Who else likes books?

[JJEH]

I know I do. Books are awesome... you can hold them, you can write notes in them, fold the corner as a bookmark, you can always refer back to it and you can throw them against the wall if you are upset at something

No scrolling, no copy & paste, no freaking lcd screen that makes your head hurt...

An ex coworker always made fun of me, saying "but did you read them all?!" and my answer was always "No!" Simply because I buy faster than I read ( if I see a book I want I'll buy it right there and then, I don't wait until I'm done with all my other books and then go out to purchase another one. Who in the hell does that ) and a lot of them are just reference books, not really meant to be read cover to cover. I even have magazine on the bottom, I always want to throw them away but then I tell myself how much money I spent on them so I keep as many as I can. Before the move I got rid of a lot of car magazines, and many didn't even exist anymore, like Muscle Car Enthusiast. It bothers me.

I've read a bunch of them... but I don't have much time and muse for fiction... why should I waste my time reading about someone else' fantasy... but I guess since I watch TV I'm still guilty to some degree.

Anyway, today the last bookshelf came in (was on backorder) and I assembled it right away of course. It's all together 4 bookshelves. Stuff on the top still needs organizing, pay no attention... we moved in a few weeks ago and we still have boxes around and need to buy furniture. One step at a time...

To give you a perspective on size, it's 11' long and 4' tall.

Not the study/library I wanted but we work with what we have and for the next 10yrs it will have to do. Once the kids are out of high school I know I'll move again!

Other gun related and more expensive books are in the office.

There's plenty more books I want, so maybe at some point down the road we find a house with an old school study, you know.... the kind with ceiling high built-in shelves (maybe even with a ladder), a couch and maybe a small desk. Hey, don't laugh, I can dream about it

Who else likes books?

 

[BillBond]

I read 45-50 books per year.
Most people think that is a waste of time.
But I quit saving them and have only kept a few dozen of my favorites.

 

[delcrossv]

Never could get into Kindle etc. I like paper- hardcover is best as the print is usually bigger.

 

[Kurusu]

"Who else likes books?"

Guilty.

 

[walkin jack]

My 4th grade teacher would always read to us after lunch on Fridays if we had behaved all week. She is the reason I am such an avid reader. I read mostly fiction but I also like biographies and some other nonfiction.

With books you can be anyone. You can go anywhere, you can do anything. Unlike a move you can consume it at your own pace. Go back and re check something just take your time.

And I'm with Delacrossy. I gotta turn that page.

 

[mckenney99]

I read constantly and am always working my way through another book. I have some memory issues so I read most books over and over and enjoy them just the same. I enjoy military history, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. I also enjoy mixing in some action/fiction. I find it interesting that while I do sample different writers, some familiar authors are just easier for me to read. Maybe it's a writing style thing that helps to maintain my interests. My favorite fiction writer has to be John Grisham and for just plain old relaxing laughs I pull out my collection of Patrick McManus.

 

[Gunslinger808]

Yup, I have at least 3000 paperbacks alone.

 

[kraynky]

I wish I knew how many books I've read over the years. Many of them 2-3 or 4 tmes. It's about time I read The Stand again I'm thinking. I hate to get rid of them and loaning one out is the same as..........

I got started reading when I was maybe 12 or so and a friend loaned me (he got it back) Louie L'Amour's The First Fast Draw. I was hooked, in fact I got the book for myself, along with most of his other books.

Movies on books I've read are always disappointing, the mind can make a movie on it's own when reading, and nothing else comes close.

 

[Smoke]

I've been a reader my entire life. I don't connect to Ebooks the way I connect to real books. I have a 1978 Ballantine copy of The Hobbit that I stole from my 10th grade English class. I have the Ballantine set of LoTR that I bought in a used bookstore in Los Angels in 1980. I have a copy of The Hunt For Red October that I got from a book exchange at Barr Camp halfway up Pikes Peak. I have a copy of Team Yankee that I found in a POL dump in the Grafenwohr training area during an FTX in 1988. I also have several books that I bought in The Stars and Stripes bookstore on Peden Barracks (neither the store nor the post still exist). I don't have those memories from an Ebook.

When I was a kid the school I went to had a thing called The Scholastic Book Club. The books that they sold were good Young Adult reading. I found out a few years back that those same books are available on EBay and I started collecting them, again the books connect to good memories.

When I was in sixth grade I had a copy of The Great Houdini by Beryl Williams and Samuel Epstien that I bought from SBC. I was sitting in class one day. I had completed my assignment and I had nothing else to do. So I pulled out my book and started to read. The teacher didn't say a word. He got up from his desk, snatched the book out of my hand and threw it in the trash (if that man became a teacher because he wanted to have an impact on young minds he succeeded. Just maybe not the way he had in mind).

Anyway, I was never able to find another copy of that book. Then three years ago I walked into my local ARC and there it was, in PRISTINE condition for 1 dollar. It actually turned out to be a fairly accurate and well written biography, written less than 20 years after his death.

ETA: I work nights in an empty warehouse. As long as I make my rounds once an hour the rest of the night is mine. About two years ago I decided to put the dead time to use and started bringing a book with me. I'm all alone in an empty, quiet building for 8 hours with almost zero distractions, it's perfect for reading.

 

[Jon651]

Books can certainly be an addiction and a passion, but frankly I had to give into the lure of a Kindle Paperwhite and Amazon's Kindle Unlimited service. I take my Kindle wherever I go and have a few hundred choices on it at any given time. Many books I've gleaned from online, but the Unlimited service is more like a glorified library than actually owning a book (you can only have up to 10 downloaded at any given time). However, I get to read new releases from many of my favorite authors the day they come out. And speaking of libraries, our county library system is also online so I can browse their online collection as well (although they still have strict time limits and only so many of each title available).

With a Kindle I don't need a light on to read (so I won't disturb my wife if she is asleep), and the newer ones are waterproof so reading in the hot tub is possible as well. I can change the brightness, the size of the typesetting, and even the style of the font to make it more comfortable to read. It uses the same charger as my phone so I don't need to carry around an extra and the charge lasts for weeks at a time. I can also use my phone and the Kindle app to pick up exactly where I left off if I don't have my reader with me. I probably read at least two hours a day and sometimes more.

Sure, a Kindle is not as traditional as a "real" book but I figure it's the stories that matter. I will readily admit, however, that Amazon has not made online managing a Kindle and the books on it easy. Things are hard to find and even harder to get back to on their web site. If they want to appeal to an older generation that still actually reads they've got a lot of work to do on that front.

Just my two cents worth...

 

[mtgianni]

I only keep books I want to reread or reference. I have a ton of fiction I regularly revisit a few pages of and a lot that has just passed through. Lately I have been going through a lot of audio books from the library.

 

[DeathGrip]

I've got too many books. I have even more magazines.

This picture is one bedroom closet. If you look you can see numbers, the one in the middle marked #0 51-56 is the oldest and they are all Hot Rod magazines from my father and me up until about six years ago when he passed. I had been keeping the collection going for years as Christmas subscriptions along with Street Rod and a couple of others. I got to do something with them.

Most all of my hard cover books are in Rubber Maid containers taking up space also.

 

[Whit]

Can’t remember when I didn’t read. I used to frequent a used book store run by a crusty old lady who could come up with the most amazing out of print books to grace her shelves. She once said if she didn’t have anything else to read she would read the cereal box while eating breakfast. I can relate.

Books autographed by the author or the individual about whom the book is written always call my name. Having a small collection of autographed books gives me pleasure. One of my favorites was written by a long time friend and personally inscribed. He spent much time researching and writing a book on the B-47.

Like most have stated, having a book in hand is ideal. However as age creeps up, other forms of reading are becoming necessary and pleasurable. Ebooks enable me to adjust the size of the font, making it easier for an old guy who is blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other to continue reading visually. Audio books allow me to listen to tomes while riding my bicycle for exercise every morning.

In years past my reading habits tended toward non fiction, especially U.S. history, Texas history, any U.S. military conflicts and biographies. As time has gone by I’ve come to appreciate good fiction as well. Reading is never a waste of time, but rather an activity to stimulate the mind and hopefully keep the old brain functioning at a high level. Some would say my old thinker has never functioned at a high level!

I guess my reading addiction is contagious or reading is hereditary. Our daughter is also an avid reader and in fact is a librarian. Our son did not get quite the same love of reading, however as he gets older he too is gaining a new appreciation of the written word.

Losing oneself in a good book is a wonderful activity. Owning books is a privilege many in the world would love to experience. We are blessed to be able to freely own and read the works of wonderfully talented authors.

 

[max]

As someone else said, I have been a reader my entire life. When friends were out playing ball, I was huddled in the small town library. I read mostly biographies of the Founding Fathers, explorers, military leaders and such. That and a very good HS teacher is what made me a history major.

I read Sherlock, James Bond, Travis McGee, Matt Helm, Mickey Spillane, Clancy and related treasures. My favorite book is Centennial by Michener.

I still read a lot, but not many books. I read lots of stuff here and on other forums and I subscribe to 2 papers and get 4 gun magazines still. I have every Gun Digest going back to 1944 and my wife gives me a new one every Christmas. The last book I read was Mecum's book on Thomas Jefferson. Probably the biggest book I ever read.

