# Do you look things up while reading? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070 "2024-01-14T14:04:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/1 "2024-01-14T14:04:16Z")
I do. Whether I’m reading fic or non, I often pick up my laptop to check out something referenced in my book. Maybe a photo of a person mentioned. Or maybe if they refer to a food, plant, historical event, or just a word I’m not familiar with. Today, I just started a novel - The Golden State, Lydia Kiesling - and it described driving from San Francisco up I5 to the high desert. I pulled up a map to let me know if the setting was a real place or, if not, at least approximately where it is. I didn’t used to do this, but seem to have started over the last year or 2. Any of you do the same? (It is currently -15F here near Chicago. I’ll likely be doing quite a bit of reading today!) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/2 "2024-01-14T14:06:05Z")
I do this while reading and watching movies. I recently watched a series set in Tasmania and had to stop every 5 minutes to look up a slang term. It was worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/3 "2024-01-14T14:08:43Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > (It is currently -15F here near Chicago. I’ll likely be doing quite a bit of reading today!) It is currently 81F here in St Martin, with a lovely sea breeze. Reading Rum Punch (which became Jackie Brown) on the beach, a tradition the last ten years). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/4 "2024-01-14T14:11:52Z")
The same book every year? How long you there for? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/5 "2024-01-14T14:41:41Z")
I do the same thing. While reading fiction, if a place is mentioned that sounds like it might be a real place, I often look it up to see if it does exist, like the OP. I look up unfamiliar words I come across. A great feature of the Kindle is its built-in dictionary, so I can just tap on a word to instantly get its definition. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/6 "2024-01-14T14:45:32Z")
I do this all the time while watching things myself, got to in order to keep up with these modern times. I also often google things when I’m reading here. After all, this is the place where I first learned that Google is my friend. ---
**Author:** ![TheZenPaperboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheZenPaperboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheZenPaperboy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/7 "2024-01-14T14:52:45Z")
When reading non-fiction on Kindle, I will stop and see if a book that is mentioned on the same or related subject is available on Kindle. I have found doing this to be a good source of new books that I want to read. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/8 "2024-01-14T15:08:02Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > It is currently -15F here near Chicago Had to check that, of course. My browser says it is -22°C, but only -8°F at 8AM. So, short answer: Yes, I do that all the time and it has lead me to many a deep rabbit hole. Wikipedia in particular can lead me to unexpected links which in turn… ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/9 "2024-01-14T15:09:42Z")
I mainly read on the Kindle app on my computer these days and often pull up maps or Wikipedia to go check things out. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/10 "2024-01-14T15:20:38Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Had to check that, of course. My browser says it is -22°C, but only -8°F at 8AM. [Wunderground.com](http://Wunderground.com) showing -10F at my location at the moment. But I’m not gonna quibble. Suffice it to say it’s “damn cold!” Don’t envy the dog having to go outside to piss and shit today… ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/11 "2024-01-14T15:23:41Z")
Frequently. Most often to check whether a place or person is real or fictional. Or sometimes in an SF book where I get the niggle: hang on, that doesn’t seem right, let’s check the math. Can lead to some interesting sidelines. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/12 "2024-01-14T15:24:33Z")
This is one big advantage of Kindle books for me, although I don’t like the way they do the dictionary now. I’m often reading my Kindle with my phone nearby to look things up. This is one reason I find it hard to warm to audiobooks. When I _see_ an unfamiliar word, I can look it up immediately. If I just _hear_ it, it’s a lot harder. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/13 "2024-01-14T16:00:43Z")
Definitely when reading e-books. It may be a word or phrase that’s unfamiliar, or a location I wonder about, or a person I’d like to know more about. Not so much with dead tree books. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/14 "2024-01-14T16:15:24Z")
I read a lot of nonfiction about the history of popular music. My iPad with the YouTube app cued up to the search bar is always close at hand. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/15 "2024-01-14T16:17:35Z")
Particularly when I do my every-few-years re-read of Tolkien, I look up names and events in a companion guide book, as there’s an awful lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/16 "2024-01-14T16:42:52Z")
I have such mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I like the author building a world, and I tell myself it shouldn’t matter if the thing is real or not. On the other hand, I do it all the time. 🤷‍♂️ Especially if it’s some odd event I’ve never heard of, or some old building or person I’d like to see a picture of. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/17 "2024-01-14T16:55:00Z")
I really enjoy the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser - and they are biult around real historical events, so I regularly look up stuff like: - James Brooke (Raja of Sarawak) - charge of the Light Brigade - Custer’s last stand [Flashman (novel) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashman_(novel)) ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/18 "2024-01-14T17:01:47Z")
Definitely and quite often. It’s so easy with a finger tip to highlight a word or phrase and use search the web for additional information. Wiki is fine but I usually pass over it in favor of other sources. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/19 "2024-01-14T17:03:51Z")
Since I do about 80-90% of my reading on a cell enabled tablet or bedside kindle, yup! Especially when I’m reading alt-history books or harder science fiction and want to get a better understanding of where the line got blurred. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070/20 "2024-01-14T17:04:10Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > When I _see_ an unfamiliar word, I can look it up immediately. If I just _hear_ it, it’s a lot harder. This is what I was going to say as well. I do most of my ‘reading’ these days via audiobooks, especially when I’m on my daily walk. l will hear a word, or place, or phrase, or name, and say to myself “You need to look that up when you get back home.” Invariably, I either forget to look it up, or forget what I was going to look up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-look-things-up-while-reading/996070.md?page=2)