, spend a bit of quality time with her. Jesus, just cos people don't read, you don't have to have a witch hunt FFS! :rolleyes:

I don't see a witch hunt going on, just people on both sides of the debate giving fairly reasonable opinions, for the most part.

If it were a witch hunt I would've stated that I hate people don't read, instead of saying that I find it hard to understand how people can never have an interest in reading (because for me, they're a big part of my life, but I know everyone's different) and asking others for their opinions.

-Trek-

The King of Moo wrote: »

From fiction:

You can learn about the beauty and power of language.

You can learn to greatly improve your imagination which is a necessity for a huge number of jobs.

You can learn lots of historical and geographical facts from many fictional works.

You can learn the facts about effective use of language.

For starters.

Have to agree with Scumlord, if I'm not gaining something to my benefit from reading then it is pointless. True, you can gain all of the above, but if I'm trying to learn a programming language or something about an operating system then all of the above is not much use to me.

Again its down to the individual, its entertainment for some, me, not so much.

ScumLord

The King of Moo wrote: »

From fiction:

You can learn about the beauty and power and effective use of language.

I'll have to grudgingly give you that point. :mad:

You can learn to greatly improve your imagination which is a necessity for a huge number of jobs.

No, your imagination won't be of any use because it'll go off on flights of fancy thinking of orcs and magic children rather than imagine practical things that will help you put together a table or solve a computer problem. It'll ruin your imagination if anything.

You can learn lots of historical and geographical facts from many fictional works.

Fiction is not a good place to get your historical facts, fiction has a long track record of ignoring the truth or just flat out lying.

Snakeblood

ScumLord wrote: »

I'll have to grudgingly give you that point. :mad:

No, your imagination won't be of any use because it'll go off on flights of fancy thinking of orcs and magic children rather than imagine practical things that will help you put together a table or solve a computer problem. It'll ruin your imagination if anything.

Fiction is not a good place to get your historical facts, fiction has a long track record of ignoring the truth or just flat out lying.

Fiction isn't solely limited to Orcs, though. And even if it was, there's a roaring trade in putting together tables with carvings of dragons on them.

I don't think you can accuse history of being slavishly devoted to the truth.

Mink

It seems almost "genetic". If you grew up in a household where at least one parent is an avid book reader, it will then spill down the kids, and they pass it onto their kids etc.

People who don't read/ don't own any books are most likely to have had parents that also didn't read / own books.

I really really think the curriculum for reading in schools is quite dire. For instance, Wuthering Heights. I read it recently for the first time and, although it's a classic & has merit, it would put any teenager off reading for life.

They really need to re-jig the reading lists for schools and try not to put something on it just because it's "worthy". It would make more sense to have something relatively easy to read so that teens can ease into reading & enjoy it more. They are then more likely to advance to literary works later on.

I always have to have some sort of book on the go, LOVE reading! Though I have a big fear of accidentally starting a sh1te book & then having to give up half way through.

The King of Moo

-Trek- wrote: »

Have to agree with Scumlord, if I'm not gaining something to my benefit from reading then it is pointless. True, you can gain all of the above, but if I'm trying to learn a programming language or something about an operating system then all of the above is not much use to me.

Again its down to the individual, its entertainment for some, me, not so much.

Fair enough, but if your job or course required you to learn a programming language or about an operating system, would you devote all your free time to that, and not to reading/watching films/listening to music for pleasure?

You could read the factual stuff for a few hours then relax for half an hour with a good story.

Again, it's fine if you're just not into reading for pleasure, but there's room for both.

cocoshovel

I only read about 3-4 books a year, I enjoy it but its just too time consuming and there are other things Id rather be doing that interest me more. I also rarely read fiction books, last time I read one was years ago.
I'm not sure what the name you would put on the books I read but just stuff like accounts of peoples lives in a job or something. Read a few about the life of police officers & CSI ("Never suck a dead mans hand" is very interesting). Also historical books etc. The Rape of Peking has to be one of my all time favorite books and I would recommend it to everyone.

Scuid Mhór

The King of Moo wrote: »

I had a friend as a kid who claimed to hate all music. Even at a young age, my mind completely boggled at that.

that's actually a valid mental disorder

flutterflye

I have ADD and mild dyslexia, also something's wrong with my sight that means things are somewhat blurry.
But even still, I have always read.
It takes an awful lot longer than most people take, but I get there in the end.

At the moment with depression though, all I can manage to read are chick lit novels - which I usually don't even like. Bit weird.

I don't understand people who don't read, but I don't judge them for it, or give it much thought at all to be honest.

The King of Moo

ScumLord wrote: »

I'll have to grudgingly give you that point. :mad:

1. No, your imagination won't be of any use because it'll go off on flights of fancy thinking of orcs and magic children rather than imagine practical things that will help you put together a table or solve a computer problem. It'll ruin your imagination if anything.



2. Fiction is not a good place to get your historical facts, fiction has a long track record of ignoring the truth or just flat out lying.

