The decline in serious reading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read books everyday. I read entertaining fluff books and deep thoughtful books, current books, older books and classics, fiction and nonfiction. I also listen to audio books daily, when I exercise or am driving, and have a book on my phone Kindle app always available for times when I do not have my actual book available. It's by Upton Sinclair, second in a series, about 1000 pages.

Both of my adult kids read more than I do and recommend books to me. I live in a community where almost all my friends read and share books. I go to a monthly book discussion group where 8+ people discuss what they are reading and whether they recommend or not. There is a well stocked library in our clubhouse building in addition to nearby public libraries.

I don't know who you are hanging out with but clearly my experience, now and all of my life, is vastly different from yours regarding reading.

How old are you?

Late 60s. I have plenty of time to read but I do lots of other things too. My kids work full time and lead busy lives but yet they read a whole lot.

It’s your age. All of my baby boomer/silent gen family members do though. I think other things consume the time of Millennials. Their “reading” also comes in other avenues like podcasts.

From a SM perspective, GenZ is really trying to make reading more popular with all the book tokers.

Could be right but my kids are in their 40s and they have always read a lot. Also, I worked for many years in an elementary school and the kids in the 3rd and 4th grade classes I worked in also read a whole lot and loved to read. So maybe the stereotypes and observations here are partly true but not in my experience.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the popular YA series are 400-600 pages each and have 2-6 installments.

I’m reading a historical fiction series that on book 18 and each book is 350-400 pages.

There are new books that are destined to be classics.

Also, Charles Dickens was a horrible person and I can’t separate his art from who he was, so I’m fine leaving him behind. Bah humbug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People didn't read the original Dickens or Dumas all at once. They were installments in magazines and paid by the page.

This. It was like watching a TV show or multi-part video. Also it was *about* them / relevant to their lives in a way it isn't relevant to ours. Still great stories, I love Dickens, but you need to understand the context.

I'm a voracious reader -- I read easily 50 books a year -- but OP would probably scoff at my choices. Sci fi, romance, YA, maybe a little comedic non-fiction. I'm an escapist reader, I have no interest in heavy drama.

Same. I generally only read a "serious" book when it's the choice of my neighborhood book club.

There's no way to compare reading today to reading 100+ years ago when it was one of the few options for entertainment. As PP says serialized stories like Dickens were much more analogous to TV's role in society today. And I'm sure the intellectuals of the day lamented the poor entertainment choices of the masses vs their sophisticated reading of what they considered classics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a more educated population yet there's been a reduction in the reading level that seems to line up with the rise of social media.

Some Tech guru (Dorsey?) said something about how we don't "need" War and Peace anymore, we can do it briefly with the new advances.

In his day, Charles Dickens was massively popular among factory workers, but in today's much more educated population people say "it's too intellectual, 600 pages is too long" etc. Apparently we don't need great literature anymore because there's Twitter, Tiktok and ChatGPT.

It's a strange phenomenon.

Well, "In his day," no one read 600 pages of Dickens. His work was serialized in magazines. Folks read a chapter at a time. If you read him today, look for how often there are mini cliffhangers at the end of each chapter.

At any rate, there is plenty of great literature being written today. So much that I have trouble keeping up with it. If you want an idea of where to find it, buy Pulitzer and Nat Book Award finalists and read them and go from there. Even if you don't love all of them, you will find a few writers you realize are amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re all reading here instead? Lol

It’s true. This site has completely zapped my attention span. I used to read all the time. Now I have to force myself to sit and read 5-10 pages at a time, so it takes me forever to get through a novel. (I did just finish one, though. Yay!) For me, my attention span woes started in 2017, when the “how crazy did sh*t get today?” news cycle for me hooked on Twitter. I kicked that habit eventually, but this site is always easier than having to focus on an actual book. It’s the screens, people. It’s the screens.

