Youth and Reading

[SirDeadly]

It has come to my attention that hardly anyone at my school will actually read a book for entertainment. I just finished The Fellowship of the Ring and thought it was much better than the movie but when I asked a friend to read it she simply said "boring." Don't they realize that no movie can compare to a really good book, one that becomes a movie in your mind as you're drawn into the story (that's my opinion)? I read almost every night and my book collection is getting quite big.

Do you yourself read?
Do you know many young people who do?
What do you think the lack of interest in books from the youth will mean to the future of stories and books?

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

DO you yourself read?

Yes, quite often in fact. I read all sorts of books.

Do you know many young people who do?

Actually, yes. My old school had a huge Twilight craze back in the da.

What do you think the lack of interest in books from the youth will mean to the future of stories and books?

Media will move into another format. I listen to some books rather than read them.

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

Don't they realize that no movie can compare to a really good book, one that becomes a movie in your mind as you're drawn into the story?

The thing is, some people don't have the imagination to be drawn into a book in quite the same way. I'm not trying to look down on those who don't enjoy reading mid you. I just happen to know that some people dislike books because they can't imagine the world happening.

I read a lot and really get drawn into books, it's great fun, but I recognise some people don't see the appeal.

 

[Olikunmissile]

As a kid I didn't read much, why would I need to when T.V and games did it all for me? However at my new job I've found plenty of free time to do lots of reading. In the past 5 months-ish I've read all of the Dresden Files to date and am about to finish the Mortal Engines quartlet sometime this week.

I'm actually considering buying an Amazon Kindle because I've already spent more than £150 on books alone. In the long run it could save me some money.

Also on a side note, anyone have any suggestions for some series I could look into.

 

[Lunarflowermaiden]

DO you yourself read?
Do you know many young people who do?
What do you think the lack of interest in books from the youth will mean to the future of stories and books?

Yes. I have more books than I know what to do with.

No. But I don't know many young people.

Some may not be able to read (considering the statistics of just how many people are functionally illiterate), the rest are probably just not interested.

 

[Fanta Grape]

Don't they realize that no movie can compare to a really good book, one that becomes a movie in your mind as you're drawn into the story?

The thing is, some people don't have the imagination to be drawn into a book in quite the same way. I'm not trying to look down on those who don't enjoy reading mid you. I just happen to know that some people dislike books because they can't imagine the world happening.

I read a lot and really get drawn into books, it's great fun, but I recognise some people don't see the appeal.

Yeah, this is why I have trouble reading. Television has totally sapped my imagination.

We recently had to read Woman in White for an english exam and I absolutely loved what I read of it, but I couldn't continue purely just because of my poor attention span and inability to imagine what's happening, and it's a pretty damn descriptive book.

 

[Bobbity]

I don't really want to go into my experiences with my friends, but suffice to say that I find the lack of interest in literature, shown by most of my year - to be disturbing.

OT: Yes, I read, and obsessively. A couple of my friends are surprisingly well read, but a lot of them just don't care. Hopefully they'll discover how great books can be when they get a little older, but I'm not at all sure of that.

 

[SirDeadly]

Also, the book "Eragon" was a very good series unlike the movie (no offense).

There is no comparing the two! The book is absolutely fantastic and the movie is utter rubbish. I was so disappointed, it is virtually impossible for the Eldest movie to be made because of how bad Eragon is.

DO you yourself read?
Do you know many young people who do?
What do you think the lack of interest in books from the youth will mean to the future of stories and books?

Yes. I have more books than I know what to do with.

No. But I don't know many young people.

Some may not be able to read (considering the statistics of just how many people are functionally illiterate), the rest are probably just not interested.

I'm in year 12 and the number of people who cannot read properly simply amazes me. It's not even difficult words that they're stumbling over...

 

[ultrachicken]

Don't they realize that no movie can compare to a really good book, one that becomes a movie in your mind as you're drawn into the story?

