The Next Best Book Club discussion

Yes, if it is soft soothing music....I kind of enjoy it. Especially if I am all alone.

No, it's too distracting. I prefer silence.

Hi Felicity... I know you are new to the group, but if you quickly reference the rules and guidelines to posting, I ask that we search through older threads before posting new ones - this way we don't create a new thread for something we have already discussed in the past.

I prefer breathing life into old threads - simply because it cuts down on the 'clutter' within the group.

I believe we have one or two of these threads open already in here somewhere :)

Just an FYI for next time.

Absolutely. It definitely doesn't have to be soft music either (I love metal, rock and punk. So music and reading go hand in hand for me.

I know many people are distracted by music when they're listening but for me it's almost a necessity. I find that it's usually music I listen to a lot and it turns into back ground noise yet I find there are songs that remind of certain books I read as that was the song, album or artist I listened to the most when I was reading that particular book.

I'll listen to all sorts of music while I read. Either that or I'll have the talk/news radio or the tv on in the background. I need some sound in the room or it is just too quiet and I can't concentrate.
Like Danielle, I find I do like to listen to certain types of music when I read certain types of books, too. Sometimes words in the music can be distracting, so my default music for reading when that is the case is a mix of the soundtracks from the movies Jumanji, The Da Vinci Code, and V for Vendetta.

For me, listening to music is an activity on its own. I can hardly browse the internet and still pay attention to what I'm listening to. I definitely can't read and listen to music. I used to when I was little though, so much that whole chapters of books remind me of cds.

I'm one of these people that can't listen to music at all whilst I'm reading. I find it very distracting and then I lose the meaning of what I'm reading, which means I have to re-read it!

Nope. I'm a singer/dancer. Not in real life, just in my own little fantasy world. Kidding!! I just meant that when I listen to music I like to sing along, and I love to move around.

Not really listen, but sometimes I have music softly playing in the background while I'm reading.. mainly classical music, or music with lyrics in a different language than I'm reading (otherwise I find it hard to concentrate)

I hear ya Lori, I think I saw this thread here way back when.

But to answer the question: oh yes. Doesn't matter what kind I read a lot on the train and have to cut out all the talkies! Plus I hate silence so even when I am home or at work I have to have some sorta music on just to gain more focus!

Mostly instrumentals... classical, film scores, etc.

But sometimes, I get so deep in a book that I zone out everything.

Yeah, I put on StereoMood or 8Tracks and listen to music from those two sites with headphones in, so that I can drown out my family's noise while I read. ^ ^ Works better than not..

I usually tune in to LastFM. One of the folk stations.

In the morning when i get to work I am here usually 40 minutes early so I go into the lunch room, put on my Ipod and listen to the radio @ 102.1 The Edge morning show while I read my Kobo :o)

I listen to music both when I write and read. Sometimes movie scores (anything dramatic by Danny Elfman, Erich Korngold, etc) and other times Classical --- Bruckner and Beethoven for symphonies and Rossini for overtures, for example. I write epic fantasy and enjoy reading both it and mysteries, so that might have something to do with it. :)

i like soft music or jazz in background & also the people noise like in a diner or coffee shops...i love chilling @ starbucks...good music & coffee with your book what more could you ask for...

For me it depends on the music and the book. If something is on quietly in the background that's one thing, but if it's any louder I get too distracted. I tend to listen to songs I know really well because I don't focus on them as much as I would a new song that I hadn't heard as many times.

No it is distracting to me, I barely can read when there is background noise.

It depends on the book, the music and my mood. Sometimes I like quiet music in the background, sometimes I need it quiet. I cannot read with the TV on at all, though. The talking distracts me.

I can't read with music on or during a tv program but I seem to have no problem reading during the commercials. Been doing that since I was a kid.

Yes, I like to read during commercials too!

It depends on a lot of things for me. If I'm in the car on a roadtrip, then yes, I absolutely need music to drown everything else out. I usually prefer quiet though, not because music is distracting but because I hate when the music I'm listening to doesn't "match" the book I'm reading. Weird, I know haha!