1. You don't only have to read fantasy .
And a good imagination can help you make a better table, for example. Fixing a computer doesn't require too much imagination, but designing one does, especially if you're innovating. In fact a good imagination is a must in any job that requires invention, innovation or creativity.

2. Having read a lot of academic works and a few tabloids, I'd say non-fiction isn't always so reliable .

Obviously every work of fiction isn't always going to be 100% accurate, but a good writer will do his/her research, and a great book touching on real historical situations might make one interested in the topic and seek out non-fiction works on the subject.

MrMojoRisin

I have a friend who admits that she does not read books and has never read books of her own volition, i.e. she would have only read books out of academic necessity. She says she prefers to watch films instead.

That's fine seeing as it's her life and her choices are her own business, except I do wonder if the lack of reading has affected her spelling and grammar. I mean, her spelling is fairly atrocious. Another thing is that she isn't the most thought-provoking and stirring conversationalist - if I didn't bring up a particular topic (it could be anything at all) or talk, there would just be (and has been) silence. It's like she can't think of anything to say without 'assistance'.

She's a lovely, personable and easygoing girl, but it has occurred to me at times that her neglecting to expand her intellectual horizons via reading may have limited her conversational ability.

Personally, I don't read books as often as every week (usually I pick up a new book every fortnight or so), but I feel that reading just helps me to broaden my perspective on life and what-not.

Skerries

I used to be a big reader but mainly certain genres such as Sci-Fi and Fantasy
but with the arrival of the internet it is so easy to catch up on all those tv series you missed
I do have a Kindle sitting in its box never used and i must fire it up and rekindle my interest

Oranage2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO8F1HJjzkA

du Maurier

Dudess wrote: »

If people aren't into it, fair enough - each to their own, but those who have a problem with others who read, seem thick as ****.

Yeah, that reminds me of something Michael Owen was saying in some interview and to this day I took quite a disliking to the guy. He was scoffing at the idea of reading a book and wondered why anyone would do that. He was really proud of himself for saying so as well.

Logical Fallacy

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Sorry but that makes her seem like an ignoramus to be honest. Without even knowing what sort of film it is she won't see it because it was originally a book?! Bizarre. That's a lot of films she's ruling out.

I love reading and have done since I was a child. My first baby is due soon and I'm already looking at books I can read to her when she gets a bit older. Encouraging kids to get into reading is one of the best things you can do in my opinion.

I wonder if she has figured out that all films start off being written down on paper.

MrMojoRisin

Mink wrote: »

It seems almost "genetic". If you grew up in a household where at least one parent is an avid book reader, it will then spill down the kids, and they pass it onto their kids etc.

People who don't read/ don't own any books are most likely to have had parents that also didn't read / own books.

Well, I never saw my parents read a book when I was growing up, so I could be the exception to that 'rule'. The most they would read were newspapers (mostly broadsheets), particularly on my father's part.

My mother hardly ever read, or reads, newspapers. She says she gets her news from the radio, except I would often mention something that had just been said on the radio and she would just reply, "What?" Honestly, I don't think the woman pays attention to anything and just 'zones out' into her own dreamworld.

Sooopie

On my hols last week, flew through 6 books.

Amazing

du Maurier

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I used to be really judgmental about people who didn't read. But my since meeting my boyfriend, I changed my mind. He tries his best but for some reason he just cannot concentrate on more than a few pages at a time. And it's not like he is stupid, he does really well at work, he just cannot read a book.

Just throw him and Updike or Sillitoe. Short and sweet.

Jaxxy

My father doesn't read anything that isn't factual (work related, history books, sport stats etc) and he can't read while in a moving vehicle as it makes him nauseous.

My mother is an avid reader and positively devours books. She introduced me to the pleasures of reading at a very young age and I'm very grateful. I couldn't imagine not having books in my life. And for those who don't believe books are beneficial to their vocabulary or grasp of the written word, I think you're deluding yourself.

Don't get me wrong, each to their own and if you're not into it I would never hold that against you, but in my experience it is usually easy to differentiate between the people who read and the people who don't.

ceadaoin.

du Maurier wrote: »

Yeah, that reminds me of something Michael Owen was saying in some interview and to this day I took quite a disliking to the guy. He was scoffing at the idea of reading a book and wondered why anyone would do that. He was really proud of himself for saying so as well.

Didn't stop him 'writing' an autobiography though and expecting his mug fans to pay for it

MrMojoRisin

du Maurier wrote: »

Yeah, that reminds me of something Michael Owen was saying in some interview and to this day I took quite a disliking to the guy. He was scoffing at the idea of reading a book and wondered why anyone would do that. He was really proud of himself for saying so as well.

Yeah, there are a fair few others like him as well. It seems 'wrong' to mention the following names now, but I seem to recall that Victoria Beckham and Jordan said they never read books either.

Imagine being stuck in a room with the two of them for a year - you'd die from boredom first before anything else.

Da Shins Kelly

ScumLord wrote: »

Fiction is not a good place to get your historical facts, fiction has a long track record of ignoring the truth or just flat out lying.

