Freethought & Rationalism Archive

VonEvilstein · 07-17-2003, 03:20 AM

The compulsory reading of way too many "classics" (ie old and boring books) in three languages at senior school killed my love of reading. Ten years later, and it has not returned. I read popular science, historical textbooks, Terry Pratchett and Judge Dredd comics now, and that's about it.

velvetfinger · 07-17-2003, 03:39 AM

Mostly fiction, but recently I've been frequenting second hand bookshops to find cheap nonfiction hardcovers.

Mediancat · 07-17-2003, 05:27 AM

Both, definitely, and in roughly equal proportions. I read books from pretty much every genre . . . I was reading Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mystery series recently, but right now I'm reading a book on Shakespeare, and I just finished Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media?

All depends on the mood I'm in --

Rob aka Mediancat

Tom Sawyer · 07-17-2003, 05:46 AM

I realized about a year ago that I was pretty much exclusively reading fiction books, so I decided to go back and forth between a fiction book and a non-fiction to try and add a bit of breadth to my knowledge.

It hasn't worked out quite as well as I'd planned, but I'm getting some non-fiction reading in. Mostly science books, but I'm starting to add some history into the mix as well.

contracycle · 07-17-2003, 07:29 AM

About 5 years ago I found myself slaving through another boring fiction plot and said 'hell with it'. Real life is more interesting.

Writer@Large · 07-17-2003, 07:48 AM

While my pleasure reading contains a good amount of non-fiction, I have to say the majority of my pleasure reading is fiction. Mainly because (a) I read a lot of comic books, which come out every Wednesday, and (2) I find that I can read fiction a lot FASTER than non-fiction, and so I read a higher volume simply because go through it faster. I finished the new Harry Potter in three days; there's no way in Hell I could finish, say, an 800+ page science book or historical biography in that time.

--W@L

Ray Marlin · 07-17-2003, 09:23 AM

I read almost all non-fiction. The Sherlock Holmes stories are the only fiction I've really ever liked that I read over.

PopeInTheWoods · 07-17-2003, 09:48 AM

Just wondering which category the bible fits....

Secular Elation · 07-17-2003, 10:18 AM

I mostly enjoy fiction. For what few nonfiction I do read, it's usually books by Richard Dawkins or Carl Sagan (my two favorite science authors).

But I do read more fiction. However, in particular I read 19-th century classic literature--mainly works by the likes of Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Additionally, I tend to read plays. I don't know anyone else who does this, but I must be weird. I love theater arts, and whenever I can't go see a play, I'll read one instead.

Postcard73 · 07-17-2003, 10:33 AM

I used to only read fiction, but over the last several years, my reading has switched exclusively to non-fiction: mostly history and social science, with the occassional science or religious text tossed in. I don't think I've read any fiction in almost five years. Gee whiz- I didn't realize that made me a weirdo...

View Poll Results: Is your pleasure reading mostly fiction or nonfiction?
Fiction exclusively	3	2.80%
Mostly fiction	37	34.58%
About 50/50	33	30.84%
Mostly nonfiction	24	22.43%
Nonfiction exclusively	9	8.41%
You mean there are people who read for pleasure?	1	0.93%
Voters: 107. You may not vote on this poll

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07-17-2003, 03:20 AM	#11
VonEvilstein Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: .nl Posts: 822	The compulsory reading of way too many "classics" (ie old and boring books) in three languages at senior school killed my love of reading. Ten years later, and it has not returned. I read popular science, historical textbooks, Terry Pratchett and Judge Dredd comics now, and that's about it.

07-17-2003, 03:39 AM	#12
velvetfinger Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Hyogo, Japan Posts: 942	Mostly fiction, but recently I've been frequenting second hand bookshops to find cheap nonfiction hardcovers.

07-17-2003, 05:27 AM	#13
Mediancat Contributor Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Baltimore County, MD Posts: 19,644	Both, definitely, and in roughly equal proportions. I read books from pretty much every genre . . . I was reading Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mystery series recently, but right now I'm reading a book on Shakespeare, and I just finished Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media? All depends on the mood I'm in -- Rob aka Mediancat

07-17-2003, 05:46 AM	#14
Tom Sawyer Talk Freethought Staff Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Toronto, eh Posts: 42,293	I realized about a year ago that I was pretty much exclusively reading fiction books, so I decided to go back and forth between a fiction book and a non-fiction to try and add a bit of breadth to my knowledge. It hasn't worked out quite as well as I'd planned, but I'm getting some non-fiction reading in. Mostly science books, but I'm starting to add some history into the mix as well.

07-17-2003, 07:29 AM	#15
contracycle Banned Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: London Posts: 1,425	About 5 years ago I found myself slaving through another boring fiction plot and said 'hell with it'. Real life is more interesting.

07-17-2003, 07:48 AM	#16
Writer@Large Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 7,198	While my pleasure reading contains a good amount of non-fiction, I have to say the majority of my pleasure reading is fiction. Mainly because (a) I read a lot of comic books, which come out every Wednesday, and (2) I find that I can read fiction a lot FASTER than non-fiction, and so I read a higher volume simply because go through it faster. I finished the new Harry Potter in three days; there's no way in Hell I could finish, say, an 800+ page science book or historical biography in that time. --W@L

07-17-2003, 09:23 AM	#17
Ray Marlin Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Third base Posts: 11	I read almost all non-fiction. The Sherlock Holmes stories are the only fiction I've really ever liked that I read over.

07-17-2003, 09:48 AM	#18
PopeInTheWoods Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Rochester NY USA Posts: 4,318	Just wondering which category the bible fits....

07-17-2003, 10:18 AM	#19
Secular Elation Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: California Posts: 6,196	I mostly enjoy fiction. For what few nonfiction I do read, it's usually books by Richard Dawkins or Carl Sagan (my two favorite science authors). But I do read more fiction. However, in particular I read 19-th century classic literature--mainly works by the likes of Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Additionally, I tend to read plays. I don't know anyone else who does this, but I must be weird. I love theater arts, and whenever I can't go see a play, I'll read one instead.

07-17-2003, 10:33 AM	#20
Postcard73 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Roanoke, VA. Posts: 2,198	I used to only read fiction, but over the last several years, my reading has switched exclusively to non-fiction: mostly history and social science, with the occassional science or religious text tossed in. I don't think I've read any fiction in almost five years. Gee whiz- I didn't realize that made me a weirdo...

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