Read much?

[magid]

We are not a nation of readers. I forget that sometimes, with the friends I have, but 25% of USian adults read not a single book last year. The median number was four books; if the non-readers weren't included, it rose to... seven, though gender made a difference, since women read more (nine books) and men less (five).

There are other ways of chopping up the data to see that Southerners read more, as do liberals, and whites, and non-church-attending people. The big genres were religious works, popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries, while all other genres were named by less than 5% of readers. Hrm.

I'm even more atypical than I'd thought. I understand being to exhausted to read, choosing only short writings, or having uncompensated-for dyslexia, and so on, but I've found such joy in reading books that it's hard to wrap my brain around not reading anything of length at all. Other people's minds are so fascinating! And really, that's what reading can be, seeing what the author chooses to write as a distorted yet interesting view into zir mind, in what ze creates from thought.

Comments

I am one of them.....

[library-sexy.livejournal.com]

I did get at least one book read last year, but yeah I am one of the 25%. I have a lot of books that I have started, and really enjoy what I have read of them. I have the problem of miss placing the book so starting a new one and when I read I fall asleep.

There was a time in my life that I would pick up a book in the afternoon as entertainment, but that is not me these days. Now if I get to one it is right before bed....Zzzzzzzz.....

Funny thing to me is most of my friends are book-Es. They love to spend time in book stores, talk about books, catalog their books....this is so not me. I find the Market Basket Supermarkets more entertaining than a book store.

Re: I am one of them.....

[magid.livejournal.com]

I was following you until the Market Basket part, even though I like Market Basket in general...

Re: I am one of them.....

[library-sexy.livejournal.com]

Most folks find Market Basket an overwhelming and extremely enjoyable supermarket.

I find it more enjoyable than a book store.

[alandd.livejournal.com]

I wonder about things like this also... On the other hand, here's an interesting data point...

My father has (to my knowledge) not read a book (not counting reading children's books out loud) in my lifetime.

However... He reads at least one if not two newspapers nightly, and (judging from the number of articles he rips out for me) a few magazines a month.

That definitely puts him in a different class of people/readers than me, but technically, it means he reads -more- than I do. Not counting email / feeds. *grin*

That doesn't seem to be accounted for in these studies.

[infinitehotel.livejournal.com]

It's pretty well known that while book sales are dropping, people read a lot of magazines. Which makes a certain amount of sense; the world is moving so quickly that most people don't want the depth of a book unless it's a subject that's personally relevant; they want the information in quick easy-to-digest bursts.

Still, it does create a gloomy outlook. If this makes you feel nervous as a reader, think about how you'd feel if you were a writer. The fiction markets suck great big hairy rocks these days; book advances are down, they stay in print for shorter periods of time, and a bad year at a Barnes 'n' Noble can be a career ender for a novelist.

It's a fun game to be in, but I know very few writers who don't have other jobs. (Or wealthy spouses. :)

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I know I don't read as many books as I used to, but I read a lot of blogs and other online stuff. I don't know how to convert that to books, though.

[magid.livejournal.com]

It's definitely a drawback to the data, collecting book numbers only. I'm betting that it was the most easily quantified measure. How do you count magazine pages or webpages (all of them? ones with actual paragraphs?) when the readers don't pay attention?

Plus,books are certainly not equal; reading kid fiction by Daniel Pinkwater (wonderful as he is) is not going to require nearly as much of the reader as an Ayn Rand doorstop, for instance.

Books and reading.

[avivasedai.livejournal.com]

One year in recent memory ('05?) I took the 50 book challenge, and I was definitely feeling the pressure of completing that many books. If I'm not commuting, it's a significant challenge. There are things I do during the non-work hours that preclude reading (dealing with kids, for example, means no focused span of time longer than about 30 seconds w/o interruptions). Being out of college and working a job that actually takes my attention and demands interaction means less reading than before Real World Job.

On the flip side, the other week I took one day, on which I commuted to and from work, and read an entire Nora Roberts book. In the last week, I read one entire Diane Duane (YA/SF) and am reading another. However, I have not made jewelry, knit, cooked, or watched TV or a movie (theatrical or DVD).

