I have an allergy to reading. Unless it is in the workplace, where I have no choice, I read as little as possible. I read the news casually and like to read articles that catch my interest (occasionally). But I have this resistance to taking a book, hunkering down, and spending a solid hour with it. Even if the topic is of interest or of great importance to me. It does not matter what format it is: physical book or Kindle or whatever.
Sometimes I dream of a future where knowledge can be downloaded into the brain and we can say goodbye to books forever.
I was not like this always, and it’s a pity I am evolving this way. All this started a few years ago. My doctor assures me it is not ADHD.
I can force myself, but what I wish to do is overcome that resistance and feel comfortable snuggling down with a fat book, and keep my mind focused on what I am reading.
Any ideas and suggestions are welcome and highly appreciated!
Don’t pick up ‘War and Peace’. Start by setting a goal. Read 2 pages a day and increase to 3 a day, so on and so on.
May be you’ll get interested in the book and finish it. Then pick another book and do it again.
There are ebooks of short short stories and flash fiction out there. Why not try one of them. You can finish a story in one bite as it were, and go on from there to longer things.
Ask yourself if you enjoy any other sort of media, and how and why? Film or TV, and if so, what sort - drama, comedy, mystery, documentaries? Video games that involve you, and in what sort of world?
You could move from that to similar content in print formats: they do say the pictures can be better in your own mind. It may be that you’ve just got out of the habit, in which case taking it gradually would be a good idea. And perhaps, so would rationing the way you let social media grab your attention.
I hated reading as a child, and only did the minimum necessary. I guess I just was not a patient kid. In my late twenties a coworker lent me a fat historical fiction book. I discovered that I like that genre, and history in general, and so have always had a book to read since then. I was like you and never thought I’d be turning pages and devouring books. I regret not picking up the habit earlier.
I think the trick is to find something you like, that will keep you engaged. If you start a book and it’s not catching on with you, put it down and try something else. Think about topics of interest to you and go from there. You may find author you enjoy and can seek out their works, as I did.
A side benefit of reading more is your vocabulary expands and you become a better writer (e.g. at work).
Audiobooks. You can listen intently, or it can just be background noise, or anywhere in between. Good for long drives, or other such-type situations.
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I was never a big reader growing up. But in my late 20s when I lived alone and had more time I started reading for a few years. Later after getting married and starting a family I kind of gave it up.
I really don’t feel like I’m missing all that much.
I read a lot as a kid but I don’t read hardly at all as an adult. It could be a function of living alone - I don’t need more silence, I need more TV.
I do read magazines, though. To be honest it could be because there’s pictures. And the stories are obviously shorter, and more current. Maybe you could start there?
I think I suffer from a similar problem, and my reason is ADHD. I will eventually get through a book, but I take it in small 5-minute bites at a time, because I get easily distracted and bored.
If this issue is hindering you in some kind of meaningful way (say it’s part of your work day or you’re going to college) then worry about it. If not, don’t. Just because it’s an admirable trait doesn’t mean you’re lacking for lacking it.
But barring that, what works for me is a little caffeine, a snack, and in the worst case of scenarios, something to fidget with. If I need to study I turn on the tv or some music. I need an active distraction to force me to spend lengthy amounts of time reading.
I second both short story anthologies and audio books. Some short stories are only eight or ten pages long (or even fewer) and are easily readable while eating breakfast or during a work break.
A lot of anthologies feature stories by many writers. If someone’s style doesn’t grab you, you can always go on to the next story. You might even like one so much that you’ll want to seek out more by that author.
I like listening to audio books when I’m working on a hobby or playing a video game in which I don’t want to have the game’s sound on. (I just don’t like video game sounds for some reason.) Listening to a book while keeping my hands busy seems to stimulate parts of my brain that reading doesn’t, or maybe stimulates the same parts more intensely. I feel more absorbed in the narrative and the images they create in my mind.
A little tip: Many audio books allow you to adjust the speed in which the reader talks. That’s a nice feature since even an otherwise interesting book can be tedious if the reader speaks too slowly.
Most libraries now have digital and audio books online. That’s always nice because–free books! Or at least, free reading and listening! If you don’t like one, away it goes and it’s onto the next one.
I think the following question must be emphasized here:
Why do you want to develop a reading habit?
Do you believe that reading is a superior form of entertainment? Do you believe that reading provides health/mental benefits? Do you believe that people who read are most interesting/fun to be around than people who don’t?
If someone were to ask “How do I overcome resistance and develop a woodworking habit?” … I’d be wondering why this person is trying to force themselves to develop a hobby that they clearly don’t enjoy (thus far).
I need distractions too to get boring things accomplished; I am just too fidgety otherwise. The thing is these don’t work when I am trying to read. I just don’t have the mental stamina. It hinders me very much; my career is going nowhere for one.
