Ideally I'd finish a book a week. Which can sometimes be hard when you're regularly working on 700+ pages books. 400 pages and under books usually gets done within a week.
Ideally I'd finish a book a week. Which can sometimes be hard when you're regularly working on 700+ pages books. 400 pages and under books usually gets done within a week.
Do you usually focus on one at a time or juggle multiple books at once? Sometimes the content is 'heavy' and needs more digesting, so if it's one of those types of books I tend to spread it out over a longer period of time. I'm in your range as well.
I still play online multiplayer games and even have time to work out! The key to having time for all this is I've totally given up TV(except for the Giants). Heck, I'm even on BBI less than I used to be.
but has to be several hundred. Of course, I am a youth services librarian, so a ton of those of children's books. If we are talking about pure "pleasure" reading, my number is very low, because virtually everything I read is linked to my job in some way....
printed, bound it, and gave me a copy - that would be my first for the year. I was actually surprised when I ran across someone the other day that "read the book before seeing the movie." I thought it was all a myth. Usually any of my reading is of the internet variety.
Ideally I'd finish a book a week. Which can sometimes be hard when you're regularly working on 700+ pages books. 400 pages and under books usually gets done within a week.
Do you usually focus on one at a time or juggle multiple books at once? Sometimes the content is 'heavy' and needs more digesting, so if it's one of those types of books I tend to spread it out over a longer period of time. I'm in your range as well.
I fluctuate between 4-5
And this is also in conjunction with the Economist and WSJ
And I know it's shameful...hell, I was reading when I was three, it's not like I'm bad at it. I just find it dreadfully boring - if a book doesn't grab me right away, it feels like homework trying to get through it.
I'm one of those clowns who rereads the same book 10 times rather than try something new.
Not much sleep on this side either as he's going through some major growth spurts lately...so he feeds every three hours throughout the night...so unlike his older sister.
is how little I would read for fun compared to before. Time is short, and I am tired at the end of the day. Stupid fun like watching or playing a game is an easy way to spend a couple hours before bed.
For much of our kids lives we would, however, read books we all like aloud at night. Read all of the Narnia books, LOTR and other classics, so that was a way to share that together.
Agreed with those who have said that playing games is traded for no TV habits, though, so that is a bit of a wash.
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: At most 3 books at a time, with a
I read Hop on Pop Sunday night...the kicker...my son is 20 and my daughter is turning 30 next week. I still have all their books!
Haha...yeah, my mother-in-law gave us all of my wife's book when she was a toddler. So I read to them many Little Critter books ("I was so Mad" and "Just Go to Bed" are our favorites) that were once read to their mother.
but if people really count how much they read, it strikes me as probably a kind of bourgeois overreach and pretentiousness. Not unlike mensa membership. If you are really so smart than just accomplish something, asshole.
but if people really count how much they read, it strikes me as probably a kind of bourgeois overreach and pretentiousness. Not unlike mensa membership. If you are really so smart than just accomplish something, asshole.
I also have a tendency to re-read books I like periodically, so generally only maybe half of the books I read in a given year are for the first time. Probably 95% of what I read is history. Never been one for fiction for the most part.
at the same time a collection or anthology of Short Stories, so it is part of a book and a short story each night. Much better than Television which I can Tivo and watch late afternoon, early evening
So how versed you in the children's book field?...you'll be reading a hell ton of them...if not already...:)
Ronnie: If you aren't familiar with Valeri Gorbachev's work, I recommend it without reservation. I met him while working as an Editor at Highlights for Children; great, very creative, talented guy who writes/illustrates terrific children's' books.
Here's a link to his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/valeri.gorbachev.56
RE: Oh, and Brett, I know you didn't mean it this way at all
but if people really count how much they read, it strikes me as probably a kind of bourgeois overreach and pretentiousness. Not unlike mensa membership. If you are really so smart than just accomplish something, asshole.
I have so much fiction I want to read but the non fiction list is just too long with too many important reads that take priority.
Good fiction often tells me more about how to be happy (at the very least it proves a catalogue of all the ways we can be unhappy) than most of the non-fiction I read. If I haven't read fiction in a while, I feel spiritually impoverished.
