Reading ... it's more than just a hobby

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Being pretty much retired from full time work now , I find myself gravitating towards Reading. And more specifically reading fictional psychological thrillers and murder mysteries.

I have come to the conclusion that Reading is much more than a passive hobby, It's really a lifestyle for many people. It keeps your Mind sharp and challenges your imagination to no ends. I compare it to taking an exotic vacation with twists and turns for the cost of about a cup of coffee.

How has Reading affected your life ??
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  • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
    Originally Posted by discrat View Post

    Being pretty much retired from full time work now , I find myself gravitating towards Reading. And more specifically reading fictional psychological thrillers and murder mysteries.

    I have come to the conclusion that Reading is much more than a passive hobby, It's really a lifestyle for many people. It keeps your Mind sharp and challenges your imagination to no ends. I compare it to taking an exotic vacation with twists and turns for the cost of about a cup of coffee.

    How has Reading affected your life ??
    Reading can be a chore these days. I would prefer having it narrated to me via audiobooks. I listen to a lot of various Reddit stories narrated on You Tube. Used to read a lot of Sifi books in the past.

    I once had a pet frog who I tried to get into reading. Every time I offered him a book he always just said: reddit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I started reading books at age 3 - and I've never stopped. I read now from a kindle (have over 3000 books on it) - I read several books a week now that I have the time to do



    If there is a such a thing as a bookworm - that would be me.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      I started reading books at age 3 - and I've never stopped. I read now from a kindle (have over 3000 books on it) - I read several books a week now that I have the time to do



      If there is a such a thing as a bookworm - that would be me.
      Kudos to you, Kay. You know years ago I would scoff at some of my older relatives who spent a large part of their retirement , Reading.

      I realize now that it is a very enriching endeavor to spend your retirement doing
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    • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      I started reading books at age 3 - and I've never stopped. I read now from a kindle (have over 3000 books on it) - I read several books a week now that I have the time to do



      If there is a such a thing as a bookworm - that would be me.
      I'm glad to hear your books are on the Kindle. I could not imagine having 3000 books lining the walls. It brings back memories of the momentous task of clearing out my fathers place after he passed a few years back. Parents were not hoarders but had amassed a lot of stuff over the years, even to my mothers wedding dress still being there, even a wedding cake slice from 1955. So much stuff.

      What we did not throw away, my sister was running a little Ebay business for a while selling all the more desirable stuff.

      All I took were a few photo's in the end. My father had been into electronics for most of his life but had dropped off some years prior in getting the latest stuff so nothing really desirable.

      So I should ask the question to those who devour books, do you also keep them?
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      • Profile picture of the author discrat
        Originally Posted by lanfear63 View Post

        It brings back memories of the momentous task of clearing out my fathers place after he passed a few years back. Parents were not hoarders but had amassed a lot of stuff over the years, even to my mothers wedding dress still being there, even a wedding cake slice from 1955. So much
        Yeah my Mom is 89 so I am kinda sorta heading down that same route. Hopefully she lives another 15 years. But I dread cleaning out her huge house. Not a hoarder but she has lots of stuff.
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        • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
          Originally Posted by discrat View Post

          I dread cleaning out her huge house. Not a hoarder but she has lots of stuff.
          When you talk to your Mom or visit her in person ask if she needs help cleaning out any old stuff. I started this a few years before my Mom got dementia.

          To answer your question, I read business books mostly. I can not get into fiction that much. I have read and enjoyed stories by Edgar Allen Poe. Jonathan Living Seagull years back, but that's about it.

          It has been a while but there still is a Barnes and Noble in a mall close to my home. I used to go on weekends there and grab a book to read. Inside the B&N they have a Starbucks so I would grab a drink and spend a few hours reading and enjoying a coffee.

          I prefer physical books but I also have a tablet that I use, to read some books from Amazon. the last two books I purchased together in January.
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          • Profile picture of the author discrat
            Thanks Don, good advice. We have briefly talked about renting a dumpster and throwing stuff away particularly from the attic. So we'll see
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      • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
        Originally Posted by lanfear63 View Post

        So I should ask the question to those who devour books, do you also keep them?

        I have probably over 1,000 books stashed away in the loft and maybe another two or three hundred on shelves in my office/study. I've yet to make the transition to digital - maybe if I traveled extensively I'd reconsider.

