Friday 6 May 2011

READING INHIBITIONS



By Richard Jay Parker

Summer holidays are on their way which, for a lot of people, means the one time of the year they get to read uninterrupted.

People's attitudes change when they're not on their home turf - towards how they let their hair down, sartorial modesty etc. Do our inhibitions about what we read change as well?

I have very eclectic reading tastes and am currently reading a classic. I've only just started it but I'm finding it a little turgid. Experience tells me that sticking with it may be enormously rewarding, however. At the moment though it's a case of 'I feel I should' rather than 'I really want to' though.

It's not the sort of book I'd choose to take with me on holiday. When I'm relaxing I want an engaging but easy read. The worst situation is arriving at your destination and realising that your book is a stinker. Ebooks are making this a thing of the past - allowing readers to load up with books so they can try something new if their usual holiday choice isn't delivering.

Somebody said to me that they like to read pulp fiction on holiday because nobody sees them doing it! With an ebook there's no cover to give you away.

It's interesting that people often cite their holiday read as their favourite. Is this because of the circumstances or because they forget about what they should be seen reading and go for something shamelessly entertaining? Like our holidays - is it an opportunity to try new things? For me it's all of the above.

There's still something to be said for returning from a holiday with several volumes conquered and sunblock on the pages. And ebooks probably make it too easy to abandon a book that may deliver if you persist.

I'm hoping my classic will do this...before I decide which page slammers/skimmers I'm going to take away with me.


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