I've always wondered why people read. What makes a book worth while? What makes it worth taking time out of your life to read it? Personally, I read to escape my mediocre life. I like to be taken into the character's mindset, especially character's that find it in themselves to rise above what they are to become greater than they ever thought they could. Any thoughts on the matter?
So we will have something to fight about.
In a way, it makes sense...but in more ways than one does it not. Why would you fight about a novel?
Some do not realize that what they are reading is fiction and actually base very important life decisions on the printed material. Some of these novels have been unscrupulously packaged as divinely inspired non-fiction.
There was a time when I allowed myself to become completely absorbed in novels I was reading, I still have to be careful with that; I try to live my own life as much as possible.
To address the question though, I think most people take reading for granted; reading and writing are two of the most abstract and distinctively human activities in which people engage. Humanity likely struggled with passing on verbal information for tens of thousands of years before developing written communication; we had no history prior to writing, only myth.
Personally, I think most of the really unbelievable bible stories are the product of verbal histories told and re-told over 40,000 years or so, and then finally written down.
I used to read because I had to when I was younger. Although I loved writing poetry and short-stories, I never really read for "pleasure" back in my youth. As I got older, I only read for educational purposes, and maybe an occasional novel that had some purpose...like say Ayn Rand's work.
That's why when I finally decided to write my novel, I chose a fictional format replete with archeological and historical facts (Da Vinci Code-esque) because I think it is the best way to get the info I wanted to get across to the largest number of readers.
I don't enjoy reading for "reading sake" if I am not getting anything useful from it. A good Fairy Tale with a moral message is far more entertaining than a soupy "chick novel" about some woman's personal fantasy with the gardener, if you get my drift...
I like reading because books take me to places I have never been to, reading a book I can imagine characters as I personally want to see them, that's why I don't really like to watch screen versions of books after I read a book, it always seems to me than in my dreams all the characters were better. I like reading because it simply gives an opportunity to relax and dream a bit.
I read to think and write to create. I know it is simple and sounds trite, but it is true. I want to be engaged and learn when I take the time to read and I want to share something of worth with the world.
I read to learn things. I usually do not sit down and read a book about things that I cannot learn from, but I like to read educational things online.
I have read since I was a small child--and I know I'll never quit. I love to escape into worlds so much different than my own sometimes...not that I don't love my world, I do...but it's so fun to see and experience other worlds, too.
I can sit for hours, late into the night, with a book, and never get bored. TV? It holds my attention for such a short time--give me a good book over that anytime!
You ask "why is it people read?"
Well in the first place to learn to wrote good.
You need to read in order to wrote good you know. '
You may need to read more yourself.
That way you may be able to wrote good.
And then not ask 'why is it people read?'
Instead of 'why DO people read?'
I think a good reader knows when it's important to comment on grammatical mistakes and when doing so will only result in looking ridiculously obnoxious!
I enjoy reading for personal pleasure. If I am not satisfied with the way someone wrote their words, I can only acknowledge the fundamental right of man to write the way they wish.
Hey answer man well said.I think you are becoming a answering machine.thank you for sharing.
I sorta prefer "why is it".
I read mostly fiction, specifically fantasy. And I live in that world, surfacing in this one just long enough to to what must be done for any given moment, then retreat to my hideout.
I read to learn. Learn facts, history, life lessons. I just read a book about Woodstock, it was a personal memoir with lots of history about the event and that time in the US. Before that I read a memoir about a woman's life. It amazed me. Books that amaze me, and that I get excited to tell someone about, are the best.
I read for the pleasure of it. It's quiet time with myself. I read about whatever subject interests me at the time. Those interests meander from one to another so I never know what I'll be reading next. It takes me down roads I never thought to explore before and becomes an adventure in the process. Fiction and non fiction. TV will never compare.
I read because text interface is the fastest, most secure, most easy way to get information.
For most people it is not. Most people are hands on a visual, probably because we see before we learn language. Most humans are very visually acute and can understand the differences between images easily.
I view reading as enrichment and not necessarily escape. I have read online articles, blog, and books for so many years that it is so much part of my life. One of my sisters really does not enjoy reading, and she thinks it is a waste of time. However, the way I see it is time it time, and you have twenty-four hours each day to decide how to spend it. If you write down a list of all the things you do each day there are probably many time wasters, but reading would not be one of these in my humble opinion. I think waiting in line a the grocery store is a far worse waste of my time personally.
I learned to read as a youngster (1956) so I could read playboy. ;p)
Before there were computers and the internet, the written word was one of the main means of communication. I read for pleasure, information, knowledge, entertainment and mental gymnastics. Yup, reading encourages creativity, imagination and dreams. So, that's why I read.
Interesting topic. At the very basic level we read for survival. I cannot imagine trying to get through a day without reading anything. However, I think you are going for the "Why do we read books" kind of question.
I agree so far with all of the answers (except perhaps the playboy one!) I also read for entertainment, knowledge, and relaxation. So I guess "survival" is the only thing new I can add.
I read so I can become a better writer. Still, any parent of young children will surely tell you how difficult it is to find time or energy to read. I'm much better at listening to a book while I'm working on something else (gardening, an art project, whatever).
If I don't listen to a book and actually get to read the words, I find the only time I can do this is late night, by which time, the reading puts me to sleep.
Used to love reading Jack London incredibly descriptive stories if I wanted to escape into another place. If ever there was an expert on "show, don't tell," it was Jack London.
by 1150kaylamichelle 12 years ago
Is it alright to read more than one book at a time?It seems some people can do i quite easily but for me i always seem to start two at the same time but become uninterested in one and only follow through with one of the books.. Should i still keep trying?
by Obinna Donald Ogba 6 years ago
Why are people able to speak a language, but cannot write or read it?
by Danette Watt 12 years ago
Not all books are worth reading. Do you agree with that?I heard this statement on NPR today and tried to think of a book that wasn't worth reading. I came up with a couple such as "Mein Kamp" but just because we don't agree with the ideas in the book, does that mean we shouldn't read it,...
by Paul Swendson 11 years ago
Do you have any interest in reading history books? If no, why not? If yes, what kinds of books?
by wanzulfikri 4 years ago
My friend just asked me and I felt weird thinking about the answers. For me, books are forms of entertainment and knowledge. What do you guys think?
by Victoriaaa 13 years ago
I want to write a novel, but I want to know what people are reading these days so I know what genre to write in and how to write my vision. What do you guys consider a good book?
Copyright © 2024 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2024 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |