what made you read a book?

[ricin]

Before, i'm not that fond of reading books and i feel irritated flipping the pages chapter by chapter and the cutted scenes. But when I went to college last June 16, 2008 and stayed in a dormitory without television and other stuffs(only my laptop and cellphone) that will entertain me, i went to National Bookstore here in Recto and i found out those sale books scattered on the tables like ukay-ukay, hehehe, i try to search for something and stare at the books holding by other customers until one book caught my attention, the "Easier Than You Think, Because Life Doesn't Need To Be So Hard" by Richard Carlson Ph. D, i searched for other copies and i find one and bought it for 100 Pesos. When I came home, i start reading the book and I finished it for 3 hours, it really enlightened me and that pushed me to search for other books by Richard Carlson. I went to bookstores thrice a week to search for his books and suddenly, i heard a guy who is asking for novels by James Patterson, i'm very gossip, hahaha. I become curious about his books so I search it and I found my first book of him, the "Violets are Blue" and i become hooked with his novels and focused more on collecting all of it. As of now, i have 35 novels of James Patterson(I haven't read the others yet. Another author that caught my attention wa John Grisham. At first, my roommates teased me that reading books are for gays and girls only, how fool and ignorant they are i said to my mind. haha

I tried reading romance books and got boring and feel so gay(except the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. haha) on that so I put down the "Nights in Rodanthe" by Nicholas Sparks, my first romance book ever, and I focused more on thriller/ mystery genre.

And now, I'll try to read the Bestselling Book of All Times, the Harry Potter Series, to know the reason why more people are hooked on that book, I have the first six books (the ones in a Collector's Edition box) and just bought it last Wednesday, April 15,2009.

That started my passion of reading books as well as collecting. I regret by missing those good books before and now, i striving hard to find those books I want which was now rare to find, how sad. I am sacrificing my allowance and I have lot of debts on my credit card to buy those books. haha. All i can say is:

"Reading keeps ignorance away."

Reading Rocks!!!

[zero12]

Because of Dr. Kathy Reichs. Masterpiece!

[Lyds]

i just love to read.

[freelancer07]

naimpluwensyahan ng mga kaklase noong high school.

[belledandy mae]

when i was about 12 i was so angry with my aunt for nagging me about something (can't remember what about) and she was quite against about reading pocketbooks you know those romance novels with sex scenes so i took 1 from my sis and read it sat on the sofa where she was sitting as well. so technically i did it out of rebellion found out i liked it and went on.

[wonder_chaser]

my father encouraged me to read books. nung bata ako, dala siya ng dala ng libro. mga textbooks ng mga estudyante niya, teacher kasi siya. ayun hanggang ngayon, di ko siya matigilan. dapat sa araw-araw, may binabasa ako

[purple_oz]

my father encouraged me to read books. nung bata ako, dala siya ng dala ng libro. mga textbooks ng mga estudyante niya, teacher kasi siya. ayun hanggang ngayon, di ko siya matigilan. dapat sa araw-araw, may binabasa ako

Ako rin dad ko nag influence sakin. Nung bata ako binigyan pa nya ako ng Grimm's Fairy tales. Yung original copy with the old school images that look a bit creepy and disturbing. Sayang nawala ko na yung book na yun.

Di rin ako pwedeng walang binabasa. If i have about 1 or 2 unread books waiting to be read, I have to get new ones para dumami yung nakapending sakin.

[yeomyung!]

I was born to read..

[letran_j]

if it is a sidney sheldon masterpiece i will definitely read it!
sayang patay na sya!

[yeomyung!]

if it is a sidney sheldon masterpiece i will definitely read it!
sayang patay na sya!

hey I love "The Sands of Time"

[letran_j]

hey I love "The Sands of Time"

ive read all of his books! dang kahinayang talaga namatay na sya!

[rain29]

grade 4 pa lang ako medyo like ko na magread ng books. nagstart kay mareng nancy drew . gusto ko nga icollect books nya.

