There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t fall into that category, but . . . how many of our friends do? Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit?
In last week’s reply I wrote how both my parents were readers and encouraged me to read, but they never read as much as I do. None of my friends at school read very much as far as I remember, but then we didn’t talk about books so they could have done. When I went to Library School things were very different and we all read and discussed the books we’d read. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was the in-book at the time, as was the children’s TV programme The Magic Roundabout – we weren’t high-brow in our tastes.
D (my husband) and I go to a book group that meets only about 3 or 4 times a year, because the other members all find it a bit difficult to finish a book any quicker than that – I have to pace my reading for that group otherwise I’ve read the book too soon. Oh dear, that reminds me we meet next week – can I re-read C S Lewis’s Letters to Malcom by next Thursday? It seems that not many people in Britain read books either as when I’ve mentioned reading to others they often say they haven’t time or they only read magazines. I have got a few friends who read, but I don’t think they’re as addicted as I am. I think that my reading has encouraged D to read, but he doesn’t read as many as me either – he says it makes him go to sleep. Our son is an avid reader and he belongs to a book group that meets much more regularly than ours. Our granddaughter – 7 next Monday – loves reading, I’m pleased to say.
Since I’ve been writing this blog it’s been good to find other people who love books. Our local library is advertising for new people to join the book group, so I’m looking forward to joining that to have ‘live’ discussions and also to joining a friend’s group as well, although I think they’re going to be reading plays mainly and I’m not sure that’s for me at present.
BooksPlease 
Yup, I read way more than husband although he does still read. I finally went with an online bookclub (www.bookfest2006.blogspot.com) to accomodate all my friend who are readers and live far away! It helps. I don’t think I’d make it with a local bookclub.
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Definitely one of the best things about blogging is finding other readers. I know people who read, but it’s always great to know more.
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It is wonderful to find like minded people through blogging..I wouldn’t have time for a book group(have belonged to some online but life intrudes, and I really prefer to choose my own books)
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I was pleased years ago when I ran across other people like me (avid readers) on the internet. It’s been 10 years now with one group and we still talk books at times and still love to read. My family has never been as much into reading as I am. It’s great to find others as nutty as us isn’t it?
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Book groups didn’t work for me either … too tough to schedule meetings and it took way to long to get through one book. Blogging is a great alternative.
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Oh I do empathise with this! Until I (recently) discovered LibraryThing and through it, people blogging about books, I had spent years feeling lonely and isolated because no one else I know reads as much as I do. Occasionally one or other of the sons recommends something, but they don’t keep up, while the man I married because we could talk about books manages a Harry Potter every two years or so. It’s been wonderful to find the book-obsessed are out there, and writing about it!
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