One in four read no books last year [Archive] - The Gemstone IV Players' Corner

Gan

08-21-2007, 03:03 PM

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

"I just get sleepy when I read," said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool.

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

When the Gallup poll asked in 2005 how many books people had at least started — a similar but not directly comparable question — the typical answer was five. That was down from 10 in 1999, but close to the 1990 response of six.

In 2004, a National Endowment for the Arts report titled "Reading at Risk" found only 57 percent of American adults had read a book in 2002, a four percentage point drop in a decade. The study faulted television, movies and the Internet.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_re_us/reading_habits_ap_poll_1

_____________________________________________

Again, my usual disclaimer about polls. THEY ALL SUCK...

But this topic is one that disturbs me. However, for those that read this story, it can be misleading in that some might consider the idea that one in four simply don't read. As demonstrated by the project manager who would rather spend time in his pool.

I enjoy reading. I enjoy the mental stimulation of reading a story and being able to mentally picture it as the story/pages move along.

There's nothing better than wrapping up in a heavy throw on a chase lounge on a rainy winter/cold (winter in Houston - :lol: ) day and reading a good book.

I have two genre's of books/print that I read. Educational/professional and fiction.

Cold rainy days with a little solitude are reserved for a good fiction story. :)

Most of all I just enjoy reading. Be it on the internet or on paper. Its almost not understandable why someone cant find ejoyment in reading.

Skeeter

08-21-2007, 03:10 PM

my wife pretty much refuses to read. When asked about it she says she enjoys it but doesn't have the time.

I probably read 10-15 books per year depending on size and content. Though that's just a rough guess.

book I'm currently reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Bodies-Quantum-Cats-Physics/dp/0143036033/ref=sr_1_1/002-4131062-0748837?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187723407&sr=8-1

Nieninque

08-21-2007, 03:12 PM

I got out of the habit of reading for a while but have recently caught the book bug again.

I cant stand reading lengthy articles/stories on the net, so for anything of length it has to be in book format.

I do a fair bit of readin on the net, but not the same as reading a book.

I would say that my experience would concur with the poll you cited, in that so many of my friends/people I know do not read on a regular basis (i.e. books)

Gan

08-21-2007, 03:13 PM

After going to see the last Bourne movie, I've decided to pick up the series and read it next.

I average 2 books a month unless I'm interrupted with some continuing education reading from work.

Celephais

08-21-2007, 03:13 PM

Nieninque

08-21-2007, 03:20 PM

Best book I have read recently: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Travelers-Wife-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/0224071912

Skeeter

08-21-2007, 03:23 PM

Don't read this, no matter how much they talk it up. It sucked.

http://www.amazon.com/Confederacy-Dunces-John-Kennedy-Toole/dp/0807126063/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4131062-0748837?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187724193&sr=1-1

DeV

08-21-2007, 03:26 PM

I write a lot more than I read, but on average I read about 20 or more books a year. Last year took the cake as I surpassed my average by about 10, but that's more to do with the plethora of research required for my master's thesis.

Anyway, I'm with the general consensus in that reading is pleasure. It's also fundamental; and I too do not understand someone saying they didn't read any books at all during an entire year.

CrystalTears

08-21-2007, 03:50 PM

I have to be REALLY interested in the subject and material for me to pick up a book. I'm that girl that gets sleepy while reading because it's really relaxing. I've read two books this year so far. Harry Potter and this one other one about Speed Cleaning.

Gan

08-21-2007, 04:06 PM

Something about this irks me.. reading a book does not always equate to good mental stimulation. I just don't really see someone who sits on their couch and reads 10 D&D fiction books as that much better off than someone who sits through 10 fantasy movies.
I disagree. I think it takes more imagination and more thinking when you read than when you watch a movie. Thats the non-scientific reasoninig. I'm sure someone like Latrin can chime in on the scientific benefits if there are any that reading has over watching television/movies.

