tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post4867195408097825193..comments2024-03-18T20:00:47.729-05:00Comments on Book Chase: I Can't Remember a Day without BooksSam http://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-23148479107181706702007-06-25T18:33:00.000-05:002007-06-25T18:33:00.000-05:00Diva, I think that book blogs have created a wonde...Diva, I think that book blogs have created a wonderful community of like-minded folks from around the world. So much great conversation...<BR/><BR/>You're right about making time for reading. It just doesn't seem to be that difficult once a habit is established. I think that most people would be surprised by how much time they blow away on mindless things like vegging out in front of a TV set Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-49172953550092885832007-06-23T23:16:00.000-05:002007-06-23T23:16:00.000-05:00I started my own blog because I feel lonely: in my...I started my own blog because I feel lonely: in my entire life, I have only had three friends that I could discuss books with. Ever. I'm 30. <BR/><BR/>I, too, rarely go anywhere without a book. I have, at times, even kept a book in the car, just in case. I don't understand what people who don't read do with their time. And I too have never understood people who say they "don't have time to read."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-44917376813405395962007-06-18T11:54:00.000-05:002007-06-18T11:54:00.000-05:00Eva, maybe that "desire" is something that a perso...Eva, maybe that "desire" is something that a person is born with, a matter of taste that places books and reading above vegging out in front of a TV set or video game console. I'm starting to believe from all of these personal observations that a reader is more "born" than "made" and that reading to a born reader at an early age might turn up his reading enthusiasm a notch or two but that it Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-1894136195121517062007-06-18T02:31:00.000-05:002007-06-18T02:31:00.000-05:00as far as being read to as a child, my sister and ...as far as being read to as a child, my sister and I were both read to an equal amount, and we also had a deal where if we wanted to buy a book with our allowance money, my parents would pay for half of it. When she was little, I remember her reading a lot (there was a pony series that she really liked), but she seemed to go out of it. I, on the other hand, have always devoured books. My familyEvahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06703372903532502944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-41309887343940836502007-06-17T21:30:00.000-05:002007-06-17T21:30:00.000-05:00That's the same thing that happened with our two g...That's the same thing that happened with our two girls, Becky. In our case, it's the younger one who turned out to be a reader. And we probably read more to the oldest daughter when she was young than we did to her sister at the same age...all the signs point to DNA but I hate to think that's the real determining factor.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-4217838981035081172007-06-17T21:17:00.000-05:002007-06-17T21:17:00.000-05:00I have two children, both boys, not far apart in a...I have two children, both boys, not far apart in age. They were of course raised in the same house under similar circumstances, and I read them the same books as young children. Yet one is a reader and one is not. In fact, the non-reader will often loudly proclaim "I HATE to read" in order to distinguish himself from his older brother. I think you are on to something with your idea about the Becky Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14312649753514924823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-23973965889962498452007-06-16T16:35:00.000-05:002007-06-16T16:35:00.000-05:00I'm the same way, Camille. We're a strange lot......I'm the same way, Camille. We're a strange lot...<BR/><BR/>I feel cheated if I don't read about 100 pages a day of something...anything will do in a crisis. :-)Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-82819711725857935342007-06-16T16:27:00.000-05:002007-06-16T16:27:00.000-05:00I think I agree with you that it's near impossible...I think I agree with you that it's near impossible to turn a non-reader into an avid one, especially if they're an adult. Like Stephanie, my husband is a non-reader and will occasionally pick up a book. He always enjoys the experience so much and says he wants to read more, but then it just doesn't happen. And I feel 'on edge' if I don't read every single day.Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13885265214705764092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-52451982474184773372007-06-16T11:55:00.000-05:002007-06-16T11:55:00.000-05:00I don't think that we'll ever really know what cre...I don't think that we'll ever really know what creates a reader from scratch. Your explanation of what turned you into a reader certainly makes sense to me. That's also part of what did it for me because I grew up in a very small Gulf Coast Texas town that didn't offer a lot in the way of entertainment other than local sports. I played a lot of baseball but found that I needed something more Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-37460804118426580152007-06-16T08:51:00.000-05:002007-06-16T08:51:00.000-05:00Dewey said that one thing might be growing up surr...Dewey said that one thing might be growing up surrounded by books and readers. That doesn't explain me. Sure, my parents had books, but I can't for the life of me remember a single memory of them actually sitting there reading one. I think I read more off their shelves than they did!<BR/><BR/>Personally, I think the more you want to escape from where you're at, the more you read. <BR/><BR/>...andAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-28223435083563695152007-06-15T14:14:00.000-05:002007-06-15T14:14:00.000-05:00That's the one theory of his with which I had the ...That's the one theory of his with which I had the most trouble myself. I just don't want to believe it.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-32926257105179834612007-06-15T12:30:00.000-05:002007-06-15T12:30:00.000-05:00That was one of a few things I disagreed with in F...That was one of a few things I disagreed with in Freakonomics, though overall it was a unique and entertaining look at the world, and I enjoyed it.Deweyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00395712971920800717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-67002481030773149982007-06-15T09:55:00.000-05:002007-06-15T09:55:00.000-05:00Dewey, the theory of reading to young children and...Dewey, the theory of reading to young children and the effect that it has on them is questioned in <I>Freakonomics</I>. I mentioned it in my review of the book, in fact. I want to agree with your theory rather than that author's, of course, so I hope that you are right.