Anyone else "Not a Reader"

[dvcfamily41801]

I am so ashamed to admit it, but I just am not a reader. I see people at the pool or the ocean or on a plane so into a book, and I just can't do it. I can flip through a magazine, but I never really read the articles. I love to read my sons books with him, but I would love to pick up Harry Potter or DaVinci Code and plow through them and enjoy it! My mind always wonders, I start thinking of things to do, then I can't remember whats going on, who is who, blah blah.

If it's not posted on the DIS Boards, I just can't get into it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am not a reader.

That coupled with other things make me suspect I have ADD. But the pshychologist I was referred to was very very rude and then of course when someone is very very rude--you get defensive, so he wanted to put me on Lexapro for my anxiety and mild depression b/c he has been doing this for years and knows what it looks like. He then referred me to another Phsychologist who he said could help me with that and I asked if they would assess for ADD. On that appointment I was called with less than 24 hours notice and told they don't do that.

So I will continue being "not a reader" and having my whole other host of symptoms.

But just wanted to share why I think I am that way. (conversely if I am very very very interested in something--I can read it forever or until the interest wanes).

 

[dejavu]

I think reading is something you pick up in your youth. I have always read alot back to the Nancy Drew days ( I am dating myself here!!) My DH doesn't read either and is always wondering how I can always have my head in a book. I cannot imagine a vaction without a book. So no you are not alone but IMHO you are missing out on some fanatastic books. I guess us "readers" don't quite get you either!!

 

[Poohbear123]

My DH is not a reader you NEVER see him with a Book. I on the other hand LOVE to read and will read several books at once.

 

[Christine]

I think reading is something you pick up in your youth. I have always read alot back to the Nancy Drew days ( I am dating myself here!!) My DH doesn't read either and is always wondering how I can always have my head in a book. I cannot imagine a vaction without a book. So no you are not alone but IMHO you are missing out on some fanatastic books. I guess us "readers" don't quite get you either!!

I am a reader and have always been trying to figure out "non-readers."

OP--what immediately jumped into my head was ADD with your description!

But, I know not EVERYONE has ADD! Sometimes I think that there are just people who are more "physical" then others. Both my Dh and my MIL are not readers. I don't think my MIL has EVER read a book. But she can't stop moving. She is constantly cleaning this, fixing that, planting a garden, riding a bike. She can't imagine just sitting down and getting lost in a book. So I try to accept that people are just different. But, then of course, both my DH and my MIL have been suspected of ADD...

 

[ILUVMYBRIT]

I cannot imagine not reading. I know people dont. My dad was never a reader, but my mom and I read constantly. My favorite place in the world (ok maybe not my favorite) is the second hand book store that sells paperbacks for half price, I go in a few times a month and buy several and then bring them back and get more. To me its an escape. If I am having a bad day, a good book just takes me away. I always have a book with me. I feel badly for people who just cant do it for whatever reason.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My problem is I like a good story--I just have trouble reading it.

And it affected my schooling--not enough to be a red flag. But let's just say I hated pop quizzes. I didn't like a test to determine if I read when i sat there for 2 hours reading the assignment for homework the night before only to be penalized on a quiz the next day.

I have been reading a book recently--and I have spent maybe 6-8 hours on it and I am only on page 130.

It isn't that I don't like reading and don't comprehend it--it is just HARD!

I think not liking to read and having a disdain for the effort it takes to comprehend a page are two different things.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

My DH is not a reader you NEVER see him with a Book. I on the other hand LOVE to read and will read several books at once.

Same here!! I love to read but Dh doesn't. I think DD will be a reader but DS will not.

 

[Nancy]

I love to read but I read trashy romance novels and never any "serious" literature. I need to read something I can get through fast and escape from reality for a bit. I could probably read the classics, but trash is so much better!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I read all the time, though never read books, can not appreciate fiction at all. I think I have read two fiction books in my life, and those because I had to, in HS, but also did not read about 30 others I was suppose to then, LOL. I read The Pearl, because it was about an hour read and also God is My Co-Pilot, I suppose because it was based on true life and a war story.

 

[Charade]

I don't read books but I do read magazines and news articles(paper and online). I even tried a book on CD once. Didn't get past the first disk. I do like stories (both fiction and non-fiction) but prefer watching/hearing them in a movie or documentary.

Sometimes I can't even get into reading long posts on the DIS. I just gloss over them to pick out the highlights.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

I don't know that it's ADD, I think I just have a one track mind and all rails lead to Walt Disney World. I think because it is easy to picture me in that situation, I am familiar with everything. I can read anything Disney.

