Motivations for Reading

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There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read.

~ G. K. Chesterton

How true this is!  Sometimes I am eager to read, particularly to learn something practical from a nonfiction book, or perhaps to devour a new novel.  But when I am tired, I turn to something easy or at least familiar, for relaxation more than for learning.  I have to be careful, though, because when I reread an old favorite for relaxation, I am inclined to linger longer than I really should.  I recently started rereading Jan Karon’s Mitford series as a break from several months of nonfiction, and it was so easy just to read “one more chapter”…which became two more chapters, and so on, before turning off the light and going to sleep.

Mary Jo

2 thoughts on “Motivations for Reading”

  1. I’m just coming off a Tired Man reading binge, I’m afraid — Inkheart, Brideshead Revisited, Lake Wobegon: Summer 1956, a Grisham snack, … :::sigh::: They make for very relaxing breaks, but once I get started, it’s often hard to stop. However, I broke the cycle two nights ago with Pride and Prejudice, and of course, the school planning keeps me in Asimov and Plutarch, so maybe I’m not losing too many brain cells. 😉

    I must say, however, that when I am engaged in Tired Man reading, it *could* also be classified as Eager Man reading as well because Tired Man books are usually page-turners, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

    Lisa B.

  2. Could this be the distinction John Ruskin had in mind when he spoke of “the books of the hour, and the books of all Time” ?

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