Poll: BOOKS!!!

[Koroviev]

Those archaic wood pulp methods of transferring stories are...well, outdated. I don't need them to get the stories...if I want to read them in the first place. Reading does tend to bore me. But when I get a burr up my ass I'll just get a DRM-free e-book and read that.


That being said I do keep a few actual genuine books on hand. Specifically, the Haynes manuals on the vehicles my family owns. Kinda hard to read my CRT when I'm on my back underneath a minivan wondering just what the fuck just fell off and hit me in the head...

I don't necessarily agree with that. Have books been around for a while? Sure they have, but then so has the spoken language. Every form of media has its own pros and cons.


Books
Pros: Self-paced; deep; offer a unique experience for every reader
Cons: Readers are tasked with generating the book world as they see fit

Movies
Pros: Stimulate various senses; present viewers with a common experience that is open to interpretation
Cons: "Read-only" viewing experience

Video Games
Pros: Stimulate various senses; enable actual interaction with a fully realized virtual world
Cons: Often not as deep as other media

Of course, the pros and cons are subject to debate. Those listed above are simply those that strike me as being particularly significant.

 

[Tarlane]

I'm disappointed that by your definition of a book Jonathon Livingston Seagull doesn't count and that was an amazing story. When it was released(I don't know if this has changed since, its been long enough) it was the best selling hardcover since Gone with the Wind.

As for books I am a big reader but that has dwindled a lot over the years as other responsibilities have crept in. In school I read pretty close to a novel every 2-3 days. Once I switched to college that cut down to about a book a week and now that I work way too much that has dropped to probably a book a month, maybe just a little bit quicker than that.

 

[Koroviev]

Ooo! I love books!

Good ones? My dear sir/madam, the sheer amount of them is obscene! But of course, one can remember some...

I personally liked A Clockwork Orange (the movie's good too, but very different, visually). Its invented language gave it strong personality. Shakespeare's plays (okay, so they're not technically books) always offer something new. And yes, 21st century books can still be masterful literature. You just have to know where to look...

As of right now, I'm trying to complete several books: The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Monster Show, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Half the Sky. All are proving to be enjoyable, each in their own way.

I haven't read Half the Sky, but I always look forward to Nicholas Kristof's columns.

 

[Koroviev]

Over half my christmas list is books, sooooooo yeah I like 'em.

I used to request books for the holidays until I realized that video games are more expensive, and moreover, that books are a regular necessity.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I don't read as often as I did, because gaming and all. I do love horror and mind-fuck books.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

Oh boy, a poll option that accurately describes my love of the written word! I seriously carry a book with me everywhere I go - or rather, everywhere I go when I leave the house; no need to carry a book with me everywhere I go inside the house (though I do still do that sometimes), as that's what shelves are for.

I compulsively acquire new reading material, and I go through several magnitude more books per year than your average American will read in their entire adult life (yay pointless but impressive statistics). Fortunately for my budget (and shelf space), I do tend to be extremely reticent to start 'brand new' things, as I tend to acquire absolutely everything I possibly can from any given series/author/franchise once I've enjoyed a particular volume - I shudder at how much I might have spent over the last year alone if I simply picked up all the series that momentarily attracted my passing fancy.

So yes, you could say that I like books.

 

[Starke]

BTW, by "books" I mean at least 100 pages without pictures...

I think I've read journal articles that meet those criteria...

EDIT: The Caiaphas Cain novels are fuckin' hilarious.

 

[SmileyBat]

Salvatore is on of my favorite authors, best known for his character Drizzt.

Sword of Truth also holds a special place in me heart.

 

[icame]

I finish a book usually every month. The last one I read was the pride the prejudice and zombies. Which of those elements do you think made the book most interesting?

Also does Shakespeare count?

 

[bpm195]

Nine times out of ten when you put some 200 page book in front of me and say it's the greatest thing in the world, I'll complain that it's unnecessarily long then read it and berate the friend that gave it to me. It's not to say that they're inherently bad as a medium, but people really dramatically overstate how good every book is. At least when somebody makes me watch a movie I can go to sleep if I don't give a crap, but I have to put the effort into these damn books when I could expend just as much effort doing something constructive.

 

[Koroviev]

I finish a book usually every month. The last one I read was the pride the prejudice and zombies. Which of those elements do you think made the book most interesting?

Also does Shakespeare count?

I'd count Shakespeare. I would like to read Android Karenina.

 

[Koroviev]

Nine times out of ten when you put some 200 page book in front of me and say it's the greatest thing in the world, I'll complain that it's unnecessarily long then read it and berate the friend that gave it to me. It's not to say that they're inherently bad as a medium, but people really dramatically overstate how good every book is. At least when somebody makes me watch a movie I can go to sleep if I don't give a crap, but I have to put the effort into these damn books when I could expend just as much effort doing something constructive.

Why not read a book about something that interests you instead of your friend?

