nichtszusagen

Thursday, October 19, 2006

If you've been here before, you know I read a lot. So because I'm too tired to do anything fancy this week, here are some odd things about my reading habits:

Thirteen Reading Peculiarities

I can't just pick a book out of my TBR pile--I've got to use some version of eenie-meenie-miney-moe so as to be "fair" to the other books.

If there's odd punctuation, particularly extra commas, I'll re-read the sentence with pauses where the commas are several times to try to figure out why the heck the commas are there.

If a name is unusual or has an odd spelling, I can't continue reading until I can hear the name in my head. This can be a problem with certain sf/f books.

If I'm informed later in the book that a name is pronounced differently than I've been reading it all along, it'll throw me right out of the story.

If a nickname is a shortened form of a name, but the abbreviation changes the pronunciation, like "Mar" for "Maureen" or "Ro" for "Roger", I'll make myself nuts trying to make them sound alike, reading "Roe-ger" or "Mar-reen".

If there's a word-substitution-typo, I'll re-read the sentence, trying to make it make sense with the substitute: "I can't loose this job" makes me picture a job tied up with tangled knots; "peaked" for "peeked" makes me imagine the character having an orgasm.

If dialogue is written in an accent, I read it aloud, under my breath, so I can hear it.

When dialogue is written in an accent, and the way a word is spelled phonetically sounds normal to me: like "stop'd" or "wundur", I spend some time wondering how the heck you're supposed to say the words.

When a frequently misused word is used correctly, it makes me stop anyway, and marvel that the author got it right.

Rhymes without a rhythm make me re-read and try to make the rhythm of the lines match.

If a rhyme doesn't, I have to read it so it does. I always read the classic: "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food" so that "food" sounds like "foot" with a "d" on the end.

If I'm getting bored with a book, I'll start leafing through to the end, one page per paragraph. IOW, I'll read as many paragraphs as I have pages left in the book.

I cannot not finish a book--even that self-published mess a co-worker of my mom's wrote. No matter how much I hate it, I've got to finish it. I may only read a chapter a day (or as many paragraphs as I have pages left in the book), and read whole books between those chapters, but I will finish it.




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Categories: ThursdayThirteen, AboutMe

Labels: TT

// posted by Darla @ 10/19/2006 09:06:00 AM

Comments:

Great list - I have to think about what I do when reading ;) Happy TT!

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 10:19 AM

Great list! :) I'm the same way with sci-fi and fantasy names. Although it's funny, I used to pronounce "odd" names with a French pronounciation, but since learning German, they end up being pronounced the German way! *grin*

I have to finish a book once I start it too. I can only think of one book that I just haven't been able to finish.

Happy T13! :)

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 10:35 AM

OOohhh there are so many things on this list that I do too!! ;)

Happy TT, mine is up too!

# posted by

Eveline : 10/19/2006 10:51 AM

You are an interesting reader!!! By the way, what does your blog's name mean?

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 11:38 AM

Well these are interesting! :P I usually discipline myself to read some seemingly boring books in between the interesting ones just so I know I can finish them as well. :P And I'm also the same as you: I HAVE TO finish a book even if it can be the most boring one around. :P

Happy Thursday! :)

# posted by

Tina : 10/19/2006 11:58 AM

*laugh* That's really funny. I sort of wish I had your #13. I can't finish books that don't interest me. I just /can't/. Books I love, I finish in a matter of hours, and I don't stop until I do unless something hugely pressing is upon me. Books that I tend to put down... end up staying down. This was, as you can imagine, a real problem in literature classes...

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 12:16 PM

did you get through Harry Potter, with a name like Hermione?

# posted by

Carmen : 10/19/2006 1:56 PM

Addie: Nichtszusagen means "nothing to say". Obviously a lie. :)

# posted by

Darla : 10/19/2006 2:10 PM

LOL, Carmen. I was quite upset when I discovered I'd been pronouncing "Hermione" wrong for so long.

# posted by

Darla : 10/19/2006 2:11 PM

Great TT, Darla!

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 3:56 PM

That was a great thirteen. Kinda funny too.

Thanks for stopping by.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 3:58 PM

What an interesting list! I do your nr. 7 too: If dialogue is written in an accent, I read it aloud, under my breath, so I can hear it.
I have put aside books and never finished them. I admire people like you who are so disciplined as to read the whole book even when it isn't your type of reading. Happy TT!!

