Why do you think you are such a bibliophile?

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DATo
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Re: Why do you think you are such a bibliophile?

Post by DATo »

I have two agendas with regard to reading - entertainment, and education: i.e. I try to intersperse my reading of novels with interesting, nonfiction books. I am also inclined to do my best to find time to fit in classics which I have here-to-fore neglected. Sometimes I will devote entire months to reading nothing but history or philosophy till I've vetted the specific subject I am concerned with to my satisfaction and then dive into contemporary fiction for three months or so. Sometimes I will divert my attention to poetry for a time too. I don't want to become so fixed in my literary choices and habits that I fail to experience the full palette of literary offerings.

When I read a novel, or any book for that matter, I make it a point to learn something about the author and the times that the author lived in. I do this by visiting websites which discuss details of the book, the author, the historical circumstances, the book's critical reception and other such information. My first stop is Wikipedia which offers an overarching view of the work, and then, if I feel it is necessary, to other websites.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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lincolnp
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Post by lincolnp »

For me, it is definitely an addiction. I don't have specific genres that I read because I will read just about anything. Have Kindle will travel. I have read while I did the dishes, while I grocery shopped, while I walked - with one of the Harry Potter books, I had the first chapter read before I got to the cashier.... I always had a book in my lap while I was in classes in high school. Its a miracle that I did as well as I did in school. I did not do it in college - when you are paying for it yourself, it changes your perspective. The rare times in my life that I did not read were nursing school and when my 2 children were young. My second one was a doosey. I'd go to the kitchen for a glass of water and come back to the livingroom to find the front door wide open, and her out on the sidewalk in her diaper (that was with the door locked and the deadbolt on).

-- 24 Nov 2014, 11:38 --
DATo wrote: When I read a novel, or any book for that matter, I make it a point to learn something about the author and the times that the author lived in. I do this by visiting websites which discuss details of the book, the author, the historical circumstances, the book's critical reception and other such information. My first stop is Wikipedia which offers an overarching view of the work, and then, if I feel it is necessary, to other websites.

Great idea, I am going to start doing that.
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TammyO
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Post by TammyO »

I am a life learner. Reading allows me to broaden my knowledge on any and everything.. I will forever read, take classes, expand on my education for as long as my brain cells are active. My name is Tammy and I am a bibliophile... :)
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Post by bedheadisme »

I love to read because I love to write. I love to write because I love to read. Honestly, some of my hardest situations in life have been able to be resolved at the end of a pen. When I was younger I remember my mom taking us to the library and picking up the original "Boxcar Children" book and reading it to my brother and I before we went to sleep. Reading is, for me, the ultimate escape.
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Post by angelbeats1 »

I am probably such a book reader because I am super curious. I want to explore different worlds and meet new characters that I have never met before. Sometimes you can learn important lessons from books. Books are also good for entertainment purposes. When you have nothing better to do, just grab a book and start reading!
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Post by lucy_borland »

The way a book can take you away and eat you up is one of my favorite feelings. Living through this other life where the characters emotions become your own and your dreams are taken over is one of the miracles in life.
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Ama Idim
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Post by Ama Idim »

I love to read. It enhances my creative thinking and vocabulary also. My mum encouraged my reading habit from a young age.
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hlc85
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Post by hlc85 »

I love reading for way too many reasons. One main one is that I have always had a fascination with the fact that authors can create another universal merely with the use of words. It is amazing how one word can affect an entire sentence and it's meaning. For example, you can say that a girl plodded down the stairs or she skipped down the stairs. The word "plod" makes it sound like she is angry or sad while "skip" suggests that she is happy; either way, both words describe how she is walking! I am such a bibliophile because I love imagining what the author has written and I appreciate their use of words.
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Mailis
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Post by Mailis »

Because I was born this way? :)
I think after starting early my brain was rewired and reading became a necessary source of enjoyment and escapism.
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Camille Turner
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Post by Camille Turner »

I love it for so many reasons -- it's like living hundreds of lives throughout my one physical life. I can hear the thoughts of authors who aren't even alive anymore which is just pure magic. While I know why I love reading, I don't know what sparked it...I've just loved it ever since I was a child!
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Post by KasieMiehlke »

I read to relax from the stress of everyday life. My mom was/is my biggest influence. She always made sure I had plenty of books to read growing up and she still buys me books if she thinks I will like them.
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Post by Tbunde5 »

When I was growing up, we were only allowed one hour of tv a day, divided among four children. So when we were not playing outside or in school, the only thing to do was read. My mother had an entire wall of children’s books for us to read. She always bought us books for birthdays and Christmas. Once I read all of mine, I read everyone else’s too. I remember once in the fourth grade I read Macbeth because I didn’t have anything else to read! Not sure I fully understood it at 9 years old though!
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Shrabastee Chakraborty
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Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

Retired Teacher wrote: 13 May 2010, 13:41 So many good reasons listed here already. We are alike in our love of books. I have "spare" books stashed everywhere just in case I have more than 10 minutes of waiting time I.E. DMV, doctor's office, dentitst's office, car wash, etc.

I remember once being stuck without a book and had to resort to reading the back of a cereal box. I read slowly to make it last.

I often see people at a bus stop waiting.....just staring out into space or watching cars go by. That would drive me nuts! Pull out that book and read, read, read. Of course one runs the risk of reading right past your bus stop (now who would do that?)

I always read to my students, whether in elementary school or middle school. They loved to be read to and, of course, I made sure I ended a day's reading with a cliff hanger so they were anxious to return to the story the next day. Mean teacher!!
I absolutely agree. Who spends time standing at a bus stop watching cars go by? I take out my phone and start reading. Though as a result, sometimes I spot the bus only when it is about to leave the stop. And missing my stop while engrossed in a book has actually happened to me.
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Shrabastee Chakraborty
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Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

Retired Teacher wrote: 13 May 2010, 13:41 So many good reasons listed here already. We are alike in our love of books. I have "spare" books stashed everywhere just in case I have more than 10 minutes of waiting time I.E. DMV, doctor's office, dentitst's office, car wash, etc.

I remember once being stuck without a book and had to resort to reading the back of a cereal box. I read slowly to make it last.

I often see people at a bus stop waiting.....just staring out into space or watching cars go by. That would drive me nuts! Pull out that book and read, read, read. Of course one runs the risk of reading right past your bus stop (now who would do that?)

I always read to my students, whether in elementary school or middle school. They loved to be read to and, of course, I made sure I ended a day's reading with a cliff hanger so they were anxious to return to the story the next day. Mean teacher!!
I absolutely agree. Who spends time standing at a bus stop watching cars go by? I take out my phone and start reading. Though as a result, sometimes I spot the bus only when it is about to leave the stop. And missing my stop while engrossed in a book has actually happened to me.
Hey, good tactics with the cliffhangers! They indeed keep the excitement alive!
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Shrabastee Chakraborty
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Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

KasieMiehlke wrote: 18 Apr 2018, 18:15 I read to relax from the stress of everyday life. My mom was/is my biggest influence. She always made sure I had plenty of books to read growing up and she still buys me books if she thinks I will like them.
True for me as well. My mom is the reason I am a bibliophile, and an obsessed one at that!
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