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Do you read every single word?

post #1 of 18
7/8/02 at 3:16pm
Thread Starter 
An Amazon.com reviewer was talking about how when they read some author's works, they skip paragraphs because they are filled with unnecessary detail. Do any of you do this?

I don't, because I feel like if I don't read everything i'm gonna be lost down the line.
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post #2 of 18
7/8/02 at 3:42pm
Sounds silly to me. If it's in the book, there is probably a good reason it's in there. That's why they have book editors, right?

On occasion, I'll be reading, get distracted, and then miss a paragraph or two. I'm all messed up after that, especially with Tolkien and Palahniuk.
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post #3 of 18
7/8/02 at 5:22pm
I do not read every single word. I mean, come on, too many books to read, too little time.

I also only watch every other chapter on a DVD. Sometimes odd, sometimes even...
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post #4 of 18
7/8/02 at 5:22pm
And I only love one of my children.
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post #5 of 18
7/8/02 at 6:14pm
Ooooo...good one!

That said...Tolkien can lose just a couple of words and not break up the family.
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post #6 of 18
7/8/02 at 6:16pm
Depends on the book, but, yeah... I'll admit to skipping around sometimes. It happens a
lot more with nonfiction, though, especially if I'm already familiar with the subject matter and just want to glean new stuff. On occasion, if a novel I'm reading is more plot-oriented, rather than a cerebral thing, I'll skip ahead. I get impatient with poor pacing.
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post #7 of 18
7/9/02 at 3:11am
Quote:
Verbal, The Angel of Death:
An Amazon.com reviewer was talking about how when they read some author's works, they skip paragraphs because they are filled with unnecessary detail.
Bad enough that a reviewer actually does this, but to admit to it?
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post #8 of 18
7/9/02 at 3:03pm
The only book I ever read that I skipped text was the bible.

I skipped all the begetting, and some of the prayers.

As for other books. I almost did in some books but figured they are there for a reason.

And if someone ever did that to the stuff I wrote. You'd better not let me catch you doing that. That goes for you editors too.
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post #9 of 18
7/9/02 at 4:04pm
Here's what I read of billylove's post:

The only book I ever read was the bible.

I skipped other books. They are there for a reason.

And someone did that to the stuff I wrote.
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post #10 of 18
7/9/02 at 4:21pm
Quote:
Blofeld:
Here's what I read of billylove's post:

The only book I ever read was the bible.

I skipped other books. They are there for a reason.

And someone did that to the stuff I wrote.
No, no, no! You didn't get it.

I said I skipped everything you wrote.
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post #11 of 18
7/9/02 at 4:24pm
Then how do you know I didn't "get it," mister fancypants?
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post #12 of 18
7/9/02 at 5:01pm
Quote:
Blofeld:
Then how do you know I didn't "get it," mister fancypants?
huh? wink
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post #13 of 18
7/10/02 at 1:44am
Quote:
R:
"Reviewer" is a somewhat different concept when you're talking about the people on amazon who scribble their thoughts for fun.
That must be what we're talking about here, 'coz I can't imagine a 'real' reviewer whining about 'unnecessary detail'. Yeah, all them words between the front cover and back cover, sheesh, who has time for 'em all?
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post #14 of 18
7/10/02 at 11:04pm
I've skipped entire chapters before... but that was way back when I had to read novels for school and other unimportant reasons. Nowadays im reading stuff i like, and so I read it all.

Ever do that thing where your mind wanders and you're still reading, then like 2 pages later you realize you didn't catch anything you read and have to read it all over again? I do it at like 3 in the morning... after reading for like 4 hours.
Thats when you know to quit for the night....

You all just skipped everything I just said didn't you?
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post #15 of 18
7/11/02 at 8:05am
Quote:
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac:

Ever do that thing where your mind wanders and you're still reading, then like 2 pages later you realize you didn't catch anything you read and have to read it all over again? I do it at like 3 in the morning... after reading for like 4 hours.
Thats when you know to quit for the night....
Yeah, it happens, and it's good in a way because then you reflexively kick into a short-lived state of hyper-awareness where you start actively examining the meanings and implications of every word and turn of phrase. For a moment there you become the best reader you can be. That or fall asleep.
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post #16 of 18
7/11/02 at 11:23am
Quote:
Englebert:
Quote:
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac:

Ever do that thing where your mind wanders and you're still reading, then like 2 pages later you realize you didn't catch anything you read and have to read it all over again? I do it at like 3 in the morning... after reading for like 4 hours.
Thats when you know to quit for the night....
Yeah, it happens, and it's good in a way because then you reflexively kick into a short-lived state of hyper-awareness where you start actively examining the meanings and implications of every word and turn of phrase. For a moment there you become the best reader you can be. That or fall asleep.
Exactly. Sometimes skipping the written word can jumpstart your imagination. You might get sidetracked by analyzing a particularly beautiful sentence and miss the meaning of the next couple paragraphs you read entirely (it's been happening with me lots with Nabokov lately, since the guy writes just beautifully). Of course, this usually means it's worth your time to go back and read those paragraphs, since they might have more phrases like the one that set you off.

There's an excellent essay (or maybe it's a passage in one of his novels?) by Italo Calvino on the different ways of reading. This is one of Italy's greatest authors basically saying "read the way you want to." Among other more typical ways of reading (reading a book multiple times, reading for subtext, reading for surface appreciation of words), it also says if it means reading one sentence of a book, then letting your imagination go, do that.

Of course, Calvino isn't your average fiction writer, either...
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post #17 of 18
7/12/02 at 6:14am
It's really an acid test for good writing, isn't it? Prose that offers various levels of appreciation and encourages personal interpretation. The reader is actively involved with the text rather than sitting back and absorbing a plain flow of data arranged like a connect-the-dots puzzle. To a degree, good writing can encourage the mind to wander, while a lot of bad writing keeps it sitting in one place until boredom sets in.
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post #18 of 18
7/12/02 at 8:46pm
The only reason to skip pieces of books is if you have something due the next day on the material and you are desparate to finish. I feel like I am ripping myself off by not reading it all. I pay good money for books, and I intend to get as much back from them as I can to maximize my investment.
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