The Sword and Laser discussion

Are people able to read fiction while going to school? Of the people I've talked to most have found they can't. The usual responses are that it's too much of a distraction, or that reading fiction takes up too much mental energy when you're already using so much energy on school, so netflix or gaming become the preferred stress break activities. I was curious what other people have found. As someone returning to post secondary school in January after a long absence it's a worry floating around the back of my mind. This was a good year for finally getting back into a reading groove and it would be sad to have to give that up, although I suppose school/life goals are ultimately more important then hobbies. Has anyone found there is a difference between physical books vs audiobooks in terms of whether one or the other feels "easier" when you have lots of other stuff happening in your life?

I know it is cliche, but everyone is different, and what might not work for others, will be perfectly fine for you, and vice versa. Give it a try, and if it becomes an issue, let it go. I wouldn't worry about it too much, like you said it's a recreational hobby, do what you enjoy doing, and stop what you don't.

Now my personal experience 20 years ago when I was last in school, was I enjoyed the nightly habit of reading before bed. It was something that signal my mind to relax a bit, and got me sleepy enough to not toss and turn too much before falling asleep. This was also a time when it was just dead tree, and besides the gameboy, no tablets with extra distractions that were convenient in bed. I was never a fast reader to begin with, so it would often take me a month or longer to get through a book if I was just reading at night, but it worked for me.
Hope all goes well.

John (Nevets) wrote: "I know it is cliche, but everyone is different, and what might not work for others, will be perfectly fine for you, and vice versa. Give it a try, and if it becomes an issue, let it go. I wouldn't ..."

indeed! As you say, I guess it's just trying and seeing what works or not. Mostly the thought of giving up fiction reading is just sad, so I was curious what other people's experiences were.

I probably care more about this then I should, but I do love my sci-fi/fantasy reading. Anyway, the before bed to relax idea is good.

Thanks! Merry Christmas to all :)

I think you are on the right track with this idea. I did a lot less reading for fun while in college. That said, I did still read and very much wanted to read.

You mention that Video Games and Netflix work better because they don't require as much brain power. But I think it depends less on the format of entertainment and more on the amount of brain power required. I mostly read Manga in school, as they are shorter (less commitment if school work kicks into high gear) and require less brain power. I also read Life, the Universe and Everything and With a Tangled Skein in college, neither of which required a lot of commitment or brain power.

But in addition to these, I also took a course on Reading (a very easy A, good for the old GPA) as a senior, which allowed me 4 fiction books as part of the classwork. We were assigned: The Squatter and the Don, The Octopus: A Story of California, In Dubious Battle, and Under the Feet of Jesus. This course counted for VLPA credit, which was something I never got in my normal studies as a Biology major/Pre-med/Chemistry minor student.

Mark wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "I know it is cliche, but everyone is different, and what might not work for others, will be perfectly fine for you, and vice versa. Give it a try, and if it becomes an issue, ..."

i read War and Peace in college and it wasn't for a course. then again, i didn't have a PC/Mac nor gameboy (this was back in the mid-80s, so no WWW, no HTML) ^_'

although xtrek on a networked sun workstation in the math computer dungeon was pretty awesome and addictive.

I find it depends on how much I have to read during the day (If I have a predominantly writing day, reading is no problem). This year has been really full-on for me and most of my non-research reads have been short stories or novellas: detective-esque novels (a lot of Ellis Peters' Cadfael), and the Penric series from Lois McMaster Bujold. During school breaks I sink my teeth into longer stuff.

I also make sure I always have audiobooks on the go, because an important part of retaining sanity while studying hard is working out, and I can listen and work out at the same time. I choose super long ones if I can, though, to get my money's worth!

Elizabeth wrote: "I also make sure I always have audiobooks on the go, because an important part of retaining sanity while studying hard is working out, and I can listen and work out at the same time. I choose super long ones if I can, though, to get my money's worth!"

great idea! i should get audiobooks to motivate myself to get back into jogging!