I did read a few John Grisham books, The Client and The Firm and I really really liked them a lot. When I read The Firm, I knew that Tom Cruise was going to be playing the lead character so it was easy for me to visualize that. When I read The Client, my DH had read it and said who he thought would be a good person to play the lead characters, so I visualized them as I read it. Kinda silly I guess, but it worked. I also have read a couple Mary Higgins Clark as well. I think all this was before I had DS, LOL.

That said, seems that I *have* read a few books. Maybe knowing Tom Hanks will be the lead in DaVinci Code, I could give it a try. I think my problem is FORCING myself to read and pay attention. I would rather read the DIS Boards or watch TV.

 

[CPM]

I'm not a reader either. I try too. I did manage to get through most of the Mary Higgins Clarks books. They are easy reading and you can pick them up after days of not reading them and begin again.

I tried to read DiVinci Code. Suffered through half of it, I swear it was 3 months, then gave up.

I spend a lot of time at the beach, so I would love to be able to do it. I just can't concentrate that long or get LOSt in a book, as they say.

 

[Mister Incredible]

In my 15 years of marriage, my wife has seen me read 2 1/2 books.

The 1/2 book is one I started about 6 months ago. It was written by a client of mine. I really should finish that one.

I read a book several years ago I thought was very interesting. It was about the MIT students who came up with a mathematical way to beat the Black Jack odds at Vegas.

My wife can read a couple books a weekend if she wanted.

Oh yeah, I hate the beach too. Something you will never see is me on the beach with a book. Just not going to happen!

 

[Christine]

I think all this was before I had DS, LOL.

I almost forgot--I said above that I am a "reader." Well, I forget that after my kids were born, I might have gone 5 whole years without reading a book. And that is *something* for me. I just couldn't get a moment to sit long enough to get into a book.

 

[chell]

I am most definitely not a reader. When I try to read my mind wanders and I look for ways to edit the book and try to make it better and so on. It just isn't for me. Guess I'm stuck too much in an editing mode all the time. I simply can't read to enjoy. Yeah, I think I have a bit of ADD too.

 

[Buckalew11]

I've posted this several times.

And you sound just like me. I am the same way with a magazine. It has just been in the last 2 years that I have "gotten into" books.

I think there is a reason you enjoy your son's books. They are short, filled with or have some pictures (so it is easier for you to "picture" what is happening just like with the Tom Cruise thing), and you read aloud to him so you follow along better and don;t get as easier off topic by letting your mind wander.

For 2 years I have been doing tutoring with a friend who has 'rocked my world' through books! I will never be able to thank her enough for opening my world up to a love for reading.

Take a look at this website and see if you relate to the things mentioned. http://www.lblp.com/programs/conceptimagery.shtml

I'm telling you, if you want to change it, it can be done. As an adult, it is pretty quick and simple. It is the #1 overlooked reading problem for kids because they can read the words just fine, nobody catches on that there is a problem until it is "too late".

 

[MUFFYCAT]

i don't read books at all. i can't remember the last time I did!

I read the newspaper and that's about it.

 

[JVL1018]

I'm a reader..if I don't have something to read in the house I will get a little panicky. LOL I ALWAYS have a book going and once I finish I pick up another one.
I read everything, bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code, classics, chick lit, historical fiction, romances, thrillers and mysteries, biographies..whatever.

If I find a book I really like and then realize the author has written many other books, I get a rush thinking that I have this big stack of books that I know I will love waiting for me. LOL

I have a list that I keep in my purse of books and/or authors that I am interested in so that if I pop in the library or bookstore I have ideas.

I can't even imagine eating lunch(alone) and not having a book or magazine to read while I eat. One of my favoritre ways to relax.

My husband is not a big reader--he reads magazines and will tear through books on firefighting or sports but that's about it.
Oh and he reads the newspaper from cover to cover, which is the one thing I never read because I hate flipping from page A1 to A17 and then back to A1 for another story and then to A4 to finish it, etc.

My daughter loves to read and so does my son, though not as much as DD, yet..

 

[cats mom]

I'm a reader and can totally relate to having that panicky feeling if I don't have a book around.
Life gets crazy so I don't always read as much as I'd like - but I've always got a book waiting in case I have a few spare minutes, or hours, or (even better) days to devote.

I don't think my DH has read a single book in the 20+ years we've been married. I can't even imagine that.

My kids are all readers, though some more obsessive about it than others.

DD went on a date the other night and when I asked if she liked the guy she said she did... until he said he hated to read, then she decided they had nothing in common.
Hello! You'd think growing up with a reader and a non-reader as parents she'd be able to look a little deeper than that in determining compatibility.


Good point on the comprehension/imagery issues Buckalew11
Especially worth looking into if you have a child who is struggling. School is just so much more complicated for non-readers.