It's Literary Blog hop time, hosted by The Blue Bookcase. This month they ask:
How do you find time to read? What's you're reading style? Where do you think reading literature should rank in society's priorities?
First up, how do you find time to read?
Since graduating college the majority of my reading has happened on public transportation. Commuting is not my favorite thing but at least it gives me a nice, (mostly) uninterrupted stretch of reading time. Plus a good book is a wonderful way to pretend I'm not squished between people of questionable hygiene in some metal tube. When I wasn't regularly commuting I had to work harder to find time to read, but that just meant reading instead of watching TV or playing on the internet or whatever else I could be doing. But I don't force myself to read. I don't want it to be a chore and if I'm not in the mood, I don't beat myself up over it.
What's your reading style?
Umm left to right, typically.
If C-C at the Blue Bookcase hadn't already answered, I probably would have left my response at that cos I wasn't really sure what it's asking. I'm still not entirely sure. I don't like to write in books so I'm not making notes or underlining passages. At least not in physical books. I underline in my Kindle. I read for enjoyment, so I'm not normally reading something with a certain criticism style in mind or investigating every detail for a hidden meaning. I majored in English so I think I may just do some of that because it's what I spent all that time training to do, but it's not a conscious decision before picking up a book. It doesn't mean I'm just reading to escape, or I won't give deeper thought to things. It's just not my primary intention.
Where do you think reading literature should rank in society's priorities?
This is an odd question. Are we counting things like stable economy, effective government, etc as part of society's priorities? Cos if so, while I LOVE reading, it's going to come near the bottom of that list. I want to make sure I'm alive and well and safe enough to do all that reading I want to do. However, if we're talking about our society's (and I mean the society of people who have an internet connection, the times, the means, the resources to read a book blog) entertainment priorities, then I think reading literature is up there. I love reading because it lets me look at the world in so many different ways, from so many different point of views and I think seeing the world in different ways is important for the individual and for society as a whole. Or else you grow stagnant and boring. And while I may enjoy some realty TV (damn you Hoarders), reading is still a priority. Which is why I normally read WHILE watching Hoarders. Multitasking, people.
So what do you think? How do you find time to read? What's your reading style? Where does reading lit fall in terms of society's priorities?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Comments (27)

Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity
Loading comments...
Post a new comment
Comments by IntenseDebate
How do you find the time to read?
2012-03-08T10:16:00-05:00
Red
Literary Blog Hop|
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
sadmachine 38p · 679 weeks ago
anyway, great answers! I think I talked enough in this comment that I can tell myself I kind of, sort of, participated in the hop this month.
Laura · 679 weeks ago
unabridgedchick 64p · 679 weeks ago
Emily · 679 weeks ago
The last question is a tricky one to respond to, isn't it? Because it assumes a certain amount of privilege before you can answer it, really.
Brenna · 679 weeks ago
readingrambo 112p · 679 weeks ago
I like how everyone's like "LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT COMMUTING."
Dude, my room's messy again. I need to watch Hoarders.
@zeteticat · 679 weeks ago
But seriously, how on earth can you read and watch tv at the same time? I can multitask pretty well, but I can't read books AND watch tv, one inevitably gets ignored. I'd like to learn your secret. And, too, even though I "studied literature" as an English major, writing in books has never been my thing... I always feel like I'm defacing them. The highlighting in the ebooks is great. When I'm reading ebooks.
hawscarlet 37p · 679 weeks ago
Did you by any chance see the Hoarders with the book hoarders this week? I saw a possible future there that I must avoid.
mel u · 679 weeks ago
jaynesbooks 98p · 679 weeks ago
I really liked how you answered the questions; they were how I would have liked to answer the questions.
Hope you have a good weekend :)
leeswammes 78p · 678 weeks ago
I also have a book on my lap when watching tv. The tv programme has to be extremely interesting before I put my book away. Usually I multitask too.
Sarah · 678 weeks ago
LOL. I don't really know what that question is asking either. I've never really thought of a "style" of reading... just different preferences, goals, motivations, ways of processing what you read, etc.
Also, a good point about how other stuff is definitely more important than reading... but at the same time, I can't help but feel that if we elected more book-lovers, all of that stuff would be better as a result.
Scribeswindow · 678 weeks ago