Play Book Tag discussion

I agree about audio. Slower, but I get lots in because I listen while doing all sorts of other things. Driving, running, weights at the gym, shopping, housework, and even at work. I got three hours of listening in yesterday at work!

Most of the time I read every single word, so I don't rush through books. I do sort of skim at times, but I still get most of the words even then, and that's usually if I do NOT like a book! When I read fast, most of the time I'm not skimming, just really into the book and my reading pace naturally picks up as I go, especially if I'm not interrupted. But if I really dislike a book but have to finish it for a challenge or something IRL, I am more apt to skim.

Joi wrote: "Barbara wrote: "However, when you are into a somewhat mindless physical activity, audio is a great use of time.."

Completely agree, Barbara... I often finish audio books faster because I have more time in the car than I do to sit down and read at home. ..."

Completely agree! Before I retired, I spent lots of time driving and listening too. Even now, I finish an audio before I finish a print book because I don't have as much time to sit and read as I do for listening.

Barbara wrote: "Joi wrote: "Barbara wrote: "However, when you are into a somewhat mindless physical activity, audio is a great use of time.."

Completely agree, Barbara... I often finish audio books faster because..."

This has become me as time has passed. It took a bit for me to get the hang of really listening and absorbing audiobooks, but now that I have they constitute the bulk of my "reading."

So far this year, 25/33 books I have read have been audiobooks.

You inspired me to give them a try Nicole!

Nicole R wrote: "This has become me as time has passed. It took a bit for me to get the hang of really listening and absorbing audiobooks, but now that I have they constitute the bulk of my "reading...."

I remember when you first started trying audiobooks. For a while there I thought you were going to quit on it, I noticed that you stayed when you started racking up the audios in your list of books read!

I read every single word. I only skim when I'm researching something and need to read what's relevant to me.

I read every word. If that's how the author wrote it, it would seem like a lack of respect for me to not read it that way, no?

If the book bores me, or I'm tired or something, I do tend to "skim", but usually not on purpose - my eyes are reading the words but my brain is somewhere else. So it looks like I'm still reading, but then I snap out of whatever daydream I was in and realize I just "read" a paragraph without having the faintest clue what is was about XD

The only things I willingly skipped recently were all of GRRM's very numerous clothes descriptions in Game of Thrones. I did not give a rat's ass what a character was wearing during his fight to the death with another character, since the next time we saw him he'd either be wearing different clothes, or be dead (and I wouldn't care what he was wearing then either). As soon as I saw the beginning of a description, I skipped over to the next paragraph, and let me tell you I did not miss a single thing and it got read much quicker!

I think to notice the difference between literally reading every single word, and reading in "batches", you have to read in a language that's not native to you. In French and English, whatever I read immediately gets transcribed into meaning and/or images in my mind, but if I read in Spanish it tends to need to be translated into another language first before acquiring meaning, so it takes me aaaaaaaaaaaaaaages to read in Spanish!

It all depends...if I love the prose I read every single word and read more slowly, if not I speed it up but do not skip, if I get to a section, I'm bored beyond tears, but know it will get better, skim but kinda of speed read noting what is in paragraphs and move on until it gets interesting again...if I like a book but not a few pages why should I torture myself or stop reading book?

I enjoy audiobooks, but try to limit them to when I'm driving as otherwise I tend to either have trouble finishing them since I listen best when I'm doing something at the same time, and it's hard to walk around the house as much as I need to if I'm listening (I use CDs, as playaways are disappearing from libraries due to their high expense compared with how long they last before they break down). Some books are greatly enhanced this way, some are as good either way, and some audiobooks do the books a disservice.

I read every word for most books but I do skim books in certain genres where it's almost formulaic writing such as mysteries, thrillers and romances where I am not going to miss much by skimming. All other genres where things aren't as predictable, I read every word. Audiobooks, I always listen to unabridged but I sometimes miss stuff because of lack of focus.

I am generally in the "read every word" group. But for books that get formulaic I will tend to skim passages. This happens more with sex scenes and bland or generic descriptions. And it happens later in the book after I have read every word at the beginning and have determined the author's style. But if these scenes are generic in the first half I will tend to skim the next time around. Might as well insert 'they had sex' or 'they got dressed' or 'they went to the mountains' in your head, if that's the equivalent of what was said at the beginning where the author should be trying to get your attention.

Nonfiction is different. I tend to read it more closely because I am only reading it because I have an interest in the topic.