lilyqianweiku Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 (edited) Some people think when we read we should read selectively. That is to say, we should select some books we are interested in and ignore the others. Reading selectively can help us concentrate our limited time and attention on those selected books. Others think we should read extensively. No matter what kind of book it is, we should look it over. We should read various kinds of books, whether we are interested in them or not. They maintain that reading extensively can help to enlarge our view and grasp the general knowledge in different fields. In my opinion, the two reading ways have their roles respectively in our reading. However, the disadvantages of each method are easy to see. If we only read the books we select or prefer, the framework of our knowledge may not be complete. Our knowledge would be rather limited. And if we read without selection, we may not have so much time and energy to be specialized in one particular field. Therefore, the combination of the two methods is more reasonable. Edited December 16, 2010 by Michelle link removed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinay87 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I don't plan my reading. I do try to preplan what books I buy but as any book lover will tell you, that's just impossible. All those books lying on shelves in stores looking so unloved, it's like going to an orphanage with a mindset that you'll only help kids with red hair. I do try to read more classics though. It's not that I believe that everything great lies in the words of our ancestors, well not entirely that, but I also believe that many of the issues that we face today have cropped up from time to time in the past as well. I love a good story so I try to read the oldest stories first. I mean, they've survived so long so that must mean that there was a reason for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 (edited) I would have probably said up until recently I read 'selectively' but when I take a look at my bookshelves there are lots of books on subjects that prior to reading I had little to no interest in. I have found over time that if a book is written properly almost anything can become interesting. A perfect example would be the 'Freakonomics' books, I am *terrible* with number and usually avoid them, thus economics has never been high up my list but those books put it into a fun and entertaining way which allowed me to really enjoy a book based round number and statistics so I would say I am willing to read extensive topics but only after careful selection Edited December 21, 2010 by beef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I do a bit of both. I read extensively in the sense that I keep an open mind and will try any subject/genre/author once; I am however selective in the sense that if I'm not enjoying a book, it will get cast aside and marked with a big 'Do Not Go There' sign. Life's too short to read books which you do not enjoy, and besides the books that are meant to enrich you are the ones you enjoy: find out why you enjoy a book, and you've got your enrichment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nali Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I find that it varies with me. Some days I really just want to read things that I am really interested in, such as historical novels or fantasy, but after having done that a while I find that I want to sink my theeth into something completely different, and thats when I go looking for something new to read. Usually I don't have to go further than my mother and sister in law, they are both avid readers, and between the three of us we have completely different tastes, so when I have that urge to read something totally new to me, I just raid thier bookshlefs!! If I had to chose between the two, I would have to go with the latter one, because I would be too bored if I never tried anything new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnL Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I think the minute you start to introduce any rules or methodologies to a basic pleasure like reading then it can stop becoming a pleasure. I tend to buy one book at a time as the decision is very much based on "I have nothing to read I need a book". When I have bought books in the past in multiples, by the time I have finished book one, book two often looks far less appealing than it did at purchase. I am finding the same now I have joined the library - I have taken unread books back because they don't seem to appeal. I think many here are the same as I see lots of "on the pile don't fancy it" messsages. My standard method, and its very loose, it to have my TBR pile as virtual. Its a file on my PC that I add to when I see something I fancy - and I may order it later somehwere. I don't keep books either, though, I do see them as a disposable commodity in the main - novels anyway - and can't get my head around re reading something. As in most things though, its whatever makes you happy - reading is one place where rules aren't needed ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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