I realized despite having an English degree that I never used that I'm really not discerning in my reading. I have a sense of if I enjoyed it or not, if I liked the character, and if I thought it was well written and paced.
From a broader perspective I don't really do much discernment. If I liked it or if I thought the idea was cool that is often enough for me. FWIW I'm sort of new to reading as an adult – I work in healthcare and basically read maybe 1 book a year for the last decade if that. But I was a massive reader as a kid.
I think I'm falling into similar habits in reading as I am for tv watching. Sort of passive, not engaging as deeply as I could with materials. More superficially. Some of this is the books I'm chosing to read, and some of it is my approach.
So, title question. Are you a discerning reader? If not, talk about that. If yes, talk about that! And does it matter?
by IRLbeets
9 Comments
I just read whatever the hell I want to read and think looks good. If I’m struggling to enjoy it or get through it I’ll give up on it. I sometimes think I want to read the classics or something big and heavy, sometimes I want to read mindless rubbish that entertains me. I do have the advantage of being a fast reader and having a habit of reading, so I don’t feel like I’m wasting valuable reading time if it’s not a great book.
I suppose in terms of “discernment” I will delve deeper into authors/topics/themes that interest me. I talk to friends about books I read and we recommend books to each other. So I don’t just read totally at random.
I don’t think I have the same habits as I do for TV watching – for that I tend to scroll around and pick something random that looks good, rather than chasing authors/genres etc.
Not sure if that makes me discerning – would be interested to hear what you think it would look like to be a discerning reader.
I think a lot of people read this way, especially as adults. When we were younger we often read everything we could get our hands on, but later in life time becomes more limited and reading becomes more intentional. I don’t necessarily analyze every detail when I read either. Usually it’s more of a feeling whether the story pulls me in, whether the characters feel real, or whether the writing keeps my attention. Being a discerning reader doesn’t always mean academically analyzing a book. Sometimes it just means knowing what resonates with you and choosing books that make you want to keep turning the pages. And honestly, I think that’s just as valid a way to read
I read sparks notes sometimes to help me with the discernment. It helps me build up that “discerning muscle”
Yes. I don’t enjoy most books I come across, I drop more books than I complete.
It’s not that I only like quality stuff either. It’s more about if I get invested in the story or am interested in the subject, or like the writing style, or whatever that draws me.
As a fellow English major, my answer is “sometimes.”
First, why do you read? Work is stressful, family life is stressful….*gestured around broadly*…..everything is stressful. The more stressful I feel, the more I need to escape, the less discerning I am when I read. I’m in it for the feel good plot, no notes, don’t care about plot holes or characters. I’m more of a passenger princess.
But, there are times that I will pick up something and it really moves me. And if it moves me, really pulls me in, then I start to look closer, wonder why. Then my English brain kicks in, and I start picking it apart. Character? Relatable events? Really gorgeous sentence structure? I want to know why, so I can seek out more books like that.
I am a ridiculously discerning reader. I read mainly fantasy and science fiction.
And fantasy is insanely hard to be a discerning reading, so I have two modes quality and complete trash. It is not often I find a fantasy book I want to read I go so burnt out on fantasy, almost every major theme if I read it in the summary I wont touch the book.
Science fiction is a little easier there seems to be lots of quality sci-fi books.
My problem with fantasy came about where I used to read anything, but then I read Malazan by Steven Erikson and I realized most fantasy is written for children.
Of course other genres I read so little, it is easy to find something good.
Yes. However, I think a big part of your question boils down to why you read. Some people read primarily for entertainment in the traditional did I have fun sense. So their criteria is: did I enjoy this book? Which is fine.
Personally, I read for self-education, to broaden my perspective, aesthetic enjoyment, and to help me understand the human experience. I do read for entertainment too, but it is lower on the list. I can take pleasure from a beautifully written sentence or a unique narrative structure or a clever interplay between parts of a work that goes beyond did I enjoy it and did I keep turning the pages. A lot of the books I read are considered “slow paced” on apps like StoryGraph. My goal is to read what many have considered the best works that have been written. So I tend to read a lot of classics, some occasional contemporary literary fiction, and when I read genres like SF, mystery, and Fantasy it will tend to be well-established staples or award-winners rather than any old thing. When I finish a book I want to feel like there was meat for me to digest mentally and discuss. At the same time, I do read comic books and graphics novels and handful of faster-paced books between the meatier stuff. There is nothing wrong with each approach.
There is also discernment in the reviewing sense. Did this work as a narrative to begin with? Were there some clear flaws in the way it is written? Was it full of cliches or old ideas? That also goes beyond judging by entertainment, but is different from the quasi-literary criticism analysis approach I described above.
I don’t analyse fiction – i immerse in it and feel it. I find it more fun to observe a living thing instead of dissecting it.
Also, is it really passive reading when i make a “movie” in my head when i read it? When i feel the sensory experiences of what is written? When i daydream about stuff that happened in the book and make my own scenarios in them? Using your imagination is an active thing.
I’m not sure how that’s defined. I largely approach what I’m reading in an “accepting” way, taking different voices, styles, and level of complexity for what they are rather than what they’re not. I’m as happy to suggest Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune or Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum as I am to recommend Mark Twain or some of my many favorite nonfiction books on psychology, depending on what someone else is interested in. I do have thoughts racing about the books I read at times, but that can be anything from “so many possibilities” at the end of Wind and Truth, “am I supposed to forgive him?” at the end of Crime and Punishment, “this model fits so well into all the other psychology books I’ve read” at the end of How Emotions are Made, or “That’s not cool, how would I want to respond?” in a cozy mystery where the character runs into a wall of general dickery.
This is independent of whether I am using an audiobook or ebook, but I would likely have to be more deliberate in my choices on what to read if audiobooks at work didn’t bring me from double- to triple-digits of books I could get to in a year. I love discussing any of the books I read, and will happily have in depth discussions of stuff like character motivations or what parts of a author/style I like with someone who wants to do so. But I don’t tend to actively have internal discussions like that by myself. My brain just doesn’t really work like that.