How much literature does A2K read?

How many books do you read?
I love to read. Unfortunately because of college and work, I no longer have much time for personal reading.

I will always always read. The question is what.

I went through a few years where I devoured books on italy, many of them rather dry (look up Baron Corvo) but all interesting to my avid mind for some smidgeon of information.

I've read on other subjects as avidly, once being semi maniacal about sports.

A common thread through many years is an interest in police procedurals, mysteries, thrillers, of the less-than-sensational sort, but not the cat solving mystery type (gag city).
On those, I have trouble with violence pulseing as a plot mover... but like thoughtful works in the genre.

Now, because the best book store near me is a Used book store (I have long liked those for the same reason I like thrift stores, the lack of nonpredicitability, or presence of surprise)...... I look for the most interesting books in the whole store... at one time. Every couple of weeks - and that keeps me occupied.

I go from intellectual fare to police procedural to lets'see'whats'in'travel ....
Easy, with a good bookstore like Booklegger's.

ehBeth... how on earth do you find time to do all that reading? Do you speed read? There are so many books that I want to read but can never find the time for.

I read about 3 books a week. I have a bit of threshing going on - I'll dig in to a serious book at length, and then feed my 'feeder' self with art crime books, or the equivalent.

I am interested in all of them... all efforts to consider.

I read pretty consistently. I almost always have a book of Short Stories by the bedside, or a children's book. Lately been alternating Roald Dahl and Edwidge Danticat-an odd odd pairing.

I tend to rock back and forth between mystery (and I'm with you Osso--I'm not into slasher, body part, murder mysteries-more crafty/puzzle types) and light reading and then a classic (just finished Dante's Inferno-two versions) and then something on in or about Italy!

hmmmm, isn't there a recent (last fifteen years, heh) translation of the Inferno? or am mixing that up...
or were you reading it in italian?

I am a fast reader, and still manage to have good comprehension. I just completed a program at work this week - text and two days of speakers. I reviewed (vs. read) the text, about 200 pages, in 40 minutes on my way to the first day of the seminar. Amazingly, I got the highest mark on the end of program test. This against people who'd read the book over a period of weeks, and PREPARED for the test.

I'm always reading something.

I've got So Long and Thanks For All the Fish by my workbench,
"1 Henry IV" by my recliner, and Crimson Joy on the coffee table.
I'm going to pick up a copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time first chance I get.

Osso,
I read Robert Pinsky's wonderful translation of Dante's Inferno. I wish he'd done Paradiso and Purgatorio as well. I read a modern Italian translation of Dante's olde Italian and that was much simpler--but I did have to keep the dictionary nearby!

At the same time I was reading the Pinsky, I read bits of the Longfellow and his notes which are really interesting and quite different. However his translation is nearly a literal one and blank verse. I would've thought, being Longfellow, that it would have been closer to rhyme. But Matthew Pearl's notes on his translation, and his fun, though bloody book, The Dante...hmmm I forget, the Dante Club or something, was a wonderful interpretation of this time in Longfellow's life and of the immediate post Civil War period. The murders are grisley because they're based on the circles of hell, but the time itself is very interesting and I didn't know that much about it.

Having fnished that bit I'm onto Pompeii by Robert Harris. Another excellent historical novel which brings into focus how little the Romans understood about what was happening in the days leading up to the explosion. There had never been one in their lifetime. The hero is the Aquarius or water manager of the aquaduct that feeds Pompeii, Misenium and what is now Naples. Very interesting so far.

I read book and book and book each day.

No, its not a typo.

Whatever Mo's current fascination is, we read it over and over and over and over.

I don't get nearly as much time to read as I would like as I now only get about one hour a day for uninterrupted reverie. I tend to read current fiction/nonfiction that falls somewhere between mass market and great literature.

Was this something you learned or is it a natural gift? I tried a speed reading course once and I did improve my reading rate, but I didn't enjoy reading as much... it became to mechanical for me.

It's natural. I sort of see blocks of text when I'm reading vs. words. I can read word by word, but it doesn't seem to improve the comprehension. There are times when I will read word by word, simply because of the beautiful quality of the writing.

Do you pick up detail and the writers nuance still or is it more of an overview/main point kind of thing?

To be honest, it is rather hard to gauge how many books i actually read a week.

Some weeks, i'll be in 'the mood' if you like, and finish 3-4. Other weeks, i won't even want to pick a book up.

Having said that, usually i read about 1-2 books a week.

Welcome to a2k, Sebastian..

Currently, I'm a substitute teacher, so I read a lot. I'm looking for a teaching post, a real post, so I suspect that I'll read fewer real books but a lot more papers!

BBB
I favor non-fiction books. Currently, I'm reading "The End of Faith."

Osso, you will have to come to ABQ and visit my home. I brought 40 boxes of books from California and, believe it or not, I continue to add to them. You can browse through my library.

BBB

I will, BBB. I just mentioned on the Europe a2k meet thread that I am coming down to house sit for Diane and Dys while they jaunt around Europe, so that'll be soon - I look forward to it.

When young, started in a normal manner: french writers (Dumas, Zevaco, Feval) and some other adventure. Then continued with clasics (Zola, a little bit of russian). And so on (Clavel all blah blah), 'till I have encontered the SF. And Dune was the begining of the end. One of the best books that I have read (

Since then, I barely try to read the classics. I read mostly SF. And now, I have found the Fantasy genre, and this one really gives me problems. I think I just got addicted to it, se each evening I am going home and continue reading. I can't stop.

Quantity: Since I have started reading Fantasy, I would say a book / week (somewhere around 500 pages). The rest of the time... work, eat and sleep.

Btw, I *really* envy the fast readers!!! especially ehBeth! And now I go to sleep...