# posted by

MaR : 10/19/2006 4:01 PM

I'm glad to read that I'm not he only one who does things like that!
My TT is about frustration.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 4:33 PM

Try #11 in a Norwegian accent. "God is great, God is gude..."

:-)

My TT is up. Thanks for stopping by.

# posted by

K T Cat : 10/19/2006 4:46 PM

What a great idea for a list. I wish I could finish every book I start.

My TT is up.
Take care,
Frances

# posted by

Frances D : 10/19/2006 5:33 PM

Great list! I have some of the same things too--especially if I find out later that the name is pronounced differently than I'd thought.

Or if the nickname doesn't really "follow" the pronunciation of the name.

And yay for #9!

And #13 isn't true for me. I can easily put down a book, sometimes even if I'm enjoying it.

# posted by

Colleen Gleason : 10/19/2006 6:26 PM

Oh, my goodness! I have sit with my son every day when he reads aloud from books. I'm betting his mispronounciations would drive you INSANE! They throw the story off for me, too. ;)

I've posted 13 Scenes from My Chaotic Life, today. Enjoy!

# posted by

Chaotic Mom : 10/19/2006 6:31 PM

I feel the same about not not finishing. It may take me months but I'll push through till the end if it kills me.

# posted by

Scribbit : 10/19/2006 7:42 PM

Ohh I read the accents too.. otherwise it just isn't the same. I also read back if there are comma's etc.. why do we do that? lol

Mandy x

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 7:48 PM

Wow! Excellent TT!! And I'm right there with you on so many of those. The name thing especially. It's really really hard for me to read some sf/f books and books that are set in Africa or the Middle East. I spend way too much time sometimes working out pronunciations in my head. (And yes, I, too, had trouble with Hermione! I was so angry with myself when I finally heard the correct pronunciation.)

I always have to finish a book, no matter how terrible it is. I think there's only been 2 books in my life I never finished, and it was very very hard to not do so.

My TT is http://ocannie.livejournal.com/2006/10/19/

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 7:52 PM

That was fascinating - it really was. I love to read too and believe it or not, have a few of the same habits you do!!! My pile of TBR if overflowing.

Thanks for stopping by, Darla, nice to meet you!!

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 7:59 PM

I need to be grabbed by the first line of a book for me to love it. c",)

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/19/2006 8:49 PM

I can easily not read the ending of a book. I figure, why waste my time if I'm not truly into it? And I totally know what you mean about having to "hear" a name in your head. I do that all the time. If I can't figure it out, I make up my OWN pronunciation!!

# posted by

Natsthename : 10/19/2006 9:35 PM

Gosh - I'm like that too. I MUST finish the book even if I'm not enjoying it. I force myself to. But if I kept forcing myself about 4 times, I give up. Put aside and then re-read it the next time.

I'm not a end reader. But if I'm not enjoying a book and after 4 tried to forcing myself to read it, I will read the ending instead *LOL*

Okay so how do we pronounce Hermione?

# posted by

Julia : 10/20/2006 1:29 AM

Those are great and interesting reading peculiarities. Mine are just simple.
Thanks for passing by.

# posted by

FRIDAY'S CHILD : 10/20/2006 1:49 AM

Isn't it interesting how we readers have our own little pecularities in how we read? It's neat to see the differences and similarities.

# posted by

twiga92 : 10/20/2006 2:09 AM

I do many similar things--but you've expressed it better. #13 I don't do--I have lots of unfinished books!

My TT is up.

# posted by

Norma : 10/20/2006 2:17 AM

How funny but I do A lot of those same things and never even realized it! Although I have to (sheepishly) admit that if I see a typo, it almost makes me lose all respect for the writer. I'm goofy that way.

(Bookmarking your site - glad I popped by! Thanks for coming by Snarkypants and wishing me happy birthday!)

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/20/2006 2:27 AM

LOL! Love your list, Darla! Some of them are very true to me, but I want to confess that I can't finish a book if it's boring! Well, I'll try to force myself to read a few more chapters (to give it another chance) but if it still doesn't get my interest, I won't read further, that's it. Although I'll feel bad for not finishing it, but I don't want to force myself to read something I don't like either.

Melody

# posted by

Melody : 10/20/2006 4:51 AM

Wow.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10/21/2006 12:23 PM

nichtszusagen

Thursday, October 19, 2006

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