What type reading is best

[BrownTown]

So, I really try hard to read when I get the time, but I have alot of trouble getting into most books, and am a pretty slow reader, and also pretty ADD when it comes to reading, so my question here is about what type of reading is best. Personally, I try to read famous classical books that have something to say, but arent always the most interesting things to read. The rest of my family on the other hand reads these childish (so far as i'm concerned) fantasy books that don't really have anything to say, but are much easier reading. And to be honest, the only books I have ever read that I could actualyl sit for more than 30 minutes at a time reading were the Harry Potter books, so I wonder if perhaps I should reevaluate my view on what I should read. Which do you think is better between being able to read a bunch of fantasy books with little substance or a few philisophical/ classic books with alot to say? In other words, is the act of reading in itself what you should dtrive for, or is it the lnew insights you gain from thebooks you read that are most important?

EDIT: also i guess a thinrd option would be, if i suck at reading should i even try? Perhaps I am better at learning visually or some other way as opposed to reading.

 

[dullard]

Read for (1) entertainment or (2) to obtain information that will be relevant to future discussions.

If you can't read #2 due to your ADD, and if you ignore #1 then you are doing neither. Doing neither is worse than doing one of them. In that case, ignore #2 for now, and focus on #1.

 

[pontifex]

i read mostly for entertainment. if there's a subject i want to learn more about, i'll pick up books about that. I read mostly sci-fi and fantasy books, which believe it or not, DO have something to say usually. I have huge interest in the Old West, so I've read plenty of books about it.


I'll start reading the 3rd Harry Potter book tonight. I just wish I had better memory retention when readind though. When I read a book like the Harry Potter ones, I get so engrossed in the story and need to know what happens next that I read through fast so I can enjoy whats going on. But if someone were to ask me something about the book a few days later, i wouldn't be able to remember a whole lot.

i'm like that with music too. i listen to a lot of music. its like i don't care what the song title is if i like it. there are very few songs I can actually name.

 

[ggnl]

There's plenty of contemporary literature out there that is both meaningful and a little easier to read than the classics because it's more relevant to modern life. Remember that reading is for entertainment first and foremost. If you can't immerse yourself in a book, because of boredom, disinterest, whatever..., than it stands very little chance of making a lasting emotional impact on you.

 

[BrownTown]

Well the thing is, in terms of entertainment I'd just as soon never read and watch TV or movies all day. But there seems to be a considerably strong belief in our society that reading books is much better for your mental health than just watching TV all day. I'm not really sure i nescecarrily believe that, personally for me its infinitely easier to get emotionally involved in a movie than a book since books seem to move so darn slow that its hard to really stay interested in the story.

 

[everman]

Just read what you find interesting, that should also end up being entertaining.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
Well the thing is, in terms of entertainment I'd just as soon never read and watch TV or movies all day. But there seems to be a considerably strong belief in our society that reading books is much better for your mental health than just watching TV all day. I'm not really sure i nescecarrily believe that, personally for me its infinitely easier to get emotionally involved in a movie than a book since books seem to move so darn slow that its hard to really stay interested in the story.

they help your vocabulary and stimulate your mind and imagination. its easier to watch a movie because you don't have to think. just sit and watch.

 

[Patt]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: BrownTown
Well the thing is, in terms of entertainment I'd just as soon never read and watch TV or movies all day. But there seems to be a considerably strong belief in our society that reading books is much better for your mental health than just watching TV all day. I'm not really sure i nescecarrily believe that, personally for me its infinitely easier to get emotionally involved in a movie than a book since books seem to move so darn slow that its hard to really stay interested in the story.

they help your vocabulary and stimulate your mind and imagination. its easier to watch a movie because you don't have to think. just sit and watch.

Which is perhaps better described as you using your imagination to 'see' the events in the book rather than always having them spoon-fed to you. I read all the time for entertainment, and enrichment ... both are totally valid reasons to read.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
Well the thing is, in terms of entertainment I'd just as soon never read and watch TV or movies all day. But there seems to be a considerably strong belief in our society that reading books is much better for your mental health than just watching TV all day. I'm not really sure i nescecarrily believe that, personally for me its infinitely easier to get emotionally involved in a movie than a book since books seem to move so darn slow that its hard to really stay interested in the story.

I think its true. Well, for the average tv viewer anyway that lives their lives off of friends, that 70's show, and entertainment tonight. I basically am stuck on discovery channel, national geographic, history channel and food network.

When I'm watching tv though, I often find it way too easy to just flip the channel when a commercial comes up and then sometimes lose what time I've already invested in the show already.

Books on the other hand, I find it much easier to get engrossed and put the book down and think about what I just read, whether there was some foreshadowing, hints, events that tied together. Also, I also find that the written language is often much more complex and dynamic then the spoken language. I know of words I probably haven't used in years, but because of reading, I know what they mean because I've come across them before.

Thats just me though.

EDIT: Lets not just think of it as reading, lets just think of it as another medium in which to put our minds. We go through the day all the time visually (pictures, colors and such) that when we read, its another way in which to gain information. All things equal, watching something vs reading on the same subject, I'm sure we'll gain different things from the same. Just like how we perceive things from sight vs smell, touch vs taste for instance.