i hate books

[Hax]

i guess you could call me a victim of a highly technological age in which computers and tv's detract from kids' attention spans, leading to a hate for books. i used to like them as a kid, but ever since i got into the internet/competitive gaming it's become hard for me to enjoy media that doesn't require the constant pushing of buttons/impressive visuals. as my extremely wise biology teacher said last year "we live in a push-button world," and kids these days refuse to do anything that doesn't require this.

something i've noticed is that the pace of the book directly correlates to my ability to comprehend it. textbooks that constantly spew facts (i.e. chemistry, algebra/trig) are easy for me because they're fast-paced and keep me attentive. fictional books such as the ones we read in English put me to sleep, as they generally take hundreds of pages to convey fairly simple storylines, mainly due to their authors spending pages and pages describing details that don't affect the plot at all i.e. describing the furniture within someone's house. i know this is appealing to those who enjoy books because they like to visualize and interpret the words in their own way, but i absolutely can't stand it and i'd rather be presented with actual visuals. thus i've found myself far more successful with Sparknotes which i've been able to pull a B+ in English with; just short of an A but I set lower standards for myself in English and Global, so a B+ is fine.

global is the bane of my grades because there are no online summaries i know of (we're reading Prentice Hall: Worlds History Connections to Today, 2003 -- if someone knows of summaries please hook me up lol) and the book takes ridiculously long to convey its information. its a terribly written textbook imo but i'm stuck with it; as we speak i have 65 pages i need to read for tomorrow and i've managed to read 5 pages in 4 hours and i don't even remember what i've read.

i don't care if this sounded pathetic, i know i'm not the only one with this problem. so i just wanna know if there's something i'm missing; i.e. a key to enjoying books, or just studying tips in general. thanks to those who can help

 

[finalark]

The secret to enjoying a good fiction story is to find a genre you're interested in then go read books of the same genre.

And yeah, it bugs me too when authors go overboard on description.

Ah, these days everything is go, go, go. I guess nobody cares for slow pacing these days, I personally enjoy it if it builds suspense or develops the characters and story. But that's just me.

 

[El Nino]

wanna know if there's something i'm missing; i.e. a key to enjoying books, or just studying tips in general. thanks to those who can help

1) Study tips: Skim. Take notes, but only write down the important stuff--if you try to transcribe the whole thing, your hand will probably break. Tune out the rest. If possible, read out loud. If you know what questions are going to be on a test, read those first, then skim the sections of the book until you find the areas that address the questions.

If that don't work, uh, Google the same subject, but find a reliable source.

2) Books: If you really want to know what the deal is with books, I have a suggestion, but you're not gonna like it.

Turn off your TV. Turn off your computer.

I'm not saying to give them up forever. Just get re-acquainted with silence for an hour or two out of the day. And then, once you know what silence is like, fill it with something.

If you can't do that, or don't want to, then don't bother. Your time would be better spent doing other things that you actually care about. Get Sparknotes for your English assignments, and you should be good.

 

[Mic_128]

something i've noticed is that the pace of the book directly correlates to my ability to comprehend it. textbooks that constantly spew facts (i.e. chemistry, algebra/trig) are easy for me because they're fast-paced and keep me attentive. fictional books such as the ones we read in English put me to sleep, as they generally take hundreds of pages to convey fairly simple storylines, mainly due to their authors spending pages and pages describing details that don't affect the plot at all i.e. describing the furniture within someone's house.

The problem is that you're judging books as a whole of the ones they make you read for classes. They're rarely that exciting or great, and if they are takes ages to get to the good bits. Honestly, forget reading those ones for pleasure and look for things you enjoy. Like zombies? Read the Monster Island. Like weird space stuff? Try Remnants. Look for books about things you like and go from there.

Failing that, just go get some comic books :D (or as they're called these days 'graphic novels' :/ )

 

[3747373796432]

Yeah, I'm not even sure if I ever liked books at all. I used to read them alot but I probably forced it since I had nothing better to do. Right now I refuse to read any of the books in my English class, such a **** bore, right now we're reading To Kill and a Mockingbird and I just don't get why anyone would like it. I mean, if books are meant to be entertainment, then they're supposed to be a break from work, but you have to put in thought to enjoy them, generating all the characters' faces and environments in your mind and reading the text. Unlike watching a movie or playing a game.

