Depressing report on reading habits

[kallend 2,146]

www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading_a_lot_less/?p1=MEWell_Pos3

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Butters 0]

There were books with out pictures, then there were books with pictures, then there were books with only pictures, and now there is video ...

Edit: "Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." Albert Einstein

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[JohnRich 4]

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www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading_a_lot_less/?p1=MEWell_Pos3

I'm sorry, I don't have time to read that report.

[NWFlyer 2]

Here in Seattle the public libraries are still bustling places, and over the past several years the city has invested heavily in repairing/growing the community library infrastructure (the "Libraries for All" bond was voted on in 1998). Every time I go into the library to pick up or drop off books (which is often), I am always heartened when I see parents with their kids there holding a huge pile of books. But I'm guessing that's an increasingly rare sight nationwide ...

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[nigel99 612]

It is true - and contrary to what some may believe I think the affect is already being felt in work place. The number of times that people ask questions that can be answered by reading datasheets (engineering) is really irritating.

I also think there is quite a trend of being dislexic - where sometimes it is just laziness or lack of comprehension.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[Zep 0]

I agree, the lack of youngsters (and not only youngsters) reading is a social problem,
I'm not going to prattle on about how reading can improve the attention span problem
that so many youngsters have these days.
All my children have to dedicate between 30minutes and an hour every day reading.
For various reasons, they all read books in 3 different languages.

I'm a firm believer that if the parents read the children will read.

Gone fishing

[SpeedRacer 1]

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It is true - and contrary to what some may believe I think the affect effect is already being felt in work place. The number of times that people ask questions that can be answered by reading datasheets (engineering) is really irritating.

I also think there is quite a trend of being dislexic - where sometimes it is just laziness or lack of comprehension.

fixed.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[enflyt 0]

When I was in school, I didnt really get too much into books myself. Sad to say, most of the assigned readings ended up being movies or cliffnoted books i could read instead :P

ironically, some of those books that I wouldnt touch in school turned out to be among my favorites now. I'm a total bookworm-read usually 2-3 books a week on average, depending on what else is going on in my life. So.. I guess there's always hope that as long as these kids are literate, maybe they'll get into it when they get older.

[rehmwa 2]

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usually 2-3 books a week on average, depending on what else is going on in my life..

me too. Go, Dog, Go is a great read, really makes you think.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[NWFlyer 2]

My bookworm habits were most firmly established in 1st-3rd grade; at the time, we lived in Greece and (at least back then) there wasn't access to much English-language programming on television. My lifelong love for the Muppets was also firmly established at that time as it was the only kids show on in English.

Since we didn't have access to television, my brother and I read ... and read... and read. And were power users of libraries. Both habits have stuck to this day.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[enflyt 0]

hey.. go dog go is a great book. but i've come a little farther down the road than that. However, I love reading kids books translated into arabic. The Franklin series (about the turtle) is hilarious. even more so in another language.

[kelpdiver 2]

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www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading_a_lot_less/?p1=MEWell_Pos3

Is it really so bad if people read the same articles on the web as they would in a magazine? Much of computer use is reading, just on new media. And is any form of print better than any form of TV?

The chief problem with that substitution is that I believe the quality and effort put into writing has fallen. Blog is a short name for unedited first draft columns.

The amount of information youngesters process continues to climb, but GIGO is the story of the day.

[nigel99 612]

I think that reading requires a longer attention span. The web and even magazines provide short forms that often gloss over the subject matter.

I see it in my own children as they really struggle to follow a story where the storyline is not full of action and shorter than a few minutes. The reading is possibly secondary to the ability to continue a line of reasoning over an extended period.

If you suggest that reading the same content online or on a PC is just a new media then I agree with you - I just haven't found the same depth of subject matter, and if I did I am not sure that I would like to read a novel on a PC.