You're stating your opinion as fact. To some, using their imaginations to picture the story occurring is not appealing. Some people would rather see it portrayed through the eyes of professional cinematographers, where perhaps they find the imagery is better than what they come up with on their own. Or people who don't have the attention span, either because they find themselves tired after a day of working, or they just don't have the focus to stay concentrated. I know I have trouble with that sometimes.

I do, however, think that there is a prevalent culture of irrational hatred on books and the use of willful ignorance to look cool. That was likely what you experienced with your friend.

 

[Kenko]

DO you yourself read?
Do you know many young people who do?
What do you think the lack of interest in books from the youth will mean to the future of stories and books?

I read occassionaly, working my through Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghost's and the Allan Quatermain books.

The people I hang out with read books quite often.

The lack of interest I think would attribute to entertainment being availbe through other mediums that are alot easier to acquire as well as being instantly rewarding most of the time.

 

[oooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

I do read myself and, to be fair to your friend, I don't find Tolkien's style enjoyable either. I know about five other people who read on a constant basis, and we've all been reading since we were about thirteen or so. I also personally prefer reading to films in general, but I have enjoyed certain good films more than certain good books.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

I like reading books, it's just that I haven't read that many. I don't know wehere to start. I'm currently sinking my teeth into The Discworld series.

Other than books I've read alot of Fanfiction in my youth, eventually gave it up because the real gems were getting far and few between.

 

[Hamish Durie]

reading wheel of time for the second time now (waiting on another book series from the libary)

 

[SirDeadly]

I like reading books, it's just that I haven't read that many. I don't know wehere to start. I'm currently sinking my teeth into The Discworld series.

Other than books I've read alot of Fanfiction in my youth, eventually gave it up because the real gems were getting far and few between.

The Ranger's Apprentice series, The Night Angel trilogy and the Black Prism are all fantastic books/series. I recommend them if you are looking for something new.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

I like reading books, it's just that I haven't read that many. I don't know wehere to start. I'm currently sinking my teeth into The Discworld series.

Other than books I've read alot of Fanfiction in my youth, eventually gave it up because the real gems were getting far and few between.

The Ranger's Apprentice series, The Night Angel trilogy and the Black Prism are all fantastic books/series. I recommend them if you are looking for something new.

Thanks, I'll be sure to check them out.

 

[BlackSaint09]

I would read if i had the money to buy books or if i wouldnt have an immense social phobia and paranoia that combined with my lazyness prevents me from borrowing books from the library. Plus my native language isnt English but i tend to enjoy reading english books more than Estonian.

I dont have many friends so no.

Im not sure how this will affect the future of literature because im not sure if this lack of interest is really as widespread as you think. But thats just me.

 

[UmJammerSully]

I would like to read but I really haven't the slightest idea where to begin looking for books I might like.

 

[Karma168]

DO you yourself read?
Do you know many young people who do?
What do you think the lack of interest in books from the youth will mean to the future of stories and books?

Well i have at least 100 books that i have read so often i know the plots off by heart. honestly the only reason i haven't increased my collection is i ran out of cash to fund my addiction.

Well my brother has just bought his first book at the age of 16. He decided to buy the jarhead book after enjoying the movie (biggest advantage of movie tie-ins). Before that he'd swear books were infectious, couldn't get him near them even though i would give him books that i knew he would love if he actually bothered to read them. Hopefully can turn him into as much of a literary junkie as i am.

For some reason completely alien to me young people don't like books, our dependence on technology to entertain has rocketed over the past few years and to young adults raised on TV and gaming the idea of sitting down and reading is boring. It's the idea of instant gratification; if i pick up the lord of the rings and read it through i have to work to imagine the characters and locations, if i stick the DVD in i can see it all in seconds with no effort at all. Young people don't want to work to be immersed and would rather be entertained by other means.

This will probably lead to the paper book becoming less popular, however as ebooks become more common on things like iphones we may see a rise in young people reading more as access to books is much simpler and more convenient.

 

[FC Groningen]

I was forced to read too much tedious stuff when I was younger and write book reports. Apart from that, I have to read hundreds of pages because of my study, so at the moment, I relate reading to working.