August 27, 2008

Daily Blog 27: Reading is better than TV

To contrast with my previous blog 26 on why people say they don't like to read, I thought I'd be fair and talk about those who do. Me, for starters. I was the kind of kid that was told "a fire could start and I'd have my nose in a book." True.

I still love to read, but have developed a bad habit of having several books going at once. But if it's a book I really get hooked on, then I will read it straight through as I'm unable to put it down. Others I enjoy but save for bedtime or carry around in my bag for those moments when I'm waiting and have nothing to do.

Do I believe reading is better than TV? You bet. (Most people might say that). There are several TV shows I do love to watch (Dancing with the Stars, Smallville, Supernatural), but usually finding something to read is easier than finding a favorite TV show (and you can finish it before they take it away like they discontinued that new vampire show Moonlight!)

Books can also be reread, and unlike reruns, they are just as good the second, third, or more times around!

I have several favorite books I do go back and reread now and then. To name a few, they include: Gone with the Wind, Dracula (cool read it online), Salem's Lot, The Stand, The Agony and the Ecstasy (about Michelangelo), Emmeline (an amazing novel with a shocking end)....

** Your Turn: What are your favorite books? Share the books you like to reread more than once.

7 comments:

L.J. Sellers said...

As a kid, I would sometimes reread stories because I didn't have access to new books. But as an adult, I never reread anything. There's too many books I haven't read that I'll never get to.

Unknown said...

Chris, you and I share a common problem, but with one difference. While you are endeavoring to read multiple books, I'm struggling to write them. *lol*

Check out my blog today and see what I mean.

http://mizging.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

The one book I've re-read several times is Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. It's my favorite book of all time.

Three other books that were critical to me as a reader were A Work of Heartbreaking Staggering Genius by David Eggers, The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

The Eggers spoke to me. The Irving had everything (sorrow, dry humor, laughter) all in one book. The Gladwell was really informative.

Whitewing said...

I re-read Anne of Green Gables almost every year. A late re-read of Alice in Wonderland uncovered a different book from the one I read as a child. I re-read all Hilary McKay's Casson family books at Christmas time. (My only holiday each year.)If I am reviewing a mystery, I always read for the story first, then read it again so I can make suitable comments as I go.
Jeri

Anonymous said...

I guess my favorite book is the one (s) I'm currently reading. I pick and choose carefully from favorite authors and new ones because being a writer means there's so little time to read, yet it's a necessity. I'm not even going to list a favorite. It might change tomorrow or the next day.
Oh, I love TV as well, especially dramas, hate reality shows, have enough reality as it is. I think we can enjoy movies, TV and books equally and lead a balanced life. Gotta go and write.

Helen said...

I don't usually re-read books. Unless it's a reference books, then I'll re-read what I've highlighted. My To Be Read stack is too high.

I used to read multiple books at once, but I found that I began to get the plots and characters mixed up or I'd lose the train of the story on a book because it'd been too long since I last picked it up. Now I try to keep it to one at a time.

Dana Fredsti said...

Chris, I have the same 'multiple book affliction as you do and for the same reasons. You also have two of my favorite all time books listed: Gone with the Wind and the Agony and the Ecstasy, both of which I've re-read countless times.

I love to read...I will find every spare second in a day I can to get a few pages in.