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Post by lesserknownpea on Jun 19, 2017 23:59:58 GMT
I'm enjoying a novel, and my character travels to Ronda, Spain, a place I've never heard of.
So I click out of Kindle, and google image Ronda. Amazing!! And of course, as the author of my book described things, I will have excellent visuals to go along with it.
Before the Internet, I would consult my encyclopedias sometimes to learn more about what I read, whether it was fiction or non.
But the ease and amount of the treasures at my fingertips with the internet make reading such an even more rich experience. Back in the day, my World Book would have probably one picture of gorgeous Ronda. Google has hundreds, and Wikipedia has absolute tons of fascinating information about its history.
Anybody else find the combination of reading for pleasure and google such an intensely satisfying experience?
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Post by melrose on Jun 20, 2017 0:04:36 GMT
Anybody else find the combination of reading for pleasure and google such an intensely satisfying experience? YES! It's wonderful, this www, isn't it? |
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Post by hollymolly on Jun 20, 2017 0:06:45 GMT
Yes! Google enhances so much of my life. The first thing I do when I leave a movie theater is start googling. I usually won't stop reading to google, I'll just make a mental note and google it later. Of course then later I'll be at my laptop thinking "What was that thing I wanted to look up?"
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jun 20, 2017 0:47:46 GMT
Yes, absolutely.
The internet is so amazing.
My family didn't have a computer (or internet) until I was 14 yrs old. And it was dial up. I had lived my first 14 yrs completely without the technology of a computer, except for a very few times sitting partnered 2 to a computer in school, playing Oregon Trail.
But I remember being absolutely amazed at typing anything - anything at all - into a search engine, and information coming up. Information about plants, food, recipes, anything and everything was right there.
It's funny how just one generation difference and my kids have grown up with a computer at their fingertips since they were born.
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Post by Linda on Jun 20, 2017 2:37:00 GMT
I used to read encyclopedias for fun as a kid...you can imagine what kind of rabbitholes I've fallen into with the internet...
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Post by lesserknownpea on Jun 20, 2017 2:46:21 GMT
I used to read encyclopedias for fun as a kid...you can imagine what kind of rabbitholes I've fallen into with the internet... Me, too😀 I was even made fun of, as I was perfectly content grabbing a volume and passing a summer day away. |
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Post by houston249 on Jun 20, 2017 3:45:21 GMT
I used to read encyclopedias for fun as a kid...you can imagine what kind of rabbitholes I've fallen into with the internet... Me, too😀 I was even made fun of, as I was perfectly content grabbing a volume and passing a summer day away. Me too! |
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Post by pjaye on Jun 20, 2017 5:39:18 GMT
Yes, I'll stop reading and google.
I was reading a book set in Burma and the author was describing how one of the characters looked and I realised I didn't have a good mental picture of a person from Burma, so I looked up Burmese people.
Then I looked at photos of the country as well.
I also read a lot of 'speculative fiction' - which is a fictional story woven around real characters or events, so I often look up the real event to find out what in the story is true and what is from the author's imagination.
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Post by deafpea on Jun 20, 2017 5:43:00 GMT
Yes! I do the same thing with movies/tv shows too. I've been binge-watching Reign on Netflix lately and I've stopped so many times to go check out historical stuff. I know Reign takes a lot of artistic liberties with their stories but it's still fun to go look up the characters/places/events and learn about them. I've learned a lot about French, English and Scottish history! I'm another kid who loved reading the encyclopedia. So many times I'd start with one subject, then start on a related subject in a different book--next thing I know, half the encyclopedias are piled around me.  Merilee |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,476
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jun 20, 2017 8:12:14 GMT
I also read a lot of 'speculative fiction' - which is a fictional story woven around real characters or events, so I often look up the real event to find out what in the story is true and what is from the author's imagination. I do this too. No matter how compelling the story I just like to know how much of it is artistic license. I've fallen down many a rabbit hole thanks to google and a good book. |
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832 
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Jun 20, 2017 10:34:27 GMT
Yes, everyday! And like so many of you, my habit and curiousity has roots in the encyclopedia. My parents bought the World Book on an installment plan and I was so jazzed when a new volume arrived. I loved reading the enecylopedia and google just takes this to a whole new level.
I do all I can to encourage this habit in my students too. My focus in the coming school year is on pairing fiction and non fiction reading. A lot of that non fiction reading will likely be online.
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Post by freeatlast on Jun 20, 2017 10:43:35 GMT
I'm enjoying a novel, and my character travels to Ronda, Spain, a place I've never heard of. So I click out of Kindle, and google image Ronda. Amazing!! And of course, as the author of my book described things, I will have excellent visuals to go along with it. Before the Internet, I would consult my encyclopedias sometimes to learn more about what I read, whether it was fiction or non. But the ease and amount of the treasures at my fingertips with the internet make reading such an even more rich experience. Back in the day, my World Book would have probably one picture of gorgeous Ronda. Google has hundreds, and Wikipedia has absolute tons of fascinating information about its history. Anybody else find the combination of reading for pleasure and google such an intensely satisfying experience? I do it all the time! No wonder it takes me so long to finish a book. |
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desertgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,646
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Post by desertgirl on Jun 20, 2017 10:49:41 GMT
Ha! Great thread if only to find fellow encyclopedia lovers. I still have a hardbound set that I got from a yard sale for pennies. When I taught, and school got stressful, I'd go into our library and find two of the same volumes from different sets and compare the articles. Stress gone!
