@mchill saidReading is a skill which, like many skills, must be tended to to stay proficient at it.
I'm pushing myself to get in the habit of reading everyday, it's a good idea, but some days I hate it. Interesting stories are easy and fun to read, but material of a dry or technical nature finds me looking for a diversion before I open the book. So, does it get easier with time and practice, or does it always suck? 😕
When we were younger and fitter, we could read anywhere, anytime, anything, and we consumed a lot of rubbish. Part of the joy of growing older, and we hope wiser, is becoming more aware of what is worthwhile reading, and leaving the dross unread. We did not pay attention to our bodies when we were younger; they did everything we asked of them implicitly. This is no longer so. As we grow older, we must make a few concessions to physical embodiment in order to do things effectively, including reading.
So:
Be rested before you start to read. If you try to do it late at night after a long day, you won't remember how the sentence started by the time you get to the period.
Get your eyes checked and adjust your reading glasses, if necessary. Our eyes change, and the left and right eyes do not change in sync together. If one is dragging and the other is doing all the work, it drains you imperceptibly. (Try shutting first your left eye while reading this, then your right eye -- read this with each eye singly separately, are both equally sharp?)
Get a comfy chair and a good reading light which casts no shadows across the pages of an open book.
Start with short stories, to get your juices flowing. I recommend Saki, Poe, Kafka, Tolstoi, or Twain.
@kevin-eleven saidA novel idea.
Another possibility is that maybe you have reached some kind of tipping point in your accumulation and digestion, and it's time for you to start writing books or pamphlets (perhaps even broadsides!) or whatever right-sized projects seem suitable.
@shallow-blue saidI haven't read any, why would the ordinary Joe bother?
You haven't read many governmental or banking API specifications, then.
-VR
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@very-rusty saidHe wouldn't. But in this case, I'm not the ordinary Joe - implementing software linkages with banks, the government, and quangos is part of my job. When it works, it's a joy to see the results, but oh my the specifications...
I haven't read any, why would the ordinary Joe bother?
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-Removed-LOL@ the gooster.... I use to wear glasses mainly for reading. I had cataracts in both eyes it turned out. The optometrist told me I shouldn't have been driving as I wouldn't be able to see the signs. I told her I as a rule drove in my own area. She said I was probably use what the signs meant.
I had both removed one then a month later the other one. Replaced with lenses I have cards I carry. Now I don't even need glasses. They did tell me though if I had a problem just to get a 2.5 or 3 pair at any drug store, or dollar store.
By the way you look like a fish in your avatar. 🙂
-VR
@mchill saidWhen I were a lad I read all the 'big' books, but I haven't read a book cover to cover for years, my concentration tends to wander....I'm a hobby novelist and write every day, usually in the wee hours of the morning. I find writing a lot easier, and although I can't say that I'm a good writer (that's for others to judge) I tend to look for style in a book rather than content. If a book's badly written, I put it down immediately and go and make a cup of tea.
I'm pushing myself to get in the habit of reading everyday, it's a good idea, but some days I hate it. Interesting stories are easy and fun to read, but material of a dry or technical nature finds me looking for a diversion before I open the book. So, does it get easier with time and practice, or does it always suck? 😕
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@indonesia-phil saidAt this stage of the game, I'm completely with you (regarding this particular topic). To style over substance! 😉
When I were a lad I read all the 'big' books, but I haven't read a book cover to cover for years, my concentration tends to wander....I'm a hobby novelist and write every day, usually in the wee hours of the morning. I find writing a lot easier, and although I can't say that I'm a good writer (that's for others to judge) I tend to look for style in a book rather than content. If a book's badly written, I put it down immediately and go and make a cup of tea.