I always keep whatever I am currently reading near the door to be grabbed on the way out. If I am near the end of one I will add another, just in case. I like to have at least a few hours reading. I was once on a train, stuck in the middle of nowhere due to a derailment. I was able to finish one and start the next while other people became angrier and more restless.
I think the best thing though is the fact that having a book makes you almost blase about other people’s tardiness. I never care if people are late (unless we are seeing something that is on at a set time) because I can amuse myself for as long as I wish to wait.
People are probably too busy thinking oh my god why does this hurt I’m going to die and not really in the mood to read the latest Harry Potter. Did I end your great mystery Mr. Dorky Bookworm McNerdface?
I take books everywhere–at least one, if I’m expecting not to have to wait for anything, and more than one if I’m expecting a long wait for any reason. But not EVERYBODY likes reading. Some people (poor things!) simply don’t enjoy it.
I don’t get it, but I don’t get football and basketball either.
Some of us don’t find it convenient to carry books around 24/7. Generally, when I’m out of the house, I have my keys, wallet and cellphone in my pocket, that’s it. I don’t carry a purse, backpack or European CarryAll, if I have a book with me, it’s in my hand. If I bring a book to the ER or Dr Appt, I know I’ll have to deal with the damn thing for my entire stay, and futilely hope I don’t forget it when I leave.
Of course, I’m also not one to complain about a wait, I’ll sit patiently reading the old magazines or I’ll buy a newspaper if I know in advance I’ll be waiting a long time.
This thread reminded me that when I was young my mom explicitly told me to “always bring reading material.”
Looking back at it, it was pretty good advice.
I am most surprised at the Puddy people on the train. Perhaps I am being unfair and they are actually being creative or problem solving as they appear stare blankly.
I always try to have a book or magazine(s) along when I know I’m likely to be kept waiting. I doubt I could even stand air travel if I weren’t allowed to have something to read. On a commute route I used to take, I’d even have a book in the front seat with me, as there were a lot of loooooooooong stoplights.
Nonreader often (but not always) = idiot, in my experience.
Many, if not most Americans are sub-literates who hate to read. It’s a labor for them. It makes their heads hurt. It’s unfortunate but there it is. They think of it as work, not pleasure. An awful lot of people will bitch about being bored but if you suggest reading a book they roll their eyes at you like you suggested they write a term paper.
Carnick, personal attacks/insults are inappropriate outside of the Pit. Please do not do this again.
Also, while this thread does deal with books, it’s actually about the reading habits (or lack thereof) of waiting room victims. I’ll move this over to MPSIMS.
Yup. Preach it, brother/sister. This is probably my pet peeve, and the one thing that is sure to set me off. I think Lissa nailed it - it’s like people see reading as some kind of cry for “help” or something - I see burying my nose in a book as a cry for “shut the fuck up and let me READ you babbling so and so” but then again, I can be - er - antisocial at times.
I did. SERIOUSLY, I did!! We had to sit and wait outside the courtroom for other weddings to be done before ours - so what the hell. I wanted to finish the Ann Rule book I was into and was nervous enough - I didn’t really want to be “chit chatting”.
Thaty’s a good point. I was reading Lynn’s post and thought to myself “That’s a very large purse” I’ve never hard a purse large enough to fit ONE paperback in, let alone 4, and the libraries usually have hardbacks rather than soft.
I’ve run into the problem while at my parents that I’ve been through all the SF&F in one library, and none of the ones nearby are sorted by genre, so it’s hard to find stuff I’m interested in unless I buy something–given that I can go through the average novel in 2 days, I can’t afford to keep myself in new books for very long. The library in the city, thankfully, does have an SF&F section, which I used to my advantage last year when I was working 12-hour shifts where I was doing almost nothing.
I didn’t read that as teasing. The OP stipulated that s/he was in a clinic–usually a place for routine healthcare and minor (aka not emergent) injuries.
I no longer bring reading material to work with me(I’m a nurse, as most of you know by now)–I am the ONLY person who reads at work, or at least tried to. I got heartily sick of the questions and outright amazement that I would read a whole book, on the part of the ancillary staff (HS education needed), and sadly, the RNs as well. Only the doctors would ask me if I liked this or that author’s writing style etc.
I also stopped because my hospital got a new contract with a certain health insurance company and our census is always high now, and these pts are sick. No time to read at work anymore.
I once stayed at cyber pen pal’s house in UK–long story. This was a “friend” of my daughter’s and we stayed a noc or two in their home. I was thrilled with the idea, but upon arrival, I found I had brought them (as one of my gifts) what turned into the only book in their house–and it was a coffee table book with pics of Chicago in it.
We didn’t find much in common, I must say. Nice people, but no conversation and no curiosity about the world.
The NEA did a study of reading habits in 2004 of the 18-24 demographic: 34% decline in the reading of literature.
This is something I never understood- assuming we are talking fiction- why is it, If someone says they don’t read, but watches a lot of film, they are thought to be less intelligent than someone who reads a lot, but maybe doesn’t watch film. What’s the difference in reading someone’s made up story and **watching ** someone’s made up story? The common argument I get is the whole “reading makes you think and imagine more” as opposed to movies which require less involvement, but even that one to me is pretty weak.