J wrote: "You mention that Video Games and Netflix work better because they don't require as much brain power. But I think it depends less on the format of entertainment and more on the amount of brain power required...."

that is true. Manga is a good idea. I read some of Hellsing, all of the Death Note series, and a few others years ago and haven't tried anything since then. I think that was when I started A Game of Thrones and got sucked into epic fantasy for awhile. Graphic novels would also be a good idea for the same reason I bet. I remember trying a few in days of yore and they seem quicker to get through. Any recommendations out there? I've heard good stuff about Saga and Fables


*edited for figuring out how to add proper book links

Elizabeth wrote: "...most of my non-research reads have been short stories or novellas: detective-esque novels (a lot of Ellis Peters' Cadfael), and the Penric series from Lois McMaster Bujold..."

awesome, thanks for the suggestions! I know there are supposed to be lots of great short fiction anthologies out there. You reminded me I've been wanting to check out Rogues and Dangerous Women among others.

You mentioned audiobooks, but have you also tried the short fiction podcasts? There are a bunch of free ones, so you don't have to worry about getting your money's worth. One's first podcast loyalties should of course always and forever be to "The Sword and Laser" :D , but "Lightspeed Magazine", "Clarkesworld Magazine", and "Beneath Ceaseless Skies" all do narrations of short sci-fi/fantasy fiction in podcast form. The narrators are usually good. I tend to listen to them in the car. "Relic Radio Sci-Fi" is also pretty cool. They rebroadcast (repodcast?) old sci-fi radio plays from the 40's and 50's.

Short story collections are great during periods of high distraction. You can read one story, set the book down for a month, and not have to remember what you already read like you would have to do with a novel.

I'm in my last year of grad school, and it's been pretty hectic with work and extracurriculars going on, but I've found that I can get through quite a few books each month if I'm "reading" them in different formats. So if I'm reading a print book, I make sure I have an e-book downloaded on my phone/Kindle so that I can read it while on the go, and I also have an audiobook to listen to in the car because I spend almost 1 1/2 hours each day sitting in traffic. I typically read the print book during my breaks and in waiting rooms. I read the e-book in bits and pieces while in line at the grocery store or the bank or something like that. I don't make super fast progress, but hey, it's 3 different books!

Ammi wrote: "I'm in my last year of grad school, and it's been pretty hectic with work and extracurriculars going on, but I've found that I can get through quite a few books each month if I'm "reading" them in ..."

that's awesome you've made it work. I have seen other people go through grad school so I have a sense for how busy you must be. I can see how having the right reading format depending on the situation would be useful.

When I was in college & grad school, I always made time for reading, and was usually carrying a fiction book around with me anywhere I went.

Of course, this was 25+ years ago, before there were such things as email or the internet ...

Ammi wrote: "I'm in my last year of grad school, and it's been pretty hectic with work and extracurriculars going on, but I've found that I can get through quite a few books each month if I'm "reading" them in ..."

That's almost exactly what I did while in grad school (just finished). It definitely helped in terms of being able to read for fun. Though, I tended to finish more audiobooks than kindle books and more kindle books than dead tree edition.

Danielle wrote: "Ammi wrote: "I'm in my last year of grad school, and it's been pretty hectic with work and extracurriculars going on, but I've found that I can get through quite a few books each month if I'm "read..."

I completely agree with you on that! I also tend to listen to shorter books on audio, and I technically spend 1 1/2 hours per day (or more) "reading" these books, so I got through more of them. It's also easier to open up my Kindle app or turn on my Kindle than to pick up my print book 'cause, I don't know, it's heavy and I'm lazy?

Mark wrote: "J wrote: "You mention that Video Games and Netflix work better because they don't require as much brain power. But I think it depends less on the format of entertainment and more on the amount of b..."

these are in my top 10 manga list:

BIOMEGA バイオメガ 1
Sci-fi - in spite of the fact that transitions can be vague or confusing, the innovative story line and kickass action make this manga top notch.


Claymore, Vol. 1: Silver-eyed Slayer
Fantasy - although one reviewer said that the character illustrations were ugly (and I can kind of understand that), the story line is really complex and original.


Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1: Herr Dr. Tenma
Suspense - excellent story.