        I draw a parallel with music. Although I could access virtually any song I wanted via my phone or PC, I still have my vinyl record collection and prefer listening to music that way. I enjoy the tactile, physical experience of taking the LP from the sleeve and placing it on the turntable - much like I enjoy settling down on a comfy armchair with a favorite book.

        Nowadays, I think I enjoy re-reading old books as much as, if not more than, starting a new one. I still buy new books (on average maybe 3 or 4 a month - I'm a slow reader), but I've become more ruthless in abandoning those that don't hold my interest after only a partial reading. That's what charity shops (thrift stores) are for.

        I'm firmly of the opinion that any book that isn't worth reading more than once, isn't worth reading.
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  • Profile picture of the author socialentry
    i only read self help books and tabloids about richard branson (but only when i come across them in the super market isle) richard branson is l33t!!!!!1!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I realize now that it is a very enriching endeavor to spend your retirement doing

    I've found it is an enriching endeavor to spend your LIFE doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    I'm a reader and always have been. Mostly nonfiction.

    However, I don't think I've fully adapted mentally to using the Kindle to read. It's okay but not the same. I've got a Kindle app full of books just waiting to be read. I need and want to pick back up on my daily reading habit that all changed (reading less) about the time I moved overseas and changed to mostly digital. I miss it. Just writing this makes me want to drop everything and start reading.

    Mark
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

      I'm a reader and always have been. Mostly nonfiction.
      Mark
      I was the same with nonfiction, Mark. That is up until 2017 when my wife suggested that I read Jodi Picoult's book about a school shooting . I was hooked on fiction after that
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    I was the same, Mark - I had loads of books and swore I preferred them. Then I got a Kindle and tried it and I was hooked.

    Just for the safety factor if nothing else....I usually read at night in bed...if I go to sleep and drop my kindle on my face it doesn't hurt as much as a book.

    Seriously, though, I can adjust the text size instantly - I can mark passages I like if I want to (I don't -but I could). For me, changing over to a kindle was a progression and gradually I came to prefer the e-reader.

    I never read self help books (I'm beyond help anyway) - or motivational stuff (puts me to sleep).
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by discrat View Post

    Being pretty much retired from full time work now , I find myself gravitating towards Reading. And more specifically reading fictional psychological thrillers and murder mysteries.

    I have come to the conclusion that Reading is much more than a passive hobby, It's really a lifestyle for many people. It keeps your Mind sharp and challenges your imagination to no ends. I compare it to taking an exotic vacation with twists and turns for the cost of about a cup of coffee.

    How has Reading affected your life ??
    My wife has a home library full of her books. Nearly all are mysteries. She reads several a week. We visit the library often, as she has read all the books she owns already.

    Me? All nonfictions. Nearly all are sales and marketing related...along with books on psychology, rational thinking, negotiating, Certainly over a thousand on the walls.


    I like buying books, instead of borrowing them. And I like print books. There is something about owning a book, holding it in your hands...like a treasure...a map.

    Even now, I read a couple books a week. Again, human behavior related.

    And I have a thousand or so comic books in my library closet, and several sets of pulp heroes book series. Adventure novels. I no longer read them, but I pretend that I will eventually get to them again.

    Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post


    Nowadays, I think I enjoy re-reading old books as much, if not more, than starting a new one.
    Same here. In my library, I have several shelves with my "Go To" books. Books that are so good, I'll read them several times.

    I'm like that with old movies. It drives my wife nuts that I'll watch To Kill A Mockingbird again....for the 25th time. Or 12Angry Men, the original The Day The Earth Stood Still...and others I love.
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    • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post


      I'm like that with old movies. It drives my wife nuts that I'll watch To Kill A Mockingbird again....for the 25th time. Or 12Angry Men, the original The Day The Earth Stood Still...and others I love.
      l Know that you went to see Revenge of the Sith re-released in Cinemas again which made 8 million for a 1990's available anywhere movie.

      Admit it...
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  • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
    I would also ask then, what about AV media. Do you enjoy the tactile feedback of inserting a compact disk into a machine, or a Vhs, Dvd, LP etc. Are your walls lined with them?

    Or, do you just watch movies or listen to music via online platforms like Amazon, Spotify and others? Various devices like smart tv's, computers, tablets and even phones allow you to do this, Certainly cheaper overall?
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
      Originally Posted by lanfear63 View Post

      I would also ask then, what about AV media. Do you enjoy the tactile feedback of inserting a compact disk into a machine, or a Vhs, Dvd, LP etc. Are your walls lined with them?