So how versed you in the children's book field?...you'll be reading a hell ton of them...if not already...:)
Ronnie: If you aren't familiar with Valeri Gorbachev's work, I recommend it without reservation. I met him while working as an Editor at Highlights for Children; great, very creative, talented guy who writes/illustrates terrific children's' books.
Here's a link to his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/valeri.gorbachev.56
Thanks! I'll have to check it out.
RE: Oh, and Brett, I know you didn't mean it this way at all
but if people really count how much they read, it strikes me as probably a kind of bourgeois overreach and pretentiousness. Not unlike mensa membership. If you are really so smart than just accomplish something, asshole.
Eh most people here are going with rough estimates (~1 week, ~1 a month, etc). I've got a rough system because that's how I work and get things done. Contrived but order is often contrived.
Anyway this thread is much better than a lot of the nonsense we have to wade through.
Ash, do you have any recommendations? I usually enjoy it when recommended, but never seek it out.
The two best works of fiction I've read recently are a) In the Light of What We Know by Zia Haider Rahman (whose challenges and background are remarkably similar to my own so there's some self-involvement in the suggestion) and b) The Adventures of Augie Marsh by Saul Bellow, who is a genius.
Open to any non-fiction recommendations from anyone as well, particularly on American history.
Am going to start some Eric Foner soon. Haven't read a full length book yet but if they're extended versions of his journal scholarship then the books will be brilliant.
I'm starting with Free Soul, Free Men, Free Labor (a history of the ideology of the early republican party) for dissertation purposes before moving on this book on Reconstruction which, according to historian friends, is a classic.
the ease of access to content with a kindle bumped me back up to usually 1 a weekend if not more, though I still buy hardcovers of favorite authors/topics. If you add journal articles the number gets far higher.
Read it, loved it, one of the Great American Novels. Ash, I am trying to pick another Saul Bellow but I am afraid it would not be close to as good as Augie, you have one I might go with?
I read a shitload of stuff daily. Still read the newspaper every day. Read between 5 and 10 magazines a week. Always reading this fucking board, plus numerous articles a day in my industry. Read technical documents and journals out the wazoo.
Books - I think I've read 5 in the past three years and 3 of them were by Anthony Bourdain, 1 by Adam Richman and 1 by LT.
Read it, loved it, one of the Great American Novels. Ash, I am trying to pick another Saul Bellow but I am afraid it would not be close to as good as Augie, you have one I might go with?
Herzog - what happens to an Augie Marsh when his youth has vanished, his talent withered, and his spirit depleted.
Almost always fiction these days. I've started going back and re-reading all the books I read when I younger to see if my perception of the book has changed with age.
bout to finish Michael Oren's Ally - basically a memoir of Oren's time as Israeli ambassador the past 5 years, really interesting look inside the minds of obama/netanyahu, plus Oren himself is a great writer and smart historian.
Alexander Hamilton: The formative years - michael newton. Lots of new research since Chernow's bio. not too far in this yet but it's good
Move: putting america's infrastructure back, something like that - by rosabeth moss kanter, well researched on how to move forward with infrastructure projects
Thinking of starting dubya's decision points.
told you about lee kuan yew memoir, gonna grab his most current one too which apparently is in limited quantities. Starting that once I get it, gotta see what he thought about the post-9/11 world.
Just bought an older Oren book, power, faith, fantasy, america in the middle east. Supposed to be excellent.
weatherman, one of my bigger book dilemmas these days is whether to get the hardcover or kindle version. Love building up my library but the convenience of kindle is second to none.
but if people really count how much they read, it strikes me as probably a kind of bourgeois overreach and pretentiousness. Not unlike mensa membership. If you are really so smart than just accomplish something, asshole.
Eh most people here are going with rough estimates (~1 week, ~1 a month, etc). I've got a rough system because that's how I work and get things done. Contrived but order is often contrived.
Anyway this thread is much better than a lot of the nonsense we have to wade through.
I didn't mean anyone here, Ash, rally. I meant actually counting as if it were a contest.
in awe of a lot of posters here. I have tried to read some political and historical books and find myself really struggling to read/understand them to the point where I stop. I feel like I am an educated person with a BA/Masters degree but when it comes to reading, I find myself struggling. So for you guys who read hundreds of non-fictional books a year, you have the utmost respect for me.
