Please exclude books you have to read for school.

Do you read? Give me a recommendation. Thanks.

Richard Preston - The Hot Zone
Outbreak the movie but in a book.

How some of you guys and gals manage to read 25+ books a year is amazing.

Definitely 25+. My reading speed is... really fast.

Um... what kind of books do you like to read?

Considering that i buy 2-3 books a month that I read as soon as possible, I can only say 25+. And that's excluding the double amount of e-books that I download.

I haven't read a single book in years. I'm too cheap to buy, reading a bunch of text on a computer screen hurts my eyes and I have quite a bit of fines on my library card. Such a downer, I rather be reading novels than textbooks

do you actually retain most of the things you read?

Yep. As an example, I finished reading 'Atlas Shrugged' in 8th grade in four days and took a test for reading credit. It runs on my father's side of my family, my aunt has the same ability. Plus, I've loved reading since a young age.

Of course, it takes me a little longer if I need to highlight paragraphs and take notes, but that's a given. Unfortunately, I can't say that I read the huge quantities that I used to with college.

Does skimming through journal articles count? If not, then I might read, on average, one book a year due to borrowing one from my sister for travel reading.

The last book I was reading was Life of Pi and I stopped half way due to distractions.

Honestly? 1 to 4.
The only book I've read this year is... errrmmm... Twilight. lmao I wanted to see what the fuss was. It was like reading fanfiction, so I don't even know if that counts as a real book.

I used to read all the time when I was younger. Goosebumps ftw.

I think about 10-25. For me, there are times when I go on a reading spree and read like 2 books per week for a while, but then later, I don't read a single book for couple months.

I read all four Twilight book this year !!!! it was great .

coolloquy, do you remember your very first book? I enjoy reading a lot, mine was "Flip" about a horse who faced his fear of jumping over a farm ditch I remember and still own my first books from the book club from the age of 5 hehe

but I think the most I would have read compared to now was back in high school, I remember reading mills & boons etc in box loads my best friend would read and hide hers under her bed like it was a porn mag

jaeho, yeah that was like me too, to have a lookie, I'm an Anne Rice fan so I was like hmmmmmmmmm my family and I will sit there competing I wasn't a fan of her writing in "Twilight" and "New Moon" but I did enjoy "Eclipse" that would be my favourite of her series

boka, nup! they don't count because that sounds like work ( just kidding )

sirce, the ebook phenomena, although a fan, is there a device yet, which is comfortable like a book yet we can plug in a small usb disk etc to read our pdfs? I reckon that would be cool, if it exists, err please inform the ignorant (me) thanks!

my reading habits
I usually have a book at night, book in my bag for the bus, book in the glove box and in the toilet (favourite place to read ) too finishing times of each book vary though, take a week to a month to finish some, I usually visit secondhand bookstores, purchase a couple of books not necessarily read them straight away but store them away for reading later

I am definitely a book nerd for I buy around 3-5 books a month and it usually lasts me for the day and there are so many good authors out there and so many interesting subjects to read about...I just can't get enough. If I could live in a bookstore, I would probably be very happy!

^ This would help

Easily 25+ but that's not saying much when I used to read 30 books in a month without even thinking about it.

I'm somewhat like that too I have a book in my bag so that I can read it on the train or something, and I sometimes read in the bathroom too Since I started working, I haven't had as much time for reading, so I guess I'm in the 10-24 range. I'm trying to read more, though. It's so nice to relax and while the time away with a good book.




I wanna live in a bookstore too!

in the 25+ range before I went to uni. Now, I'm lucky to get through a book a month.

Around 1-4, I'm captured by Harry Potter.

I have to read about 4-5 books a week for my program (I'm a grad student with a concentration in 20th-century Brit. and American Lit.), plus a significant amount of ancillary reading (i.e. texts of criticism, author biographies, etc.), so by the time I get done with all of that I don't really care to do much reading for fun. Over the summer I read Peter and Wendy and Gulliver's Travels though, both of which I've always been familiar with but never actually read--that was fun. I also generally distance myself from reading for fun because the entire time I'm reading something I don't have to read I feel guilty about not using the time to do my own writing, so it's not all that pleasurable for me.

