The Sword and Laser discussion

I love reading, I want to consume as many books as possible but at times I have a difficult time reading. There are times when it's effortless and I get lost in a book, before I know it I'll have read 50 pages and never even thought about the physical act of reading. Then there are times where it's like I keep stumbling over the words and it just doesn't flow, I have to keep backing up and re-reading what I just read. Things weren't always this way for me, it was always effortless for me even as a kid but the past 5 years or so it's been difficult. Could this be mild dyslexia or just concentration issues? Does anyone have any tips on how to get the words to flow into my brain better?

Is it flipping between the two within the same book? If so, I'd check lighting, fatigue and outside distractions. If some books are easier than others it'll be more to do with the style (and skill) of the writer.

When I'm tired, or really overstimulated I have trouble focusing. I wind down by washing the dishes or taking a walk and listening to an audiobook.

Does it happen with all genres? Sometimes your taste change.
I have difficulties getting into classics now, very different with 10 years ago.

Try out audiobooks for a while, perhaps? They really sparked the joy of reading and concentration in me again.

I can have trouble like that but it is more due to depression. When I have trouble like that, I step down from reading so much for a bit and switch to something different, usually video games and podcast. Or I try reading different genres the beginning of this year I had mostly been reading comics and it has been a nice change of pace for me.

I find that excess noise (both visual and audial) can distract me to the point of having to stop reading or move somewhere else, but also being very tired and/or feeling 'meh' also has a negative effect on my concentration - not to mention if the book I'm reading just isn't very good!

I do this too. I simply stop reading at all or much (depending) and find that I will eventually go back on a streak. This is why I personally don't like challenges that emphasize a certain number of books per month or year. Aside from what you might do for business or school, reading is voluntary and should give you pleasure of some kind. When it becomes a chore to meet a given threshold... eh.

I forgot to turn notifications on, didn't know I got so many replies. I think it may be the case that I need a break even though I own hundreds of books I'm trying to get through. I do listen to audiobooks but I save those for when I'm at work or doing some inane task. With those the problem is that I burn through them too fast to afford more. I do definitely prefer reading with my eyes though, it's easier to visualize and if I stop paying attention I don't have to rewind and find my place again.

"...even though I own hundreds of books I'm trying to get through..."

But again, reading should be a pleasure, not a competition or a chore. Without knowing anything about you or the books you have to read, I'd recommend this:

Look at the books you have unread. Put them in three buckets:

1) Really Want To Read (highly anticipated, things you look forward to a lot),

2) Want to read (Less highly anticipated but still things you definitely want to read. For me, this might be book 3 in a series I like but don't love),

3) Books you don't care about that much.

If you own the books in group 3 as paper books, sell or give them away.

When you feel ready to read, pick something from the first group. And so on. If you're not in the mood to read, don't.

Rick wrote: ""...even though I own hundreds of books I'm trying to get through..."

But again, reading should be a pleasure, not a competition or a chore. Without knowing anything about you or the books you hav..."

Rick's suggestion is a great idea. I did something similar - I realized I wasn't getting around to reading books I really cared about, so I made a list of Books to Read, which is my priority list.

Another thought - a good book (for me) is when I really care about what's going to happen.

I recently started one of the Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die (I won't say which one because you'll think I'm a Terrible Person) -- and I realized about 10% in that I just didn't care that much about what happened to any of the characters. So when it expired at the library I just didn't renew it. My mind kept wandering to other things...

Tina wrote: "Another thought - a good book (for me) is when I really care about what's going to happen.

I recently started one of the Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die (I won't say which one because you'll think I'm a Terrible Person) -- and I realized about 10% in that I just didn't care that much about what happened to any of the characters."

You can put the Book Everyone Should Read Before They Die That You Didn't Care About in spoiler tags ;-)

Tina wrote: "I recently started one of the Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die (I won't say which one because you'll think I'm a Terrible Person)"

I prefer Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die, Unless They Don't Want To, Which Is Totally Fine, Each To Their Own. I'll admit it's a less punchy title, but, yeah, even (sometimes especially) the books held in high esteem are not for everybody.

I agree with what Rick is saying. I think the older we get, the more we become aware that we won't be able to read everything, and then there is a temptation to try and get through as much as possible, at which point you're not really reading anymore, just running your eyes over words as quickly as possible. Plus I think society as a whole is increasingly pushing towards targets and multitasking, so just reading a book can be hard, because a part of your brain is thinking - how can I use this time more efficiently, which might explain why audiobooks are so appealing, even when there's a preference for actual books.

I get this way myself, where I set aside time to read, and yet cannot get my mind to actually relax. For myself, a little meditation seems to help to still my brain and stop it from throwing up a jumble of tasks I need to complete when I'm trying to enjoy a good story.

I may have to try meditation again. I think reading is, in a way, a kind of meditation also.

Agreed. It's a wonderful way to take a break from the stresses of daily life.

Ruth (tilltab) wrote: "I prefer Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die, Unless They Don't Want To, Which Is Totally Fine, Each To Their Own..."

I love that.