 

[Mic_128]

Right now I refuse to read any of the books in my English class, such a **** bore, right now we're reading To Kill and a Mockingbird and I just don't get why anyone would like it.

Yeah, that's one I've never read and don't plan to. I'm sure it's a great book the same way Picasso's paintings are great. Being that I don't get either, hence why I prefer more sci-fi/fantasy stuff.

I mean, if books are meant to be entertainment, then they're supposed to be a break from work, but you have to put in thought to enjoy them, generating all the characters' faces and environments in your mind and reading the text. Unlike watching a movie or playing a game.

The non-hardcore english books aren't an issue when it comes to imagining, unless you managed to kill yours.

Avoid Lord of the Rings at all costs. The opening chapters were a struggle for me with the sheer ammount of descriptions of non-important things, I'd imagine they'd kill you.

 

[Dodongo]

*slaps the OP with a thick novel*

 

[Snowmanthatknows]

I like books.

 

[JOS.fm]

yeah books are great. I didn't like them before until I found some ones that I really enjoyed and then you expand from there.

 

[Wenbobular]

Haha Hax
English owned me throughout high school too, but it was mostly because I suck at writing essays

 

[El Nino]

I mean, if books are meant to be entertainment, then they're supposed to be a break from work, but you have to put in thought to enjoy them, generating all the characters' faces and environments in your mind and reading the text. Unlike watching a movie or playing a game.

Books aren't always meant to be entertainment. Some of them are; some aren't; it depends on the book.

But, yes, it takes input on your end to follow a book. In that regard, it's less passive than just sitting down and watching a popcorn movie. But even playing a game requires thought and effort.

I have trouble understanding why visualizations are so important. I can hardly visualize characters or settings in fiction, and I don't think it's necessary. It could be that we're all just products of the influence of visual media, and maybe that's why so many people can't connect with literature. Maybe they try to approach a book as they would a movie, and that's an ill-fated approach.

 

[Fuelbi]

i guess you could call me a victim of a highly technological age in which computers and tv's detract from kids' attention spans, leading to a hate for books. i used to like them as a kid, but ever since i got into the internet/competitive gaming it's become hard for me to enjoy media that doesn't require the constant pushing of buttons/impressive visuals. as my extremely wise biology teacher said last year "we live in a push-button world," and kids these days refuse to do anything that doesn't require this.

something i've noticed is that the pace of the book directly correlates to my ability to comprehend it. textbooks that constantly spew facts (i.e. chemistry, algebra/trig) are easy for me because they're fast-paced and keep me attentive. fictional books such as the ones we read in English put me to sleep, as they generally take hundreds of pages to convey fairly simple storylines, mainly due to their authors spending pages and pages describing details that don't affect the plot at all i.e. describing the furniture within someone's house. i know this is appealing to those who enjoy books because they like to visualize and interpret the words in their own way, but i absolutely can't stand it and i'd rather be presented with actual visuals. thus i've found myself far more successful with Sparknotes which i've been able to pull a B+ in English with; just short of an A but I set lower standards for myself in English and Global, so a B+ is fine.

global is the bane of my grades because there are no online summaries i know of (we're reading Prentice Hall: Worlds History Connections to Today, 2003 -- if someone knows of summaries please hook me up lol) and the book takes ridiculously long to convey its information. its a terribly written textbook imo but i'm stuck with it; as we speak i have 65 pages i need to read for tomorrow and i've managed to read 5 pages in 4 hours and i don't even remember what i've read.

i don't care if this sounded pathetic, i know i'm not the only one with this problem. so i just wanna know if there's something i'm missing; i.e. a key to enjoying books, or just studying tips in general. thanks to those who can help

This is how I felt with the first few chapters of Stephen King's "The Shining"

Stupendous book, but the first chapters had me bored. I knew that the dad was an abuser/retired alcoholic and the kid was weird (not trying to spoil too much just in case)

I didn't need many chapters to explain this to me >_>

 

[Hax]

^yeah i absolutely hate that, glad to see i'm not the only one

it's as though something a movie could convey within seconds is being praised for taking immensely detailed page after page to convey the same thing.

i'm reading a moderately fast-paced book called Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku for the sake of leisure and i'm somewhat enjoying it. i'm interested in the subject matter which helps, but sometimes i fall asleep as i do with just about any book; and end up on my tv/computer instead.

would you guys say there's no hope to enjoying books for me or is it an acquired taste? i'm curious as to what bookworms feel when they're reading a great book; sometimes when i read Physics of the Impossible my brain enters this phase where i begin reading faster, i'm more concentrated etc. and i'm truly enjoying the book. it rarely happens but its really great when it happens; sadly it's completely random and i don't know why it happens.

thanks El Nino for the study tips i'll try my best, the test got pushed back till tomorrow

 

[Pluvia]

Read Mortal Engines then tell me this.