To me, the question should actually be "how many 'pages' do you read in a year..?"
I think about 20~30 pages??

I hate myself for not liking books. I wish I loved to read. If I did, my writing wouldn't be as horrible and I wouldn't be suffering in college... Someone help! What should I do??

Maybe pick a book that you think you'd like to read for leisure? Something light and fun. Don't think of reading as a chore, think of it as something that can help you relax and that you'd enjoy. It doesn't have to be all text and no pictures, some people do well with graphic novels.

Azira, yep, that's why my books are in certain places, the places are convenient and they're times when you find yourself just waiting and when I find myself waiting I usually feel the need to read anything, makes good use of time



I reckon balhae you should find out why you don't like books see if you can sort out the reasons behind your dislike

but yeah do what Azira says, find something enjoyable, one of the mains reasons why I have my books in certain places? because I'll either be too lazy or pressed for time to make time for reading this way works for me create time for reading, 10mins? 30mins? 5mins even!

I do like books but I won't really read a particular book unless I like the style of the author's writing, you know how some take up one page to describe a red door on the front of a house there are some excellent storytellers out there find yours

find a book that you like, place it somewhere convenient, easy for you to pick up and read instantly, stop reading when you become bored, make it a habit - good habit

but yeah I reckon reading definitely helps with writing

That's true, although it can be a bit of a challenge to keep track of buses when you're sneaking in a few minutes' worth of reading And I usually plug in my mp3 player when I'm on the move, so it sort of cuts down reading time. I can't read on moving vehicles either

Btw, what sort of stuff do you read?




I dunno, I don't think you should feel guilty about reading for leisure. I do understand that having too many things to read for school can put one off reading for leisure, but I've always found that reading books I enjoy helps relax me. Even if it's just for a few minutes like what kerupi does, that may help de-stress. I remember sneaking in a couple of wuxia novels while I was chugging away for my exams and I loved the feeling of being lost in something I enjoyed doing.

I'm mostly into non fiction unless referred to a fictitious piece, these days I'm into reading related to swimming, triathlons, sport auto/biographies, I read the Meyers series, book about Queen Salote of Tonga, couple of self help books (Mandino and I forget her name but she compares her life to that of seashells), a lot of pieces I have read usually are auto/biographies from different cultures - mind you I read text materials but neh! they're not too leisurely most of the time! stats, data, technical stuff

I go through phases, in the past I read non-fiction crime, biological warfare and history, I enjoy poetry a lot, usually stick to Ella Wheeler Wilcox (I re-read one of her books all the time ) I enjoy short stories, I like pieces from Edgar Allan Poe, Dumas, Anne Rice, Katherine Mansfield and Janet Frame

to be honest I kinda stick to non-fiction but I'd be a fool to pass up a good storyteller

nah I try not to read while waiting for the bus, I can read on a bus not in a car though, my commute if it's to home is about 45mins, the ride, smooth and scenery nice

and you?

I agree with this--I don't think you should feel guilty either. Reading something for fun (instead of school/work) is taking a break--and could even help clear your head if you're stuck on a problem, or a specific part of whatever you're working on/trying to write, even if the subject of the book has nothing to do with what you're doing at the time.

I don't have school, or work outside of the house, but I have responsibilities and stuff to worry about. Reading these days is one of the things I have to do to stay sane, but I've always eaten books. Not counting manga/manhwa (because it's a lot-plus I read it online too), I think I read about 3-4 books a month. per year, it's hard to say--every month I have a box full. I read anything that looks interesting to me, including books meant more for little/younger people (including stuff I read when I was a kid), and I've read a lot of good ones that I feel older kids cough* could read too--like Harry Potter--which you could read at 9 or 99.

hey Myth! yep I agree! definitely helps to adjust ya focus when you go back and study/work on something you have been having troubles with prior

I'm not too clued up on manga or manhwa while wer'e at it but I always use to think that hentai and manga were the same I have a young cousin who is very much into Naruto, closest I've come to this genre would be "The Phantom" (yes I know - not manga) and Superman comics while growing up, oh and Frank Miller's series I like, I did enjoy the movie adaptation, "Sin City", though I wasn't feeling "The Spirit'

manga/manwah - if you have some recs, be much appreciated dunno when I will read them but I will thanks!