I just think if you're looking to educate/broaden yourself, then reading Harry Potter or a Steven King novel, isn't exactly cutting it... it's just another form of entertainment.
You're getting reading for education and reading for entertainment mixed together. Unless reading for educational purposes is also a form of entertainment for you. Some people differentiate the two, like me for instance.

(Not saying I don't read for entertainment... I read a lot of professional books, but like my days at the beach this summer have been spent reading the Iliad)
We can safely sumrise that reading for education and enjoyment arent intermixed with you.

So the next question is in you reading the Iliad, do you feel more educated or intellectually broaden'ed?

If you do, then why since its a fictional work.

And if you dont, why did you read it if it was not to educate you or broaden your intellect?

Celephais

08-21-2007, 04:14 PM

TheEschaton

08-21-2007, 04:15 PM

I read, on average, a book a week. This fucking article scares me.

Oh, and Gan, I picked up the three Bourne books after Ultimatum came out, and I'll say this: they're NOTHING like the movies. Absolutely nothing. Okay, the premise is the same: some guy named Jason Bourne is an amnesiac assassin. That's about all that's the same.

-TheE-

Jorddyn

08-21-2007, 04:21 PM

I typically read 10 over my summer vacation. :heart: lazy days.

I probably only read another 5-10 over the rest of the year, because I have a nasty tendency to stay up until 1 AM so I can finish them.

Thank my mom, I guess, for instilling that love in me. I can't imagine life without reading, I only wish I had the talent to earn a living writing them as well.

Jorddyn

Latrinsorm

08-21-2007, 04:31 PM

I'm sure someone like Latrin can chime in on the scientific benefits if there are any that reading has over watching television/movies.I can chime in on the scientific benefits of REDING T3H BIBEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dunno about books. There are books that are like Hershey bars that I just flit through for fun and there are books that I'll read each page 30x over. Explicitly saying "Now it is time for me to read a book!" feels too artificial to me, but if I'm interested about something I'll end up reading about it.

Stanley Burrell

08-21-2007, 04:32 PM

I don't like reading books because they're time-wasting and try my patience and, in the same mindset, as not watching TV because it rots your brain.

I read a lot of newspapers and work/school-related articles.

Edited: Not that I don't enjoy a good book, but what is up with the ongoing gamble of having to have the uncertainty of grey matter + physical time being wasted due to an unread book's being shrouded in mystery. If I could telepathically go into the future and know I'd enjoy reading a book, then I'd read more books, but for now, I'll just stick to the Harry Potter movies and read the last three chapters of the seventh book to spite an overly-sanguine coworker of mine.

Gan

08-21-2007, 05:11 PM

I was agreeing with you in the aspect that the article was getting entertainment/educational mixed up, I don't believe I have it mixed up, in that I certainly see some forms of reading as quite educational and others just as mindless as watching Bevis and Butthead.
Agreed. There's not much practical knowledge for knowing the properties and forging characteristics for the uber vorpal sword of darkness. And at the same time, as much as knowing the intricities of the Vulcan mind meld. But at the very least I think it exercises the brain. If you can picture exercise in a non-muscular way.

I just think people tout the media over the content, which is unfortunate. If I listened to a book on tape, is that as good as reading it? I think you sort of touched on this with the internet thing.
I would think that listening to a book is somewhere in between watching and reading as far as mental stimulation and benefits. You still have to picture the story in your mind, you still follow along with your imagination rather than have the DvD do that for you... IMO.

But as a culture we have seemed to move to a more visually stimulating preference for media in general (gemstone to wow anyone?). Imagination, according to some, is severely lacking in the more formative years due to being inundated with TV/Movies/DvD's etc.

On the topic of reading...
Both my mom and stepfather (and my natural father too) love to read. My mom encouraged me to read at a young age by making sure I had plenty of books in my room as well as having an hour every weeknight where the TV was off, the radio was off, and we read on our respective books (this was independant of homework which was done either in study hall or when I eventually got home).

My library as a child included fictional children stories as well a an encyclopedia set and lots of books on how things work. The encyclopedia and howto books were graphically based so the illustrations would help the reader understand what the topic was about. No clock in my house was safe because of those books. I took apart every one to see how it worked (gears, cogs, motors, switches, etc.), and received several beatings until I learned how to put them back together where they worked.