Never a problem for me. I read all through grad school and am reading now during my doctoral work. Everyone needs a break! I do listen to audiobooks while driving, working out, etc.

Joe

Ammi wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Ammi wrote: "I'm in my last year of grad school, and it's been pretty hectic with work and extracurriculars going on, but I've found that I can get through quite a few books each m..."

Haha. It's not lazy! It's time and space economical at that point. At least that's what I kept telling myself. I'd always have my phone on me which has the Kindle App on it. May not have the book due to weight or space constraints to what all else I was carrying. >.<

Good luck with the rest of grad school! It does eventually end. ^.^ Though then you kind of sit back and feel like you're constantly forgetting to do something....

Alex G wrote: "these are in my top 10 manga list:..."

colour me intrigued. These look great! I will give them a try. Thanks for the suggestions :)

It's interesting to see all these stories of how people made it/make it work while in school.

I found no problems reading while I was in undergrad or in graduate school. Now that I'm in the real world, though, I work so much more than I did in school. Most of my job is sitting in front of a computer, reading documents and drawings, or sitting in meetings (or, occasionally, thanks to web-meetings, both...). I find when I get home from working 10-14 hours, I just have no energy to read or do anything but veg out on video games and/or TV.

I yearn for long car trips and travel as time to actually read. :P I think I need a longer commute (no, I don't, but a 5-10 minute commute is not good for audiobooks).

Mark wrote: "Alex G wrote: "these are in my top 10 manga list:..."

colour me intrigued. These look great! I will give them a try. Thanks for the suggestions :)"

Heh heh. You kind of lucked Out With/claymore. The last volume, 27, just came out in English in the Fall of 2015: Urasawa spent more than 10 years on the series!

Alex G wrote: "Heh heh. You kind of lucked Out With/claymore. The last volume, 27, just came out in English in the Fall of 2015: Urasawa spent more than 10 years on the series!..."

I am actually super pleased to hear that. I really do know how lucky I am! As one of the legion waiting for Pat Rothfuss to release book 3 of Kingkiller Chronicles, and also for George R.R. Martin to release the next Song of Ice and Fire book I am intimately familiar with the pain of long waits heh.

No time for me to *read* books during my undergrad work. I was too busy trying to graduate. However, I had to walk everywhere and we had a huge campus so I got an audible subscription and that got me back into reading again. After school was over, I went back to reading with my eyes instead of ears. During grad school I was not doing school fulltime. I was doing school, work, and taking care of my then one-year-old first kid. Back then I read a little during my lunch break and a little before bed.

Now that's all behind me. Currently I read about 3 books at once. One while I'm eating lunch, a different when I take my post-lunch walk, and one at home before bed. (Although, with 1 year old twins, I often get to bed too late to read that one.... ) I was always certain I would get my brain in a tangle if I did that. But I haven't had any trouble keeping my mind in each universe when I'm reading a particular book - at least no more trouble than usual. (Sometimes, especially in a story full of fantasy names or foreign names, I have a hard time remembering who is who)

As a college professor I read a lot for work which doesn't leave much time for pleasure reading. So I try to read at least 15 minutes at night before going to bed. Some times the book (or kindle) hits me in the face as I nod off and some times I notice it's 2 AM and I need to stop to get some sleep before work. Pleasure reading helps to take my mind off of work and thinking about honey dos. :)

Charles wrote: "As a college professor I read a lot for work which doesn't leave much time for pleasure reading. So I try to read at least 15 minutes at night before going to bed. Some times the book (or kindle) h..."

Funny about being hit in the face. Usually my quitting point if I'm near the climax is when my arms or eyes get too tired to keep reading.

It hasn't happened to me since the last business trip I was on, but every once in a while I give my eyes and arms a break and then wake up with a book (or ereader) on my chest or on the bed next to me.

So audiobooks seem like the way to go. That and maybe having mixed print book, ebook, short fiction or graphic fiction formats available. Its cool to hear people have been able to incorporate fiction into a busy school/life schedule for the most part. Seems like a matter of just making it work! Time management and whatnot. Definitely feeling inspired to try and keep up a reading habit. Happy 2017 reading to all!