I try to read at least one or two books a week with varying results.

I read as fast as I breathe.

I probably read about 50 to 100 books a year and that's all just for fun.

I usually read pretty much anything that sounds interesting and catches my eye. But usually I like to read vampires/magic/murder mystery/romance books. But pretty much anything.

Heh, I'm pretty much the opposite of you. I stay clear of non-fiction, autobiographies/biographies, self-help, etc. I did read plenty of history texts while in school, and while I'm okay with reading about historical figures, I prefer to stick to fiction. I don't even like poetry, I'm more of a prose person, and maybe the occasional screenplay. Guess I can't rhyme for nuts! Some of my favourite authors include Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Alex Garland, Tess Gerritsen and Arturo Perez-Reverte, and I like anything with a good plot and strong writing (but even so, I'm rather picky with my selections). Medical thrillers are fun too, and the occasional dose of fantasy, but just not sci-fi. I am not really into short stories, because they end just when I'm getting to the good part!

I don't read a lot of manga, but I've always had a soft spot for Ranma 1/2, It has an anime version too. But if you like graphic novels and did enjoy Sin City, then I recommend Gaiman's Sandman series. It's awesome.

Since you like Poe, have you heard of this author Matthew Pearl? He writes Poe-related stories.

Azira oh that's quite cool that you are the opposite, gives me more insight and other authors to consider thanks!

nope Pearl doesn't ring a bell and I will check out your manga recs too! thank you

I did my phase of screenplays in my curiosity as to how books were adapted for screen, I read a few online, think I even attempted one but was short lived!

I can't really recall having read a medical thriller, I used to enjoy reading horror/macabre/vampires too like Rikku maybe closest to thrillers would be Alex Cross yeah I am not fond of sci-fi either and fantasy? hmm not really, fantasy books I probably liken to my early teen days, books similar in plot to the Narnia series, "Halfmen of O" (sequels: "The Priests of Ferris" and "Motherstone") by Maurice Gee is along the fantasy realm lines, one of my favourites, am waiting for Peter Jackson to hurry up and adapt this to screen I have read Narnia but Halfmen of O is the ticker!

I tend to leave my fantasy for movie time and popcorn

I do go through phases so I usually wonder what I will get into next once I believe I have consumed enough of one I move on

Rikku, I think that's awesome how you read so much, off the top of your head could you do a best/most memorable top 10 or 15?

Azira, too? top 10 or 15? off top of your head?

Azira, I face similar issues as yourself and what has helped me immensely over the last few years was the discovery of audiobooks. My life has become so much richer having these mono 64kbps mp3s talking to me in my ear during my commutes! I still carry a book with me everywhere I go but this is supplemented by a half-a-dozen or so other audiobooks that I can switch to depending on my mood.

Not counting textbooks: 3 books so far.....due to no time and lack of interest

I don't keep count of how many books I read a year but buying books has been a very recent thing for me. Before that i'd just read books I have at home over and over again. Lol. I do enjoy reading but most of the times i'll find myself wanting to read a new book but I just don't have any new ones to read. I'm actually a pretty damn fast reader as well.

I'm currently rereading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy since I don't have anything else to read and I don't want to go buy new books. I did buy a C++ book but I gave that to my bf because of complicated reasons. Lol...

Does re-reading books count? Or does it have to be new books xD

I re-read like no one's business.

i would say somewhere around 20-25 books a year.
around 20 to be more conservative.
i cram all of my reading in during long breaks
i'm a fast reader and i love to read. the problem is finding good books to read.

I'm in the process of tackling The Lost Symbol right now. That will bring the count up to 7? And some of you read 25 or more?

is it a good read so far?

does anyone have an e-reader? if so, what type? care to give a pros/cons on your e-reader? I saw the release of the Amazon Kindle and I do like the Sony one, only cause I like Sony and the leather pouch looks nice but with things like that do they handle knocks fairly well? I know that they're not designed to be dropped but still is it easy on the eyes, comfortable?