In this case, I think reading stimulated a greater curiosity of understanding how things worked. No limit on things. So when I had questions, I was given some direction and sent back to find the answers in the very place where the questions were derived from... books.

Goretawn

08-21-2007, 05:19 PM

I read web comics, does that count?

Celephais

08-21-2007, 05:25 PM

I just think a majority of books most people read require very very little imagition, and what's worse is I get bookies who say they read all the time and the books they read are garbage. The vocabulary is dumbed down so that anyone can understand what they're saying, but it's not very descriptive, modern books rarely convey awe or emotion to me, they don't cause me to exercise my brain (This is why I really like reading HP Lovecraft and older "epics"). Some movies continue to cause me to think and to expand on possibilities and "exercise" my brain, and some books do this too, but this stigma that because it's not read means it can't convey as much value in the content is bogus... just because they fleshed out the details in the background doesn't mean your mind isn't imagining what's not being shown or what people are thinking/do after the lights come on.

Gan

08-21-2007, 05:34 PM

Exercise = Isaac Asimov (and others)

Celephais

08-21-2007, 05:39 PM

Exercise = Isaac Asimov (and others)

Hmmm it would seem so

There was a sweet girl of Decatur
Who went to sea on a freighter.
She was screwed by the master
-An utter disaster-
But the crew all made up for it later.

I'm just saying that books have no more potential then any other media (heh, especially since any book can be read to you by Morgan Freeman in a movie form... beat that!)

Gan

08-21-2007, 05:44 PM

I'm just saying that books have no more potential then any other media (heh, especially since any book can be read to you by Morgan Freeman in a movie form... beat that!)

Any book read by Sean Connery.

Any book read by James Earl Jones.

Any book read by Ossie Davis.

There's another voice I'm thinking of, but I cant place a name yet. Seems my brain needs more exercise. :(

PS. Morgan Freeman definately deserves to be with the above list. His narration of Shawshank Redemption alone proves that.

Celephais

08-21-2007, 05:47 PM

There's another voice I'm thinking of, but I cant place a name yet. Seems my brain needs more exercise. :(

Fran Drescher?

Gan

08-21-2007, 05:52 PM

Fran Drescher?

:spaz:

That CD would last all of 5 seconds before it was ripped out and thrown out the window.

Celephais

08-21-2007, 05:56 PM

Christopher Walken
Denzel Washington
Samuel L Jackson
Jack Nicholson

And Mr T. could all read books to me... and Mr Shatner could sing them to me.

Gan

08-21-2007, 06:04 PM

LOL

Shatner would be hillarious to listen to.

Some Rogue

08-21-2007, 06:51 PM

LOL

Shatner would be hillarious to listen to.

It was............

the best....

of times...

AND....

the worst...

of times.

Jazuela

08-21-2007, 07:23 PM

I average a book every week. Some books are quick reads and take me just over a full day's reading (every Harry Potter book I've read so far). Some books take me just a few days to read (like the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carrey). A few take me more than a week, and a very rare few will take me almost a full month. So - it averages around 50-55 books a year, or 1 per week. I know one year, I brought 80 books in to a non-prof giving library that lets people take books to keep and bring books in to give away. That was a pretty extreme year though.

I've enjoyed reading since I was in 3rd grade. My mom was a teacher, so literacy was a big deal in our family and we were pretty much brought up with the assumption that we'd all be avid readers.

Satira

08-21-2007, 07:45 PM

I love reading. I read all kinds of books fiction and non-fiction.

I still think it's going to stimulate the right side of the brain much more reading Stephen King or Harry Potter than if you just watched a movie. If you're reading, your brain is working and creating the images in your head. If you're watching a movie, they're serving it all up to you on a platter.

The book is always better than the movie!

Snapp

08-21-2007, 07:55 PM

The book is always better than the movie!

Agreed!