Seriously, read Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.

No, seriously do it.

 

[Fuelbi]

^yeah i absolutely hate that, glad to see i'm not the only one

it's as though something a movie could convey within seconds is being praised for taking immensely detailed page after page to convey the same thing.

i'm reading a moderately fast-paced book called Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku for the sake of leisure and i'm somewhat enjoying it. i'm interested in the subject matter which helps, but sometimes i fall asleep as i do with just about any book; and end up on my tv/computer instead.

would you guys say there's no hope to enjoying books for me or is it an acquired taste? i'm curious as to what bookworms feel when they're reading a great book; sometimes when i read Physics of the Impossible my brain enters this phase where i begin reading faster, i'm more concentrated etc. and i'm truly enjoying the book. it rarely happens but its really great when it happens; sadly it's completely random and i don't know why it happens.

thanks El Nino for the study tips i'll try my best, the test got pushed back till tomorrow

Now I'm not that I'm saying that I hate books here

Opposite, I love books, I'm even in my school's literacy team.

I can understand why he made those first few chapters describing the father's/mother's/kid's personality/predicament, it simply wasn't in my taste though

The rest of the book is great though. I highly recommend it.

 

[Hax]

i wasn't getting at you hating books at all, i was pointing out how you also dislike excessive descriptions that don't affect the plot

 

[Masmasher@]

remember to take a five minute break while reading and go exercise
also graphic novels are awesome

 

[CRASHiC]

Try more creative literature, its made for today's time when people don't have as long an attention span. Might really catch your eye. Try Italo Calvino's Invisibile Cities
http://books.google.com/books?id=5A...&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

How to Travel with a Salmon
http://books.google.com/books?id=_n...travel+with+a+salmon&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Both of these books don't require a long attention span, but are incredibly rewarding. Try different styles and you'll find one that fits you. I mean, do you like every TV show? Every game? No. So go and try different styles of books and different subject matters until you find the kind that clicks for you.

 

[victra♥]

books are so diverse...I'm sure you can find one that will catch you're appeal =p

 

[SkylerOcon]

something i've noticed is that the pace of the book directly correlates to my ability to comprehend it. textbooks that constantly spew facts (i.e. chemistry, algebra/trig) are easy for me because they're fast-paced and keep me attentive. fictional books such as the ones we read in English put me to sleep, as they generally take hundreds of pages to convey fairly simple storylines, mainly due to their authors spending pages and pages describing details that don't affect the plot at all i.e. describing the furniture within someone's house. i know this is appealing to those who enjoy books because they like to visualize and interpret the words in their own way, but i absolutely can't stand it and i'd rather be presented with actual visuals. thus i've found myself far more successful with Sparknotes which i've been able to pull a B+ in English with; just short of an A but I set lower standards for myself in English and Global, so a B+ is fine.

This is why Graphic Novels have surpassed traditional writing as a medium. Now that we have the ability to mass produce top quality pictures, why do authors still rely on words to convey the setting, instead using images to convey the setting and look of the story? It makes the book easier to read, much less time consuming, and ultimately more satisfying to the reader.

A good example here is the graphic novel for Kick-***. Describing the gore just doesn't have the same effect of having it laid out and drawn for you. It's much more striking if you see it and take it in all at once instead of wading through a few paragraphs of text, slowly piecing together the scene. Modern art and technology has made description in novels obsolete.

 

[El Nino]

Now that we have the ability to mass produce top quality pictures, why do authors still rely on words to convey the setting, instead using images to convey the setting and look of the story? It makes the book easier to read, much less time consuming, and ultimately more satisfying to the reader.

I disagree slightly. Not on the actual numbers though. I think you're right in that the number of people drawn to pictures is probably higher than those who are drawn to words.

But I am a person who doesn't always know what I'm looking at in a panel of a comic book. I say that as a person who reads comics and likes them, but once in a while I don't know exactly what I'm looking at.

It's a sign of conditioning. If a person is exposed to visual art, that person becomes conditioned to view it.