Online media can reduce your vocabulary such that you don't know the correct use of effect and affect

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[akarunway 1]

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www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading_a_lot_less/?p1=MEWell_Pos3

Good. Maybe books will get cheaper for us old folks. Actually SAD

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[kelpdiver 2]

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www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/19/young_people_reading_a_lot_less/?p1=MEWell_Pos3

Good. Maybe books will get cheaper for us old folks. Actually SAD

unfortunately, more likely the opposite. Less demand, less efficicency and competition to tell to you. Physical costs of printing books continue to rise as well. Oddly, there is almost no discounting of digital forms of books to account for this, giving me no incentive to consider the Sony Reader or other digital book readers.

[PLFXpert 0]

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My bookworm habits were most firmly established in 1st-3rd grade;

Me, too. There was this club and if you completed so many books you'd get a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

Free pizza is the answer!

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[kallend 2,146]

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Oddly, there is almost no discounting of digital forms of books to account for this, giving me no incentive to consider the Sony Reader or other digital book readers.

Actually Amazon is about to initiate such a service.

www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3712006

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Shotgun 1]

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Oddly, there is almost no discounting of digital forms of books to account for this, giving me no incentive to consider the Sony Reader or other digital book readers.

Actually Amazon is about to initiate such a service.

www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3712006

Sheesh, I spend enough time on a computer without reading books on one. I read books to get away from a computer, so I would not like those digital things. Just give me an old-fashioned paper book, please.
And speaking of old, I just started reading "The Drift Fence" by Zane Grey last night. A beaten-up old hardcover. Just wouldn't be the same on a computer.

[NWFlyer 2]

I was a test user for that. It's a cool tool but it's not worth $400 to me - methinks Amazon.com missed the boat on the pricing. You don't make money on the unit - you make money on the books.

Edited to add that at this moment my 2* review is marked the "most helpful critical review." It's going to be an interesting chat when I see my friend at Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday (she works on the product and got me into the test program).

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[kelpdiver 2]

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Sheesh, I spend enough time on a computer without reading books on one. I read books to get away from a computer, so I would not like those digital things. Just give me an old-fashioned paper book, please.

If you only want to carry one book, sure. But what if you want to bring 10? Esp important for travel for leisure reading, and for documentation when doing business at a remote site.

With the digital ink that doesn't consume power except when you turn the page, these devices are getting pretty close to being a book substitute, and the Sony was among the first not to restrict to their own proprietary data format.

[NWFlyer 2]

If I were still traveling constantly for work, the Kindle (or similar products) would be MUCH more attractive... but since I'm home most of the time and can handle one real book, it's definitely not attractive at that price point.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Shotgun 1]

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If you only want to carry one book, sure. But what if you want to bring 10?

Well, I guess if I wanted to take ten books somewhere, then I might consider one. But I haven't had any reason to do that so far. Usually 1-2 books are fine for when I travel. But most of my reading is done at home.

[kelpdiver 2]

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If you only want to carry one book, sure. But what if you want to bring 10?

Well, I guess if I wanted to take ten books somewhere, then I might consider one. But I haven't had any reason to do that so far. Usually 1-2 books are fine for when I travel. But most of my reading is done at home.

It's the transoceanic flights that kill me - I don't sleep on planes. So I'd want 2-3 novels and some magazines. My carry on bag starts the trip really really heavy and I discard the magazines as the trip goes on.

Unfortunately, I don't want to pay $3 for a single issue of a magazine when I have to read it on the tiny screen, so the economics still don't look favorable even ignoring the up front cost. But I like the progress being made.

[GreyLake 0]

So there's a recent book that I've got to read out of sheer curiousity: "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read." (Pierre Bayard).

It actually sounds like a good book, though its popularity speaks volumes regarding our culture (or lack thereof) at present.

Sad, indeed.

Let's go to candy mountain.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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I was a test user for that. It's a cool tool but it's not worth $400 to me - methinks Amazon.com missed the boat on the pricing. You don't make money on the unit - you make money on the books.

I agree. Make the unit a bit klunky, but dirt cheap. You can introduce the sexy one after people decide they need one.