[sunpower]

This is my post to another thread (The Pinoy Chemical Exchange) under The Academe. I realized, it's worth sharing it in here too. This thread was the reason why I posted on another thread, in the first place. Haha.

This is a bit of a diversion to the conversation trends here.
I just browsed a forum under Arts & Literature about what inspires you to read books. I notice most of the respondents there are fond of reading novels and series (like Harry Potter's); some like inspirational and self-help books; very few like history and related topics. NONE, so far, have shared their passion for scientific journals nor academic books on sciences.
Their reasons (for the love of reading) are:
-being encouraged by their Dad
-academic activity (english subjects)
-boredom and to get the feeling of being intellectual

One said-- they don't have TV and electricity...

I also would like to reply but now I opt to open the matter in this thread (The Pinoy Chemical Exchange). I would like to share this soon-to-be-habit of reading chemistry related scriptures. I don't know if it started from just plain desire for knowledge (or fascination on sciences) why I'm gonna embark on such pursuit or maybe due to several reason (or hybrid of them) below:
*I wanted to be a part-time tutor in the future
*My awaited plan of taking graduate studies
*Plain interest in Chemistry (especially after the long review for the board exams, I eventually love chemistry)
or:
*Environment here.
-->I'm currently in Singapore, looking for a job. The environment here is very encouraging for those who like to read. There are public libraries everywhere. Many people here make library as their "tambayan." I'm seeing children getting many books and letting their parents borrow/carry them from library to home.
-->Somehow, I'm feeling lonely here and things that entertain me here (aside from internet browsing) are swimming and library.

So right now, I'm reading an Organic Chem Reviewer (without really thinking that I'll get something from it; it's just this enthusiasm in realizing that I understand/easily pick up what I read from the book...being a former science graduate).
Organic Chem is one of my waterloos during undergrad. I have least interest towards the subject that's why I didn't develop a good background on it (especially on the topic of Spectroscopy-where I failed). However, right now, I'm looking forward to finish each chapter every week and I'm glad that I finally realize what my organic chem professor is telling us: "Studying OrgChem isn't rote memorization of reactions...understand and master the mechanism".
Reading also minimizes my emotional fluctuations I'm currently experiencing due to struggles of jobhunting.
...
...
...

[boga_at_bato]

When I was 10 years old, our class was assigned to read one pocketbook per quarter (4 books all in all). However, at that time, I despise reading, especially to-what-I-claim thick books such as Hardy Boys which I don't remember one it's stories. The only book I quite grasp the idea is "The Legends of Droon" because it's an easy read. After all, it's a children's book. But that doesn't made me an enthusiastic reader. I still despise reading until when I was in third year high school.

Ok, here goes. At that time, I was not - in some way - good in communications classes (English and Filipino) and I felt I was left behind in class in terms of proficiency so I tried a book. I bought "The Alchemist" of Paulo Coelho and I easily comprehend due to its simplicity. From then on, I was gradually becoming a sucker to books. During my senior year in HS, our English teacher who soon became our thesis adviser during the latter part of the school year. We had to choose a book and make a thesis about it (tackling topics such as authorship, moral, social, psychological, et cetera issues). Our group (us three) chose the unabridged version of the book "Pride and Prejudice". Because it is a classic and a hard read, I found it really hard to understand. That challenged me to read books such as this. At the end, what do you know, our group was able to make an excellent thesis and I was really proud of it (I'm the leader). From then on, I appreciated reading books, especially the classics, because most of life's lessons can actually be found in them.

[blissful8]

got the love of reading from my parents. when we were young, we were encouraged to read rather than watch tv.

[Uber Doog]

Three things got me started reading.
1) Both my parents were readers. Sunday morning found the both of them perusing through Sunday papers, reading novels, or enjoying the latest Time or Life Magazine or Reader's Digest.