I know people who prefer visual arts and music over literature. These people seem to be surprised when I say that I don't know how to appreciate either of those things fully. I think they assume that visual art and music should be automatic, that you should be able to "get it" on sight, or after hearing it. But I don't.

That's why I say that a person has to be conditioned in order to appreciate any artistic medium.

Describing the gore just doesn't have the same effect of having it laid out and drawn for you. It's much more striking if you see it and take it in all at once instead of wading through a few paragraphs of text, slowly piecing together the scene. Modern art and technology has made description in novels obsolete.

I saw Inglourious Basterds in the theater. There were scenes that made the people around me cringe and look away from the screen. Those scenes did nothing like that to me. I had no connection to those scenes whatsoever (of course, that could just be due to me watching too many Takashi Miike movies).

On the flip side of that, one passage in Yukio Mishima's Forbidden Colors left me cold. Also, some parts of Akira Yoshimura's Shipwrecks also got me. And those are not in-your-face-violent-gore-fetish fics.

Words stay with me longer than images. I don't know if that makes me the exception to the general rule or what. I know it's not that way for others.

I think the only way to appreciate literature is to study it the way you would study something you were serious about (be it the sciences or some other field). If you can condition yourself to think in words, then you may get to a point where words will move you.

If the investment is too much for you, then, well, that time would be better spent on other things.

Edit: These days, I've been spending a lot more time buying DVDs and manga than reading literature. For me, it's a form of avoidance. Literature is too potent sometimes. The investment is too heavy, and the expenditure is draining. I seek things that are more passive because they are easy. But they can't sustain me for long. A part of me knows this and that I'll have to go back eventually. I hate books too. In a different way than the OP though.

 

[jugfingers]

kurt vonnegut has ruined non fiction books for me.

 

[Mota]

Fair enough, books aren't everyone's cup of tea. As long as you're reading something.

Books <3

 

[Mic_128]

it's as though something a movie could convey within seconds is being praised for taking immensely detailed page after page to convey the same thing.

A picture is worth a thousand words for a reason.

This is why Graphic Novels have surpassed traditional writing as a medium. Now that we have the ability to mass produce top quality pictures, why do authors still rely on words to convey the setting, instead using images to convey the setting and look of the story? It makes the book easier to read, much less time consuming, and ultimately more satisfying to the reader.

Debatable. Firstly, surpassed traditional writing? Uh, no. Go to a bookstore and look around. They're becoming a bit more mainstream, but they are FAR from taking over traditional books.

Secondly, they do take much less time, but that's not a bonus to me. I can read a 40 dollar comic book in half an hour, or I could spend a week reading 2 novels for the same price.

Comic books are the chocolate bar of books.

 

[CaptainNanD0]

No wonder you didnt even read the manga of Naruto, your *** prolly still stuck in chap. 35 lmfaoo

 

[Ocho(*8*)]

honestly, I don't think books written lately go overboard with description the way some of you guys are describing. at least not the ones I read. I think it seems pretty rare to find more than a couple pages of description here or there with books written in the last 40 years or so.

it seems to me like the biggest sections in books that doesn't involve plot are usually the author just sort of spectulating about something or describing someone's thought process or something which I find much more interesting than a visual description.

maybe i should find an example since you probably don't know what I'm talking about there.

and maybe im totally wrong too, just throwing an idea out there.

 

[Sephiroths Masamune]

The thing is movies and art have boundries, books do not. With books, you can let your imagination run free. That's why people get so upset when they watch movies of books, they just don't capture the magic the same way each differant reader does.

 

[Big_R]

People like books themselves because when they imagine things it is perfect. No movie or anything can match a person's own view of something so that's why you always hear people say "It's a good movie, but the book is better"

But with your problems in class... I would suggest you try to relate things to your life in some way. As long as things can relate to your real world it will be a lot easier to get interested and learn. There are gonna be things you just have to take in though. Memorize some facts and things. It's just the way it is.Not everything can grasp you in that way. But with English or global I would try to put myself into their situation. Maybe think of how you would do it differently or try to fully understand the feelings a certain character is having.

I just dled this speed readinf for dummies book but I haven't got into it very far. IT says it will help you read faster and comprehend more....So maybe give that a shot.

 

[BSP]

I think you just need to search for that genre that you like. I'm similar to you. I don't really read all that much, and I really don't like it when books go into detail and don't continue with action. However, that's why I go for books with action. You can find something that you like.

