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  1. #1

    [Books] Why do/don't you read books?

    Simple question, do you read books? Yes, or No? And with that answered, why do you/don't you read and if you do read them, how often?

    *Note* Why the hell is MMO-Champion Crashing my Chrome. It is getting very, very annoying.
    Last edited by Daginni; 2011-10-10 at 02:37 AM.

  2. #2
    Brewmaster redruMPanda's Avatar
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    Yea I read books whenever I get the chance to. It helps me keep my brain in check. No idea why Champ is crashing your chrome I've never had that problem I'm using it now.

  3. #3
    MMOC is fine on my end with Chrome, must be an ad you picked up through ad-sense that is crashing it.


    I don't read books pretty much because I never really found any that captivate me. I'm a very visual person. I learn better from visuals then I do from reading or verbal instruction, same applies for my attention. Although just today I did pick up a copy of Diablo Sin War book 1, and I really hope to enjoy it as I've always wanted to be into books.

  4. #4
    nope, i don't read books, or at least so little that i MAYBE read 1 a year, prolly less than that. and i don't do it cause i got dyslexia, not so horrible that i can't read at all. but after few mins i can't remember what i just read, i miss out on bunch of lines and don't notice it (skip every other etc), read really slowly (cause i so often have to re-read what i just read, cause of previous mentioned reasons) and reading for a long period of time gives me migrains, and migrains are soooo bad... god... ruin my entire day :l

    the only books i can read are graphic novels (yes, they are books ! >:3), simply cause the images describe the story so well and it reduces the amount of text i need to read... like i said, slow read, migrains etc etc :3

  5. #5
    The Lightbringer Calzaeth's Avatar
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    I read books for several reasons:

    1. I enjoy having a large vocabulary to draw from, and unlike forum-posts/blogs, the books are actually proof-read before being published.

    2. Try curling up in a comfy chair with a blanket, cocoa, and a Kindle. It just doesn't work.

    3. Personal experience indicates that people are more likely to avoid bothering you if you have a book in your hands, a opposed to having ANY screen in front of you.

    Probably more, but those are among the major reasons. That's not to say I won't be getting a Kindle(or equivalent) at one point. I just don't see any reason to yet.
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  6. #6
    I only read biographies now about my favourite musicians/actors etc. I tried reading 'proper' books but tbh they bore the hell out of me. I could usually knock off a ~300 page biography in around a week. Last one I read was Dave Mustaines in about 4 days, albeit it was a tad short and had lots of photos in it. Great read nonetheless.

  7. #7
    High Overlord Repeant's Avatar
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    Sin wars is a great trilogy, it's Knaaks best work imo.

    I enjoy books because they can inspire the imagination and can conjure up any sort of emotion you may have
    and can help you think differently and approach things with a different mind set. That and because they are enjoyable
    to read, unless you include my college text books I think death is a lesser punishment then reading a few chapters from them.

    But I'm pretty sure most reply's to this thread will be because they enjoy it.
    Last edited by Repeant; 2011-10-10 at 02:43 AM. Reason: grammer
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  8. #8
    I love books! While TV and movies provide you with actual images to view so that you can get a better idea of what they're trying to convey, with books it leaves more to the imagination. You decide what the characters look like to you, and what the setting is like, etc. You take the author's ideas and picture them in your own mind. It's a unique experience, and it's always been one of my favorite things about reading. =)

  9. #9
    Mechagnome Magisleeper's Avatar
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    I do not read for enjoyment.

    The reason for this is because I cannot switch between reading for pleasure and reading to learn. I read a fiction book the same way I read a technical manual. Its just not fun scanning a book for keywords and such. I have tried many times to read for enjoyment and I end up thinking of other things while skimming it. I generally can tell you what the book was about but I get nothing from it. I think part of the reason for this is that I always had to read dry boring books and memorize little details about them when I was in school so I never learned to read for pleasure it was ALWAYS just to learn something.

    I think if I had been allowed to choose my own material I might be able to read for enjoyment now but that ship sailed a long time ago.
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  10. #10
    I have recently been reading like crazy, I love it a lot. I like picturing what's being described to me in my head, using my own imagination, you know? Some stories just grip me and keep me entertained, I even enjoy some books way more than their movie adaptations, which I'm sure many people would also say, but sometimes I am more of a visual person, if the novel is captivating enough this is not the case, and I can use the visuals in my head to make it better.


  11. #11
    The Lightbringer KingHorse's Avatar
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    I'll sometimes read for something to do in boring situations (waiting rooms and such) and I frequently read because I need something to do while taking a crap. Currently reading The Origin of Species.

    Best reason to read: because the number of things you don't know will always outnumber the things you do know. But the more you read, the closer you can get to tipping that scale.
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    Titan vindicatorx's Avatar
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    yes, not as often as I used to because I am reading a lot for my classwork but when I have the time I used to read a lot I read mostly fiction. Why I read is probably due to the fact that when growing up my parents refused to get cable so I had no alternative other than to read untill I was like 17.