2) My English was good but my Tagalog was merely passable. I couldn't find anyone among my neighborhood playmates who I could have a good conversation in English with. Besides, I knew I'd only get teased for speaking English.

3) I was a sickly child, often confined to the coolest part of the house, where I lay down right beside the library shelves. It's hard not to read when books are staring you in the face. The moment I discovered that I could understand what was in the books, well, I was off!

[weetzie_bat]

Before, i'm not that fond of reading books and i feel irritated flipping the pages chapter by chapter and the cutted scenes. But when I went to college last June 16, 2008 and stayed in a dormitory without television and other stuffs(only my laptop and cellphone) that will entertain me, i went to National Bookstore here in Recto and i found out those sale books scattered on the tables like ukay-ukay, hehehe, i try to search for something and stare at the books holding by other customers until one book caught my attention, the "Easier Than You Think, Because Life Doesn't Need To Be So Hard" by Richard Carlson Ph. D, i searched for other copies and i find one and bought it for 100 Pesos. When I came home, i start reading the book and I finished it for 3 hours, it really enlightened me and that pushed me to search for other books by Richard Carlson. I went to bookstores thrice a week to search for his books and suddenly, i heard a guy who is asking for novels by James Patterson, i'm very gossip, hahaha. I become curious about his books so I search it and I found my first book of him, the "Violets are Blue" and i become hooked with his novels and focused more on collecting all of it. As of now, i have 35 novels of James Patterson(I haven't read the others yet. Another author that caught my attention wa John Grisham. At first, my roommates teased me that reading books are for gays and girls only, how fool and ignorant they are i said to my mind. haha

I tried reading romance books and got boring and feel so gay(except the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. haha) on that so I put down the "Nights in Rodanthe" by Nicholas Sparks, my first romance book ever, and I focused more on thriller/ mystery genre.

And now, I'll try to read the Bestselling Book of All Times, the Harry Potter Series, to know the reason why more people are hooked on that book, I have the first six books (the ones in a Collector's Edition box) and just bought it last Wednesday, April 15,2009.

That started my passion of reading books as well as collecting. I regret by missing those good books before and now, i striving hard to find those books I want which was now rare to find, how sad. I am sacrificing my allowance and I have lot of debts on my credit card to buy those books. haha. All i can say is:

"Reading keeps ignorance away."

Reading Rocks!!!

nakarelate ako sa kwento mo!
ayoko rin ng masyadong love story,

kung may mga books ka pang nabasa, post ka lang ng reviews

kung gusto mo ng book na pang guys talaga, try mo 'to:
firmin
by sam savage

^ akala ko nung una medyo pambata pero kabaligtaran pala

[LimpBwiZit]

walang kuryente sa amin nung bata ako. wala kami TV or computer games, pero napakaraming libro kasi madaming turista nagagawi sa amin and iniiwan lang nila mga libro nila pag alis. we filled 2 shelves of second-hand books.

i even learned foreign languages just so i could read some of them.

[cyberfunk]

I grew up in the province too and been into public schools till college. I remember when I was young which was a very long time ago every time someone sees you reading a book iniisip nila you're studying and your studious and probably doing good at school. Which I am not. I was doing very poor at school since elementary and that was pretty bad since it's public school standards is what I am talking about here. I do read a lot and problem is I never read textbooks. I never take note on my notebooks. I just read what I want to read.. I was an outsider. The kid who reads but never learned. Ganun ang stigma sa lugar at panahon namin nun. Kaya yung mga kabataan hindi nag babasa to enjoy the experience kase nakabaon sa isip nila is reading is studying. Kaya after school or vacation they don't read because books belongs with the school season. I consider myself a molested child since the very first book that I read from cover to cover was a short story entitled Behind the Green Door by Anonymous. I was ten and I have no idea what it was a pornographic material since it was a book with no pictures. Pornographic as it is I was moved or rather aroused and found out that reading can be other things than studying.

[nozmail]

"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them."
- Joseph Brodsky

books