 

[MLEsis]

i was surprised when i read so many people in fact loved books. I like some, especially the gory science ones.

I remember I read an exceprt from a book called "Virus" forgot author atm, but it was soo terrible! It was about the Ebola outbreak(true story)-where it likely originated and the incident we had in the US when there was an outbreak in a biological testing/experimentation facility.
LOL, the book was my cup of tea but it grossed my classmates out.

I think my parents, but mainly school, shoving books down my throat my whole young life ultimately turned me off to reading most books.

 

[Fuelbi]

The thing is movies and art have boundries, books do not. With books, you can let your imagination run free. That's why people get so upset when they watch movies of books, they just don't capture the magic the same way each differant reader does.

This is why I hate the movies over books. When I see how hollywood practically devours books by changing most of the story, I get infuriated.

Lets take Harry Potter for example. They ruined the half blood prince for me when they changed more than half the climax. How hard couldve it have been for them to put everybody involved in the god****ed battle on the tower?

Or maybe stick to the actual plot more?

Also, reading will never become obsolete. Without reading, everybody's handwriting would probably be worse, there'd be grammar mistakes rampant, and everybody's vocabulary would be several grades below them.

Face it, society would collapse without books.

Don't think so? Try making a modep airplane or something without an instruction booklet and come talk to me

Without books, some of the world's greatest achievements wouldn't have happened. Lets take Da Vinci's The Last Supper for example. It was inspired through religion. What do we use to spread it? The freaken bible. If we didn't have the bible, he most probably wouldn't have gotten into christianity. There goes one of his greatest paintings. Hell, therr-e goes more than half his paintings

If you say reading is gonna be obsolete, your wrong. Reading increases intellegence and inspires new things

btw, if you think I'm a hypocrite because my post is full of grammar mistakes, don't pay attention. Typing this on my Wii was painful, yet necessary.

 

[Pluvia]

No people, seriously, read Mortal Engines.

Go to the libary or Amazon or something. Get this book then try telling me you hate books.

 

[Fuelbi]

No people, seriously, read Mortal Engines.

Go to the libary or Amazon or something. Get this book then try telling me you hate books.

Dude I'd literally go live there if I had the chance!!!!!

I hate how books are expensive these days(i refuse to wait a week to get a book I'll most likely finish in 2-3 days at amazon)

And I cant check out anything because I have overdue books :'(

I do hate it when people keep books in a horible shape =/

 

[RuNNing Riot]

I love reading books, so much easier than getting your eyes strained from staring at a bright screen for too long. Fanfiction's easier to make on the comp, sure, but why can't I just change the brightness a little more quickly?

And it just feels so much more comfortable to be lying stomach down in bed with a book on your pillow and a lamp on at your bedside table. So homely.

Also, reading will never become obsolete. Without reading, everybody's handwriting would probably be worse, there'd be grammar mistakes rampant, and everybody's vocabulary would be several grades below them.

Face it, society would collapse without books.

Don't think so? Try making a modep airplane or something without an instruction booklet and come talk to me

Without books, some of the world's greatest achievements wouldn't have happened. Lets take Da Vinci's The Last Supper for example. It was inspired through religion. What do we use to spread it? The freaken bible. If we didn't have the bible, he most probably wouldn't have gotten into christianity. There goes one of his greatest paintings. Hell, therr-e goes more than half his paintings

If you say reading is gonna be obsolete, your wrong. Reading increases intellegence and inspires new things

btw, if you think I'm a hypocrite because my post is full of grammar mistakes, don't pay attention. Typing this on my Wii was painful, yet necessary.

You seriously typed on your Wii? Hardcore, dude.

I think a better description whould be that typing conventions and niches we see on the internet these days (words like 'lol' and 'rofl') and parhaps memes would become part of everyday speech. Even now you can see the occasional person saying 'lol' in the middle of a conversation. I say it myself.

And besides, we don't ENTIRELY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT rely on books to research stuff. Word of mouth is still the most used form of teaching, yes? Not to mention all that stuff like Youtube which could have videos explaining language and such. Knowledge would be passed down over the generations, so the impact on language probably wouldn't be quite as bad as you make it out.

 

[~N9NE~]

A good book > a good website.

 

[Fuelbi]

I love reading books, so much easier than getting your eyes strained from staring at a bright screen for too long. Fanfiction's easier to make on the comp, sure, but why can't I just change the brightness a little more quickly?

