My favorite high school English teacher had us read and analyze Sports Illustrated articles in the 90s because of the high quality of the writing. Magazines are reading. Graphic novels are reading. Audiobooks are reading. It's ALL reading. And you can find great writing in any format.
My parents are doctors and aren’t necessarily big book readers, but they read the news daily and read multiple medical journals a year. I’m less concerned about *them* not reading books because I know they’re consuming at least SOMETHING.
The only book my husband has read this year is PROJECT HAIL MARY, but he reads the news every day too as well as all his aerospace magazines. A lot of people read, but maybe not books.
Exactly! And I get why studies like this have to be done, but I am also slightly skeptical of the numbers since I’m aware that while I’m a crazy book person, not everyone around me is and they read differently and that’s ok, too.
It drives me crazy that people think women can't distinguish fantasy from reality and that somehow dark romance is "worse" than any other fiction where bad things happen to people? No one ever says men shouldn't read books about war or The Godfather, but somehow there's always a moral panic when women enjoy "problematic" content.
Hi, I don't have a subscription to The Atlantic, so I can't read the article to argue with it appropriately. I am a lifelong reader, however, who has worked at bookstores, libraries, and schools. When I've seen Rose Horowitch interviewed (the writer of the article), I felt like she was discounting the sheer amount of reading that folks do in other areas of their lives - just like that mentioned by other commenters.
My husband and I are voracious readers who probably read 150 books a year between us; we have one teen who only reads the classics and probably reads ten books a year (but they're really long) and another adult kiddo who reads thousands of pages of fanfic a year in between her work towards her philosophy degree.
Yes: I'm happy to lament how anti-intellectual American culture has become, but is that any different than how it's always been? The U.S. has rarely championed its readers, and I have usually felt "niche".
maybe it is out there somewhere, but i've never seen discourse that people must be lying when letterboxed bros or film influencers put out their end of year movies watched lists - i guess even for people who don't watch as many movies as others, it doesn't feel Impossible to watch a lot of movies while non readers can't imagine reading a lot of books?
My concern is that some might not be counted in these surveys because of what they might count as reading. Some enjoy or enter into reading in different ways, audio, visual and different genres. Along with how many are sampled and how they go about getting those responses.
would love to hear about your thoughts on dark romance and its place in trad pub! I think you said you were writing an article on this a few months ago and I have been (im)patiently waiting ever since!
Anytime, the whole "AMERICANS AREN'T READING" panic happens, I approach it sideways. *puts glasses on and steps on soapbox* - People were panicking about women reading novels and not being able to distinguish fiction from reality from the very origin of the novel, so when I see these Americans aren't reading thing, I have to approach it knowing the bias of people aren't reading the "right way."
Re: reading dark romance, the podcast Reading Smut has some really great conversations on why some romance readers are drawn to certain things, and it really helps me to think differently as someone who doesn't really read dark romance - and, certainly, has helped me check my own biases towards the subgenre
More Americans have PLACED A BET ... ???? I think I'll see myself out. Dear god.
I didn't know about the Instagram feature. That's cool! Though it's another way to be sucked in. Knowing me (and everyone at this point) I'd go to "change my book" and hemorrhage 10 minutes.
Side note: tell me about your needlepointing! I was at Michael's yesterday and saw the needlepoint stuff and told my daughter I really wanted to try it.
I read over 100 books a year and I definitely don't spend all my time reading, although I do read a bit pretty much every day. To be fair I had the same disbelieving reaction to people who said they read 300+ books a year, so I guess we're always comparing to what feels normal for us.
My favorite high school English teacher had us read and analyze Sports Illustrated articles in the 90s because of the high quality of the writing. Magazines are reading. Graphic novels are reading. Audiobooks are reading. It's ALL reading. And you can find great writing in any format.
My parents are doctors and aren’t necessarily big book readers, but they read the news daily and read multiple medical journals a year. I’m less concerned about *them* not reading books because I know they’re consuming at least SOMETHING.
The only book my husband has read this year is PROJECT HAIL MARY, but he reads the news every day too as well as all his aerospace magazines. A lot of people read, but maybe not books.
Exactly! And I get why studies like this have to be done, but I am also slightly skeptical of the numbers since I’m aware that while I’m a crazy book person, not everyone around me is and they read differently and that’s ok, too.
It drives me crazy that people think women can't distinguish fantasy from reality and that somehow dark romance is "worse" than any other fiction where bad things happen to people? No one ever says men shouldn't read books about war or The Godfather, but somehow there's always a moral panic when women enjoy "problematic" content.
Hi, I don't have a subscription to The Atlantic, so I can't read the article to argue with it appropriately. I am a lifelong reader, however, who has worked at bookstores, libraries, and schools. When I've seen Rose Horowitch interviewed (the writer of the article), I felt like she was discounting the sheer amount of reading that folks do in other areas of their lives - just like that mentioned by other commenters.
My husband and I are voracious readers who probably read 150 books a year between us; we have one teen who only reads the classics and probably reads ten books a year (but they're really long) and another adult kiddo who reads thousands of pages of fanfic a year in between her work towards her philosophy degree.
Yes: I'm happy to lament how anti-intellectual American culture has become, but is that any different than how it's always been? The U.S. has rarely championed its readers, and I have usually felt "niche".
maybe it is out there somewhere, but i've never seen discourse that people must be lying when letterboxed bros or film influencers put out their end of year movies watched lists - i guess even for people who don't watch as many movies as others, it doesn't feel Impossible to watch a lot of movies while non readers can't imagine reading a lot of books?
My concern is that some might not be counted in these surveys because of what they might count as reading. Some enjoy or enter into reading in different ways, audio, visual and different genres. Along with how many are sampled and how they go about getting those responses.
would love to hear about your thoughts on dark romance and its place in trad pub! I think you said you were writing an article on this a few months ago and I have been (im)patiently waiting ever since!
Anytime, the whole "AMERICANS AREN'T READING" panic happens, I approach it sideways. *puts glasses on and steps on soapbox* - People were panicking about women reading novels and not being able to distinguish fiction from reality from the very origin of the novel, so when I see these Americans aren't reading thing, I have to approach it knowing the bias of people aren't reading the "right way."
Re: reading dark romance, the podcast Reading Smut has some really great conversations on why some romance readers are drawn to certain things, and it really helps me to think differently as someone who doesn't really read dark romance - and, certainly, has helped me check my own biases towards the subgenre
More Americans have PLACED A BET ... ???? I think I'll see myself out. Dear god.
I didn't know about the Instagram feature. That's cool! Though it's another way to be sucked in. Knowing me (and everyone at this point) I'd go to "change my book" and hemorrhage 10 minutes.
Side note: tell me about your needlepointing! I was at Michael's yesterday and saw the needlepoint stuff and told my daughter I really wanted to try it.
Yes. 1984 and A brave new world
I read over 100 books a year and I definitely don't spend all my time reading, although I do read a bit pretty much every day. To be fair I had the same disbelieving reaction to people who said they read 300+ books a year, so I guess we're always comparing to what feels normal for us.