Do you read books (or ebooks) anymore?

[Deleted member 46493]

I read books - paper books. PDFs are for computer programming books or books I can't find for a fair price. I have a growing personal library and periodically sell or donate books I don't think I'll want to read any more. I don't like ebooks outside of classics and most books I read are not in EPUB or MOBI format. I'd say I read about 30-40 books per year.

I also like to read paper magazines (Monocle, Delayed Gratification, etc.) though I eventually donate or recycle those. I love reading physical pages.

 

[Spock]

Audiobooks mostly. I'm trying to add more Kindle/physical ones to the mix. But it's mostly non fiction, which seems to be a better fit for the medium.

 

[Min]

I was in a bad head space for most of the year so only read 9 books, but I've been reading about 20 books/year for the past few years. I'm also an extremely slow reader.

 

[Mona]

does manga count?

 

[see5harp]

I know what you mean. It almost takes the same amount of focus as reading a real book. I'll listen to audiobooks doing mundane tasks like working out or cleaning, but any multitasking more complicated and it's hard to stay focused on the audiobook. Give the audiobook the same attentions as you would a real book, not just background noise.

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I definitely understand why they are so appealing. Some people are just really really good readers. But if it's anything remotely challenging or wordy, I really need to focus at full speed. I think for many Fantasy novels it's fine since so much is formulaic and you sorta know whats going on. It's nice to know how to pronounce the dumb ass names. But it's not the same unless you are fully concentrating on it like you would a book. I might be able to do it on a bike or elliptical but definitely not running.

 

[Thordinson]

Yes. Quite often. The one good thing about a long commute.

 

[Rhomega]

I have a number of eBooks for my Kindle, but between gaming, movies, and the Internet, it can be hard to find time for them.

 

[Deleted member 46493]

For those who like the idea of auidobooks but don't have the focus for one, I recommend getting (on Audible) Great Courses audio courses instead. They are expensive but can be purchased with Audible credits. They have courses on almost anything and most are high quality. Way easier to half listen than a fiction book.

 

[Pet]

Four to ten a month during nonbusy season.

One to two a month during busy season.


I have Amazon Prime AND Kindle Unlimited.

 

[Unaha-Closp]

Been reading before sleeping almost every night since I learned how to read. Can't sleep if I haven't read 25-100 pages (on a Kindle these days though). Not every night of course as life gets in the way of that but most nights. More nights than not. Can't imagine not reading books. It's my favourite thing to do since learning it. Which is odd in Video Games - I skip almost all the reading stuff. Just don't care for it. Play that game - skip any reading. Go to bed and read.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

I try to make it my goal to sit down and read 50 pages a day minimum. If you do that consistently (with that being the minimum, obviously, I read a lot more some days) you can read a surprising amount of books.

 

[Wispmetas]

I have a hard time reading books, but when I do I enjoy it immensely! I never understood audiobooks, or how that works, when I read I have to be completely focused on it, hearing someone talking I believe wouldn't be able to retain my focus...

I really wish I could read more, maybe I'll use the technique the user above is talking about!

 

[Nox Potens]

I do, but it isnt nearly as often as I used to. I should get back into reading.

 

[Rangerx]

Yeah I still read quite a bit. I try to read around two hours a day, time permitting.

 

[Famassu]

Of course. A life without reading/books is a life much poorer than a life with reading/books

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

Of course. Especially if you're a sci-fi fan, there's no better medium than literature

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This, but I don't read anymore thanks to audiobooks.

 

[Hilbert]

I could never get into audiobooks. I tried a few times but they never clicked with me.

 

[Lightus]

I try to read everyday. I read during my lunch break but do the bulk of my reading over weekends.

I'm not really into movie or TV so if I'm at home I'm either playing a game or reading.

I could never get into audiobooks. I tried a few times but they never clicked with me.

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I used to not either. I didn't like how the narrator would voice things differently than I imagined.

Now instead of rereading books, I'll listen to them while going on walks etc. Definitely made it much more enjoyable for me.

Since I've already read the books I'd be listening to it's not a big deal if I miss some if I get distracted and the narrator's inflection doesn't influence my mental image of the book as much.

 

[Sub Boss]

started around July,since i moved and don't have internet yet in the room its kinda hard to keep the attention but they can be so fun, i love reading horror stories , and fantasy like LotR and Harry potter, also read a few books about investing that are interesting, and other stuff. I also gained a bit more respect for the 'medium' with so many movies coming from books that i didn't realized before :P
i want to read some crime novels next
None of my family read and it was seen as weird so i didn't pick the habit until recently i prefer ebooks because they are easier to find/buy and take little space

 

[petitmelon]

I try to read a lot but I don't make enough time. I still buy a lot of books but I don't read half as much as I used to so my tbr pile is obscene. Thankfully it's mostly e-books so I can have a 500 book collection and not have a house made of books.

Last week I tried an experiment where I replaced idle phone time with Kindle time and finished two books (4-500ish pages each). I think I'll try doing that all next month and see how many books I can finish.

 

[GasProblem]

I try to but my smartphone, ResetEra and games are in the way. I've been reading the same book for 6 months now, reading a bit in bed now and then. I'd like to read in the train to work, but sometimes it's crowded I can't sit.

I mostly read fantasy and most of the books I've read lately are around 1000 pages. When I finish my current book (Oathbringer) I'll try a shorter book. I did want to start The Lord of the Rings books though since I've never read those.

 

[Pau]

If you saying you read 75 books let me see your good reads because that sounds like complete bullshit unless you counting graphic novels and that shit don't even count.