I average about two books a month and can't imagine not reading any for a year. My boyfriend's like that though. He says he just doesn't find reading entertaining and I don't think he's actually read a whole book the entire time I've known him. :shrug:

Ignot

08-21-2007, 10:32 PM

Just Stanley and I don't read books?! you all are bunch of nerds.

TheEschaton

08-21-2007, 10:38 PM

It's a website forum for a game which requires you to read.

Ignot

08-21-2007, 10:40 PM

I figured you could pickup on the sarcasm. Maybe not though.

Skeeter

08-22-2007, 12:25 AM

I am amused by the literary snobs in this thread.

Skeeter

08-22-2007, 12:27 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPxPciXcJvc

reading master piece. Though the quality of the video sucks.

Sean

08-22-2007, 12:45 AM

It's a website forum for a game which requires you to read.

I read as little as possible in GS. I have just about everything that you can reasonably flag set to off.

That being said I used to read a lot more than I do now I only average a couple book a year now if that. I basically just read in spurts, if it doesn't grab me in the 1st few pages I'm not gonna make it through the book.

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 08:41 AM

It's a website forum for a game which requires you to read.
I think this topic was centered more on actual books. I read all day, everyday such as forums, news articles, work literature, manuals and so forth. However I have a really hard time concentrating on a book so I don't do it often.

Clove

08-22-2007, 08:53 AM

I think this topic was centered more on actual books. I read all day, everyday such as forums, news articles, work literature, manuals and so forth. However I have a really hard time concentrating on a book so I don't do it often.

Could you read a book on the internet?

Gan

08-22-2007, 09:35 AM

I am amused by the literary snobs in this thread.
snob as in what is read or snob as in reading at all?
I dont care what people read, I just hope they read.

That being said I used to read a lot more than I do now I only average a couple book a year now if that. I basically just read in spurts, if it doesn't grab me in the 1st few pages I'm not gonna make it through the book.

heh heh, he said spurts....

Skeeter

08-22-2007, 09:39 AM

snob as in what is read or snob as in reading at all?
I dont care what people read, I just hope they read

The ones who are giving off the air of what I read is good, what you read is rubbish.

I agree with you Gan, books are books, just read something.

Unless it's trashy romance novels. :rofl:

Parkbandit

08-22-2007, 09:44 AM

The last book I read was Angels and Demons (Dan Brown). I would rather watch a movie than read a book... but when I read a book, I'm a very fast reader and don't put it down until I am done.

Parkbandit

08-22-2007, 09:46 AM

DeV

08-22-2007, 09:47 AM

I still haven't gotten through Angels and Demons. Oddly enough it's been sitting on the backseat of my car for.... going on a year now.

DeV

08-22-2007, 09:48 AM

And what is the big deal about reading? This question coming from someone with school age children is sort of interesting.

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 09:51 AM

Could you read a book on the internet?
I tried that, and my eyes hurt after a while. I can read spurts like posts here and there but I can't concentrate on a book on the internet for very long before my eyes start to glaze over.

Gan

08-22-2007, 10:05 AM

And what is the big deal about reading? That's a holdover idea from the days prior to TV when books were the only form of entertainment... probably continued by the publishing companies. Stupid is is stupid does... a stupid person doesn't all of a sudden become brilliant by reading.. and smart people don't become dumb by not.

I agree that part of reading from a book is pure nostalgia considering the world of digital print we live in today. But the other part is that reading requires the person to actually sit still and quiet and focus on something for an extended period of time. While that may not be a huge deal for an older person, its a huge deal for a younger person. This I think is a very important ability to master - the sitting still, quiet, and focused on a single thing instead of being bombarded with the input you see nowdays from video games, and movies. I see it as affecting study habits, ability to focus on specific tasks for school or work, and the ability to follow through with things.

Dont take this as me not liking movies. I'm a huge movie fan. I love to watch movies, and will pick a movie over a TV show every time. Its just that I think people lose something when they dont practice the activity of reading a book, not just mentally by lack of exercising the imagination but also with the lack of engaging in a calm singularly focused activity.