[Anonymous]

I’m in the corner of BookTok that regularly reads 600-1000 page fantasy novels, so I wouldn’t make any correlations between book length and social media.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started listening to audiobooks a few years ago and it’s been a game changer. I have so much more time to listen to a book than I do to sit and read (walking the dog, washing dishes, folding laundry). I don’t know how many books I listen to in a year, but I’m always listening to a book, and I love it.

This is me exactly too. I’m always listening to a book while running, cleaning, doing errands, biking, etc. It’s the best.

[Anonymous]

I’m trying to finish war and peace now but am instead on this site. That’s the problem right there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Maryanne Wolf has written about this:

https://www.maryannewolf.com/books-1

She wrote my favorite book! About the “reading brain” in the digital age. I highly highly recommend it. Reading her prose alone was unexpectedly satisfying. Her language is deliberate and concise with specific, concrete word use. I could feel my brain growing joyously as I read it. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s a must read. It’s fascinating to boot.

You what I did? No lie - I went to her website to see if she had a twitter I could follow. Then I realized what I was doing. Doh.

I did the same after reading her book 😂

I encourage every person commenting on this thread to read “Reader Come Home.” It’s one of those ‘essential’ books. She also has a wonderful book on dyslexia if you have a struggling reader.

[Anonymous]

I know it’s ironic to be recommending a book here, but I found Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari to be very enlightening. It goes into depth on what has already been said here (we can’t read books because our attention spans are shot from scrolling our phones, etc), and really inspired me to change my habits. It’s a very well-researched and well-written book.

[Anonymous]

I am 45 and almost all of my friends read. My circle of "mom friends" all read, but yes mainly chick lit, mysteries, and best sellers.

A good percentage of my work colleagues read as well (ranging in age from 25-60). I wonder if the fact that we're in an arts field correlates to producing readers? This circle reads more widely - lots of nonfiction and classics, also books in translation.

I read about 80 books a year - a mix of contemporary award winners (Women's Prize for Fiction, Booker, International Booker, National Book Award, etc.), classics (I read all of Proust last year as an example), nonfiction on historical biographies/exploration/etc., and lighter fare like mysteries and historical fiction.

Both of my kids read (they are boys 14 and 12)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 45 and almost all of my friends read. My circle of "mom friends" all read, but yes mainly chick lit, mysteries, and best sellers.

A good percentage of my work colleagues read as well (ranging in age from 25-60). I wonder if the fact that we're in an arts field correlates to producing readers? This circle reads more widely - lots of nonfiction and classics, also books in translation.

I read about 80 books a year - a mix of contemporary award winners (Women's Prize for Fiction, Booker, International Booker, National Book Award, etc.), classics (I read all of Proust last year as an example), nonfiction on historical biographies/exploration/etc., and lighter fare like mysteries and historical fiction.

Both of my kids read (they are boys 14 and 12)

how do you have time?

[Anonymous]

I was surprised to go to Costco today, after many years, and not see a single book. I was so excited to see the book section. That caught me off guard, and frankly, made me worry about trends.

I read a lot, usually 50 books a year, though this year I'll probably only hit 40-42 due to watching more TV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised to go to Costco today, after many years, and not see a single book. I was so excited to see the book section. That caught me off guard, and frankly, made me worry about trends.

I read a lot, usually 50 books a year, though this year I'll probably only hit 40-42 due to watching more TV.

I hope that is just due to the rise in using Kindles. But that’s probably too pollyannaish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised to go to Costco today, after many years, and not see a single book. I was so excited to see the book section. That caught me off guard, and frankly, made me worry about trends.

I read a lot, usually 50 books a year, though this year I'll probably only hit 40-42 due to watching more TV.

I hope that is just due to the rise in using Kindles. But that’s probably too pollyannaish.

I have an MFA in creative writing and have always felt great affection towards my actual physical books and the bookshelves they are on. It was like once I read a book, it was a friend, and I didn't want to let it go. But I've finally come around -- they really are just collecting dust. I'm getting a Kindle.