# Do You Know Anyone Proud They Don’t Read Books? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2023, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780 "2023-01-25T14:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/61 "2023-01-26T23:41:19Z")
Absolutely. You would not know I’m a huge reader from my house. The vast majority of my books are digital. And I know plenty of people who don’t want clutter in their house just using the library. I understand the appeal of surrounding yourself with books but it’s not actually necessary to be a reader. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/62 "2023-01-26T23:42:24Z")
That depends a little bit on age, I think. I read on my Kindle and I haven’t read a paper book in over five years but there were many years of reading paper books before that. Most of which I checked out of the library , but still, in the 35 years since I moved out of my parents’ house, I bought hundreds of books. I got rid of most of them a few years ago but I still have about 150 - which includes the last bunch of bargain books I bought and some children’s books that I saved. I’d be really surprised if a 60ish reader didn’t have more than twenty books in their living space - unless maybe they recently moved or downsized. It would remind me of the homes of my friends and relatives when I was a kid - which contained maybe a New York Post, Soap Opera Digest and TV Guide. Now a younger person, 40ish maybe - I wouldn’t expect them to have many actual books even if they were a voracious reader. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/63 "2023-01-27T00:03:33Z")
And I’d’ve taken those happily at that point! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/64 "2023-01-27T00:45:31Z")
I do know a few people who aren’t readers, but not any that are proud of it except for a couple of kids just out of school. My mid-bro is dyslexic (as am I) and he struggled to get through _The Hobbit_, but he loved the book. Once he and his wife split and he was no longer coaching his daughters’ sports teams, he took it up again. He finds it much less of a struggle now, and really enjoys it. He’s picked up reading the classics, even the Russians. I’m thrilled with his progress. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/65 "2023-01-27T01:04:14Z")
We have had posters here brag about not reading books, like the books behind a movie or TV show. I still like the feel of a real book, but several of my friends have switched to e-readers. I understand. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/66 "2023-01-27T01:09:38Z")
I’m guessing the customers in the following news story were non-readers, and not ashamed of it at least. > **[Independent Chicago bookstore owner’s tweet venting over $800 return goes viral](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/1/10/23548787/volumes-bookcafe-independent-bookstore-twitter-rebecca-george-viral)** > > More than 5 million people viewed a tweet by Rebecca George, co-owner of Volumes Bookcafe in Wicker Park and downtown, who complained about a customer who made a huge book purchase for a “staging” — then brought them back. Imagine buying nearly a thousand dollars of books for basically set dressing, and then having the gall to make the merchant take them back. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/67 "2023-01-27T02:08:48Z")
“I’m sorry. These books have been tagged.” (Not sure about their legal obligations but perhaps they are fans of _Seinfeld_.) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/68 "2023-01-27T04:00:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > We have had posters here brag about not reading books, like the books behind a movie or TV show. No, we haven’t. That wasn’t what actually happened no matter how much you want to pretend. ---
**Author:** ![SpinyNorma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SpinyNorma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpinyNorma)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/69 "2023-01-27T07:37:25Z")
I’ve read voraciously since I was a small child. More the OP’s point, I used to work night shift at a job that tended to have a lot of down time. If things were quiet and my tasks were done, I used to read a lot to pass the time.I knew a lot of people over the years who didn’t read. Some had trouble reading, some said it made them sleepy, but I also came across a lot of people who did actually seem proud of not reading anything they didn’t have to. They are definitely out there. I’ve also come across a lot of folks who just don’t get the appeal and think they’re doing you a favor by coming over to “save” you if they see you reading. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/70 "2023-01-27T10:08:32Z")
“I don’t want to say no book is ever worth reading, but I actually do believe something pretty close to that. … If you wrote a book, you fucked up, and it should have been a six-paragraph blog post.” Sam Bankman-Fried ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/71 "2023-01-27T13:29:56Z")
He’s on my death pool list. Man, I want those points! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/72 "2023-01-28T02:20:05Z")
> [@SpinyNorma](#): > > I’ve also come across a lot of folks who just don’t get the appeal and think they’re doing you a favor by coming over to “save” you if they see you reading. Like being on a plane and bringing a book you really want to read and you get seated next to some chatty busybody who has to yak yak yak the whole flight. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/73 "2023-01-28T13:09:38Z")