My doctor assured me it is not ADHD, despite my lack of attention and my general fidgety-ness.
First think of something that generally interests you, like movies.
Here are some basic suggestions:
Horror and Mystery: “The Devil In The White City” (about H.H. Holmes)
SciFi:
“1984” (George Orwell) “Brave New World” (Aldous Huxley) or Absolutely anything by Phillip K. Dick like “A Scanner Darkly” or “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep”
Dark Comedy: Kurt Vonnegut titles (a little cliche but they are pretty entertaining)
Classics: Find a compilation of Mark Twain novels, pretty light hearted stuff for the most part, lots of tongue in cheek humor.
Poetry: “Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe (I believe pseudonym for shakespeare) or “Paradise Lost” by John Milton
Space/Physics: “True UFO Accounts” by FATE magazine, “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene
War: “Eight Lives Down” by Chris Hunter (perspective on the Iraq war from a Brit)
Flannery O’Connor has some good stuff in the realm of “Southern Gothic” genre, its actually pretty endearing.
If you want to learn some stuff and read page by page, check out the"The Intellectual Devotional". They have books on many different subjects.
I hope that is of some help, those are some pretty entertaining titles. Reading is the best escape.
Edit: For another semi recent true story, read “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini… it was a best seller like a decade ago, but is still worth a read, great story although some parts may sicken you.
Also try graphic novels, I.e., comic books. There are ones now on most topics in non fiction, let alone wonderful fiction. I love **The Cartoon History of the Universe ** by Larry Gonick and it is rich with great information and insight.
I am a victim of an evolving culture. The tendency for most information to be boiled down to frenetic soundbites was something I initially railed against, but now it’s so embedded in every form of media I now think of older entertainment as ploddingly slow and am anxious that they get to the point. It has changed me.
And that has affected my patience for books too. I used to read voraciously, but the Internet is so easily more accessible now, as it is packaged in that same easily consumable way, while novels are not. I just don’t have any patience anymore.
I read a lot when I was young, had better things to do in middle age, and then went back to reading as I grew older. These things change as your interests and energies change.
It’s better to follow your interests then to force them. If you don’t want to read, then don’t. Spend your time doing things that you are more enthusiastic about.
If your job requires reading and you can’t make yourself do it, then you have to question whether you have a job that really interests you. If it doesn’t, then welcome to the real world. My job involves reading some stuff I really want to understand coupled with a shitload of tedious reading about boring stuff that other people expect me to understand. That’s why it’s called a job and not a hobby.
As for the ADHD diagnosis, I suspect your doctor is right. I know a guy who has genuine ADHD. He can’t read anything longer than a traffic sign, doesn’t watch TV, and can’t sit through any movie more complicated than Transformers. If you can read and post on this site, then you probably don’t have clinical ADHD.
I find this is true for me - with depression if I can read it’s something I’ve read before or it’s really easy.
also, like GuanoLad, I think I have a shorter attention span in general thanks to hanging out on the internet.
to the OP - it bothers you enough to start a thread on it, I hope you can make a change.
my PBS station is having a pledge drive and yesterday morning I caught most of “Brain Secrets” - guess what? #1 is your brain is changing every day because of what you do.
take care of yourself (sleep, exercise, good food) and then *challenge yourself. *
now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to reading Apollo 8.
Something I struggled with for a very long time is this: just because you start a book or a story doesn’t mean that you have to finish it. I read way too many bad books before I figured that out.
I agree with audio books and short stories. Short stories have to move quickly and can often be finished in one short session.
Audio books are different to me. IMHO some authors are much better in audio versions and some in print. Please don’t judge me by things I read, but I think that Stephany Plum books are boring and long winded in print, but I absolutely love the audio books. (I call most of what I read “junk food for the mind”) If I hadn’t listened to Scott Sigler’s “Infection” first, I wouldn’t have gotten past the first chapter of his next book, because it just didn’t grab me in print.
Go to the library and grab a bunch of different books, bring them home and try them. If you don’t like them, bring them back unread and do it again. Choose books by your interests. Our library allows me to sit at home and download audio books and e-books. I can reserve books online and pick them up when they are ready. If you want to wander the stacks and read a few pages or chapters before selecting one, they have chairs and tables and nobody thinks you are rude for standing in the aisle reading as long as you make the attempt to get out of other people who are doing the same thing. Best of all, its all FREE!!! (well tax funded, but your taxes will remain the same if you use the library or not)
I like to browse gardening books (which have pretty pictures) and only really pay attention to the articles about plants I can actually grow in this area. Just because I’ve only actually read a quarter of the text doesn’t mean I didn’t get something of value.
Reading for pleasure should be just that, it shouldn’t be a chore or a goal to be met.
