Reading

Reading

How many books do you read in a year?

This was the question everyone checked in order to determine whether he/she has read enough. Reading, unlike hands-on activity, boosts our knowledge (more to say information) while its counterpart actively engage the information read into experience.

Today, we do not really have to read 100 books. There are a lot of articles circulated around the internet, which are worth reading. Reading article is a faster way to gain specific information. While I admit most articles written weren't organized as well as a book, articles come in handy through several methods, like RSS. A book may only focus on a field, but if we read articles, we can have enough time to read several topics in a short time.

As an undergraduate, I always try to ask my peers this question: How much do you read? I'm not a keen reader. I don't have fixed 8-9pm reading time for myself. I grab a book whenever I have free time (gaming time, dating time, and sleeping time are not free time). Like last night, I knew I will go to the restaurant with my family. I knew the waiting time for the dishes to be served is long. So I brought a book along and read. There are books which I flipped the page and put it on the bookshelf. There are also books which I constantly read, say, 5-6 times (Simply because these books give me new insight to my life or a specific matter every time I read them).

A person new to reading would ask, what books should I read so that it will be worth reading? You can always go to the popular/must-read section in a bookstore to find out what books are hot and sexy. To me, there are good books and bad books. Good books are mind provoking (can be due to the good points the writer wrote, or the bad points that I think is worth correcting). Bad books, to me, are simply repeating what other books written. I do agree with some writers that new readers do not need to choose what they read. They can grab anything on the shelf and start reading. Like anything else, it is when we have more experience in reading, we can identify which books suit our reading taste and which are not.

And besides, some books are good not because they are good from page one. But the fact that the writers wrote one or a few points worth reading, which makes the whole book worth reading. A book always have a key idea (concept), eg. The Black Swan is discussing randomness in success, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is discussing... well, kids better don't read it. Sometimes their concepts are nothing new, but their examples given are fresh. Like you read a book about how to be happy. Let's say if most writers say in order to be happy, you must smile everyday. But this particular writer says you don't have to smile, instead you can be sad, and your sadness can lead you to happiness through 101 steps of psychological processes (NOW that is different). You can say, crap, it's just like those pig soup for souls books. But hey, on the 77 steps, it says happiness can be achieved when you listen to a very specific music, which can stimulate your body's hormone which makes people happy. Now, this information is worth pondering!

Well, I know many people do not have reading habit. Spending Rm40 or 50 on a book is a waste of money. I've heard one too many reasons for not reading (procrastinating is the champion!). And since our teachers, parents, governments, and even ipad ebook ads telling us to read more, I believe we have gone through the boring "benefits of reading" propaganda. I do not need a reason to read, just like I do not need a reason to live. I live because I want to. I read because I want to. Reading has been a part of coercion in my early life (forced to read, or else), and develops into reward (I read to score in exams), and then becomes habit (reading basketball related magazines and articles), and finally it becomes part of me. Just like a lover when it comes to intimacy, but not like a lover. A lover can get jealous if you attract other lovers. A book won't. That's the beauty of it.

So, how many of books have you read?