  13. #13
    I used to read books all the time, before my spare time went to the computer.

    If I had some sort of e-reader and could get a very discounted rate on the books I would likely read instead of playing so many video games but as it Is I do not have an e-reader and last time I checked the prices on amazon for kindle books were still fairly close to physical copies. Just dont have that kind of money to toss around.
    I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money; but what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I've acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, i will not pursue you but if you don't; I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

  14. #14
    Don't.

    Why? Because it's effing boring.

    I can watch a lecture on how we plan to prepare food for long term voyage to mars and be entertained for hours. But I wouldn't get passed the first page of reading it without becoming completely bored.

  15. #15
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    I'd love to say I read a good amount of books ... but I can't ;/

    Whenever I pick up a good book, I can instantly find myself gripped to it and I will often read the book whenever the spare time arises untill it finishes, yet I always seem to have trouble or just the interest to pick up the book in the first place which is really weird as I know I'll enjoy it, guess my mind works a little odd in that way.

    But onto the topic!

    The main reason I love reading books (my favourites all happen to be fantasy) is the moment my eyes start gliding over the words my mind instantly starts building these images, as a character is described for example my mind will be painting this picture from its interpretation of the description as to how this character looks, when a view is described and it starts building in my mind, it almost feels like I'm there and slowly but surely as a book progresses, I can start to grow feelings and sometimes even relate to situations and the positions that the characters can get into.

    And the most amazing thing about it all, I don't have a clue how some words printed onto paper can have this sort of effect, but I don't mind being left with that question one bit.

  16. #16
    Scarab Lord Skizzit's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wynnyelle View Post
    I love books! While TV and movies provide you with actual images to view so that you can get a better idea of what they're trying to convey, with books it leaves more to the imagination. You decide what the characters look like to you, and what the setting is like, etc. You take the author's ideas and picture them in your own mind. It's a unique experience, and it's always been one of my favorite things about reading. =)
    This is the biggest reason I read as well. I seem to form a stronger bond with the characters and plot while reading then if I were to watch a movie or TV series based on that same story. When you read, you use your imagination to fill in the gaps of the story while when watching a movie you are really mindlessly watching some other person's imagination.

    That, and reading is just fun. You can get a much wider variety of stories reading then you will ever be able to get from other forms of media.

  17. #17
    I read, but only for informative purposes (which I find entertaining, so I suppose it actually is for entertainment...). The internet is my favorite book, I suppose. Most things actually published on paper are just outdated by the time you have it in your hands.

    I used to read more, but years of school, reading tons and tons because I needed to, rather than wanted to, kind of killed "reading for fun".

  18. #18
    Elemental Lord Rixis's Avatar
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    Got a Kindle, read a fair number of books, i use them to pass the time when i'm not doing anything else, or if i'm walking (to work, to my family members houses etc), i like stories, but i like a lot of other things, so books get time .. whenever they get time

  19. #19
    High Overlord Mindstripper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Repeant View Post
    Sin wars is a great trilogy, it's Knaaks best work imo.
    To say something is Knaaks best work is like saying someones shit is their best shit. It's still shit. The only good thing Knaak gave us was the concept of The Dragon Aspects.

    On Topic: I read books for multiple reasons.
    1. I get bored very easily and often times my brain goes a mile a minute. Reading helps control that, bringing it down to manageable levels, helps me actually think semi-coherently.

    2. I very much enjoy other peoples writing, reading into the interpretations of political, economic, and social problems that plague our society. You see parallels like this in almost every novel as authors can't help but put a little of their own views into their writing. However it's best in authors that know their doing it and expound upon it. Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov being two of the best.

    3. Books are a near infinite fountain of ideas an imagination that can be used to fuel my own creativity and ingenuity.

    While these are my personal opinions, I feel it is the greatest crime of our outdated education system and media-fuelled stupidity drive that children don't enjoy reading anymore. In my High School English class, Senior Year, fully 3/4 of the students hated reading, and never read anything that wasn't mandatory. Of that remaining fourth half of them were the kind of people that only read terrible writers like Knaak and Stephenie Meyer. And then there was me and two or three other people that actually enjoyed full blown literature. TL;DR: Reading is awesome and good for the imagination and soul.

  20. #20
    I personally like reading, because unlike Movies, you can actually understand the world from the characters view point, and what they think about it. It gives a more personal feel to the character, and can even make you understand the bad guy.

    Beyond that, Television has gone to rubbish. No good movies out anymore, good shows get canceled after one season while Jersey Shore is still running, and my god the Advertisements are getting longer and more annoying every month. Reading is a escape from the crap that is Television.

    After Television, there's video games. I used to play them a great deal, and still do from time to time, but not so much anymore. I have always liked a good story, over a bloated action scene, and video games, if you think about it, are really just crappy story with 9/10 of it being Action Scene after Action Scene.

    With all that said, got a Nook Color, and E-Readers are one of the greatest inventions ever.

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