Sony - Reader Digital Books
Amazon - Kindle

D_K, I tried an audio book I think late last year? or earlier on this year? Meyers' "Twilight", yeah I thought listening to audio books would help too but then I didn't like the storyteller, or most likely the book? but then I felt like I was cheating dunno, go figure

I voted 25 and up.

On an average I read 1 book per week, and I intend to keep it that way. The only time i break this is when I run out of books, w/c happens a lot XD . I pretty much have the same taste as Rikku22, except I stay far far away from Romance novels. I basically read anything that catches my eye, and if they are in the discount bin (because I'm a cheapskate). Brand new books here are pretty expensive so I often look out at discount store/bins to buy books, and most of them are in perfect condition and hardbound

I read during my commutes, and while in the bathroom XD.

That's a real toughie, kerupi. Hmm... I don't know if I can really pick a top 15, I like so many books! Okay, I won't rank them, but I tend to revisit these few books when I have time, so I guess I like them very much!

- The Beach by Alex Garland
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
- Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer
- The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Others that I don't always reread but would still recommend off the top of my head:
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (in fact, most of Gaiman's works)
- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
- Rage by Wilbur Smith
- Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer
- Ring by Koji Suzuki
- Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
- The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte (in fact, most of his novels)
- Out by Natsuo Kirino
- A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (play)
- Immortality by Milan Kundera
- A Pale View of the Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

and a handful of Chinese wuxia novels, haha.




Hey, it's great that you have found something that works for you I personally can't do audio books myself, because I like the written word and want to see it in print (and smell of new books and all that, haha). I read and write better than I speak and listen, that's how it's always been when learning languages. I like to see things like wordplay and sentence structure and style, all the itsy bitsy things about writing, and play around with them in my head, and I can't really feel that if I listen to books. That's why I'm not into sessions where authors read aloud their works, I'd probably fall asleep that way.

ah nice list and cheers Azira for making the time to compile that list

I did presume that Garland's "Beach" may have been a favourite and I will look into finding "Stardust" as I've heard/read positive reviews

I do admit I have never really noticed your signature before, referring to a fanfic piece, are you a writer? I will check it out also your reference to animals, have you ever read Hans Ruesch? "Slaughter of the Innocent" on vivisection? (not sure as you say you steer away from non-fiction) was his book at the age of 14/15 that started me on non-fiction, I still have it

thank you

somewhere between 7-9 I think. Personally I recommend "Water For Elephants", "The Kite Runner", and Dan Brown books if you're into that sort of thing. You know.."Harry Potter" rocks too You're never too old to read HP! btw, some of those self-help books are entertaining and useful in small doses...the "YOU" books are ok to flip through

LOL, I have plenty of recommendations, which is why it's hard to make a top 10 list because I like a lot of books. Feel free to ask for more. But yes, The Beach is a favourite, I believe I've read that a few times from cover to cover. Alex Garland is brilliant and I adore that novel. I hate the film adaptation, don't get me started on it. If you like screenplays, he did an original screenplay for 28 Days Later, that was very good too.

Stardust is one of my favourite Gaiman works - again, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the film adaptation, it shouldn't have been made. Just read the book, it's enough. I haven't heard of Hans Ruesch, but I just googled his name and see that he was an animal rights activist. That's great, the world needs more people like him! I'll probably look into getting the book the next time I visit the bookstore.

Oh my stories they aren't very good. Wouldn't really call myself a writer, but yes I do write stories for leisure... simple stuff, romance and relationships and the like, nothing too complicated Do you write too?

Hi.

Wow. A lot of soompiers are avid readers too. I've always loved to read, and I read very fast. My sister and I used to go to the library together, check out a huge stack of books each, then read our piles as fast as we could and then swap. I don't read quite as much as I used to anymore (stupid life!). I would still say that I read somewhere around 15 books a month. Of course, not everything I read is high class literature. Oh no. I love a good adventure romp and I'm a die-hard fantasy geek. XD.

mz simmons, yeah I've only ever read 3 direct self help books "Who moved my Cheese" was pretty funny, I do admit! a friend bought it for my birthday a few years ago as a hint, I read it and chucked it back at her!

