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8

I just came from Goodwill. I bought 17 books.
I have an addiction.
LOL

Our library also has a small book store that sells contributed books , very inexpensively .

7

What do you expect from a country where the President of the United States is not only ignorant, but brags about not reading books?

6

When people have to work 2 - 3 jobs just to survive, how can you expect them to have time, money or energy to read books.

I'm willing to bet they have the time to sit in front of the tv. I think it's more a matter of how you choose to utilize your time,.

I keep a book in the car , for when I have appointments . You know you're going to be sitting in a chair waiting your turn . There's also lunch time , bored at the , "you have to be there , for whatever meeting."

4

What else can we expect these days, when a shocking percentage of Americans celebrate their ignorance.

Dew25 Level 7 Aug 2, 2018
4

Well, the final fact is obviously not true. I'm skeptical about most of the other numbers, too. For example, if you purchase books through Amazon (as many people do), you don't have to go into a bookstore.

I think the last "fact" is tongue-in-cheek. Although, someone also once said that reading 6 books on a given topic will make you an expert. Hmm, not so sure about that, either. True about bookstores; Amazon is great. But, if there's a brick and mortar store around, I'll go there occasionally.

@Condor5 I also buy books at the library, the rehab centre where I go for physio and other fundraisers. Oh, and at book launches, when I'm invited.

@pixiedust nice. Borrowing is also very economical?

@Condor5 Except, I have a cat who attacks books, so I have to be super careful with borrowed books.

4

I raise an eyebrow at those numbers... have they included books borrowed from libraries? Books from non-traditional shops (ie Amazon, Target, etc..)? Are they including e-books - Kindle, etc... This seems impossibly low. How big and diverse was the studies population?

The college grad #s are startling, but anyone who has regular contact with the general public, or has observed the last six to ten general elections, cannot be very surprised by most of the other stats.

@jeshuey I would think the elections more in tune with the decline in newspapers and journalism than as correlated to the general reading of books.

3

I can barely believe those stats...real eye opener!

3

I am not one of these stats...I read every day, even if it is just for a few minutes..

3

That's not me. Though there was a period after college when I didn't feel like ever picking up another book, but I got over it. Yeah, just looking at what's happening with print newspapers gives a good indication of how reading cogent, informative literature is becoming a thing of the past in this age of inattentiveness and immediate gratification.

3

Times are changing. Technology has changed the equation. One reason people rarely read books, is there's so much to read on the web. Why buy a book when you can download it or read on line.

My son, who used to use books he read as his trophies, has gone completely digital. He does not have a piece of paper in his home. He photographs any receipt he needs. He says less is more.

I love being able to read scholarly journals, op eds and news from around the world, as well as read opinions and discussions and interacting.

Generally, the only time I actually read physical books is when I'm flying, and I really enjoyed what I read.

There is one major exception. I prefer music be on paper, both for playing and teaching, because I mark them up. I understand that with an application like pencil that will change.

The biggest problem with reading music on a screen are page turns. And, yet, I've heard there are apps that take care of that as well.

The real question is not if people read books, but the quality of what they read. Do they read MEMEs and think they mean something? Fake news and info? Or do they read from respected scholarly sources. Some of the most brilliant minds on the planet have web sites and on line publication.

They invented Google Scholar so I could read the great journals.

2

I must be an expert in porn then.

2

The only disturbing fact regarding books is that most of the books people read are fiction.

What’s disturbing about that?

@Marz If they understand it's fiction, nothing. It's when they claim one of those books is true and act accordingly that disturbing things like the Holocaust or theocratic nations occur.

2

I find a lot of good, free books through Calibre and the the Gutenberg project, then port them to my phone & read on the train.

[gutenberg.org]
[calibre-ebook.com]

2

It is sad...or depressing but not surprising

1

I love to go to Barnes & Noble & sit in the events space reading the books. Sometimes I buy one

I am a huge fan of libraries, I like to borrow rather than buy. And if I do buy I don't keep them long after I've read them. I like to keep them out where others can read them, I take them to Half Price Books for resale because I know what HPB doesn't sell will be donated to the Veteran's Hospital.

1

When my daughters started dating, one of my rules was that any boy theydragged home had to have a library card. I checked!

1

3 of the last 5 books I've read were on an e-reader. I definitely don't like to read fiction but I read. I've brought my children to the book store or library dozens of times in the past 5 years. It seems weird that we would be such outliers.

1

Blame amazon google netflix facebook kindle. And boycott divest from their profits

1

My goodness, I must be an expert in Rolling Stones lore.

1

I hope it is an exaggeration!

Take a look at the number of publishers that fail annually. There has to be a reason for that.

1

As a previous adult literacy tutor, I'm horrified.

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