That’s why I bring my kindle _and_ wear headphones. Chatty Kathy can talk all she wants, I don’t hear a word. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/74 "2023-01-28T17:01:12Z")
Since we got into “very few books in the house” territory, I’ll share my experience. Dated a very nice divorced mother of a 13 YO boy. He came to her on a Monday and confessed that he had a book report due on the next Monday. It slipped his mind during the couple weeks since the report was assigned. Since she worked full-time, she asked me if I could take him to the library to find a suitable book (and check it out for him, since neither of them had a library card). The assignment was to read ANY book at all with at least 100 pages. Fiction, non-fiction…didn’t matter. Since I was fairly busy at the time, I asked if she didn’t have at least some book in the house he could use instead of having to take him to the library. Harold Robbins, Jacqueline Susann…I didn’t care, You guessed it. Not a single book in the house. None. Zero. We found a couple magazines, but nothing else…not even a bible. She was not “proud” of this, but she was quite puzzled that I was so shocked. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/75 "2023-01-28T18:44:20Z")
So - you digital readers - do you have any books in your house? How many? Have you read them? I can’t recall the last book I bought. Heck, I’m having a hard time remembering having bought ANY book since college texts. But my wife and I have managed to amass a couple hundred that we just like having around for whatever reason. Either they mean something to us, we intend to re-read them, or they are references. I have read fewer than 5 electronic books in my life, but have a few library books in my home at any time. When I said that my SIL owned few books, I guess I should have specified that she also does not have books out from the library and AFAIK does not have an e-reader and does not download books onto her phone (something my sister does which I cannot imagine!) When she said she had not gotten around to reading Sense and Sensibility in over a year, she did not give the impression that it was because she was ploughing through volumes of electronic literature. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/76 "2023-01-28T19:04:45Z")
I have lots of digital books because I’m running out of room to put real books unless I decide to start double-rowing them. I probably have a few thousand physical books, and one of these years I’ll get around to cataloging them using the Readerware app. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/77 "2023-01-28T19:53:19Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > So - you digital readers - do you have any books in your house? How many? Have you read them? Until recently, I had a lot of books in my house that I bought before I owned a Kindle. And some trade paperbacks. I got rid of a lot of them. I probably had about 400. Now I have maybe 100 between me and my husband. Then our toddler has another 100. I have read most but not all of them. They are mostly my favorite books, or books I associate with part of my identity, on topics such as writing, philosophy, and Buddhism. As for Kindle, I have about 400 total\* and I’ve read half of them. I recently imposed a moratorium on buying new Kindle books until I work through my backlog. \*That’s what’s actually downloaded on my current Kindle, but I have access to far more that I bought in the past and are now stuffed in a cloud. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/78 "2023-01-28T20:01:26Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Frank Zappa. He was being humorous. > **[A collection of esoteric philosophy books previously owned by Frank and Gail...](https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/juliens-auctions/catalogue-id-srjul10011/lot-4776c3ea-df64-4651-a894-a6a00025e185)** > > Bid Live on Lot 62 in the Icons & Idols: Rock n' Roll 2016 Featuring Property From The Estate of Frank & Gail Zappa Auction from Julien's Auctions. His sister has said he haunted the library and was a voracious reader as a teenager, with a particular interest in comparative religion. He may have been less interested (or just had less time) in reading for pleasure once he was fully immersed in the music business, but there seems little doubt he was at least reasonably well-read. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/79 "2023-01-29T11:51:58Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > So - you digital readers - do you have any books in your house? How many? Have you read them? Yeah, we have some. Including cookbooks. Most of them are not fiction though. Hundreds of books on out Kindles. I do keep a stash of coffee table type books in the living room. That’s really just for guests though. Everything from Calvin and Hobbs to some history of the local area. They mostly cover gold mining. A niece once came for a ski vacation. Teacher agreed as long as she did a report on the local area. I was all set for that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780/80 "2023-01-29T13:17:31Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > So - you digital readers - do you have any books in your house? How many? Have you read them? We have a shelf of cookbooks in the kitchen which are used often. There are some big coffee table books and boxes of paperbacks in the basement. Our kindles are used daily. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-proud-they-don-t-read-books/978780.md?page=5)