Do you read just for the sake of reading?

[fayefaye]

Like there's a book, and it's boring, and you're not learning anything from it, you're not getting anything out of it, and yet you just want to finish it anyway? *sidelong glance at On the Road, The Prince, War and Peace, Sun Tzu's The Art of War* yeah, they're supposed to be GREAT books, so insightful and brilliant, yada yada yada. But you haven't the faintest idea WHY you're reading them? I mean, realistically, when am I EVER going to have my own principality? Yeah, I know I joke about world domination... but my plans rarely come to fruition.

[Koa]

Yeah somehow... I just can't stand not to finish a book, I think I didn't do that more than 3 or 4 times in my whole life...
Even if I hate it, like On The Road, I go to the end...well when I read that I still used to read everything even if it was boring cos I wanted to see if it improved at the end. Now with the experience of old age I know when it's unlikely, but I need to reach the end anyway...
Sometimes it's also because even if it's boring, I like it somehow... I really can't say I hate War&Peace, but i can't even say I like it, otherwise I'd grab it and read anxiously everytime I have 5 minutes... But I couldn't say why I 'like' it...

[subterranean]

I'm trying to finish "The Age of Reason" by Jean Paul Sartre at the moment. Many essays about this book stated that you can really see Sartre's ideas about existansialism. I have read 2/3 of the book now, and still kinda confused about how the book (so far) depict his ideas

Ussualy I won't force my self to finish books which for the sake of reading. I don't finish the Bleak House, The Awakening, The Jungle Book, and several other books.

[Dr Cynic]

Fayefaye

The Prince? Well you needn’t have a principality of your own to enjoy and learn from that one. It’s meant to show you what politics is all about and how it works, and therefore reading it could be as much fun as reading books like Animal Farm, 1984, Bread and Wine, …

For all I know, politicians of this world are just a bunch of inveterate Machiavellians, and this I realised only after reading The Prince!!

[Sindhu]

I HAVE to finish a book once I get started- positively neurotic about that! Sigh!
Dr Cynic is right about the Prince, anyway- and it's not just politicians. I can tell you from experience that there are multitudes in Academics who seem to have literally learnt the Prince by heart and practice its doctrines zealously!

[fayefaye]

Aren't you scared my megalomania will go too far?

[crisaor]

Originally posted by fayefaye
Like there's a book, and it's boring, and you're not learning anything from it, you're not getting anything out of it, and yet you just want to finish it anyway? *sidelong glance at On the Road, The Prince, War and Peace, Sun Tzu's The Art of War* yeah, they're supposed to be GREAT books, so insightful and brilliant, yada yada yada. But you haven't the faintest idea WHY you're reading them? I mean, realistically, when am I EVER going to have my own principality? Yeah, I know I joke about world domination... but my plans rarely come to fruition.

Well, if you aren't getting anything out of a book (i.e. no fun, no wisdom, no homework done), my advise is that you quit reading it.

[IWilKikU]

If its new paperback comercial fiction and it sucks I ditch it. If it's a classic, I suffer through it.

[Koa]

good idea that, Iwilkiku

AAAAH i've just realised that the last 30 pages of war&peace are 30-pages-of-repeating-the-same-ideas-on-history-again... I'm tempted to avoid them, but I know I won't... I might read through them without too much attention, maybe while listening to the radio (which to me is a quite clear sign of despise of a book)... But I'm afraid I won't do even that...

This just reminded me of an Italian classic I had to read for school twice in different years...the first time I think I read it all, or most of it, with the radio on... I don't remember a single word. The second time, some 3 years later, I didn't get to finish the first chapter. One of the few books I've dropped. Another classic by the same author (Verga), which is commonly considered more boring than that, I actually enjoyed a lot.

I also read all of another Italian classic whic most students can't stand to read... ("Il piacere", by D'Annunzio, incase you're curious): 300 pages of the writer showing off how many wonderful images and metaphors he can create, and how many long complicated words he can use. Not too bad though, shows very well the features of the writer. (he's known for being an aesthete)

[Guber]

I would not say that I read for the sake of reading, I have simply fallen in love with the english language (unlike Danish that suddenly seem so dry)
but then why choose the classic, I am sure that others would agree that there is something about the way authors wrote back in time.
I get sucked into a world of words, lines, a whole different world.
at least that is how I start out with a book, I read for the language......

[fayefaye]

I always feel so inclined to read classics, just BECAUSE they're 'classics,' and I've given up a bit on that idea-because if you think about it, how stupid! maybe they've only been around for so long because of a lot of pretentious academics trying to be well-read, but reading things they don't even like, or get anything out of. Screw war and peace. I don't think I'll ever finish it. And I can say for the rest of my life. 'I haven't read war and peace. But then again, I found better things to do with my time' lol. I know eventually I'll get back to it... but not for a while. Pretentious? Yo!

[piquant]

War and Peace, me too! To hell with it!

One bit of advice on On the ROad though, I hated it at first, but then I realized it was something about the way I was reading it. They are not going anywhere, and they are never going to settle into a plot or get anywhere. As soon as they get accross the country they will turn around and come back for no reason whatsoever.

I kept waiting for the book to go somewhere, physically, accross the country to a destination, but it never did. The only plot is in the developement and transformation of the characters, especially Dean Moriarty.

It seams to question what not going anywhere or having anywhere to go does to a person, what sleep and drugs and booze and restlessness do to the soul.

I still have issues with the narration though, for some reason it never really cought me. It picks up toward the end in mexico, and I actually enjoyed the description in the last few cahpters (perhaps because I knew the end was near?). And don't worry if you don't like this one, a lot of critics question its status as a classic, and consider it more a representation of a generation.

[Munro]

Originally posted by fayefaye
I always feel so inclined to read classics, just BECAUSE they're 'classics,' and I've given up a bit on that idea-because if you think about it, how stupid! maybe they've only been around for so long because of a lot of pretentious academics trying to be well-read, but reading things they don't even like, or get anything out of. Screw war and peace. I don't think I'll ever finish it. And I can say for the rest of my life. 'I haven't read war and peace. But then again, I found better things to do with my time' lol. I know eventually I'll get back to it... but not for a while. Pretentious? Yo!

You've already come to the conclusion, but selecting books to read because they're considered classics doesn't make for good reading, I used to do that myself. Find an author you like that has written a 'definitive' or canonical work, and if you like them, read works of their related authors or someone from the same school of classics (eg. if you like Calvino, you'll probably like Jorge Luis Borges). Its the only sensible way I know to read canonical texts and enjoy them immensely at the same time.

As a classic, only read "The Art of War" if you're becoming interested in or studying Eastern Philosophy, not because the title is famous and you can tell people you've read it.
Just some friendly advice, as I've experienced that myself as I've read.

[Koa]

I found myself reading only calssics cos they're MUCH cheaper than newer books and I kept buying them cos they were cheap and still havent read them all...and there are so many I want to read, especially Russian ones.

I FINISHED WAR & PEACE!!!!
It took me exactly 4 months.
Shame I'm really in a hurry right now, I can't even promise I'll tell you my impressions about it (like anyone cared about that LOL!) cos I'm very busy in this period.

[fayefaye]

Can't remember the last time I touched that book! coupla weeks ago, perhaps?