Monday, March 8, 2010
Do you still love to read?
So many adults tell us that they just don't read as much as they used to, and we're very interested in knowing why. Add your comments below, and don't be embarrassed. I'll start by saying that even though I'm a librarian, I'm now reading much less than I did 5 years ago. It's a change that's affecting all of us, and here's an opportunity to share why.
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13 comments:
I still love to read, just as much as I ever did, but the timing of reading is different now. As a child I read at the table, or curled up on the sofa. As an adult, I almost always am reading while doing something else--reading on the treadmill, reading while waiting at a doctor's office, etc. but rarely settling down to do nothing else but read. I guess I do read before bed, but then I run the risk of reading along and not noticing the time and not turning off the light until 1:00 am. We are such an activity-centered and multi-tasking society that I think people almost feel guilty for just reading and not combining it with some other useful activity.
I still love to read when I am reading for pure pleasure (not because I have to read for work or some other obligation). Curling up with some Robert Parker, Robert Crais, or Charlaine Harris gives me the same feeling I had as a kid when I was devouring The Boxcar Children series. I could not wait for the chance to read and hated to stop at night (which explains why I was often up very late and dragging to school on the groggy side.) Serious reading or research reading is great too, but it is not quite the same feeling of anticipation that action/noir or other so called "guilty pleasure" reading offers me. I guess my inner child now craves mystery with more of a violent edge (and body count). So, lose the guilt and enjoy what you crave.
I love love love to read. Always have. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day or week to read as much as I'd like. Work responsibilities, kids and the demands of life in general, sadly but simply, push reading to the back burners (or waiting rooms and treadmills) of my world. I do tend to read in the evening before bed. I look forward to that time of day and I love getting lost in a great book. Bonus points for modeling reading for pleasure behavior for the kiddos. Let the laundry pile up, give me a good book!
I do love reading, I don't read as much as I did when I was a kid. Just not enough hours in the day anymore.
Do I still love to read? Yes! How else to travel to different worlds, explore culture, find adventure and learn? I love reading books - holding them in my hands,turning the pages,feeling their solidness. Yes, yes, and yes. I love to read. Nancy
I gotta be honest. It's the siren song of the tv leading me away from books. You don't have think, your eyes don't dry out, and it flickers delightfully.
Yep - I'm still a reader. I don't read as much as I'd like probably because my TV is louder, brighter, and placed more prominently in my living room than my book shelf. Also, a full time job, a perpetually messy apartment and full laundry basket, email/facebook, dinner - basically just being a functioning adult takes up too much time. These are just a few of my favorite excuses… Despite all of these distractions I do find time every night before bed to read a few pages before comatose-city, and this is probably the part of the day I look forward to most.
I have never not loved reading. In fact, I can't remember when I haven't read. Some of my earliest memories are of reading, being read to, and weekly visits to the library. I have ambitious stacks of books to read all over my house, and jealously guard the time I do get to actually sit down and disappear into one of them for a short while...
Wouldn’t it be great to find a quite job where you could sit around and read all day? You know a job like being a librarian? Ha! This is one of the cruelest ironies for librarians. They are surrounded by books but the functions of an active library keep them off the books while at work at least. A recent study by the Primary Research Group reported that librarians read on average print publications 22 minutes a day and library-themed blogs about 10 minutes a day. But this isn’t to say that off duty hours aren’t shared with reading books. Exposure to great books is one the perks of the job!
Report Measures Librarians' Time Reading Job-Related Materials by Jill Laster
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Report-Measures-Librarians/21641/
Like air, I must have books. Unfortunately, reading is a solitary activity, which takes my free time away from my son, who won't be a child forever. Reading aloud to him was fun, but now he reads to me. I read less than I would like (on lunch breaks, on the sidelines, late at night), but I will always love it. I read anything and everything from cereal boxes to bestsellers to prize winners. Truly, a reader is who I am.
I still love to read, but I don't think I have the same connection to books that I did as a child. They captivated and absorbed me in a way that I experience less frequently (though not to say never) as an adult. It's probably partially a result of having less time and a different perspective as a grown up, but I've also never forgotten a remark that someone made to me once about a key difference between adult and young adult literature: characters in the latter tend ultimately to be more empowered to resolve their conflicts and create positive outcomes in their lives than adult fiction characters. Obviously this isn't always the case but I do think YA lit tends to be more instructive and inspiring while adult literature tackles a more complex, ambiguous world. It can certainly be enriching but not always as reassuring and inviting as YA. But I don't know. It's just an idea. At the same time I feel like the books I liked best as a kid were set in imperfect worlds. Thoughts?
Kate, I think you're onto something. As an adult, when I finish a really great book I tend to feel sad because I know its going to be awhile before I find another one that really pulls me in. I've even found myself reading the last chapter twice because I can't let go :)
My love of books and reading started with my parents. My favorite memories are crawling into bed and having my mom read the "Wizard of Oz" to me. I still love to read; nothing better than to curl up on the couch on a cold day with a blanket, hot chocolate and a good book.
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