"But...but...you HAVE to help me!"

[KabeRinnaul]

I'm another big reader. Never done the reading as I walk or in the shower, but definitely at meals and instead of the assigned reading in class. I still do, for that matter. And have been in trouble for it, too.

I was at at least a 12th grade level by 4th grade, and pretty much always reading as a kid. By the end of elementary school I'd pretty well exhausted the school library and most of the city library, finishing off the latter in junior high. Eventually in grade school I wound up reading my sister's Babysitter Club books, simply because I had nothing else to read.

This is in pretty stark contrast to my sister herself, who generally responds to my books with "Ewww, why are you reading that?" I'm pretty sure I read more of her BSC books than she did, but a large part of that is probably her discovering Judge Judy, Springer, and their ilk.

Off-topic - My sister is also a ridiculous EW, and I'd like to apologize ahead of time to anyone who ever has to serve her.

Anyway. I do reread pretty much anything I own aside from the more painful English assignments. Thus far that's included... well, pretty much all of them aside from The Once and Future King.

And I also write, and I've completed a NaNoWriMo along with a few short stories, but I never finish my editing.

[JoitheArtist]

And I also write, and I've completed a NaNoWriMo along with a few short stories, but I never finish my editing.

A fellow Wrimo!! Yay! I'm a 5 year NaNo vet, with several completed but unedited novels. Currently falling behind on Script Frenzy but having fun with it.

[SorchaMochrie]

And I also write, and I've completed a NaNoWriMo along with a few short stories, but I never finish my editing.

A fellow Wrimo!! Yay! I'm a 5 year NaNo vet, with several completed but unedited novels. Currently falling behind on Script Frenzy but having fun with it.

You mean you have stories that need to be read by someone who can point out when you've used the same adjective three times in a paragraph? Stories that need someone to point out when the wrong character name is used? Stories that need someone to read through them and say that this paragraph may be better after this other paragraph, and you don't need that sentence at all?


I LOVE doing that. I really can't write original stories, but when my husband writes articles for his friends e-mag I'm always editing for him. I find basic mistakes in regular printed novels all the time.

So I volunteer to edit!

[Geek King]

AUGH, I can't afford more books right now! But...but...I love the Dresden books....waaaaaaant....

<Twisting the spork>

Butcher's doing a signing in Dayton tomorrow night* within five minutes of my workplace. Some friends and I are going to meet him and get our copies signed.

I haven't been this excited since I met Phil and Kaja Foglio at Origins.

*At Books & Co. at the Green (Exit 10 off I-675). Need a receipt to prove you bought it there, and they had copies still for sale as of last night.

[JoitheArtist]

<Twisting the spork>

Butcher's doing a signing in Dayton tomorrow night* within five minutes of my workplace. Some friends and I are going to meet him and get our copies signed.

*twitch* *twitch*

I hate you now.



But not as much as I hated my dad when he bought three Redwall books for the library system he worked for in towns that DID NOT READ, got them signed by Brian freakin' JACQUES, and didn't get me a signed Redwall book!

Not that I'm still bitter or anything...

[ArcticChicken]

Butcher's doing a signing in Dayton tomorrow night* within five minutes of my workplace. Some friends and I are going to meet him and get our copies signed.

I haven't been this excited since I met Phil and Kaja Foglio at Origins.

....I hate you.


Also, the stupid library hasn't given me my book. I think something got borked in the shipping process, because almost all the copies say 'being transferred between libraries' and have since I place the hold. It normally doesn't take more than 3 days, so even allowing for the weekend it should be here. I just realized Friday was a city holiday, so that explains that.

On the plus side, I just got an email coupon for Borders, so I'll just pick up a copy in the airport on my way to Florida. I'll need something to do during my 3 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta.

[Bliss]

Btw, while we're at the "OMG I'm not the only one!" Phase, please tell me I am not the only one... I don't tend to do this as much now (specially as it's harder with electronic books, 98% of what i read now), but, I used to read a little into the book, and then read the last page, just the last page, and continue with the book...

I found it didn't ruin the end for me, in fact I enjoyed it more as I wondered how it would build up to the end, and I would enjoy the construction process.

[bookishfreak]

I do that too Bliss!! I thought I was the only one!

[Teskeria]