A lot of great novels are set in historical times, or give a more personal glimpse into the lives of people in those times. For example, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, while having some extremely surreal moments, is a semi-autobiographical novel about his experience as a POW in the Second World War and gives a real insight into his real experiences. It makes reference to the bombing of Dresden, race riots in the US and the Vietnam War, and the building where the title character is imprisoned is a real place where Vonnegut himself was imprisoned.

Khaled Hosseini writes novels that are greatly influenced by his Afghan background. He writes of the hardships experienced by people living under the iron fist of the Taliban, documenting the fall of the monarchy to the rise and fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the extremely difficult living conditions in Afghanistan at that time, particularly for women.

William Shakespeare's work takes an awful lot from his time - attempted assassinations on Elizabeth 1, threat of invasion from the Spanish Armada, the problems in Ireland, issues of sexuality and gender roles in Elizabethan culture. Hamlet, MacBeth, Julius Caesar, Othello are just some of the plays that deal with these issues.

Orwell's Animal Farm is a very explicit example of a work that blatantly and openly criticises the Soviet Union at the time, pointing out all that was wrong with it, leading to the banning of that particular book. That's not even getting to Orwell's masterpiece, 1984.

Haruki Murakami explores alienation and loneliness in the Japanese generation he is part of, and the obsession with work in Japan. His work explores the feeling of emptiness he gets from the current Japanese society in a really beautiful and quite surreal way.

These are just a few examples of authors and works that are influenced by real events, and give an insight into those events. You can definitely learn a great deal about historical times, and the lives of people in those times from books. You can also learn about what public opinion may have been like at the time of publishing. Books can teach you things about people and life and lives that may seem alien to us in an entertaining, accessible and often thought-provoking way. Picking up a book written by a foreign author like Haruki Murakami gives a gentle and encouraging introduction to different worlds and people's experiences in those worlds. I understand things about Japanese culture from his work that I wouldn't know otherwise. To say that works of fiction have no educational benefit is just not true, in my opinion.

Flyin Irishman

I like to consider myself an intellectual person, and will happily spend hours reading/researching topics that interest me. But in today's world that rarely involves sitting down with an actual book anymore. As for reading novels and the like, I have read very few. I've always struggled to get immersed in a book and get into that 'zone' where you can't put it down, and find time has passed you by instantaneously as you delved deep into the gripping story of books-ville....

For me personally, most times when I try to read a book it ends up being a constant struggle, with me forcing myself to "read one more page before you put it down for the night" until the inevitable night when I dont pick it up, and never finish it. The few books I have read that really gripped me and put me in that 'zone' I thoroughly enjoyed reading though.

I do love a good book. But I am not very good at reading. For some reason I find it really difficult to just start at the top and read all the way down. I always find myself starting at the bottom or half way down the page - I don't know why I'm like that. It's the same with posts on here and even with magazines. It takes me ages to read something because I don't start at the beginning and then realise after a few lines that I've missed loads and go back to the top.

I also manage to read full pages and by the time I get to the bottom realise I have no idea what I just read because I'm daydreaming about something else.

I'm sure this probably makes me sound like a complete bimbo :pac:

MrMojoRisin

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Didn't stop him 'writing' an autobiography though and expecting his mug fans to pay for it

Probably enlisted the help of a ghostwriter like most of them do, i.e. Kerry Katona, Colleen Rooney and all those other duds whose glossy books you see propped up on bookshelves.

They scoff at reading books but they certainly don't scoff at having a book in their name and raking in a bit of cash on the back of it. That's snobbery and ignorance really.

MrMojoRisin

Deleted User wrote: »

I do love a good book. But I am not very good at reading. For some reason I find it really difficult to just start at the top and read all the way down. I always find myself starting at the bottom or half way down the page - I don't know why I'm like that. It's the same with posts on here and even with magazines. It takes me ages to read something because I don't start at the beginning and then realise after a few lines that I've missed loads and go back to the top.

I also manage to read full pages and by the time I get to the bottom realise I have no idea what I just read because I'm daydreaming about something else.

I'm sure this probably makes me sound like a complete bimbo :pac:

Well, sometimes, when I read biographies or autobiographies, I don't read them in a 'uniform' way; I might read random sections in no particular order. I don't do that with fictional books but, then, I tend to prefer non-fiction anyway.

Hrududu

ScumLord wrote: »

No, your imagination won't be of any use because it'll go off on flights of fancy thinking of orcs and magic children rather than imagine practical things that will help you put together a table or solve a computer problem. It'll ruin your imagination if anything.

I think if I spent all my waking hours thinking only about practical things I'd be quite bored, and probably quite boring. Theres nothing wrong with flights of fancy, or daydreams. I think theres room in life for both it and practical shennanigans.

I think fiction is a great springboard for the imagination. And a good imagination is vital for a rich inner world. If you have a rich inner world then you'll never be bored. And you'll be happy with your own company. Which to me is pretty healthy.

Shattered Dreamer

I studied Law in college & as a result I've done alot of reading in my time but honestly nowadays I don't read much at all! Reading became associated with hard work to me so reading a book isn't how I like to relax.