Avid book reader, here. Actually, I’m a voracious reader generally speaking, and spend all too much time reading stuff on the Internet, but books are and have long been a serious passion of mine. I adore the smell of books, and the feeling of the pages in my hands, and being able to curl up on a couch or in bed with a book. These things certainly cannot be replaced by a monitor. Even a lap-top computer just isn’t remotely as cozy as a good book.
People who are avidly into reading have always been a minority. I’m not convinced there’s been any real drop off of readers, even among younger generations. I still see lots of kids reading books, e.g. Harry Potter and so on, and kids that are excited to get books as gifts. Most probably aren’t, but I think it’s always been like that.
I myself was the kind of kid for whom books were a safe bet–depending on the subject matter. I remember in High School when I received a copy of the complete Shakespeare for a Christmas present–I went nuts over it.
At any one time I have usually a dozen or more books I am actively reading. I go through different phases each day where I read different books. The books I read before I go to be are usually of a non-fiction variety. I find I retain more when I read right before I go to bed. In the morning before I head off to shape young peoples minds I usually read the more fun books, Like right now I’m into " Extraordinary, Popular delusions and the Madness of Crowds." MacKay, and “A Confederacy of Dunces” Reilly - both good natured fun books.
However, before my wife gets home I usually unwind with Stephen King. And now the Wolves of the Calla is usually preventing dinner from being ready when my wife gets home!
Well, if your students have any schedules that were remotely like mine - they don’t have time to read.
I stopped leisure reading when I first started college. Class, work, hanging out with women who actually had sex on a regular basis, class, work, sex…you get the picture. It wasn’t until I was working and got home at a regular, set time that I picked up a book again. Now I read one a week, mainly sci-fi/fantasy, but occasionally the non-fiction learns me some.
I like reading two or three different books at once. I have one book in each bathroom (two bathrooms) and I vary which bathroom I use each time. I might also have a book I read while eating but this goes slower due to feeding my three year old. I take a book to my daughter’s therapy sessions when I am not actively involved in her session (depends) or to dr appointments while I wait.
I am always reading and I’m always reading to my daughter. She likes books and I want to encourage that for her future. I remember always having my nose in a book as a child. I loved going to the library and always brought home a huge stack of books. If I don’t have anything new around the house, I reread my old favorites. I’d die if I couldn’t read!
I don’t know about kids, except that of course they’re all reading Harry Potter, and often wind up asking for more books like that. But it seems to me that a lot of grown-ups still read for leisure, even if they don’t do it as much as they once did. Witness the enormous popularity of bookclubs these days–Oprah alone got a lot of people reading fiction, and many people (esp. women) belong to a bookclub of their own. Barnes & Noble, evil as it is, usually does good business. Computers have made publishing faster and cheaper than before, even if that’s not reflected in the high prices of the actual books.
I read just about anything I can get my hands on. When I was younger I knew of only one or two other people in my classes who were actually interested in reading. Middle school had even fewer. In high school I’d see an occasional book being read for leasure, but for the most part people simply didn’t care.
Not at my house. Even my non-academic sister reads a book a day (although a lot of them are trash). I read at least two per week, and I’ve got a job that keeps me busy 50 hrs a week. My habit is to go to Barnes and Noble, buy a stack of books that look interesting, and start plowing through them. My stack currently has only two remaining in it, so I need to go again. Many of my female colleagues belong to book clubs.
I read for leisure way, way less when I was in law school, mainly because I spent so much time doing required reading.
I think it varies greatly by peer group. Also, even the really voracious readers I know, including myself, cut way, way back around the time they started college–just too much required reading to do.
I’d kill to have more time to read…I generally read a lot before I go to bed. Just finished Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher, which isn’t a good writer to read right before one goes to bed.
But, I can remember in highschool, I would probably read a 2 or 3 books a week. Now, I’m doing good to get in 2 or 3 a month
I am the proud owner of about a thousand books. My entire basement is devoted to my library. (Mostly non-fiction.) I take what Franklin said as my mantra: “I buy books. If there’s any money left over, I buy food.”
I read constantly. I carry a book in my purse just in case I may have a spare moment. When I wake up, I read. After I come home from work, I read. Before I go to bed, I read.
Not to rain on your parade, Phlosphr, but I think what we have here is a non-representative sample. w;)
That said, I’m glad to see such avid readers, but I think it’s becoming less and less popular as a leisure activity, especially as the Must Work Overtime culture continues. That said, I think the kids coming up now may possibly bring back some of reading’s popularity, since they’re growing up with Harry Potter being the big deal, not to mention Tolkien, etc.
I’m 20, and I still read for leisure. Mind you, I don’t read as much as I used to. . .but I used to read a lot. Reading less simply means that I occaisionally don’t have my nose stuck in a book. I used to read while DRIVING, for Pete’s sake (T.S. Eliot, if you must ask what was so important that I couldn’t put it down even in my car).
Incidentally, there’s a chance that I might get a job reading newspapers. Reading for a living=heaven.
Reading is a wonderful leisure activity for me, when I get the time. These days a lot of my reading is pre-bedtime reading, and I get 30+ pages read in that hour or so before I actually drift off. When my laptop wasn’t working, I’d go to the library on campus, check out several books, and finish one every other day at the slowest rate… then I got a job working all night one night a week. Those nights I’d go through 1-2 books, and then forgo reading for a good chunk of the week afterward, but still manage to finish 3 books by the end of the week. Lately I’ve been lax in my reading books because I spend so much time online. Being a college student gets tricky sometimes, though, with all the literature requirements of some classes. When I’m on vacation from classes I generally spend a good amount of time with books, whether they be fiction or academic in nature. (Yes, I do read academic materials for leisure a great deal of the time.)
Our children couldn’t wait to learn to read! We read to them constantly and they always saw me with a book in my hands every spare moment I had.
I think they were completely hooked when I explained to them how when I read a book, it becomes a movie in my mind, a movie that I can stop, speed ahead, rewind and pause whenever I want to, plus I get to be every person that goes into the making of a move except the screenwriter.
Our youngest two were homeschooled for three years (we’re currently considering bringing one back homeschooling again) and their favorite subject was reading. Even now, we don’t watch television except for Saturday nights and Sunday during the day so they still spend oodles of time reading.
I think it’s essential that parents instill the love of reading in their children and make sure that quality books are available at all times. When a child understands and can apply math and loves to read - the world is their oyster - they can teach themselves anything.
I’ve only read a handful of books this year, so I guess I qualify.
I read the paper over breakfast and in the bathroom. On the bus home from work, I listen to music (my cell phone doubles as an FM radio.) At home, I’m either with a partner or friends, on the phone, or on the internet. In bed, I fall asleep pretty much immediately (it’s hard for me to stay awake past 10 PM on weeknights).
I was a voracious reader as a child–the type of kid who had to be told to stop reading, turn out the damn light and get the hell to sleep. I stopped reading heavily while I was at university, my social scene and and my academic life combining to take up most of my time.
Personally, I don’t consider this to be a big loss. I do plenty of “reading” that doesn’t involve books: film, television, newspapers, magazines, journals–heck, even the occasional internet message board.
Further, I find these forms of “reading” to be more engaging and rewarding than books. I can watch movies and TV shows with friends and talk about them later. I can chat about the news at work or with strangers. I can participate in discussions with real people over the internet. These forms all involve great human interaction, while reading books on the other hand, can make me feel a little isolated and anti-social.
