Dislike reading books (literate and educated)

Long story short, I have no interest in reading books.

In junior high, I was required to read 1000 pages per semester for English class. This was absolute torture, as I had no desire to read.

At that time, I was exploring other interests such as music composition, trumpet, keyboard, computer hardware and programming, video games (naturally) and other nerdy hobbies. Reading just wasn't a priority...and it never became one.

Fast forward to today and I'm 28 years old. Aside from children's books and a few mandatory textbooks, I can probably count on one hand the number of books I've read in my life. Reading simply never became a priority.

I think *hate* is too strong of a word, but I simply can't justify the huge time sink that is reading. I have too many other hobbies and interests, all of which feel more fulfilling and have more long-term potential to be rewarding.

Let me just clarify that I am NOT "all work and no play!" While I don't feel that I'm lazy, I definitely leave time for recreation. I also leave plenty of time to keep up with hobbies and side projects (which I hope may help improve my career, etc.).

I'd much rather watch the 2-3-hour movie than read the 500-750 page book. The movie has a distinct presentation about it which I can more easily make time for (take a leisurely evening, problem solved). A book always feels like an investment, both in time and financially. My hobbies can get a bit expansive...and I can only imagine the costs of keeping up a book-reading hobby. I understand that second-hand bookstores exist but I wouldn't even know where to start looking. Once again, I just can't justify the effort to get into it, look for something, and actually read it. It's just not going to happen.

I'll happily take in intellectual material; I enjoy documentaries and interesting articles of short to moderate length (up to, say 15 pages). There comes a point, however, where the minutia is simply too extreme for me to have any interest in. It becomes so specific that I'll never use it or keep track of it, so I tend to just not care about it. This is why I don't read non-fiction books. I'm more likely to read, say, Scientific American or watch a 2-hour documentary on the history of physics than I am to read a physics textbook.

I only have time for so many interests in life and reading just didn't make the cut. It's simply a matter of priorities. I might get into it eventually if humans develop 500 year lifespans and I can fit more activities into it, but for now life is too short to spend in fantasy when I have so many dreams I want to see in the real world.

Voting Results
74% Normal
Based on 42 votes (31 yes)
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Comments ( 11 )
  • Shrunk

    I only like reading nonfiction otherwise I see no point.. I don't really like watching tv for the same reason, it's a waste of time that is not productive. I don't get why people think its stupid to not read fictional stories when the only thing you can get out of them is entertainment.. The only fiction I've read since childhood are classics, I used to be a speed reader but my ocd makes it almost impossible to read and the only thing worth the effort to me is the possibility of learning something from it.

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  • perfectxsilence

    I personally love books but they're not for everyone.

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  • daydreamer394

    Fair dos ... for someone who hates reading you're not the atrocious writer I thought you'd be.
    I am guilty of being uncomprehending in the face of those who don't read (I love to). But you know what, everyone learns differently, so what the heck. You have changed my mind.
    I actually like a mixture; I mean, I watch TV a lot and read a lot (such is my thrilling life). The thing about reading is that it's like directing a movie in your own head, and visual images aren't just being presented to you; you have to imagine more.

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  • mountain-man82

    Thats normal, but spending all that time posting about your dislike of reading is not normal.

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    • howaminotmyself

      Ironically, only people who like to read will get all the way through this post.

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      • mountain-man82

        I only read half of it before I had had enough.

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      • nerd866

        Haha, true enough I suppose.

        On that note though, if anyone reading this is like-minded, I trust they can get through the post. The post is plenty short enough when compared to the works I described disliking.

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        • howaminotmyself

          Also, not a book. Maybe you just don't like paper.

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    • nerd866

      I'd rather be thorough than leave people guessing as to the context of my post. I had some time to kill anyway. =P

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  • wistfulmaiden

    I wrote a post saying I think its strange some people don't read.
    But I guess even reading stuff on the internet is 'reading" :)

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  • CDJ

    I don't like reading either

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