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You don't have to be an asshole about it. About 10 of mine are graphic novels. I count them because it's harder to convince myself to buy them instead of novels. You can PM me for my Goodreads account if you are interested in sharing recommendations and not just calling people out on a forum.

 

[Lumination]

I've been forcing myself to in the last 2 months. Up to 7 books. I won't be keeping this pace, but it has been restoring my attention span for sure.

 

[Gunny T Highway]

Podcasts have taken up the time I used to use for reading books. I maybe read one good novel a year.

 

[Deleted member 4034]

I've had a huge decline in reading since I finished college. If I can do 6 next year, that'll be a huge step up. Just gotta go for things I'm interested in.

Reading does put me to sleep though, so it should be the last thing I do every night.

 

[Blue Sky Noise]

Yeah, ebooks, mostly history books and other nonfiction. I have some fiction too but it's mostly stuff I already read a long time ago. I tried audiobooks but I always end up zoning out and it starts to become like background noise to me.

 

[Instro]

I read, but not as much as I would like. I'd probably get through more books, but I'm reading the Wheel of Time series right now, and they are all long books, so it's kind of slow going.

 

[WedgeX]

Yep. Read regularly and have a substantial library.

There was a while there where I had trouble finishing books, but that time seems to have passed.

 

[EssBeeVee]

i read more last year than this year. i was meant to read Stephen King's IT but then things happen.

 

[CrocoDuck]

I always try my best, with work, school and gym taking a lot of the time, along with a massive backlog of games that I try to platinum. My New Years resolution is to read more.

 

[Freezasaurus]

I've pretty much gone entirely digital with books these days. The last novel I finished was in October. I've wanted to get started on something else since, but have been busy with other stuff. It's also a bit difficult for me to find new novels that interest me, as I used to just browse Amazon for what's new. In the past year, Amazon's book section has become an e-pub junkyard making it difficult to determine which ones are the new books also being released in physical form by the major publishers.

 

[molnizzle]

Yes... but not nearly as much as I used to.

It's Nintendo's fault.

 

[see5harp]

You don't have to be an asshole about it. About 10 of mine are graphic novels. I count them because it's harder to convince myself to buy them instead of novels. You can PM me for my Goodreads account if you are interested in sharing recommendations and not just calling people out on a forum.

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My bad. I see people doing these 50 books a year challenges and it just blows my mind. If you are primarily a reader and that's what you spend your free time, then I suppose 5-6 books a month is plenty doable. More power to you if that's easy work.

 

[Midramble]

I generally read the first half of one book a month.

 

[EdibleKnife]

All the time. Sadly my buying outpaces my reading. Have about 300+ eBooks on my Kindle cloud 80+ graphic novels on ComiXology and 10 or so physical books on the shelves

 

[survivor]

I can't focus enough to read at home anymore so I do most of my reading during my commute. Although in the past year I spent more time listening to podcasts instead but I still managed to go through a few books.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

My bad. I see people doing these 50 books a year challenges and it just blows my mind. If you are primarily a reader and that's what you spend your free time, then I suppose 5-6 books a month is plenty doable. More power to you if that's easy work.

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If you read 41 pages a day (an hour or so worth of reading) and your books average 300 pages then you can read 50 books a year. Its not that difficult if you stick with it.

 

[Everybody Lies]

Of course, they are almost always better than the movie.

 

[aBIGeye]

Almost only read architecture books (my field of study) in these uni years and very few fictions during summers.
Always found difficult to not spend my free time on other things, when studying means you're reading books half of the day already.

 

[Treasure Silvergun]

Oh yes.

I've been reading quite a lot these last months.

 

[Deleted member 48205]

I listen to audiobooks and so I voted no

 

[negreenfield]

Audiobooks so I didn't vote. I'm in traffic 1.5 to 2 hours a day so audiobooks are the best way for me to "read" books at this point.

 

[Pau]

My bad. I see people doing these 50 books a year challenges and it just blows my mind. If you are primarily a reader and that's what you spend your free time, then I suppose 5-6 books a month is plenty doable. More power to you if that's easy work.

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No worries. Yeah, once people realize reading is pretty all I do with my free time (I don't really movies or TV), it's not as impressive. :P

 

[Hilbert]

No worries. Yeah, once people realize reading is pretty all I do with my free time (I don't really movies or TV), it's not as impressive. :P

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Yea, I don't watch TV or movies much. Made a work gathering fairly dull for me at christmastime when everyone was talking about game of thrones, and I had to say that I only read the books.

 

[skeezx]

i'm probably averaging about 4 novels a year. throw in one or two non-fiction books

kind of ashamed about it as i aspired to be the next Joyce, Pynchon, ect in my young and dumb years but in the days of impulse streaming i'm surprised there's even a literature industry at all at this point

 

[Kylarean]

Yep. I mostly read eBooks, now and pick up what I like in print. Wife and I just got back from a used bookstore and spent a bunch of money.

 

[MontlyCure]

Besides textbooks I hadn't read anything in probably over 10 years until a few weeks ago.

I picked up A Game of Thrones and I'm really enjoying it. Turns out when it's not a boring ass textbook reading can be really enjoyable!

 

[BDS]

I read books pretty rarely. Sometimes I'll read a Star Wars book or something. I'll definitely read The Winds of Winter when it's released in 2027.

 

[Gazoogleheimmer]

Me and my wife made sure to have an hour of reading time (no electronics/distractions), and that worked well for about a year, but that went away when we had a kid. I did buy a Kindle specifically to get in the habit of reading whenever I had free time, but that is getting tough. Man, I love the Kindle, but out of the 100 books I have on there, I've read a total of 5 so far.

 

[Wulfric]

I read paperback books sometimes.