Do you read for entertainment or for knowledge?
By Ruth Belena
@paid2write (5201)
March 9, 2008 12:35pm CST
I have only recently started reading fiction for the enjoyment of a good story, well written, with a clever plot and believable characters. Previously I read classic literature, biographies of great people and non-fiction books. My main purpose was to make me better educated and informed. I did get pleasure from reading and learning, so it was nearly always an enjoyable experience, but I never read just for entertainment.
I still read some serious texts but mostly now I chose books which will entertain me rather. I think I can still learn things from novels written by intelligent writers, and I find out all sorts of things, as well as getting insights into how people think and feel and react to different situations.
Why do you read books?
9 people like this
43 responses
@Farside604 (870)
• Canada
9 Mar 08
I mostly read for knowledge but from time to time there i like to read for enjoyment. I do however find it hard to do sometimes. After about 2 or 3 hours of assigned reading i feel like i never wante to read again.
@paid2write (5201)
•
9 Mar 08
I too find the hardest books to read are usually those that are assigned for study or for research.
2 people like this
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
9 Mar 08
I do both. I like to read for the pure enjoyment of it. It relaxes me, and I find great pleasure in reading fiction. But I also like to read to gain knowledge. I read nonfiction on topics that interest me, reference books, and on the internet.
Sometimes, though, I am lucky enough to find a book that has a little of both. Like The Innocent Man by John Grisham. It is a true story about a man wrongly convicted for murder. In addition to telling this man's story, it includes a lot of history and facts regarding the legal system and the area where it happened.
3 people like this
@Angelwriter (1954)
• United States
9 Mar 08
I read for both. I love reading a good story just for entertainment, but if I get interested in a subject, I'll read everything I can on it to find out more. But, even then, I suppose it's ultimately for entertainment, no matter how serious the book is. It entertains me to gain knowledge about the subjects I'm interested in. So, when I read non fiction, I still think of it as a form of entertainment.
3 people like this
@littleone3 (2063)
•
9 Mar 08
I read for entertainment mostly as i like to get alot of enjoyment out of books. Dont very often read serious text as i read to get away from things as you can so easily get lost in a book. Sometimes i will pick up an autobiography of someone i really like or admire to read.
3 people like this
@bobby_12620 (1099)
• India
26 Sep 08
i read for both entertainment and also for knowledge,but maximun i read book which give entertainment and fun....
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
25 Sep 08
I read for both. I prefer to read light books for entertainment during my summer holidays. Usually I read academic books in winter to help me in my profession.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
26 Sep 08
I think it's good to read both types of books, and Summer is a nice time to relax and enjoy some light books.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
24 Sep 08
I read for both. Although I pick books for entertainment I always end up learning things from them. I also like to read biographies and some non-fiction books. Some books, I have learned, are much more accurate in their stories and some of the stuff in them can be looked up on the internet for more information. Other books are made up of nothing but things in someones head. I'm always learning something though that I didn't know before I picked up the book.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ [/b]
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
25 Sep 08
I agree. Reading fiction often sets me off researching for true facts.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
12 Mar 08
I read mainly for entertainment.
I always have a book with me.
I think I have got to the point that I am fed up with knowing "too much".
Heard of information overload? :P
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
12 Mar 08
Oh you got me wrong. I know very little, too little but I can nevertheless have an information overload.
Or is this still confusing?
@paid2write (5201)
•
12 Mar 08
I don't believe you can know too much. If only I could remember everything...
1 person likes this
@peedielyn (1207)
• United States
24 Sep 08
I have always loved to read. I read alot when I am depressed. Instead of taking the time to get help I will hide in my books. I love mysteries, and love novels, but I love educatonal books too. I will read almost anything. I have been reading books by David Pelzer here lately, and Biblical materials. I just love reading because, mainly, reading is free. It happens to be one of the luxeries that almost everyone has--the ability to read and educate. Happy Reading!!
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
25 Sep 08
To me reading is more of a basic necessity than a luxury, and I do agree that books can take you to new places in the mind, and will give new meaning to life through knowledge of other lives.
@bluerubymoon53 (3286)
• United States
25 Sep 08
I read for both entertainment and for knowledge.
Currently, I'm reading "The Man Who Listens to Horses" by Monty Roberts. He tells of how he starts horses....tames them. He doesn't break them. It's really interesting the way Monty learned how horses communicate and how he can communicate with them.
After I finish this book, I'll read his "Shy Boy".
For entertainment, I'll read something like the books that Erma Bombeck wrote. She has a nice humorous tone to her books and I have laughed while reading them.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
26 Sep 08
I have not heard of Erma Bombeck but I do think it's good to read something that will make you smile or laugh occasionally, as well as reading serious books.
@bradhart (659)
• United States
5 Apr 08
I think most of what passes for classic literature is out dated irrelevant crap that people convince themselves is really good because it makes reading not seem like such a waste of time. There was a time that these books were important, don't get me wrong, but those times are long past.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
5 Apr 08
Some books are timesless, not just because they are well written, but because they contain basic human truths which never change.
@bradhart (659)
• United States
5 Apr 08
some are, but not most of the ones people claim are. Most of 17th and 18th century lit is simply pretentious crap people now read to tell others they are smarter than they really are. I puke at the notion of Jane Austin or the Bronte girls being fine timeless authors...
@cr0ssf41r13 (866)
• Philippines
11 Mar 08
I read books because it is both an entertainment and learning to me. I am entertained once I learned something new, which is rather strange because other people don't feel the same way as I do. Books that I select are actually books with a very interesting plot and characters that could make my imagination go wild. Whether fact or fiction, it doesn't matter as long as I am interested and I am gaining knowledge even in small petty things.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
11 Mar 08
I don't think it is strange to enjoy learning new things. I also get pleasure from learning and gaining knowledge.
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
12 Mar 08
I read strictly for entertainment and now that I'm retired I planned to do a lot of reading but have found that I don't have the time to read as much as I thought I would. I used to have a book with me wherever I went and my mother once said that I never learned to cook because I had my nose in a book. I do love to read and just don't have the time I would like to have. I seem to be busier now than I was when I was working and often wonder how I had the time to work. I think I have 75 books to read that I have purchased in the last several months, some of them autobiobraphies, but most of them fiction.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
5 Apr 08
Yes, you will benefit in all those ways, even when reading for entertainment.
@naseefu (1607)
• India
5 Apr 08
I am reading for both entertainment and knowledge.I had read many novels only for entertainmnet.I had read less for knowledge than entertainment.And I had read the text books for to get pass the exams.But when we read for anything there must get some knowledge also.
@tezovhemo (360)
•
5 Apr 08
well i personally read for entertainment and knowledge so its a hard question really ;)