Think of it as meditation in a different way.

Gan

08-22-2007, 10:06 AM

I tried that, and my eyes hurt after a while. I can read spurts like posts here and there but I can't concentrate on a book on the internet for very long before my eyes start to glaze over.

You forget how to vote in a poll?

:nono:

Nieninque

08-22-2007, 10:20 AM

I agree that part of reading from a book is pure nostalgia considering the world of digital print we live in today. But the other part is that reading requires the person to actually sit still and quiet and focus on something for an extended period of time. While that may not be a huge deal for an older person, its a huge deal for a younger person. This I think is a very important ability to master - the sitting still, quiet, and focused on a single thing instead of being bombarded with the input you see nowdays from video games, and movies. I see it as affecting study habits, ability to focus on specific tasks for school or work, and the ability to follow through with things.

Dont take this as me not liking movies. I'm a huge movie fan. I love to watch movies, and will pick a movie over a TV show every time. Its just that I think people lose something when they dont practice the activity of reading a book, not just mentally by lack of exercising the imagination but also with the lack of engaging in a calm singularly focused activity.

Think of it as meditation in a different way.

It also teaches the reader about grammar, style, comprehension, language...all things that are impossible to garner from a film.

Celephais

08-22-2007, 10:51 AM

It also teaches the reader about grammar, style, comprehension, language...all things that are impossible to garner from a film.

Bullshit

http://kilby.sac.on.ca/towerslibrary/pages/users/Video%20-%20School%20House%20Rock%20-%20Grammar%20Rock.jpg

Jazuela

08-22-2007, 10:52 AM

I agree that a book is a book - it's the reading that's important. How many people do you know, who don't know the difference between your, you're, and yore? Of those, how many ever read books on any regular basis (by regular I'd think one a month should be plenty)?

Reading just require literacy - because you don't have to have a 5000-word written vocabulary to read a Dick and Jane primer. But it does -create- literacy, because it exposes people to written words spelled and used correctly, offering them the opportunity to become more literate.

I've read everything from Dante and Chaucer to Ann Rice, Dan Brown to dimestore romance novels, and I'd applaud anyone who reads any type of book regularly.

Parkbandit

08-22-2007, 10:55 AM

This question coming from someone with school age children is sort of interesting.

I'm not talking about school age children.. I'm talking about adults. Most of the readers of this forum are adults.

Making that assumption is sort of interesting.

DeV

08-22-2007, 11:06 AM

Its just that I think people lose something when they dont practice the activity of reading a book, not just mentally by lack of exercising the imagination but also with the lack of engaging in a calm singularly focused activity.

Think of it as meditation in a different way.Agreed.

There are so many ADULTS who are simply unable to pay attention, but this is something that can be trained with reading... anything. As our brains develop it becomes increasingly important for us to be able to understand things fully and to focus. Sure, you can do that by watching a movie, but if that is your meat and potatos you suffer somewhat in the long run.

Reading alone won't automatically make you smarter or wiser, but it will help you gain insight into others ideas and opinions, it trains the mind to be able to absorb things you didn't already know, better understand things you already did know, and all around it sharpens comprehension.

Newspapers and magazines are just as important as reading books. And being able to read and understand, which encompasses good reading skills, also affects so many other facets of life, such as being able to read directions, instructions, contracts, policies, applications, etc.

Most importantly, good reading skills means you can think for yourself. Yeah, I'm passionate about reading as it was a value instilled in me at a very early age.

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 11:08 AM

Celephais

08-22-2007, 11:10 AM

Pfff, Books didn't bring us Bill Nye, TV did, that's right.

Then we figured out we could just park them in front of the TV. That's how I was raised and I turned out TV.

Gan

08-22-2007, 11:33 AM

At a young age, when I would ask questions or inquire about something to my parents, my mother went out and got me a book with the answers. My goal then was not really to find out more, but to get attention. Being handed a book in lieu of being spoken to really grated on me. When my parents divorced, I didn't get a lecture, I got a book on how kids deal with divorce. So it's taken me a long time to warm up to books.