I didn't play much ball with my friends because I couldn't see the ball. I wish I could have played with the eyes I have now. My library card number was 499.

 

[Walter Rego]

My library looked about like JJEH's. I had 20 years in the same home to accumulate it. Last year when I moved I decided that I really needed to take a hard look at it and downsize. I gave away a lot of books and others, I put on ebay. Several books that I bought for $50-$65 ended up selling for several hundred dollars each. About a dozen others I probably lost money.
I am now down to about 22 linear feet total of bookshelves and it is more manageable.

 

[JJEH]

Books can certainly be an addiction and a passion, but frankly I had to give into the lure of a Kindle Paperwhite and Amazon's Kindle Unlimited service. I take my Kindle wherever I go and have a few hundred choices on it at any given time.

I see people reading while riding public transportation or as a passenger in a personal car. Or when they wait in a waiting room somewhere... I can't do that. I need to look around and see what's going on (not paranoia), just need an overlook on the dynamics... you know. So I really just read on a couch or in bed at home.

The one fiction I really liked was the book Dead Simple by Jon Land. I was a young soldier, laying in a hospital after surgery (m/c accident) and one of his main characters, Blaine McCracken just spoke to me. I kind of wanted to be like him...

Jon Land - Wikipedia

Dead Simple book by Jon Land

 

[Puller]

I am an avid reader and a partner in a business with employees. I can usually tell when conducting job interviews who are readers and who are TV watchers. Some do both, but it's also easy to tell who are just TV watchers. I prefer to hire readers.

 

[Rpg]

In 1985, I emptied a 20x20 storage unit that contained all my undergrad, grad and law school books as well as all the other books I’d accumulated since about 1969. The storage unit was packed to the ceiling with bankers boxes full of books.

As I went through them, I retrieved about 3 boxes of well sorted books. I kept those I’d referenced in the previous two years as well as the old favorites.

I’ve not acquired books at that rate in the subsequent years and tend to throw away virtually all paperbacks.

Since then, my public library card has gotten a huge workout. I do a lot of interlibrary loans. My librarians get a kick out of hunting down things I’d like (as well as books I’ve asked for). Most weeks, I’m picking up and returning books.

I do still buy a few books each month, but keep only a fraction of them.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Don't do as much recreational reading nowadays, but I've always been an avid reader. Books (and CDs) made up the bulk of my personal belongings. Always read as a kid. Used to go to the book sales in elementary school with my parents and would typically walk out of there with a half-dozen books or so. Read them all. Attended fundraising book sales at the public library. Spent my free time hanging out at bookstores, big chains and independents. Have some books I bought but haven't read yet. I've also spent a few years working in libraries and seriously thought about getting a MLS and doing it full-time.

However, after moving last year, I've decided to get ebooks when possible. Ended up having to get rid of several books, plus the time and effort of moving and storing what I was able to keep. As much as I love the experience of holding a book in my hands and turning paper pages, I can't deny the convenience of ebooks.

 

[Delta Expatriate]

My mother encouraged reading so I grew up reading - by the 3rd grade I was reading books, and that has continued throughout my life. I had a lot of curiosity, and was accused by friends in High School of reading the World Book Encyclopedia from cover to cover. While I never sat down to do so, I had probably read most of it just from curiosity about particular subjects.

My house is overrun with books. I have not read all of them, but I intend to - well, at least most of them. Whether I get around to doing so remains to be seen. After all, I have been intending to read some of them for years.

When I was younger, I read some fiction. I read all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. I particularly liked historical fiction, and enjoyed books written by James Mitchner and Leon Uris (I read "Hawaii" and "Exodus" while in High School). I have also read a lot of WWII history, and currently have been reading Civil War history. Biography is also a favorite. I finished another biography of Churchill earlier this year, and have finished two books on the Vicksburg campaign. Right now I am finishing up a book on Grierson's Raid. When I finish it, I have yet another book on the Vicksburg campaign (Winston Groom's "Vicksburg 1863") to read. I also read (browse may be a better word) books on the history of the Christian Faith and theology. I would like to read and study them more. I often feel like I wasted my college education when I did not major in history and/or some other fields in the liberal arts.

I too prefer real books over a Kindle or other electronic reader. But I can see where electronic readers have a place, as well as some advantages. Books can take up a lot of space and be problematic when moving, and a Kindle could eliminate much of the problem. But when you have an actual physical book you can sell or give it away, or even bequeath it (particularly if it has been meaningful). Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think with an Electronic reader all you have is a license to read the downloaded book. Is there some way to legally transfer it?