I tend to stick to fictional books because they are a bit easier to read and follow.
in awe of a lot of posters here. I have tried to read some political and historical books and find myself really struggling to read/understand them to the point where I stop. I feel like I am an educated person with a BA/Masters degree but when it comes to reading, I find myself struggling. So for you guys who read hundreds of non-fictional books a year, you have the utmost respect for me.
I tend to stick to fictional books because they are a bit easier to read and follow.
Deppers man, you teach history, I have no doubt you can handle the majority of what I read. When I was in the classroom, some of the best things I used that kept kids interested were the little details I shared with them that I learned in books. You know, the cool shit they don't get from reading a textbook.
If you're gonna be doing poli sci, (correct?) there's so much more you can give those students if you read up more on all the stuff you'll be teaching.
in awe of a lot of posters here. I have tried to read some political and historical books and find myself really struggling to read/understand them to the point where I stop. I feel like I am an educated person with a BA/Masters degree but when it comes to reading, I find myself struggling. So for you guys who read hundreds of non-fictional books a year, you have the utmost respect for me.
I tend to stick to fictional books because they are a bit easier to read and follow.
Deppers man, you teach history, I have no doubt you can handle the majority of what I read. When I was in the classroom, some of the best things I used that kept kids interested were the little details I shared with them that I learned in books. You know, the cool shit they don't get from reading a textbook.
If you're gonna be doing poli sci, (correct?) there's so much more you can give those students if you read up more on all the stuff you'll be teaching.
I find myself reading more articles and journals than I do books when it comes to Poli Sci. I like to read both views, whatever the subject because I feel I get a little of both sides. What killed me with Poli Sci was that I was told I was teaching it last year a week before school starts and my district didnt have any books or even a curriculum. I tried reading up on more stuff this summer, but when you have a 1 year old daughter who loves the park and the pool.... well she took priorities.
I feel like I am 100x more educated on the subject than I was at this point last year, but I got a ways to go. But I really am fascinated with the subject and really wish I took more interest in it years ago.
I am looking for my kids this year to start off the year by doing some projects/research on political science topics, and I am looking for 10 issues that are probably the most controversial or issues that the future Presidential candidates will be asked upon. Here are 10 that I have come up with.
1. Immigration
2. Iranian Deal
3. Keystone Pipeline
4. Legalization of Marijuana
5. Gun Laws
6. Tax structure
7. Death Penalty
8. Affordable Care Act
9. Social Security Privatization
10. ISIS/Iraq
Now I left two big ones out: Abortion and LGBT, but I wanted to concentrate on issues that have potential to be changed or have the chance to affect their futures. I plan on taking on the abortion at another time in the year and with the Supreme Court deciding on LGBT, I feel it would be tough to do a project on it.
Are there any other issues I should concentrate on and if so, what should be replaced?
my district didnt have any books or even a curriculum.
That'd be my teaching heaven. I honestly think textbooks are a complete waste of money in today's world.
But I digress. Sounds like you're working hard at it so just keep at it. I will say though, don't forget about the ancient philosophers. That's major part of poli sci and its origins.
Honestly don't have much to offer in terms of issues. I always liked to leave it up to the kids for stuff like that, let them think up their own. Of course I had to approve, and it's usually a good moment for them to try and make a case for why it's a good topic, then you have a nice teachable moment about what their thesis will be.
Two cool things (among others) about letting them come up with their own issues with something like that. One, gives them a better connection to their own work. Two, they might actually teach you some amazing stuff about something you never even thought of.
my district didnt have any books or even a curriculum.
That'd be my teaching heaven. I honestly think textbooks are a complete waste of money in today's world.
But I digress. Sounds like you're working hard at it so just keep at it. I will say though, don't forget about the ancient philosophers. That's major part of poli sci and its origins.
Honestly don't have much to offer in terms of issues. I always liked to leave it up to the kids for stuff like that, let them think up their own. Of course I had to approve, and it's usually a good moment for them to try and make a case for why it's a good topic, then you have a nice teachable moment about what their thesis will be.
Two cool things (among others) about letting them come up with their own issues with something like that. One, gives them a better connection to their own work. Two, they might actually teach you some amazing stuff about something you never even thought of.
Well I do like no books, so I can do my own thing. It just would have been nice to have some reference to go with instead of flying by the seat of my pants. But I learned a lot the first year and have a direction in which I can head this year.