UGH. That sucks when there's no follow through with parenting like that. :(

I hate when parents think that having a child is a matter of conveinence (or inconveinence) rather than a duty, an obligation, and a privledge (not to mention a sheer joy).

Sean

08-22-2007, 11:36 AM

Thats how Cubans educate... it's Castro mandated.

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 11:36 AM

I don't like to talk down regarding my parents, especially my mom because I love her. However this is where I have to say that I was spoiled in the sense that nothing was enforced on me. If I wanted to sleep in and not go to school, that was okay. My mother frowned on me when I asked to go to summer school. I never went to camp. I wasn't allowed to leave the state to go to another college when I graduated or she refused to pay for it. I wasn't disciplined enough, and I wish I were.

Thats how Cubans educate... it's Castro mandated.
Your days are so fucking numbered.

Celephais

08-22-2007, 11:38 AM

I wasn't disciplined enough, and I wish I were.

Hey um... where are you right now?

DeV

08-22-2007, 11:39 AM

I'm not talking about school age children.. I'm talking about adults. Most of the readers of this forum are adults.

Making that assumption is sort of interesting. Ok, well, one of the biggest deals about reading as an adult is the continual learning process involved when it comes to comprehension and communication. :yes:

Latrinsorm

08-22-2007, 11:39 AM

And what is the big deal about reading? That's a holdover idea from the days prior to TV when books were the only form of entertainment... probably continued by the publishing companies.Reading is used for significantly more than entertainment. There's no way to make a movie out of the Gay Science, for instance, or to make an animated short about the Republic. Similarly, making a book out of (for instance) Lost in Translation would <awful pun>.

Gan

08-22-2007, 11:46 AM

I wasn't disciplined enough, and I wish I were.

Read: I really need a spanking.

:devil:

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 11:57 AM

Gan and Celephais need to get cut and then swim in the Red Sea for a little while.

Sean

08-22-2007, 12:00 PM

That mean you happen to be on your period?

Celephais

08-22-2007, 12:02 PM

Gan and Celephais need to get cut and then swim in the Red Sea for a little while.

That mean you happen to be on your period?

:rofl: Wow... very nicely done Sean. Props.

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 12:02 PM

I hate you all SO much.

DeV

08-22-2007, 12:05 PM

That mean you happen to be on your period?
:rofl:

Some bloody gash never hurt anyone.

Celephais

08-22-2007, 12:07 PM

I hate you all SO much.

Here... read this
Overcoming the "I hate my period" blues (http://blog.lunapads.com/2006/12/overcoming_the_i_hate_my_perio.html)

or..
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BW7JF25WL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

Gan

08-22-2007, 12:08 PM

:rofl: Wow... very nicely done Sean. Props.

:lol2:

x2

Gan

08-22-2007, 12:08 PM

I hate you all SO much.

:love:

Sean

08-22-2007, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by DeV
Some bloody gash never hurt anyone.

Unless she has AIDS.

Celephais

08-22-2007, 12:14 PM

Unless she has AIDS.
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/GuinnessKMF/hearing.jpg

This thread is derailing in spectacular fashion... I love it.

Sean

08-22-2007, 12:16 PM

I read about it... in a book

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 12:17 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/Jemah/IM-IN-UR/hatethread.jpg

Gan

08-22-2007, 12:18 PM

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/GuinnessKMF/hearing.jpg

This thread is derailing in spectacular fashion... I love it.

LOLOLOZER

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/aug06/derail082306-dw.jpg

Sean

08-22-2007, 12:20 PM

I hope thats not the train that eddie griffin drove into this morning .. I READ THAT ON THE INTERNET!

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 12:22 PM

Heh, that's what I get for POURING MY HEART OUT! Fuckers. :D

Krendeli

08-22-2007, 12:31 PM

Speaking of good books....any non-fictional books about the people that were portrayed in 300? Or about Sparta for that fact.