 

[Lilani]

You read them?

BTW, by "books" I mean at least 100 pages without pictures...
Just wondering how many Escapists read...

Other Topic: What are some good books?

If you don't mind female leads, I recommend looking up the following quartets from Tamora Pierce: The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and Protector of the Small (in that order). Also the First Truth quartet from Dawn Cook is very good and the Study trilogy from Maria V. Snyder.

I can't for the life of me finish a book in a single sitting. I can never sit still for extended periods of time, much less keep my mind from wandering in a million different directions.

Perhaps you should try the Cirque du Freak series. I've been working on that one recently and it is a breeze. There are twelve books--I'm at around number 4 or 5 and I find myself completing a book within a 24 hours after getting it from the library. And I am not a speed reader by any means. The writing is a bit juvenile (it is youth fiction, after all) but I've found it to be interesting overall.

 

[Aerowaves]

I've recently begun reading in earnest again, yes. Sci-fi and fantasy is my realm. Serious books based more firmly in reality are usually depressing. Indeed, "classics" aren't usually known for their lightness of tone; I read principally for escapism.

Comedy books are also awesome.

Looking forward to Christmas!

After reading some above posts, one wonders...do people read because they enjoy reading? Or because it's something that makes them seem culturally competitive? Do you set yourself a goal of reading a book or do you just let it happen?

 

[Koroviev]

You read them?

BTW, by "books" I mean at least 100 pages without pictures...
Just wondering how many Escapists read...

Other Topic: What are some good books?

If you don't mind female leads, I recommend looking up the following quartets from Tamora Pierce: The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and Protector of the Small (in that order). Also the First Truth quartet from Dawn Cook is very good and the Study trilogy from Maria V. Snyder.

I can't for the life of me finish a book in a single sitting. I can never sit still for extended periods of time, much less keep my mind from wandering in a million different directions.

Perhaps you should try the Cirque du Freak series. I've been working on that one recently and it is a breeze. There are twelve books--I'm at around number 4 or 5 and I find myself completing a book within a 24 hours after getting it from the library. And I am not a speed reader by any means. The writing is a bit juvenile (it is youth fiction, after all) but I've found it to be interesting overall.

I read that series when I was younger. I liked it.

Edit: Note on tone- I'm not trying to sound like a deadpan prick. I'm just not in the mood to add smiley faces to adjust the tone as I normally would.

 

[Koroviev]

I've recently begun reading in earnest again, yes. Sci-fi and fantasy is my realm. Serious books based more firmly in reality are usually depressing. Indeed, "classics" aren't usually known for their lightness of tone; I read principally for escapism.

Comedy books are also awesome.

Looking forward to Christmas!

After reading some above posts, one wonders...do people read because they enjoy reading? Or because it's something that makes them seem culturally competitive? Do you set yourself a goal of reading a book or do you just let it happen?

I love realism, especially as it concerns Russia. Ironically, I like surrealism even more.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

I will read absolutely everything I can get my hands on. It's terrible really, I've ended up borrowing so many books from people because I accidently started reading them at their house and really enjoyed them.

I'd recommend 'The Book Thief', I just finished re-re-reading it.

Excellent book. Typically, mandatory school reading sucks enormous genitalia, but that one was an exception.

So, yeah, I like to read. I picked the "enjoy a good book" option, but I haven't been reading a lot lately. I started The Count of Monte Cristo, but I stopped and haven't gotten around to continuing it. What with Christmas coming up, I'll have other books to read anyway.

As for book recommendations, I'm going to go with 'The Killer Angels'. If you are even remotely interested in history, it's a great read. It tells the tale of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of the commanders on both sides. Even though you aren't American, it's still worth checking out.

 

[northeast rower]

I love books, but I don't have much of a chance to read anymore.

 

[Keltrick]

Without pictures? I think graphic novels should be classed as books (cos they are books). But anyway yeah, I enjoy me a good book (My favourite series being His Dark Materials and my favourite author being Dean Koontz)

Not for the sake of this argument. They are books the same way a script for a movie is a book. They tell a story through text, but not in the same manner a novel would. The novel has to base its plot, characters, atmosphere, everything, on words alone.

A graphic novel, while a wonderful medium, isn't the same. I dont mean its 'not as good' by some arbitrary ranking system, but I do mean it's different. It relies heavily heavily on visual aspects. It can be just as much a series of paintings as it can be a book, depending on the artist and the way he chooses to go about it.

Comparing the amount of text in a graphic novel, and a regular novel, on average you're going to get more text in an old fashioned book. They traditionally take longer to get through reading. 100 pages of Frankenstein, is definitely not the same as 100 of any manga/graphic novel of your choosing. Reading them each is a different experience.

 

[Syphous]

I don't read as much as I should. I blame the internet/video games for that. I do so much reading as it is, that sitting down with a book just sounds tedious. Pretty sad, eh?