And it just feels so much more comfortable to be lying stomach down in bed with a book on your pillow and a lamp on at your bedside table. So homely.



You seriously typed on your Wii? Hardcore, dude.

I think a better description whould be that typing conventions and niches we see on the internet these days (words like 'lol' and 'rofl') and parhaps memes would become part of everyday speech. Even now you can see the occasional person saying 'lol' in the middle of a conversation. I say it myself.

And besides, we don't ENTIRELY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT rely on books to research stuff. Word of mouth is still the most used form of teaching, yes? Not to mention all that stuff like Youtube which could have videos explaining language and such. Knowledge would be passed down over the generations, so the impact on language probably wouldn't be quite as bad as you make it out.

Did I say 100%?

Even if society didnt fall, it would take a major hit without literature


And youre right about internet words being used a lot now. I used to be hooked so much on the internet that I actually started thinking lol instead of laughing. Its gone now though

And yes, painful message on wii is painful message

Thanks for calling me hardcore though b(^_^)d

 

[RuNNing Riot]

Did I say 100%?

Even if society didnt fall, it would take a major hit without literature.

Well, you didn't, but from how you worded your post you made it look like literature comprised just about everything in learning.

Even so, I'm still confident we'd be able to survive as a civilisation through the other methods I mentioned. Short-term, at least. Literature is the longest lasting form of knowledge - it'd be tough to make sure nothing was forgotten using only shorter-term ways like word of mouth.

And btw, I was calling your action of Internet forum chatting hardcore, not you. Quit life!

 

[Fuelbi]

Thanks for your lowering of my self esteem T_T

If we didn't have books, I'd still think that that'd be the fall of civilization. Without books the mistakes of our ancestors would surely repeat itself. So if we somehow did reconstruct society, it'd fall again pretty quick anyway

 

[SkylerOcon]

Debatable. Firstly, surpassed traditional writing? Uh, no. Go to a bookstore and look around. They're becoming a bit more mainstream, but they are FAR from taking over traditional books.

Secondly, they do take much less time, but that's not a bonus to me. I can read a 40 dollar comic book in half an hour, or I could spend a week reading 2 novels for the same price.

Comic books are the chocolate bar of books.

I didn't mean surpassed in an empirical sense. I meant it in a more... artistic sense? You knwo what I mean.

Well, I don't think many good comics will only take you half an hour to go through. Take V or Watchmen - these comics are only twenty dollars (In the US, at least. Does Australia get higher priced comics too?) and they definitely take a lot longer than half an hour to go through.

And comic books are only the chocolate bar of books if said chocolate bar is the Chocoplogoie

@Nino: Agreed!

 

[Omnicron's Baklava Enterprises]

i guess you could call me a victim of a highly technological age in which computers and tv's detract from kids' attention spans, leading to a hate for books. i used to like them as a kid, but ever since i got into the internet/competitive gaming it's become hard for me to enjoy media that doesn't require the constant pushing of buttons/impressive visuals. as my extremely wise biology teacher said last year "we live in a push-button world," and kids these days refuse to do anything that doesn't require this.

something i've noticed is that the pace of the book directly correlates to my ability to comprehend it. textbooks that constantly spew facts (i.e. chemistry, algebra/trig) are easy for me because they're fast-paced and keep me attentive. fictional books such as the ones we read in English put me to sleep, as they generally take hundreds of pages to convey fairly simple storylines, mainly due to their authors spending pages and pages describing details that don't affect the plot at all i.e. describing the furniture within someone's house. i know this is appealing to those who enjoy books because they like to visualize and interpret the words in their own way, but i absolutely can't stand it and i'd rather be presented with actual visuals. thus i've found myself far more successful with Sparknotes which i've been able to pull a B+ in English with; just short of an A but I set lower standards for myself in English and Global, so a B+ is fine.

global is the bane of my grades because there are no online summaries i know of (we're reading Prentice Hall: Worlds History Connections to Today, 2003 -- if someone knows of summaries please hook me up lol) and the book takes ridiculously long to convey its information. its a terribly written textbook imo but i'm stuck with it; as we speak i have 65 pages i need to read for tomorrow and i've managed to read 5 pages in 4 hours and i don't even remember what i've read.

i don't care if this sounded pathetic, i know i'm not the only one with this problem. so i just wanna know if there's something i'm missing; i.e. a key to enjoying books, or just studying tips in general. thanks to those who can help

tl;dr:

Q

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Q

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