I’m not much into all of the social-software-sites out on the internets these day. You know, Twitter, LinkdIn, StumbleUpon and the like. Hell, I barely even use this blog, which I happen to love. And while I don’t go in for those types of sites much, I have found one that I do semi-sorta-enjoy. It’s GoodReads, a site where you can keep track of your own books as well as see what your “friends” are reading (and have read). It’s pretty cool but it leads me to a question I’ve long wondered.
Are you people freaks or what??
Ok, that may have come out a little harsher than I meant. What I mean is that I see a bunch of you out there (you know who you are) reading two, three, four (and more!) books a week. No, I didn’t misspell ‘month’ or even ‘year’. A WEEK! What the hell? How is that even possible? I would love to do that but find it just impossible. Well, actually, now that I think about it, I probably I could do it if I would only suspend other silly activities such as work, sleep, eating and actually walking from spot to spot in my house.
So how do you do it? Surely you are not reading every word, right? Maybe that’s my problem. I read every single word. And if I didn’t quite get the meaning of a sentence or a paragraph or a chapter, I just might go back and read it again. And maybe even again. I don’t really want to do that. I want to read two, three, four (and more!) books a week. So help me out here, gang. Share your speed reading secrets with me. Seriously. I have a lot of books on my “to read” list.
Oh, and check out GoodReads if you are of a mind to. It’s pretty slick. Of course, once you do, there goes some of that precious reading time. See? It’s a vicious cyle, I tells ya.
I am averaging about a book a month, but I want to kick it up to a book a week. I was inspired by this article at Put Things Off.
http://putthingsoff.com/one-book-a-week/
I think in the end I’ll probably average about a book every two weeks. Two, three, four a week? I have a friend like that. She doesn’t get on the computer and she doesn’t watch TV. That’s how they do it!
I’m one of those people who reads three or four books every week. If it makes you feel better, most of them are YA books, cuz that’s one of my majors.
I like GoodReads, too, but like all the other internet “things” I’ve signed up for, I have a hard time keeping track of them all so they’ll go untouched for weeks and then I’ll remember them and go there and sign in if I can remember my password and usually I can’t so I have to ask for the clue I gave when I registered and half the time I can’t remember what the answer is to my own questions, and, and, and, and. . . .
Oh heck, Buzz, I’m too old for all this stuff. But I love it anyway.
I don’t get how people can read more than one book a week, either. Hell, I can’t even get through one, and I’ve got the summer off!!!
Those who do get through three regular adult novels each week are either speed readers (they took that class they used to advertise for), they actually ‘listen’ to them on tape/CD/iPod during their commutes or exercise sessions, or they read so fast that they don’t really know what they read, but can say that they ‘read’ the book anyway.
I am reading five or six books right now. They are laying around, and I pick them up and read a few pages if I feel like it. And then I have a car book that I’m reading when I’m in the car waiting for someone.
Three or four books a week sounds too much like work ... or school.
Then again, the anonymity conferred by the internets allows many people to make the claim, when they are probably reading Cliff’s Notes.
at one point I was lucky to read 3-4 a year. I have recently forced myself to join a book club so i will at least read one a month. that is tough though, but i do love to read. Twitter on the other hand is fast and easy, the way i like my men...i mean my books…
Buzzie, this is so ironic ! !
Last weekend, I re-read “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
I can honestly say it’s the first time I’ve been able to make time to read an entire (non-textbook) book in over 20 years.
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, I’m a little behind.
So if 3 or 4 books baffles you, think what that thought did to MY brain.