      Or, do you just watch movies or listen to music via online platforms like Amazon, Spotify and others? Various devices like smart tv's, computers, tablets and even phones allow you to do this, Certainly cheaper overall?
      For me, I generally prefer all forms of physical media, but for different reasons. My books must be physical as I much prefer the feel of turning pages, gauging my place in a book by the thickness of pages read versus pages unread, and the smell of the paper - even an old, musty book's smell can add a nostalgic sheen to a book.

      Movies I prefer to own in physical form to eliminate issues with Digital Rights Management. Even when you "buy" digital versions of movies, you don't actually own them. You own a usage right that can be taken away at any time. Further, good luck tracking down your movie if the digital rights provider goes out of business (unlikely, but possible). Additionally, streaming has come a long way in terms of video quality, but it still isn't as good as a physical copy played in a decent, let alone cinemaphile-quality, Blu-ray player. But even more importantly, the sound quality from physical media is far superior to compressed streaming audio tracks (if you have any form of home theater beyond your TV speakers). That said, I do rip my movies and play them via Plex for times when ease of use is more important than sound and video quality.

      With music, I find myself buying more vinyl than CDs. If I really enjoy an album, I'll likely buy the vinyl and Hi Res download versions. The Hi Res versions contain higher quality files than CDs. I also subscribe to a streaming service, but that's mainly for my wife as she prefers the ease of use.

      Added later: Regarding reading, I read as much as I have time for, which is currently considerably less than I'd like (who knew kids were such a time suck...). I currently have a "books to be read"pile about 12 books high.
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      • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
        Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

        For me, I generally prefer all forms of physical media, but for different reasons. My books must be physical as I much prefer the feel of turning pages, gauging my place in a book by the thickness of pages read versus pages unread, and the smell of the paper - even an old, musty book's smell can add a nostalgic sheen to a book.

        Added later: Regarding reading, I read as much as I have time for, which is currently considerably less than I'd like (who knew kids were such a time suck...). I currently have a "books to be read"pile about 12 books high.
        Agreed mass media the music isn't fit for an elevator or a free aborton clinic, l always shake my head that people actually spend money on that crap while in a shopping center.

        Sanity is slowly coming back to MSM, (actually reporting facts instead of bending over for a wad) but sordid dictatorships are never far away.

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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    Originally Posted by discrat View Post


    How has Reading affected your life ??
    I don't read whole books anymore. Now, I just scan the chapters and read the ones that I think will be interesting.

    Then again, I'm only interested in books about business, etc. For the other stuff, I'd rather watch a movie

    Somewhere, starting around the age of 10 I would go to the library and read every single book I could find on marketing, advertising, and anything to do with anything of that nature.

    Yes, I was a nerd in school.

    I had one whole bedroom wall lined with ads that I had cut out of the Wall Street Journal, etc. My mom came up one day and tore them all down and put an end to my crazy decoration idea.

    Why I was interested in all that at that age I'm not sure.

    My mom said it was because my biological dad was the first magician in the world to use hypnosis in his shows. Maybe I saw advertising as a way to use persuasion.

    He was a great magician, and the last time I was at the Grand Ole Opry they still had a poster of his hanging up. They used to (or still do) have one of him hanging up at the Nashville airport?

    The guy that ran the printing department at the Grand Ole Opry was friends with my dad. As he says, unfortunately, he was a great magician, but his drinking was too much to handle...

    eventually, his manager quit scheduling shows because nobody knew for sure if he would be too drunk to show up.

    Anyways, that's my life story in a nutshell...and I think reading is great...just wish I had more discipline to read a whole book.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Are you saying he performed at the Opry??
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      • Profile picture of the author max5ty
        Originally Posted by discrat View Post

        Are you saying he performed at the Opry??
        Yes.

        He also did shows all around the world.

        He was one of the top-rated magicians in his time.

        He was in his 60s when I was born.

        He would have been greater than what he was but unfortunately he was an alcoholic that was married 7 times and didn't take care of any of his children...including me.

        I was adopted when I was 7.
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        • Profile picture of the author discrat
          Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

          Yes.

          He also did shows all around the world.

          He was one of the top-rated magicians in his time.

          He was in his 60s when I was born.

          He would have been greater than what he was but unfortunately he was an alcoholic that was married 7 times and didn't take care of any of his children...including me.

          I was adopted when I was 7.
          Just from what I have gathered from you past posts here , it sounds like you inherited the good parts from him like the motivation and discipline to be one of the best around in his chosen field
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      I am going to be an arrogant ass and suggest that Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita will make you change your mind. And there's a bonus point here: the movie's coming out soon. You can read the book, watch the movie, marvel at the quality of both, then start criticizing the movie for taking artistic liberties you would not have.


      And I think James Clavell's Shogun will make you marvel at the fine art of positioning yourself as a marketer that's in that novel. And then you will (of course) read fiction like crazy. Or maybe not. But you cannot say I did not try to convert you, can you?

      Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

      I don't read whole books anymore. Now, I just scan the chapters and read the ones that I think will be interesting.

      Then again, I'm only interested in books about business, etc. For the other stuff, I'd rather watch a movie

      .
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  • Profile picture of the author Ken Leatherman
    I'm 81 years old and have been reading mostly fiction since the 2nd grade. Back then I would smuggle a book and flashlight to bed with me. When I got caught I usually got my butt beat.

    Put a book in my hands and you won't hear a peep out of me for hours. Unfortunately my eyes get tired long before I want to stop reading.

    Library run every 3 weeks and I usually read from 10 to 12 books over the 3 week time frame. I will read almost any book if it has an outstanding title and a great looking cover.

    Books are way more than a hobby for me as they are a very solid lifeline to an outside world.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Unfortunately my eyes get tired long before I want to stop reading.

    Same here - another kindle feature I like....I can change text size in a second so I can keep reading tired eyes and all.
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Well i consider reading one of the most important things you can do in life and this strategy its used by many succesful and smart people in the world because reading can change neural pathways in your brain ,it can model your destiny ,give you power etc

    But its a diference : I find it useful to read things that that makes your brain to learn new things like : Prrsonal development ,self help,psichology,seduction ,how to make money ,how to invest your time etc

    I dont find it very useful to read novels ,romans etc
    Ok it can be useful for brain a little but i dont find it productive to read a 2000 pages book about a love story from a novel as example
    Firstly you will lose a lot of useful time and you will not learn nothing productive to help you ibn life
    you spend a lot of time reading about a love story
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Originally Posted by spartan14 View Post

      I dont find it very useful to read novels ,romans etc
      Ok it can be useful for brain a little but i dont find it productive to read a 2000 pages book about a love story from a novel as example
      Firstly you will lose a lot of useful time and you will not learn nothing productive to help you ibn life
      you spend a lot of time reading about a love story
      That viewpoint is very limiting on many levels.

      There's more to life than being useful. We can get enjoyment and fulfilment from activities that aren't ostensibly about being productive. And why would anyone force themselves to read a 2,000 page novel just for the sake of it?

      But it's a mistake to think that only books designed for a specific purpose can provide invaluable life lessons. Well-constructed stories contain truths that often can't be said by other means.

      Readers of good literature - it doesn't have to be Shakespeare or Proust - can learn a lot more about the human condition than they'd glean from any number of self-help books.
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      • Profile picture of the author discrat
        I used to think the EXACT same way, spartan14 i.e. why the hell would someone want to waste time reading novels that are not "real" and you cannot learn anything from ??.

        But a good fictional novel can be truly applicable to real life events. Some of the best fiction is based loosely ( and sometimes strictly) on these real events.

        And when I read a well written fictional Novel , I almost always come away from it with a better understanding about humanity and about my own self as well!!
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by discrat View Post


          When I read a well written fictional Novel , I almost always come away from it with a better understanding about humanity and about my own self as well!!
          I have a different take on fiction.

          I read non-fiction business books on selling and marketing. But they are read for the information, not to experience the reading itself.

          Really well written fiction takes you to the scene. You feel the cold chill in the air, the clomp of hooves on wet pavement. The smell of leather, the taste of old beer.

          One of my favorite authors is Robert E. Howard. He died at thirty, but wrote some of the best adventure fiction I've ever experienced. Those books were meant to be read slowly...savored....experienced. Masterful story telling.

          The best courses on copywriting even suggest reading good fiction.

          My wife sits in the recliner next to mine, reading mysteries. I love hearing her laugh at something she read, or cry when the story is tragic. I know then that she's involved and happy. A gift.
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      • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
        Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

        Readers of good literature - it doesn't have to be Shakespeare or Proust - can learn a lot more about the human condition than they'd glean from any number of self-help books.
        That is so troo.

        My fave book of all time is from when I was 6yo.

        It is called Bibbiddybobbidyboop & The Spidah.

        The heroine is an elf lookin' for her lost Mom.

        On her travels, she encountahs a spidah an' she believes it gonna bite off her toes.

        But the spidah leads her direct to the attic where her mothah is bein' held captive, an' it spins a web to trap the evil troll.

        In the end, the spidah comes to live with Bibbidybobbidyboop an' her Mom.

        *sniff*

        *sob*

        Janno, that babe gits me evry time.

        It don't gaht no science smarts, marketin' advice, nor 1,001 ways to adjust the Man Thing Flange on yr Fast Car -- but it shows sumthin' real an' troo an' deep 'bout expectation an' friendships you won't git noplace else.

        Tellya, you could binge watch Oprah for a week an' naht git close to the heartsy messagin' in this book.

        (Unless, acourse, you read more in the Janey-Jo Fluffingford series, which incloods:

        Bibbiddybobbidyboop & The Snake.

        Bibbiddybobbidyboop & The Tigah.

        Bibbiddybobbidyboop & The Dragon.

        Bibbiddybobbidyboop & The Rat.

        She gaht a winnin' formula here she uses again an' again, an' each book turns on the one line where the elf says, "why, you're not evil and nasty after all ... you're my *friend*")

        *snort*

        You should go read 'em all.

        I guarantee these tiny tales will transform your life ...
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    The discussion is about personal preferences and reading - not about judging what others read. Not sure why you assume anything that is not about the specific topics you mention are all 'love stories'. That's very limited thinking.

    Truthfully, I doubt I could read a book about 'seduction' without chuckling. Some things are best learned from real life experience.


    Books are written on every possible subject you can think of - from practical instructions to wild flights of imagination. Time is NEVER wasted when you are using your mind.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      Truthfully, I doubt I could read a book about 'seduction' without chuckling. Some things are best learned from real life experience.
      I've read several of the books on Seduction, written by the gurus in that field., along with studying Match.com descriptions at different ages, and from both genders. Trying to learn how people think at different ages, and what they think is attractive at different ages.

      It's all marketing. The exact same principles. The exact same techniques.

      And I studied these subject while married to Cheryl. I even told her about a hooker I interviewed in Las Vegas, to learn how her business worked.

      It's all just basic marketing. And it's students are mostly sad young men who think there are secrets...techniques...."Tricking" women into having sex with them.

      I wonder if any of these seduction gurus are happy and married now that they are middle aged or older.
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      • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        I've read several of the books on Seduction, written by the gurus in that field., along with studying Match.com descriptions at different ages, and from both genders. Trying to learn how people think at different ages, and what they think is attractive at different ages.

        It's all marketing. The exact same principles. The exact same techniques.

        And I studied these subject while married to Cheryl. I even told her about a hooker I interviewed in Las Vegas, to learn how her business worked.

        It's all just basic marketing. And it's students are mostly sad young men who think there are secrets...techniques...."Tricking" women into having sex with them.

        I wonder if any of these seduction gurus are happy and married now that they are middle aged or older.
        So, read several books on seduction, went on match.com and "Interviewed" a hooker in Vegas?

        I wondered what you've been up to over the last few weeks.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Have you read Robert Greene's book called Seduction?


      I chuckled at books on seduction. But not his.


      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      The discussion is about personal preferences and reading - not about judging what others read. Not sure why you assume anything that is not about the specific topics you mention are all 'love stories'. That's very limited thinking.

      Truthfully, I doubt I could read a book about 'seduction' without chuckling. Some things are best learned from real life experience.


      Books are written on every possible subject you can think of - from practical instructions to wild flights of imagination. Time is NEVER wasted when you are using your mind.
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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        Have you read Robert Greene's book called Seduction?


        I chuckled at books on seduction. But not his.
        That's because Greene is a serious writer, not an immature incel that fantasizes about using cheap tricks to get a woman for the night.

        Seduction is different from pickup.

        A little secret the pick up artists don't know....their silly tricks only work on women who have already decided to have sex with the young man.

        Seduction is an art...a dance....it's selling.

        Pickup is telling stupid jokes, hoping someone will insist on buying.
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        What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
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        • Profile picture of the author DABK
          Interesting thing about his 48 Laws of Power book... It's an update on Machiavelli's the Prince, which people think is amazing. However, a bunch of people dislike the 48 Laws of Power, on amorality and ignoring-the-needs-of-others grounds.






          Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

          That's because Greene is a serious writer, not an immature incel that fantasizes about using cheap tricks to get a woman for the night.

          Seduction is different from pickup.

          A little secret the pick up artists don't know....their silly tricks only work on women who have already decided to have sex with the young man.

          Seduction is an art...a dance....it's selling.

          Pickup is telling stupid jokes, hoping someone will insist on buying.
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    I'd like to know if anyone else did this as a kid...

    When we would visit family friends or relatives at their home, I would almost immediately go for the bookshelves. I would open encyclopedias to learn...find books that were on an interesting (to me) subject. Then I would normally just sit and read in a quiet place.

    Even when I was married to my first wife, I found out that her Mom had a huge attic full of old books. Most times we visited, I'd disappear...and my wife would know the place to find me would be in the attic, going though boxes of books.

    I know how this will sound, but going through boxes of old books was like a treasure hunt. To me, these books held secrets. Even the fiction books. I would read a great line and sit there thinking about it...the structure, the meaning...the way the words created emotions. The use of metaphor.

    I remember reading my first book by Friedrich Nietzsche...I found it in a box full of old textbooks. I wouldn't put it down. It' was an assault on my sense of reality. I spent most of my time trying to understand what he meant.....I was, after all, still a kid.

    It reminds me of when I read Life Of Pi. After reading the last page, I sat in silence for a long time....coming down.
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    One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

    What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
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    • Profile picture of the author lanfear63
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I'd like to know if anyone else did this as a kid...

      When we would visit family friends or relatives at their home, I would almost immediately go for the bookshelves. I would open encyclopedias to learn...find books that were on an interesting (to me) subject. Then I would normally just sit and read in a quiet place.

      Even when I was married to my first wife, I found out that her Mom had a huge attic full of old books. Most times we visited, I'd disappear...and my wife would know the place to find me would be in the attic, going though boxes of books.

      I know how this will sound, but going through boxes of old books was like a treasure hunt. To me, these books held secrets. Even the fiction books. I would read a great line and sit there thinking about it...the structure, the meaning...the way the words created emotions. The use of metaphor.

      I remember reading my first book by Friedrich Nietzsche...I found it in a box full of old textbooks. I wouldn't put it down. It' was an assault on my sense of reality. I spent most of my time trying to understand what he meant.....I was, after all, still a kid.

      It reminds me of when I read Life Of Pi. After reading the last page, I sat in silence for a long time....coming down.
      "It reminds me of when I read Life Of Pie. After reading the last page, I sat in silence for a long time....coming down." Typo fixed.

      I used to read Sifi a lot, Asimov, A B Dick, Clarke, Larry Niven was great too. Also books describing after death descriptions. There used to be an old suitcase under my bed that contained an illustrated large novel from the 19th century, cant remember the title but it disappeared, sure it was worth something. Another was a 1908 book by an astronomer of note describing Jupiter as possibly a hot planet. Pages fell out on that one. Old books of course are worth more if first editions and their dust jackets are intact.
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      Feel The Power Of The Mark Side

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    • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I'd like to know if anyone else did this as a kid...

      When we would visit family friends or relatives at their home, I would almost immediately go for the bookshelves. I would open encyclopedias to learn...find books that were on an interesting (to me) subject. Then I would normally just sit and read in a quiet place.

      Even when I was married to my first wife, I found out that her Mom had a huge attic full of old books. Most times we visited, I'd disappear...and my wife would know the place to find me would be in the attic, going though boxes of books.

      I know how this will sound, but going through boxes of old books was like a treasure hunt. To me, these books held secrets. Even the fiction books. I would read a great line and sit there thinking about it...the structure, the meaning...the way the words created emotions. The use of metaphor.

      I remember reading my first book by Friedrich Nietzsche...I found it in a box full of old textbooks. I wouldn't put it down. It' was an assault on my sense of reality. I spent most of my time trying to understand what he meant.....I was, after all, still a kid.

      It reminds me of when I read Life Of Pi. After reading the last page, I sat in silence for a long time....coming down.
      Arr No!

      When l went to a friends place we would either ride our bikes or play Atari 2600 games to death, never sat there reading a book.
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  • Profile picture of the author a8
    I search all on internet but more than i like reading from the book


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