I like your idea of letting them pick. I am just fearful the majority have zero clue what political science is that they wont know where to start. I figure if I could condense the issues, they may have a better starting off point. We will see. Trial and error.
you can give em a list of topics to get them started
I used to go through 2-3 books a month. I read a book on the Transcontinental Railroad and it took me a solid three months to finish. Hopefully it'll pick up again soon, but kids really limit that sort of free time.
with college a lot of my reading is school work, but i still try to force myself to have some fun reading. this year I've read world war z, gone girl, one way out (about the allman brothers), and im currently reading The Sicilian, by Mario Puzo which is pretty good so far.
Ideally I'd finish a book a week. Which can sometimes be hard when you're regularly working on 700+ pages books. 400 pages and under books usually gets done within a week.
although I agree with general premise that people do not read enough
Ideally I'd finish a book a week. Which can sometimes be hard when you're regularly working on 700+ pages books. 400 pages and under books usually gets done within a week.
Do you usually focus on one at a time or juggle multiple books at once? Sometimes the content is 'heavy' and needs more digesting, so if it's one of those types of books I tend to spread it out over a longer period of time. I'm in your range as well.
Nerd.
You guys probably wouldn't understand that.
Gross.
exactly....fantastic on a plane
You guys probably wouldn't understand that.
I still play online multiplayer games and even have time to work out! The key to having time for all this is I've totally given up TV(except for the Giants). Heck, I'm even on BBI less than I used to be.
I'll have a month where I read 2-3 books in 4 weeks, then I won't read anything except newspapers and magazines for 2 months. No rhyme or reason.
Read somewhere recently that the average CEO reads 4 books a month. Impressive.
I think I'm going to try this on Saturday!
Probably not enough compared to many of you...:(
Quote:
I too gave up TV. Replaced it with alcohol. It's working out well.
I think I'm going to try this on Saturday!
Lol, me too.
Quote:
In comment 12438154 GiantFilthy said:
Quote:
I too gave up TV. Replaced it with alcohol. It's working out well.
I think I'm going to try this on Saturday!
Lol, me too.
To the question. 1 or 2 a week. It's really slow at work these days.
Also read alot more vs watching TV.
Some of youse guys read a lot!
Quote:
in any given year.
Ideally I'd finish a book a week. Which can sometimes be hard when you're regularly working on 700+ pages books. 400 pages and under books usually gets done within a week.
Do you usually focus on one at a time or juggle multiple books at once? Sometimes the content is 'heavy' and needs more digesting, so if it's one of those types of books I tend to spread it out over a longer period of time. I'm in your range as well.
I fluctuate between 4-5
And this is also in conjunction with the Economist and WSJ
1 Fiction, 1 History, 2 Political Science/Phil/Sociology.
So 3/4's of the books at a time are things I have to read for my work.
I wish I read more books and am trying to make an effort to do so.
So how versed you in the children's book field?...you'll be reading a hell ton of them...if not already...:)
I'm one of those clowns who rereads the same book 10 times rather than try something new.
Quote:
always open.
So how versed you in the children's book field?...you'll be reading a hell ton of them...if not already...:)
I know the Hungry Caterpillar by heart...
Good man!
You'll graduate to Brown Bear, Brown Bear soon...haha
This will be the 6th book I've read this year, so I'd have to say 7 is a good answer for me.
Not much sleep on this side either as he's going through some major growth spurts lately...so he feeds every three hours throughout the night...so unlike his older sister.
Quote:
I know the Hungry Caterpillar by heart...
Good man!
You'll graduate to Brown Bear, Brown Bear soon...haha
I read Hop on Pop Sunday night...the kicker...my son is 20 and my daughter is turning 30 next week. I still have all their books!
For much of our kids lives we would, however, read books we all like aloud at night. Read all of the Narnia books, LOTR and other classics, so that was a way to share that together.
Agreed with those who have said that playing games is traded for no TV habits, though, so that is a bit of a wash.
Haha...yeah, my mother-in-law gave us all of my wife's book when she was a toddler. So I read to them many Little Critter books ("I was so Mad" and "Just Go to Bed" are our favorites) that were once read to their mother.
You get a x2 multiplier for those.
Quote:
...
