Coffin Nail Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 What percentage of what you read is purely for escapist pleasure?? Do you prefer the reading you do to advance your knowledge or education, or the trashy beach novel that does nothing but entertain??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I read maybe 90% for pleasure, and then read 10% on topical interests (e.g. events, people, sections of history, sciences. Atm my obsession is dinosaurs ). That said, the books I read for pleasure are hardly mindless and they often challenge my mind to think about different ideas as well as include things I previously knew nothing about, so I learn something too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I'd say about 80% of what I read is escapism. There's a certain amount of reading to be done to keep up with changes in my work as well. Funny enough, I almost never comment on that reading here. I also enjoy nonfiction books, especially about historical subjects, but I have no serious goal for that reading so I consider that "pleasure reading" too. I don't mind if my reading "advances my knowledge" but that's never the main reason I choose a book. The main reason for choosing is that I think I will enjoy it in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenKingman Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 What percentage of what you read is purely for escapist pleasure?? Do you prefer the reading you do to advance your knowledge or education, or the trashy beach novel that does nothing but entertain??? Both. I am just at home reading a book on the advances in medical science or the current economic crisis as i am with the latest King chiller. I think its important not to bog yourself down in just one genre as familiarity breeds contempt and if i found myself with nothing but horror books to read this entire year i would go mad! I like to break it up by reading topical books or magazines in between my regular books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmy619 Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I read mainly for pleasure, but (as others have said), I also have to read to keep up to date with things in the financial world for my job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Though you could divide my reading into an average of 85% fiction and 15% non-fiction, I have no interest in reading the kind of fiction where you can simply turn your brain off for three hundred pages - a book from which no lesson can be gleaned is not a book worth reading, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Well, it all depends on how those more "serious" books are packaged, really. A while back (for research) I read 'Among the Believers: an Islamic Journey' by V.S. Naipaul. Not the most easy material to read in terms of its complexity sometimes, but it was told in a very straightforward manner, using characters to convey a point or historic fact. Love it to death, I suggest it for everyone to read. Really opened my eyes to certain issues. Glad I picked it up, and began flipping the pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenKingman Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Though you could divide my reading into an average of 85% fiction and 15% non-fiction, I have no interest in reading the kind of fiction where you can simply turn your brain off for three hundred pages - a book from which no lesson can be gleaned is not a book worth reading, IMHO. Although i agree with you that a book about some dumb blonde who outsmarts her stalker but then goes on to do the exact same thing (just an example) is a bit if a waste but some of my favorite books do not really have lessons associated with them, except general themes of hope and justice. But i would not enjoy a book less because of this. Yes, its nice to read a book that inspires you or teaches you something but i am more than happy with a tale that scares me senseless then slopes off into the sunset! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 a book from which no lesson can be gleaned is not a book worth reading, IMHO. Nearly all the books I own are fiction, but I never lend my time to reading anything mindless. Life's too short. Lately I have been perusing several non-fiction books for academic reasons and this is a new experience for me, since it means having to read something because I have to, not purely because I want to. So, I'd say that 90% of what I read is for pleasure and 10% is what I'm required to read whether I'm particularly interested or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 100%. All my reading is for my personal entertainment. Even when I get a book for review, I've chosen it because I think I will enjoy it based on the synopsis. If I'm not enjoying a book, I ditch it and read something else instead. It's a wonderful way to read because I'm not under any obligation to read anything I'm not enjoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I read only for pleasure but not all of the books are fluff, some of the books I read have an educational content but because I choose to read them they don't feel like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:HerculeHastings: Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 During the holidays, all my reading is for pleasure. However, once school starts, 99% of my reading is for school. I sometimes like reading for school, especially when there's an informative yet interesting book for me, but I do miss my favourite titles a lot during the school term, so I make sure to read as much as I can for pleasure when the hols come along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I'd say around 65 percent for pleasure and 35 percent for research/interest in other topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Mine is probably 70% for pleasure, 30% for work. I have to read a lot of books for uni, both fiction and non-fiction at the moment, as well as journal articles and websites. I hate being told what to read though, which is why I spend most of my time reading things I've chosen, that's my reading for pleasure bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWords Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Half 'n' half. Although I gain some information from hokey old science books (the 1940's and 50's stuff especially) I actually find them really enjoyable, so I don't know where on the scale they land. The dawn of the information age (the early to mid-seventies) had a lot of great non-fiction books which are more enjoyable than they had any right being, so those would also fall under the category of reading for pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreader Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 90% is pleasure and the other 10% is for study etc. At times my pleasure may be escapism but I always find something to learn from it. You can learn from anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Mine is probably 70% for pleasure, 30% for work. I have to read a lot of books for uni, both fiction and non-fiction at the moment, as well as journal articles and websites. I hate being told what to read though, which is why I spend most of my time reading things I've chosen, that's my reading for pleasure bit Same here I don't mind most of the Planning related reading I have to do, however (!!!) when it's bad, it's BAD. I wouldn't wish theoretical approaches to Planning on my worst enemy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFG75 Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 What percentage of what you read is purely for escapist pleasure?? Do you prefer the reading you do to advance your knowledge or education, or the trashy beach novel that does nothing but entertain??? I prefer to read for the sake of it. A lot of it is non-fiction and perhaps "high brow" stuff. About 5% of the time, I'll read Baldacci or someone like that if my brain is fried from work and I need a mental escape. Robert B. Parker is also god at meeting my needs when I need a good escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 Although I read purely for pleasure, I don't read only "fluff" - I like a good mixture of various genres from crime fiction to classics and everything in between. The only gfenres I'm not so keen on are pure romance (e.g. Mills and Boon style things) and chick lit (although there are some exceptions to the chick lit rule) as I usually find they don't have enough substance to entertain me and are usually comlpetely unbelievable (too many happy endings for my liking - LOL!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Carson Whit Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I read almost entirely for pleasure and escapism. Be it a book or on the internet. Since I have started to make more of an effort to read this year I am starting to discover a well written book can completely transfer you to another world like nothing else (legal) on earth. I am also starting to appreciate a wider range of genres than I used to (I was strictly what I would imagine to be a typical male reader of horror and action); I am currently reading however Water for elephants after seeing it being discussed on here, and it has made me laugh out loud and upset, all within a few pages, no TV show or movie could ever do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I find it difficult to make a difference because even when I read work related stuff (Psychology or Sociology), I almost always enjoy them. Anyway, not taking in consideration that my reading habits have been awful for over a month, I try and keep an equilibrium between fiction and non fiction books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I only read for pleasure, however, some of my books are educational and I do learn from them, just not related to my work and most are science books. After taking an A level in Environmental Science a few years back (purely for fun), I've gained an interest in natural sciences and environmental issues, so do try to read non fiction around this subject. Fiction, though, is always for pleasure and escapism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missybct Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I read about 90% for pleasure and 10% to keep my mind fresh about laws over crime (etc) after doing my degree. I'm quite happy to admit some of it is fluff, because sometimes I find it hard to concentrate on elaborate plotlines when I'm fatigued, but the majority of it is bog standard mainstream makes you think type stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I read 100% for pleasure whether its fiction or non fiction, any book is a form of escapism and they have to be well written whether its a text book or not, I have enjoyed more archaeology books since I finished studying and can select them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosychair Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I've always read for pleasure, but I have wide ranging interests so I've also read a lot of subjects over the years (History, philosophy, science etc) that have benefited me educationally. Being an avid read from a young age has overall benefited my education from having a wider vocabulary range and the ability read more complex text and deduce the points being made compared to my non reading peers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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