Azira, ah yeah when I first said list top 10 I thought I'd best make it 15 to provide some sort off leeway, err but I see that's not the case where you're concerned please feel free to make further recommendations

"28 Days Later", ah no I don't think I have ever read the screenplay to be honest though I didn't like the movie, it did bring Murphy's acting to my attention, I avoided watching "The Beach" until a couple of years later to be honest but when I did, I did enjoy the story I quite like the movie "Stardust" hehe that's why I better go read the book! Azira, but the first 15mins of "28 Weeks Later" is one of my favourites!

Ruesch, yep he was and a racer at that! yeah not to mention novelist I do warn you though, that it is very heavy, he is explicit, blunt and spares no thought to your imagination about the point he is making, over and over with each paragraph =o|

writer? ah no perhaps poetry and a couple of songs for a friend or two but no published work can I ask, do you have any ambitions to have something officially published?

and erincait 15 books a month, yeah that is a lot

my brother has the kindle and ive fiddled around with it before. he has a leather case for his kindle as well. it looks very sleek and nice. wouldn't know how durable they are, but they're very slim and light. one con is that i actually think that ebooks should be cheaper than what they are now.

i guess im old fashioned, but i personally prefer having a real solid book in my hands.

too many. It's burning a crater in my bank account ;__; I like collecting books too so i can't just borrow form the library

hi Doki thank you for answering yes I'd probably have to agree with you about the feeling of a real book in my hands

kia ora ai_toka_dou yes am guilty of late fees too, I prefer secondhand stores, what do you collect, by the way? where abouts are you in NZ? that way I can tell if you are near stores I frequent or not latter being the case, then that's ok then

Haha, well... I'd also recommend The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - a much more intelligent version of Dan Brown Also, Eco's collection of essays How to Travel with a Salmon is pretty hilarious. Jose Carlos Somoza is relatively low-key, but I enjoyed his The Art of Murder, very disturbing concept.

I didn't watch 28 Weeks Later, but did enjoy 28 Days Later and was very impressed with Cillian Murphy. I thought he was criminally underused in Batman Begins! As for The Beach the movie... Leonardo DiCaprio is no Richard at all, he doesn't even come close. I know Alex Garland was displeased with the film and how it was shot, and I can't disagree. The novel is really much better and I was really upset with how they'd distorted things. Stardust the movie is another travesty... I shan't talk much about that or I'll explode! I think it's because I'm a purist where film adaptations of books are concerned. If I'd read a novel before it was adapted to the big screen (eg: The Beach, Stardust), I'd be highly critical of the film version, especially if I'd really enjoyed the novel. If I'd seen the film version first before reading the novel, then I would be more partial towards the differences in interpretation (eg; The Age of Innocence, Ring). I'm quite odd that way.

Okay, consider me warned about Ruesch and the graphic nature of his works!

As for being published... nah, I don't cherish any hopes. I did think about it when I was younger, but realised that ultimately it's not what I want. I prefer to just write for leisure and at my own pace. Besids, my writing is not at the level where it is good enough to be published. Imagine breathing the same air as Alex Garland! I'd be so overwhelmed. It would be fun, though, to work in a publishing company. You write poetry? Then you can consider posting it at the fanfix section here

I think I read maybe 10-25 a year...probably at the lower end of that scale. I really enjoy reading, and I can do it at a fair pace, but sometimes I get distracted and don't read for short periods of time (usually a week or so).

I've slowed down a lot in my reading but still manage a good 20 odd books a year of all sorts. I got hooked on reading when my mum bought me my first book when I was 8. I think I averaged at least 5-6 books a fortnight back then. These days I could still do that but there's just too many demands on my time, work, housework etc.

As an example of the books I read, the last few books I read were
Science and the Akashic field by Ervin Laszlo
The Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku
I'm working through Parallel universes by Fred Alan Wolf at the moment as well as Korean for Dummies and the 7 Military Classics