Ruth (tilltab) wrote: "Agreed. It's a wonderful way to take a break from the stresses of daily life."

If one feels obligated to get through their pile of hundreds of books, then it become a stressful chore.

The thing is, I'm actually interested in the stories. I don't want to read them just to read them.

I have insomnia for 1-2 hours a night. With a kindle fire I can read in the dark, which makes reading very restful and relaxing. That helps me get back to sleep with a minimum of fuss. No question it's increased my reading volume, though.

Maybe find a peaceful time of day to read? The problem may not be reading concentration. It may be too much going on.

John (Taloni) wrote: "I have insomnia for 1-2 hours a night. With a kindle fire I can read in the dark, which makes reading very restful and relaxing. That helps me get back to sleep with a minimum of fuss. No question ..."

I have similar insomnia experiences. My kindle paperwhite has been invaluable for those times. I can read in the dark, without disturbing my sweetie, until I fall back asleep. And if I never do, I'm still resting body and mind, and not lying there stressing myself over not sleeping. As you mentioned, my reading volume has definitely also increased. :-)

Sometimes, a book is just not right for my mood/situation/season/stress-level/whatever. That doesn't mean that I don't want to read it or that I never will - it just isn't what I enjoy reading right now. And I'm much less tolerant of trying to slog through something that isn't doing it for me these days. When I find that right-for-right-now book, it becomes effortless to read, rather than a struggle. (Again, this is something that my kindle is just perfect for: I can 'taste test' multiple titles from my Read Next collection, without crawling out of my cozy blankets, until I find the one that is juuust right.)

This is a personal preference, but I tend to read during my lunch break aside from free time at home. I look at it as a time to escape from my work world and get lost in something completely different (and to be honest, I get slightly annoyed when I don't get this break and have to sacrifice this to have 'shop talk' with colleagues during my time... sorry to my lovely co-workers). I certainly do not hate my job, but most of the time the reading break is one of the best parts of the day, just myself and a great book, and it is immediately noticeable in my weekly reading progress when I don't get the alone time. Maybe I'm just anti-social, but lunch reading has become just a simple pleasure.

I regularly go through reading funks. My current job has a 2-year cycle where the first 9 months are pretty chill, but a lot of reading/paperwork and the last year and a quarter are long hours on call. I find I get a lot more reading done on the "quiet" days in the back half of the programs. Since I end up reading a lot of technical documents for work, I find I run out of steam.

That said, I've often had it happen that a book just doesn't work for me at a time. If possible, I switch formats, and if that doesn't work, I put it on the back-burner. Sometimes I go back to it, sometimes not.

Right now, "deep" books aren't working for me. I've spent a lot of time listening to audiobooks of "popcorn books" (which for me, are mystery/thriller types). I'm making my way through the "Nikki Heat" books (from Castle).

So today I've really been having trouble reading-a lot of stumbling and getting ahead of myself-so I tried switching the font on my kindle to Open Dyslexic. It looks kind of bad, like Comic Sans or something, but I'm having no problems reading with it. The pages are flying by. I'm really starting to think I have mild dyslexia. Along with the trouble reading I've always had trouble putting my thoughts into words. Never anything as severe as transposed or backwards letters but from what I've been reading it doesn't always manifest itself like that.

Brad wrote: "So today I've really been having trouble reading-a lot of stumbling and getting ahead of myself-so I tried switching the font on my kindle to Open Dyslexic. It looks kind of bad, like Comic Sans or..."

I assume you haven't been tested for dyslexia or anything similar. Dyscalculia can also mess up your ability to parse letters. You might want to ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist.

New medications can do that, too, if that's something you have to deal with. Even ones you wouldn't expect, like cremes or eyedrops, because the side effects vary wildly from person to person.

Trike wrote: "I assume you haven't been tested for dyslexia or anything similar. Dyscalculia can also mess up your ability to parse letters. You might want to ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist."
I haven't been tested but Dyscalculia seems unlikely. I've always been good at math.

If you aren't enjoying the book sideline it. I'm in the middle of dozens of different books because I'm almost always in the mood for one of them and enjoy it. I routinely pick up and drop books, only to pick them up again a few weeks or a month later and enjoy them.

It doesn't really have anything to do with whether I'm enjoying it or not, it's like I stumble over the words or my eyes get ahead of where I'm comprehending or something. In any case this Open Dyslexic font is really helping me out and now I'm able to enjoy reading again.

Aaron wrote: "If you aren't enjoying the book sideline it. I'm in the middle of dozens of different books because I'm almost always in the mood for one of them and enjoy it. I routinely pick up and drop books, o..."

That's funny...I pretty much have to finish a book before starting another. Sometimes even a series. It makes me leery of long series' because I don't want to get stuck pushing through to the end of the story if I'm not otherwise enjoying the read.

In general I agree with John, but I A: usually don't feel the need to finish a series, as much as just the book, unless there is major unresolved cliff hangers. B: find that having differant books going in differant media is usually fine ( one in audio, one electronic, and one dead tree).

@John I do the multiple books thing but generally just have one going in audio and one going in print (digital or paper.)