Re: Books and reading.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I definitely hear that. If I had a longer commute, I'd be more likely to read books. And while younger-me couldn't conceive of a day without book reading, older-me knows that there are days when it's all short stuff.

[alandd.livejournal.com]

I need to find out more about this "50 book challenge" -- because (*gulp*) for me, 50 books isn't really a challenge. ;-)

This year, I read about 25 between mid-January and let's say mid-March. I've only read 3-5 since then but that's because I've been reading other things (online or magazines) and saving the actual BOOKS for 'special occasions' like airplanes or lunch on my own. I also have about a year's worth of comics backed up and my friends who read are really annoyed that they can't discuss them with me. :-) [Ooh, it's Wednesday!]

That 50 book challenge might help me at least keep track of what I've read... :-) Amazon's "4-for-3" book deal helps when I buy them...

Done!

[avivasedai.livejournal.com]

50bookchallenge is where to go!

Re: Done!

[alandd.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot!!!

[(Anonymous)]

Americans' reading habits are just more evidence of our laziness, which seems to grow boundlessly. We prefer the simple, passive processes of information consumption, and are willing to sacrifice a little bit of imagination for the convenience. Our much-vaunted American obesity isn't just physical, but it's apparently intellectual and spiritual, too. I blogged on this one, too. (http://underthenews.blogspot.com/2007/08/were-nation-of-non-readers.html)

Ron Franscell
http://underthenews.blogspot.com

[magid.livejournal.com]

I think that's some of it. On the other hand, computer use could be seen as more active than TV watching, and that's on the rise, too.

(Though what do I know? I'm unAmerican enough to not own a TV, I don't understand baseball, and I walk to work. I do like apple pie, though :-)

[rhysara.livejournal.com]

I'm actually quite ashamed of myself for contributing to that statistic. I love to read, I absolutely adore it. Growing up and all through high school I would read 3-4 books a week. The problem is that I am a book addict, once i start reading something, I can't stop. Not to sleep, not to eat, not to keep an appointment, not to go to class. Really I just can't stop. As a result in college I quickly realized that if I didn't stop reading, I was going to flunk out. It was extremely hard at first but eventually I managed to wean myself off books and at this point I'm pretty much afraid to start again.

I actually feel guilty when I pick up a book. And the fact that even as an adult I am incapable of doing anything else until said book is finished does not improve the situation. Occasionally I will allow myself a weekend of reading debauchery but I find that when I'm done (having given and spent the entire thing reading) my brain insists on making me feel guilty about it as if I've just wasted the time.

The end result is that I'm very careful around books and end up trying not to accidently start reading anything.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I bet you still end up reading more than 4 or 7 books in a year, even allowing only a weekend or two of intense reading.

I find it hard to stop as well, but not quite at your level.

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

reading debauchery

I adore this phrase. Reminds me of why I don't visit bookstores often -- I tend to come out with an armful of books, a much lighter wallet and a glazed look in my eyes.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Used bookstores mean less lightened wallets...

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

Very true ...

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

I know I shouldn't be projecting from my own experience, but ... no books? Four a year? Five? Nine? The only thing stopping me from reading at least 4 books a week is sheer busy-ness. (Having kids will do that to a person.) Even now, I make a point of reading books, often at the expense of sleep. I just love reading books so much that I feel anxious if I don't do it for at least a few minutes a day.

[queue.livejournal.com]

I saw this story this morning, and I have quite a few problems with it. Some of the things they say are contradictory, they quote a previous study that shows that even fewer adults have read a book but provide no explanation for the difference, and I think that the survey method might bias the results (I know a number of people who don't have a land line). I was thinking about posting about it this morning, but I didn't have the motivation.

[cellio]

I read more than I used to but less in book form than I used to. (I do like longer works too, and might explore audiobooks as a way to "read" without eyestrain.)

That said... err, 4 or even 7 books in a year is not a problem.