DeV

08-22-2007, 12:35 PM

Heh, that's what I get for POURING MY BLOODY HEART OUT! Fuckers. :DFixed it for you. <3

Gan

08-22-2007, 12:39 PM

Speaking of good books....any non-fictional books about the people that were portrayed in 300? Or about Sparta for that fact.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 01:38 PM

Fixed it for you. <3
Et tu, DeV, et tu? :cry:

Ilvane

08-22-2007, 01:40 PM

I can't imagine not reading a single book in a year. I read probably 1-2 a week depending on the book I'm reading.

Not to mention all the things on the internet, newsgroups, message boards and otherwise.

Amazing stuff.

Angela

Celephais

08-22-2007, 01:41 PM

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 01:42 PM

Great example of how reading a lot does not necessarily increase intelligence.

Ilvane

08-22-2007, 01:50 PM

Woohoo, here comes the Ilvane is stupid brigade..:clap:

Angela

Celephais

08-22-2007, 01:57 PM

Woohoo, here comes the Ilvane is stupid brigade..:clap:

And here comes the 'fanning the flames like a moron with a leaf blower' detachment. (Big old obvious hint for you that everyone keeps trying to tell you... let it die, acknowledging it only validates us... and proves how stupid you are).

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/GuinnessKMF/Leaf.jpg

Clove

08-22-2007, 02:01 PM

I can't imagine not reading a single book in a year. I read probably 1-2 a week depending on the book I'm reading.
Angela

I had no idea the "For Dummies" series had such a large catalog. Who says you don't learn things on the internet?

Sean

08-22-2007, 02:02 PM

And there goes the PCs brief moment of good natured cheerfulness. I consider making fun of Cubans as good natured.

Celephais

08-22-2007, 02:04 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/Jemah/IM-IN-UR/hatethread.jpg

And now that things have turned around...
http://media.damnfunnypictures.com/dfp/funny_cat_pictures_23.jpg

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 02:06 PM

And there goes the PCs brief moment of good natured cheerfulness. I consider making fun of Cubans as good natured.
I've been getting spam from Amsterdam, so the love is mutual.

Clove

08-22-2007, 02:07 PM

And now that things have turned around...
http://media.damnfunnypictures.com/dfp/funny_cat_pictures_23.jpg

http://www.knitemare.org/cats/serious_cat.jpg

Clove

08-22-2007, 02:09 PM

I've been getting spam from Amsterdam, so the love is mutual.

Yeah, except "Shuddap before I give you a 'Dutch necktie'" just isn't as menacing.

Celephais

08-22-2007, 02:09 PM

http://www.knitemare.org/cats/serious_cat.jpg

http://files.samhart.net/humor/fail.jpg

Sean

08-22-2007, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Clove
Yeah, except "Shuddap before I give you a 'Dutch necktie'" just isn't as menacing.

True, we prefer the wooden clog surprise followed by a windmill.

CrystalTears

08-22-2007, 02:22 PM

:cry:

/deleteposts

grapedog

08-22-2007, 02:31 PM

I read alot...probably 25-30 books in a year. Some of those books are re-reads though, like I just re-read the Bourne Trilogy about 3-4 weeks ago because the last movie was coming out. I read them originally before the first movie came out...much to my surprise...completely different stories...still good though.

I read as often as I can find books that interest me and I try and stay open to new stuff. I don't read romance novels, and I'm not a big fan of mysteries...but pretty much everything else is open. I probably read mostly sci-fi, but I've read a ton of fantasy and a lot of other stuff from "A Rumor of War" to "How the Irish Saved Civilization" to "Atlas Shrugged".

I think I started reading when I was on a car trip to visit my sister when I was younger. I bought a couple of books, now I read all the friggin time. Wish I had the money to blow more often on bunches of books, but I don't and I can't stand the library.

I read purely for entertainment...enjoyment...I enjoy reading. I'm a HUGE movie fan too...but Books and Movies offer different sorts of experiences. Thats why I'm so excited about the Harry Potter series, or was excited about it. When was the last time you saw thousands and thousands of kids, up at midnight, in line at a bookstore to read a book. It's fucking awesome...