On the Bookshelf

Musing Mondays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

This week, MizB asks:
"How often do you actually put into practice what you learn from reading nonfiction books (if you read nonfiction, that is)?"

Yes and no in a round about kind of way. Most of the non-fiction that I read is related to health and fitness. I get out these books specifically to study and learn the stretches within or for nutrition tips. However, I am mostly putting what I learn from non-fiction into practice when I acquire them with the intent to apply the given knowledge in my own life.

I also enjoy pop culture non-fiction but I don't think that it has as much impact on my daily practices. For example, as much as I was moved by the passion of the Sea Shepherds when I read The Whale Warriors by Peter Heller I have not stopped eating fish. (Just for the record I would never eat whale but I would hope that was considered a given.) I do not consider Mark Thomas' Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola to be responsible for my giving up drinking all soft drink (fizzy, soda, pop, whatever people are inclined to call it in your neck of the woods) but it did come to mind when I made my decision. That decision was more financially and health motivated. (Nearly three months soft drink free now!). I had already long gone off fast food by the time I picked up Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser.

I don't think that every piece of non-fiction that a person reads needs to be personally useful or applicable to their life in some way. It can be just as rewarding to read something because you find the knowledge intellectually enriching or just plain fun or maybe you hope that it will pop up during a game of trivia sometime and you can impress everyone with your vast mental treasure trove of otherwise useless knowledge. That said, I probably should be trying to apply more of what I learn from the non-fiction. I would probably be a healthier and more environmentally friendly person if I did.

Terra

Musing Mondays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

This week, MizB asks:

"Name your two to three favourite genres (the ones that you read the most from)."

My very favourite genre is easily fantasy. Anyone looking at my bookshelf can see that the fantasy genre dominates. From pure fantasy I would then say that my next two most read genres are really more sub and/or cross genres as I also read a fair bit of young adult fantasy and urban fantasy.

This is part of the reason why I am looking to spice up my reading options more at the moment. My preferences clearly need a bit more variety injected to spice things up! I am trying to read more non-fiction at the moment, especially health and fitness books. As for fiction, I am definitely developing an interest for books with more historical elements.

Terra

So, I have decided to participate in just one more meme. Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca over at Just One More Page.

This week, Rebecca asks:

"What happens when you see a movie based on a book/story, especially one you’ve not read? Do you feel the need to track it down and read it?"

Usually when a movie takes my interest and I hear that it is based on a book I try to read the book before seeing it. The release of the movies encouraged me to finish reading all of The Lord of the Rings and I have been in love with the books ever since. In the case of The Children of Men by P.D. James, I was glad that I had read the book first as the movie absolutely butchered it. On the other hand, I had not thought that Memoirs of a Geisha would be my style but the fact that I enjoyed the movie encouraged me to give it a try and I found that I loved it.

Terra