I find that if I'm stressed or overly tired, I can only concentrate on one thing, so I need quiet to read. But if my mind is quiet, so to speak, I enjoy soft music in the background. Only music with no words, though, like classical or movie soundtracks. I really love Pandora for this.

I have to pretty much have complete quiet when I read. That wasn't the case when I was younger. Stupid getting older! :/

No music.. it is a distraction

yes!!! but it cant be so loud sometimes the book that i read and the music that i listen to become connected forever in my head, i was reading A tree grows in Brooklyn and i got to the part where she got the reply letter from the officer, while i was listening to the wind blows by all american rejects now every time i hear that song i remember that part......

yes!!! but it cant be so loud sometimes the book that i read and the music that i listen to become connected forever in my head, i was reading A tree grows in Brooklyn and i got to the part where she got the reply letter from the officer, while i was listening to the wind blows by all american rejects now every time i hear that song i remember that part......

I think it depends on the music - sometimes it is nice, other times I find myself singing along and realising that I have re-read the same line about 5 times! Then I know it's time to turn it off! :)

Funny when I was at school studying I always had to have music on. Iactually couldn't study without backround music. Now reading a book I could never read with music on.

Yes, but must be clasical music or just the book. If I have the television or oter music I get distracted. Would much rather read.

It depends on the book, if it's a really good one I can listen to anything and still follow along if it is a bad one and I am trying to trudge through I have to listen to classical or soundtracks with no words.

Heather-
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.de

When I was much younger music with lyrics did not bother me when I read, but now I can only read while listening to classical music or with complete silence.

i can't have the tv on while im reading or music, but if my other half is playing playstation while im reading i can drown out the noise.

When reading at home I sometimes listen to music and sometimes not, it all depends on my mood really. When I read somewhere public I usually listen to music to drown out annoying noises around me. If its quiet enough around me, I don't listen to music. So yes and no.

If you see me listening to my iPod while I'm reading it's a sign that I'm not enjoying the book. For some reason music helps me get through books I'm struggling with.

I don't need anything to block out noises around me. I'm one of those people that can get so absorbed in the book their reading that they don't notice things happening around them.

I can't really concentrate on a book whilst listening to music. When reading I tend to need a quiet atmosphere to really become absorbed into a book.

However, if the book is very enjoyable then I can block out noises such as talking. Just not music.

Years ago, I could read a novel in a cafe and have full concentration...but somehow this evolved into needing silence to concentrate...then this moved on to needing pretty good wax earplugs inserted sometimes to get this silence!
I'm in Highlands of Scotland, and found the only good earplugs I could get for reading have to be ordered from USA.
The irony being that the Highlands are a quiet place relatively...but I must have become super-sensitive to sound somewhere along the way, while reading!

Very rarely do I listen to music when I read, unless I am editing something that I've written. For some reason, music really helps me when I write and edit, so I usually have some sort of music on when I'm on the creative end of things.

Generally, I don't much care for music while reading, but I'm able to read with distractions around me. With two nosy kids around, you kind of have to deal with distractions to read 4+ books a week! Hahahaha

Sometimes I listen to easy listening music in the background.

This is going to sound a little weird, but even though typically, I find music distracting when I'm reading, I have noticed that if I'm having a hard time concentrating on a book, listening to music will help. Mostly, I don't like to listen to music when I read because I don't like it when the music doesn't match the atmosphere of the story, if that makes sense.

I'm a musician and I've always liked to keep reading and listening separate. Generally, when I listen to music I do it in a intellectual way. What notes are they playing, how did they form that chord, etc. But recently I've started listening to light classical or jazz while I read. I think it adds another dimension to what I'm doing.

I like to listen to music whilst I read - easy listening mainly.

I agree with you, Chris, that music can also be helpful if you're writing in terms of aiding the creative process but if I'm wanting to concentrate solely on getting words onto paper or computer screen, I tend to switch it off, so I'm dealing with one set of words only. Just personal preference!