You get a x2 multiplier for those.
Ok.
Next I need clarification on how we're defining this total.
If you read one book five times does that count as one or five?
If it's the former, I'm at 4 (using the multiplier) and somewhere over 1000 if it's the latter (but only in 3min spans).
Haha
Quote:
In comment 12438339 Cam in MO said:
Quote:
...
You get a x2 multiplier for those.
Ok.
Next I need clarification on how we're defining this total.
If you read one book five times does that count as one or five?
If it's the former, I'm at 4 (using the multiplier) and somewhere over 1000 if it's the latter (but only in 3min spans).
This isn't even counting repeating gifs of single panel internet cartoons. Gonna need a calculator.
Quote:
always open.
So how versed you in the children's book field?...you'll be reading a hell ton of them...if not already...:)
Ronnie: If you aren't familiar with Valeri Gorbachev's work, I recommend it without reservation. I met him while working as an Editor at Highlights for Children; great, very creative, talented guy who writes/illustrates terrific children's' books.
Here's a link to his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/valeri.gorbachev.56
That's definitely what I meant. #Superiorasfuck
Good fiction often tells me more about how to be happy (at the very least it proves a catalogue of all the ways we can be unhappy) than most of the non-fiction I read. If I haven't read fiction in a while, I feel spiritually impoverished.
Quote:
In comment 12438296 kicker said:
Quote:
always open.
So how versed you in the children's book field?...you'll be reading a hell ton of them...if not already...:)
Ronnie: If you aren't familiar with Valeri Gorbachev's work, I recommend it without reservation. I met him while working as an Editor at Highlights for Children; great, very creative, talented guy who writes/illustrates terrific children's' books.
Here's a link to his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/valeri.gorbachev.56
Thanks! I'll have to check it out.
Eh most people here are going with rough estimates (~1 week, ~1 a month, etc). I've got a rough system because that's how I work and get things done. Contrived but order is often contrived.
Anyway this thread is much better than a lot of the nonsense we have to wade through.
The two best works of fiction I've read recently are a) In the Light of What We Know by Zia Haider Rahman (whose challenges and background are remarkably similar to my own so there's some self-involvement in the suggestion) and b) The Adventures of Augie Marsh by Saul Bellow, who is a genius.
Brett with his elitist pretension and shit. #imbetterthanyouall
Am going to start some Eric Foner soon. Haven't read a full length book yet but if they're extended versions of his journal scholarship then the books will be brilliant.
I'm starting with Free Soul, Free Men, Free Labor (a history of the ideology of the early republican party) for dissertation purposes before moving on this book on Reconstruction which, according to historian friends, is a classic.
Books - I think I've read 5 in the past three years and 3 of them were by Anthony Bourdain, 1 by Adam Richman and 1 by LT.
Herzog - what happens to an Augie Marsh when his youth has vanished, his talent withered, and his spirit depleted.
That's so odd.
I pegged you as a neanderthal all the time.
Almost always fiction these days. I've started going back and re-reading all the books I read when I younger to see if my perception of the book has changed with age.
Alexander Hamilton: The formative years - michael newton. Lots of new research since Chernow's bio. not too far in this yet but it's good
Move: putting america's infrastructure back, something like that - by rosabeth moss kanter, well researched on how to move forward with infrastructure projects
Thinking of starting dubya's decision points.
told you about lee kuan yew memoir, gonna grab his most current one too which apparently is in limited quantities. Starting that once I get it, gotta see what he thought about the post-9/11 world.
Just bought an older Oren book, power, faith, fantasy, america in the middle east. Supposed to be excellent.
weatherman, one of my bigger book dilemmas these days is whether to get the hardcover or kindle version. Love building up my library but the convenience of kindle is second to none.
Yep that was my first read of his back in college.
Quote:
but if people really count how much they read, it strikes me as probably a kind of bourgeois overreach and pretentiousness. Not unlike mensa membership. If you are really so smart than just accomplish something, asshole.
Eh most people here are going with rough estimates (~1 week, ~1 a month, etc). I've got a rough system because that's how I work and get things done. Contrived but order is often contrived.
Anyway this thread is much better than a lot of the nonsense we have to wade through.
I didn't mean anyone here, Ash, rally. I meant actually counting as if it were a contest.