I have the misfortune of remembering EVERYTHING I read. And I am over 40 (sigh).
In kindergarden we would go to the school library. I would grab a chapter book. Well my teacher sees me going to check out ( I think it was either Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden - we were only allowed 1 at a time from the school library) and grabs it. Tells me it is too hard for me and to get a K-1 book. When I told her I COULD read it, she called me a liar. I told my mom and she sets up a meeting with Ms. B and the principal. Teacher insists I am a liar and 'no 6 year old can read chapter books'.
So my mom asks ' did you ask her to read it to you?'
Teacher: 'Of course not'
Principal reaches over and pulls one of his books off the shelf. Opens it randomly and asks me to read aloud. (now his face shows he doesn't expect me to be able to, but at least he asked). So I read it to him, sounding out the words I don't know. I finish the entire page and the principal asks me to tell him what it was about. My explaination was as good as the average 10 year old could give on (psycology?) the subject, considering I only read one page (I tried to read more while they were talking, but Mom handed the book back to the principal)
Teacher was sent from the office with an "I'll meet with you later'. Mom turns to the principal and says 'She's been reading Nancy Drew and the like since she was about 2 1/2. You ARE changing her classroom, aren't you?"
End result - new teacher, noted in my records that I read WAYYYY above grade level, and no more problems with what I check out.
I was known in my city as BookWorm (People actually called me that and BW & I still answer to BW today sometimes). I would walk everywhere reading. My Mom said I must have some kind of guidance system, as I never looked up from the book, stopped automatically for street crossing and NEVER got tripped by the unexpected feet shoved in front of me. Sometimes the kids would get right in my path and I automatically moved away.
I read my schoolbooks the first week, read in every class, and maintained an A average (except high school math - hate math).
Last year I found a great book I read 30 years ago. Took me 20 years to find a copy. Magnificat - cant remember the author, just moved from a two bedroom into a one bedroom and still have 6 or 7 boxes of books to unpack (half my stuff was books). Book about the controversy in heaven when a cat arrives with the halo of a maximum saint. what to do, why does a cat have the halo, how did it earn it, Satan's efforts to use it to cause trouble, ect... A book written by a bishop that is NOT preachy. really great book. oop though.

I read about 300 pages per hour. a normal (work)day's reading for me is about 6-7 books. Used to be able to read 8-10, but have slowed down a bit. hard to find books I enjoy that I haven't read. Can't stand the modern, no-plot, let's rely on sex and blood mysteries for one thing.

Readers are the best people - lol.

[LadyAndreca]

*jots 'Magnificat' on a post-it note, and resolves once again to try to actually go to the public library*

[Elspeth]

Bliss, I do the same thing. Read a chapter or two, flip to the end. I do it a lot while reading. Hubby laughes when I do it

I remember in the 2nd or 3rd grade, we had to keep track of how much we read during the week. Most kids read barely 300 pages, me 3000.

I also have the habit of reading about 5 books at once. One in each room. I can't wait till we go camping this weekend so I can catch up on my reading a little.

And I thank you guys for pointing me in the direction of the Dresden books. Finished the first one in about 3 days and have the second one and the first one of his other series waiting till this weekend.

Also I really need to reread Good Omens *now I wonder where it got to*

Is there a windows verison of Delicious Library? or something that would be like it. And does it work on DVDs? I have a little collection that really needs to be cataloged

[Calie]

I remember in the 2nd or 3rd grade, we had to keep track of how much we read during the week. Most kids read barely 300 pages, me 3000.

I also have the habit of reading about 5 books at once. One in each room. I can't wait till we go camping this weekend so I can catch up on my reading a little.

300pages? In middle school they made us read 400pg over about a month. When I turned in my (many many) sheets, I was up to 18,000 or so - and I hadn't logged everything.

I almost always have multiple books going at once...one at work, one in the bedroom, one in the bathroom...and I never have less than 3shelves of unread books to choose from

[Tigress]

Heh. All this talk about going to the library brings this to mind:

I keep getting "invited" to go to Dragon*Con, but I can't justify a trip that expensive, especially considering that I go to Anime Weekend Atlanta two weeks later. Plus, for the past three years, I've been recruited to help with Librari-Con (a free one-day convention at a library in Fayetteville, NC) on the same weekend.

First year, I was asked to help with the origami table, since I was making super-elaborate things and the organizer wanted me to show the kids what I was doing. Last year, I was asked to run the table. This year, I'm hosting a costuming panel as a guest.

Now, I'm not sure I ever want to go to Dragon*Con, because using anime and manga to get kids into the library is such a cool idea and I like doing whatever I can to support it! I almost wish I lived closer to the library so I could help with their Teen Services program and host costuming workshops.

[Imogene]

The 14 year old received an F- in English on her last progress report. This is a girl who always has a book on her. She simply will not do the work.

Lump me in that category. I love to read, but, if I'm doing it as an assignment, I just can't make myself do it. It's torturous to have to read for a reason. I'm not necessarily looking for symbolism as I read a book. I tend to read it, put it down, and a few hours later, everything goes 'click' in my head, and I see what the author was intending, and also things he didn't intend.

*L* That's nothing, I have 2 preferred translations (Pinsky for emotion, Sayers for preserving the original rhyme scheme) of the Divine Comedy.
*attempting to restrain further book-geekiness on her part*

Related geekiness: The statue, The Thinker, was originally going to be named, 'The Artist', a reference to Dante pondering the gates of hell.

but, I used to read a little into the book, and then read the last page, just the last page, and continue with the book...

Never with a book, but, movies? Video games? Sure (OMG, Spoilers!) It's not the destination, it's the journey. Sure, you got to the end, but how? Show your work (Yeah, yeah, I hated it in my math class when I had to... I could make multiple intuitive leaps in a single step during math problems, and get them right.)

[EricKei]

Lump me in that category. I love to read, but, if I'm doing it as an assignment, I just can't make myself do it. It's torturous to have to read for a reason. I'm not necessarily looking for symbolism as I read a book.

Same here. The thing is, I wound up studying English in college (my focus was more on linguistics than lit, however). I actually *hate* dissecting stories for "meaning", intended or otherwise. I feel that, if it's not interesting to read, it's not worth reading, no matter how "deep" it's supposed to be. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment.