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Being online instead of reading books?

30 replies

BabCNesbitt · 28/06/2013 11:48

I may be posting this in the wrong place, but this seemed like the best spot to get others' perspectives on this. I have a huge Amazon books wishlist. And I buy books compulsively - we're spending 3 months in the UK and I've already got a small mountain to ship back home, to join the stacks of unread books waiting for me there. (I realise how bloody lucky I am in that regard!) When I do read, I always think 'Dammit, I should do this more often!'

And yet. Once DD is in bed at night or napping (like right now!), I find myself spending hours buggering about on MN, Pinterest, FB, etc etc. I DO want to read the books I buy - it's not like I'm buying stuff to make me look smart or anything like that! :D - but when I think about shutting the computer down and picking up a book, I always open 'just one more tab', or remember something that I have to look up that minute. Until it's well past my bedtime. Sad Anyway, I'm just wondering if anyone else finds themselves pissing away valuable reading time because it's just so much easier to faff around online, and if anyone has any great advice (beyond 'Just do it!') for getting off the bloody computer?

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Nicknamegrief · 28/06/2013 11:49

That is exactly what I am doing now.

It's my attention span that the www is killing.

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poocatcherchampion · 28/06/2013 11:50

me. all the time. I wonder if I am getting stupider because I seem to have much less concentration to read a book these days as well. (although at 7 months preg, I am a bit stupider anyway at the moment.)

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MardyBra · 28/06/2013 11:52

Yep. Me too. I used to read loads. Now MN is my virtual soap opera. Add an addiction to Words With Friends and Candy Crush and I haven't read a book for months.

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BabCNesbitt · 28/06/2013 12:01

I think I spend about five times as much time reading book reviews online and adding titles to my wishlist than I do actually reading any! Blush

BTW I have a Kindle, but that hasn't made a massive amount of difference in the books vs internet thing. I think you're right, nicknamegrief, it's buggering up my attention span.

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greenhill · 28/06/2013 12:18

YY. I keep wanting to read books and get sucked into threads instead. At least it is still reading, but there isn't the same sense of accomplishment or completion that comes from finishing a book. There is no resolution to reading the news online or MN'ing.

I keep renewing my library books online and adding to my Kindle too.

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ummlilia · 28/06/2013 15:24

absolutely..have 250+ paper books on a TBR mountain; don't even mention the Kindle, yet am wasting time posting pictures of them on Twitter #friday reads , or ,for world fiction #translation thurs. Am following book bloggers and podcasts,entering online giveaways etc etc and never getting down to solid reading. I'm sure it's the constant desire for stimulation which seems to override the deep concentration that I had even two or three years ago before I started using the Net much. (I'm middle aged and only bought my first computer 4 years ago!)

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KikkiK · 28/06/2013 18:45

I do this. I faff around online on the computer or my phone all evening and by the time I go to bed, I'm too tired to read more than a little bit of my book. And I've recently started walking to work, so I don't even get time on the bus to read any more. I think I'm going to try and have a couple of 'screen-free' evenings a week, and see if that helps. The Kindle screen will not be included in this of course!

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KittenofDoom · 28/06/2013 20:05

Yes. I'm a hopeless interweb thingy addict. The problem is that I'm continually wanting to look something up, so it's hard to leave it all switched off for any length of time.

Those were the days, when you only had, yes, books to look things up in .... got so much more reading done then :)

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antimatter · 28/06/2013 20:06

same here...
I think that comp free evenings are the only way forward :)

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valiumredhead · 28/06/2013 20:15

I always read for an hour our more before going to sleep, so do Dh and ds, can't sleep otherwise!

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carlajean · 28/06/2013 20:31

me too, having a laptop then a nexus has definitely reduced my attention span.

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BabCNesbitt · 29/06/2013 08:38

I even signed up for a 'read x books this year' challenge on Goodreads, to motivate me to get off the internet. Of course, all it's done is make me feel guilty every time I log on to Goodreads to read someone else's reviews... Confused

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carlywurly · 29/06/2013 08:52

Oh yes to all of this, esp Mardybra.. I have actually tackled it a bit recently and am trying to finish all the books I've bought on a whim and got halfway through. I'm doing quite well but it means I can't really watch tv, there just isn't the time for both.

My neighbour told me she charity shops her books if she hasn't read them within a year of buying. I was Shock - I could never get rid of an unread book if it were something I'd wanted to read.

My wish list is huge and once I get an idea that I want to read something I find it so hard to resist. I currently want "where'd you go, bernadette?" but it's still £6.99 and I know I don't actually need it but..

This reading business is so addictive, but so is my iPad mini. I have it with me constantly whereas I used to have a book.

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Nagoo · 29/06/2013 09:04

I have managed to get back into reading. I am using lots of time on here, but that's ok, because I think it is useful to me, I laugh and make friends, it seems a good use of my time. :)

If I read on my tablet thingy then I often find myself checking here or FB inbetween a few chapters, but I am reading again, after YEARS not Blush.

I deleted Candy Crush because of the time suck Mardy you know it will NEVER end? Grin

I did think my attention span was reduced right down, so I eased myself back in with nice easy things. The Hunger Games trilogy took me a week, and 100YO Man Who Climbed Out Of a Window was good bit nice and easy :)

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tumbletumble · 29/06/2013 16:43

I'm on this thread and it has really made a difference to me - I now go up to bed about half an hour earlier and don't take my iPhone with me. Slightly ironic that an internet thread has made me less addicted to the internet...!

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greenhill · 29/06/2013 17:39

Me too tumble it focuses my mind on reading 'properly' too Smile

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carlywurly · 29/06/2013 22:00

Me too, although I bought two more books this morning...!

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lolancurly · 01/07/2013 16:10

I got over my guilt of not actually reading books (because I mostly seem to read blogs) by listening to audio books. I usually listen when I am doing something boring, like chores or cooking. I have read (listened to) many prize winning books this way - or others I just fancied listening to. It feels like multi tasking, and the narration for fiction books is usually highly entertaining.

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fedupwithdeployment · 01/07/2013 16:17

My "problem" got worse after I was given an ipad...I can flick on MN etc from my bed. Before once I had gone to bed, it was generally a read / lights out. I am thinking of making a rule of leaving ipad downstairs...

I just bought 4 new proper books at the weekend, and am determined to get through them (as well as the stuff on the kindle). Have just started Citadel by Kate Mosse, and so far so good!

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greenhill · 01/07/2013 18:38

YY the iPad makes everything so accessible doesn't it?

I've been better about reading books over the last few days, the 50 Book challenge is a great thread too.

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Southeastdweller · 13/07/2013 14:36

I can empathise with most of what's been said here, especially from fedup. The iPad is so damn portable and is practically always with me at home. I've actually started leaving it locked away at work two nights a week.

Currently sat in a library about to take out A Spot of Bother, which should take me - I don't know - a month to read. Also got about 20 books on my Kindle to read as well as the same amount of paper books at home to get through Blush.

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magimedi · 13/07/2013 17:43

I only have a desktop & it's in a room upstairs so I have to make a conscious effort to come up here & use the internet. If I had an ipad or tablet I'd be on here far too much.

I am retired & have grown up DCs so do read quite a lot - at least 2 books a week. I wake early (6am) & nearly always read for at least an hour before getting up.

I was interested in what poocatcher said:

"me. all the time. I wonder if I am getting stupider because I seem to have much less concentration to read a book these days as well."

I was reading something somewhere (possibly The Times) a few weeks ago about internet usage making ones concentration decrease as one hops about so much. I'll see if I can find a link later - off to cook now.

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MirandaWest · 13/07/2013 17:49

I saw the thread title and yes I am very guilty of this. Phone and iPad are all too easy to use -Blush. My attention spam has reduced so much and I find myself looking at various websites and not reading any more.

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nowahousewife · 13/07/2013 18:00

Yep, same here. Have a book beside me but am buggering about on my iPad. MN is my major time waster!

One thing you might like to consider OP is joining a book group, that ensures I read at least one book a month Grin.

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MaddAddam · 13/07/2013 18:12

Yes I find I tend to waste time online rather than just reading. Though lately I'm better at just turning the internet off. I'm reminding myself how much time I waste and having some good books does help.

Having a kindle for ereading rather than a trendier tablet helps, you can only read on it (or buy more books).

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