As a non-fiction lover, I use Google a lot, sometimes too much, and it takes forever to read the actual book, but it adds immeasurably to the experience. I am currently reading books about pioneer women in the West and Google is always open on my phone while I read.
Thanks for the great reminder of my 10-year-old self, sitting on the avocado green carpet, Kool-Aid in a shiny metal glass, swamp cooler blowing on the back of my neck, reading the World Book.
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Post by peasapie on Jun 20, 2017 12:44:27 GMT
Yes, for sure. When I read Outlander, I researched what happened during that time period. (I wanted to know if he would make it.) I've learned quite a bit about various royal houses after reading books loosely based on them and then googling to find out the true facts. I've always loved historical fiction because it inspires further reading to separate the facts from the story, and having access to the internet makes it quite easy.
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Post by peasapie on Jun 20, 2017 12:50:00 GMT
I used to read encyclopedias for fun as a kid...you can imagine what kind of rabbitholes I've fallen into with the internet... My first was the set of Golden book encyclopedias for children. I read every one of them as if they were novels, full of adventure and fascinating detail. |
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Post by anonrefugee on Jun 20, 2017 13:18:01 GMT
Yes, not just for casual reading! I'm in a grad program and googling while reading has made it easier. It's been decades since I initially studied the subject, and I've needed a boost remembering some details.
When reading for fun I will do what you mentioned and Google the setting, a painting or song mentioned. It doesn't stifle my imagination as I read the book, it makes me want to learn more.
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Post by vspindler on Jun 20, 2017 13:31:29 GMT
I loved that the set of encyclopedias we had at home was newer than the ones at school. (I was also an encyclopedia reader.)
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Post by lesserknownpea on Jun 20, 2017 16:06:05 GMT
When reading for fun I will do what you mentioned and Google the setting, a painting or song mentioned. It doesn't stifle my imagination as I read the book, it makes me want to learn more. Yes! An example of this was "Clara and Mr Tiffany". As they described the inspiration and process of designing and making those original Tiffany lamps, I was able to look them up and see what they looked like. Another time I read about the life of Audrie Monson, the model for many of the statues in New York City from the early 1900's. Once again, I was grateful I could look up the results of each job. When I visited NYC last year, I was able to see the actual lamps and statues I read about, and so much more. And yes, looking things up can be such A rabbit hole. But I ( and I think all the people posting in this thread) have this very strong desire to learn as much as I can about Everything. So I consider it time well spent. In the movie Short Circuit, this adorable robot becomes alive, and runs around saying , "input, I neeeeed INPUT". Then he finds a set of encyclopedias and quickly consumes them, afterward giving a satisfying burp. My son and I love to joke that this is us. The same compulsion to learn, learn, learn😀 |
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rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,123
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Post by rickmer on Jun 20, 2017 16:37:28 GMT
i also love historical fiction so after a good book, i google the people to see their portraits and see how true to history the story is.
i have been watching homeland on netflix. immediately after the episode in Venezuela i looked that vertical slum called the tower of david. fascinating!!
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georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846
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Post by georgiapea on Jun 20, 2017 16:40:02 GMT
Yes, all the time. I check out things I want to know more about while reading. Click, click and I have added new info about all sorts of things.
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Post by gramasue on Jun 20, 2017 16:56:06 GMT
i also love historical fiction so after a good book, i google the people to see their portraits and see how true to history the story is. This exactly! But I look up portraits and real history of the people while I'm reading the book. I like to think of them as they really looked. |
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Post by rst on Jun 20, 2017 17:14:36 GMT
All the time! I also love listening to any musical pieces referenced. And I love being able to google quotes or foreign language phrases and find out the source and whatever relevance they have to the story. I used to read Dorothy Sayers mysteries and have to go to the library and spend a lot of frustrating time trying to hunt down her Latin and French quotes.
And sign me up as another encyclopedia reader. Read through all of Britanica between the ages of 8 and 13.
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Post by lesserknownpea on Jun 21, 2017 7:51:58 GMT
All the time! I also love listening to any musical pieces referenced. And I love being able to google quotes or foreign language phrases and find out the source and whatever relevance they have to the story. I used to read Dorothy Sayers mysteries and have to go to the library and spend a lot of frustrating time trying to hunt down her Latin and French quotes. And sign me up as another encyclopedia reader. Read through all of Britanica between the ages of 8 and 13. OMG! I forgot about her Latin quotes! I had to get a translation to find out whether Gaudy Night ended happily or not! I was frantic, I couldn't bear for her to break Peter's heart. |
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378
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Post by katybee on Jun 21, 2017 8:02:52 GMT
Ha! I was just doing this.
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rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,123
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Post by rickmer on Jun 21, 2017 11:59:28 GMT
This exactly! But I look up portraits and real history of the people while I'm reading the book. I like to think of them as they really looked. this has backfired on me before.... my eyes caught "spoilers" on wikipedia page when i wasn't done the book. i guess if i just searched "images" i could avoid that risk!!  |
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