<BR/><BR/>Wow...all your friends are readers. That's an amazing streak of good luck. I can't even imagine trying to have a "Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-60651391551657841892007-06-15T09:50:00.000-05:002007-06-15T09:50:00.000-05:00John, same here. I recently spent a day sitting i...John, same here. I recently spent a day sitting in a hospital family waiting room and managed to read chunks of three different books while sitting there. I thought it was a great opportunity...and was amazed at the number of people watching the same news over and over on the room's television set. Other were yacking away on cell phones or staring into space. What a waste of all that forced Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-78808862390816584902007-06-15T09:48:00.000-05:002007-06-15T09:48:00.000-05:00Is your brother still an avid reader today, bybee?...Is your brother still an avid reader today, bybee? That makes me wonder again if the innate spark was always there and that fantasy series started his reading fire...or if a person really can be influenced to become a reader.<BR/><BR/>I don't think that I'm any closer to deciding which it is, and I doubt that I'll ever get there.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-60252275799869518842007-06-15T09:41:00.000-05:002007-06-15T09:41:00.000-05:00Annie, it amazes me how few "reading" friends I ha...Annie, it amazes me how few "reading" friends I have, so I know just how you feel. I just can't imagine a life that doesn't feature a whole lot of book time.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-13246086420693130952007-06-15T08:05:00.000-05:002007-06-15T08:05:00.000-05:00I think the main thing that makes a kid turn into ...I think the main thing that makes a kid turn into a reader or not is not genes but being read to, being surrounded by books growing up, living in a house with other readers, etc. <BR/><BR/>I think some kids can turn out not to be readers with those things (say if they suffer from dyslexia, making reading uncomfortable for them) and I think some kids can turn into readers in a vacuum, but I think Deweyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00395712971920800717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-82442886273678980232007-06-15T07:58:00.000-05:002007-06-15T07:58:00.000-05:00Like you bringing a book to the barber's, I carry ...Like you bringing a book to the barber's, I carry one with me everywhere too. I can never understand when people complain about long waiting times at the hospital or other such places, I just think, "Great, a perfect chance to read." <BR/><BR/>As someone seemed to imply here, I think there's a book out there for everyone. The problem is often a wall put up to the whole idea of reading. How many John Mutfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08730205221787092204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-41940174889852840282007-06-15T00:31:00.000-05:002007-06-15T00:31:00.000-05:00Neither of my parents were readers and my brother ...Neither of my parents were readers and my brother wasn't until he got interested in some fantasy series sometime in his 30s. But my aunt was a bookworm and she passed her juvenillia to me. She had a terrific collection. I always loved books. Can't remember when I couldn't read, it came so easily in school (unlike math).Bybeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10061186489010154661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-62941169596951059422007-06-14T20:30:00.000-05:002007-06-14T20:30:00.000-05:00I don't remember not reading books. It's somethin...I don't remember not reading books. It's something I've "always" done, and I've always loved bookstores, too. I do remember I became a more obsessed reader once I was old enough to pick out my own books rather than reading just what my parents bought me. Both of my parents read, but I don't really have any friends (offline) that do. They look like at me like I'm crazy sometimes.Janda/Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16754631494233387294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-25332317186757326872007-06-14T17:54:00.000-05:002007-06-14T17:54:00.000-05:00Sally, it's a question that will probably never be...Sally, it's a question that will probably never be answered, I agree. I believe that all of us would like to think that we can inspire future readers to reach the passionate reading level that we've developed over the years. If I knew how to do it, I'd be out there doing it every day, that's for sure.<BR/><BR/>There's not a lot of public transportation in Houston, so I haven't bumped into Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-57667468566561733422007-06-14T17:51:00.000-05:002007-06-14T17:51:00.000-05:00Joy, it's that "personal desire" that may be the t...Joy, it's that "personal desire" that may be the thing that a person has to be born with...if they don't have it, there's not much anyone can do to move them along.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-2199931612818721802007-06-14T17:50:00.000-05:002007-06-14T17:50:00.000-05:00Maggie, I absolutely love librarians for their opt...Maggie, I absolutely love librarians for their optimism. They never let me down. I think what you said goes back to what I posted about being able to move someone in the right direction on the "reading scale" by exposing them to interesting books that appeal to them as individuals.<BR/><BR/>I'm just not sure that you can create an avid, active reader unless the proper materials are already Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-69651272511913642822007-06-14T17:49:00.000-05:002007-06-14T17:49:00.000-05:00I don't know, and whilst it's interesting to ponde...I don't know, and whilst it's interesting to ponder, I've given up. The same question could be asked of any poassionate puruit, I suppose. <BR/>*****<BR/><BR/>How many times have you bumped in to someone when walking along the pavement, having got off a train or bus and just "having to" finsh the page, chapter, whatever? :-)Sallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06459567597804197579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-26468285652629042262007-06-14T17:47:00.000-05:002007-06-14T17:47:00.000-05:00JS, I wonder, though, if you would have been able ...JS, I wonder, though, if you would have been able to ever generate that "spark" if it weren't already somewhere in your makeup just waiting for the right match to come along to start the fire. I can't remember any particular book or author that set me on my way; books have just always fascinated me because of what they contain and what a person can get from them. I can't remember ever not Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.com