Is this a Lie? "I Read Everything I Can Get My Hands On."?

I don’t know – I think some people are that way. I feel like I read everything around me all the time.

What? Why not? I am a very avid reader, and I would use that saying from time to time. It’s just a saying, like I’m dying to meet you doesn’t really mean someone is dying.

I’m not sure how having or not having a degree relates to your overheard statement.
I vote for the third option you seem to presume does not exist, that is that some people DO have a voracious appetite for reading and try to read as much as they can. My partner is one of them, he literally can not stop reading Wikipedia, which gets bad cause it’s all linked up with other articles.

@YARNLADY I’m an avid reader of many different kinds of subjects and sources but I can honestly say I’ve never made that statement and never would.

If I don’t have anything to read, I’ll read the cereal box, or the bathroom deodorizer can. There are plenty of books, however, that I wouldn’t spend time reading.

I was traveling with a group of people once, and one lady asked me how I always seem to know my way around. She seemed surprised when I told her I read the signs that are posted all over the place.

I’m the same way as @syz. It used to annoy my parents when I did it at home.

It seems to be your perception that causes your annoyance.

I think it is just a way of saying one is a voracious reader—with very catholic tastes.

I read a lot. When I have free time, I almost always have a book in my hands. I read all of the signs around me and anything else in front of me that has words on it. When we eat cereal in the morning, we leave the box sitting right on the table and I’ll read it while eating. When we let our son get a happy meal, I’ll read the happy meal box (or bag depending on where we are) while we are sitting eating. I’ve never said I read everything that I can get my hands on though. I’ve just never thought of saying that to anyone. I’ve called myself a book nerd on several occassions though. My husband got me a Kindle for my birthday so that I can travel without taking a bag of books with me on our trips.

@marinelife Could be . If they’d say, “I Do read a lot” that would be fine.

I think it’s just a bit of hyperbole. There are so many written things and too much to do in between.

I say this a lot, because I’m like @syz and @chyna. I think @Aster needs to get over it instead of thinking people are liars.

I’m with the “I read everything I can get my hands on” crowd. Even if I have no interest in a book initially, if it’s there I will at least attempt to read it. If I don’t have a book, I’ll read shampoo bottles. It’s just an expression, and I don’t think it has anything to do with insecurity.

I’m a fairly avid reader myself. I like a broad range of reading material and love to learn new things about topics of interest. Perhaps it was said in that vein, as opposed to being so literal?

Then again, some of us actually do read everything I even read the words on the bottom of my laptop, and on the bottom of my mouse. Is that weird, or what?

I have to turn my laptop over every once in a while to let it cool off, and when I see writing there, I read it.

@YARNLADY I’ll vote for “or what” because I’m the same way and I hardly need another thing about myself to call weird. :D

@MacBean Count me in too. I even <gasp> read the instructions booklets that come with everything. Nutrition labels, cereal boxes, pharmacology reports….

^^ I love that so many of us are like that. :D

Alright, already! I was not talking about reading labels and cereal boxes. The End

@Aster So everything doesn’t really mean everything? Darn, I was going to add that I have read every word of the caution pages that come in my medication packages.

@YARNLADY Read the phonebook too?

@Aster Only the community service pages at the beginning and the yellow pages. I don’t go through the white pages, unless I run out of things to read. I sometimes do research to see how many pages of such and such a last name.

I keep a copy of the Yellow Pages in the car for when I get stopped in traffic, or have to wait for someone who is shopping. I love reading the maps that are in the car, and the AAA Tour books.

It seems that the library would have some books more interesting than what you’ve been reading but to each his own.
I’m on page 511 of the 1945 Issue of : How to Repair Your RCA Victor Radio. Only 600 pages to go and I can start on the next manual. I inherited ten radio repair manuals.

@Aster I really never enjoyed reading repair manuals. My Dad used to repair radios for a living and I couldn’t wrap my mind around those diagrams. My husband, son and grandson love reading computer manuals.

Oh, Lord, don’t read the warning labels in medications – you’ll never take another drug again! Those things’ll scare the bejeebus outta ya!

@syz Like skin turning yellow? Going blind in one eye? Those sort of things? :)

@stardust That pales next to one of mine that says some reports of toxic side effects, including death.