I tend to stick to fictional books because they are a bit easier to read and follow.
I tend to stick to fictional books because they are a bit easier to read and follow.
Deppers man, you teach history, I have no doubt you can handle the majority of what I read. When I was in the classroom, some of the best things I used that kept kids interested were the little details I shared with them that I learned in books. You know, the cool shit they don't get from reading a textbook.
If you're gonna be doing poli sci, (correct?) there's so much more you can give those students if you read up more on all the stuff you'll be teaching.
Quote:
in awe of a lot of posters here. I have tried to read some political and historical books and find myself really struggling to read/understand them to the point where I stop. I feel like I am an educated person with a BA/Masters degree but when it comes to reading, I find myself struggling. So for you guys who read hundreds of non-fictional books a year, you have the utmost respect for me.
I tend to stick to fictional books because they are a bit easier to read and follow.
Deppers man, you teach history, I have no doubt you can handle the majority of what I read. When I was in the classroom, some of the best things I used that kept kids interested were the little details I shared with them that I learned in books. You know, the cool shit they don't get from reading a textbook.
If you're gonna be doing poli sci, (correct?) there's so much more you can give those students if you read up more on all the stuff you'll be teaching.
I find myself reading more articles and journals than I do books when it comes to Poli Sci. I like to read both views, whatever the subject because I feel I get a little of both sides. What killed me with Poli Sci was that I was told I was teaching it last year a week before school starts and my district didnt have any books or even a curriculum. I tried reading up on more stuff this summer, but when you have a 1 year old daughter who loves the park and the pool.... well she took priorities.
I feel like I am 100x more educated on the subject than I was at this point last year, but I got a ways to go. But I really am fascinated with the subject and really wish I took more interest in it years ago.
I am looking for my kids this year to start off the year by doing some projects/research on political science topics, and I am looking for 10 issues that are probably the most controversial or issues that the future Presidential candidates will be asked upon. Here are 10 that I have come up with.
1. Immigration
2. Iranian Deal
3. Keystone Pipeline
4. Legalization of Marijuana
5. Gun Laws
6. Tax structure
7. Death Penalty
8. Affordable Care Act
9. Social Security Privatization
10. ISIS/Iraq
Now I left two big ones out: Abortion and LGBT, but I wanted to concentrate on issues that have potential to be changed or have the chance to affect their futures. I plan on taking on the abortion at another time in the year and with the Supreme Court deciding on LGBT, I feel it would be tough to do a project on it.
Are there any other issues I should concentrate on and if so, what should be replaced?
That'd be my teaching heaven. I honestly think textbooks are a complete waste of money in today's world.
But I digress. Sounds like you're working hard at it so just keep at it. I will say though, don't forget about the ancient philosophers. That's major part of poli sci and its origins.
Honestly don't have much to offer in terms of issues. I always liked to leave it up to the kids for stuff like that, let them think up their own. Of course I had to approve, and it's usually a good moment for them to try and make a case for why it's a good topic, then you have a nice teachable moment about what their thesis will be.
Two cool things (among others) about letting them come up with their own issues with something like that. One, gives them a better connection to their own work. Two, they might actually teach you some amazing stuff about something you never even thought of.
Quote:
my district didnt have any books or even a curriculum.
That'd be my teaching heaven. I honestly think textbooks are a complete waste of money in today's world.
But I digress. Sounds like you're working hard at it so just keep at it. I will say though, don't forget about the ancient philosophers. That's major part of poli sci and its origins.
Honestly don't have much to offer in terms of issues. I always liked to leave it up to the kids for stuff like that, let them think up their own. Of course I had to approve, and it's usually a good moment for them to try and make a case for why it's a good topic, then you have a nice teachable moment about what their thesis will be.
Two cool things (among others) about letting them come up with their own issues with something like that. One, gives them a better connection to their own work. Two, they might actually teach you some amazing stuff about something you never even thought of.
Well I do like no books, so I can do my own thing. It just would have been nice to have some reference to go with instead of flying by the seat of my pants. But I learned a lot the first year and have a direction in which I can head this year.
I like your idea of letting them pick. I am just fearful the majority have zero clue what political science is that they wont know where to start. I figure if I could condense the issues, they may have a better starting off point. We will see. Trial and error.
If so my count just went up.