 20thmaine  | 06 Mar 2014 8:49 a.m. PST |
Average UK home has 138 books, of which only half have been read. link Looking at my books I must be something like a 10-sigma outlier on the data  |
| Pictors Studio | 06 Mar 2014 8:53 a.m. PST |
I was recently told that only about one in four people in the US has read a book in the last year. |
| Space Monkey | 06 Mar 2014 8:56 a.m. PST |
@20thMaine I'm pretty sure that measurement puts the U.S. to shame. |
 Dan Cyr | 06 Mar 2014 9:01 a.m. PST |
Average American reads less than a book a year. Since I have books in the thousands in my home, it proves that I'm old and like to read (smile). Dan |
| kallman | 06 Mar 2014 9:25 a.m. PST |
(sigh) Not good news for this librarian in training. Of course most of my MLIS graduate work has focused more on digital information as well as information literacy. While books are a part of that, this report about books does not take into account that literacy has been on the rise. People read newspapers, magazines, and more and more of the digital versions of this media, plus blogs are alive, well, and growing exponentially. And many of you reading this come to TMP regularly to read, debate, and discuss. Of course, the more you read and the more variety that you read makes you a better informed person which is a different thing from simply being literate. In which case the numbers of people not reading books is a sad thing. |
| Ron W DuBray | 06 Mar 2014 9:34 a.m. PST |
I can make up for 5 people easy. I'm sure there are a 1000+ books in my living room alone. My 2 1/2 year old has more then 100 books of her own and has an arm load of them mesmerized. :) We also go to the library every week. |
| Space Monkey | 06 Mar 2014 10:01 a.m. PST |
Some of the kids I know are big readers. As when I was their age they've always got multiple books going.
Other kids I know 'hate' reading… they see no entertainment value in it at all and only do it if forced (homework).
The difference seems to be with the parents, how much they read and love books (vs. just giving lip-service to how it's 'good for you'). I think if kids see their parents reading and enjoying books then it is more likely to catch on (my dad was always a big reader despite his dyslexia). |
| HistoriFigs | 06 Mar 2014 10:04 a.m. PST |
At our house, winter evenings are spent sitting by the fire reading. Liam and I each average about 2.5 books a week and Alison reads about a book a week. We have books piled everywhere, as well as on book shelves :) Perhaps we read too much ? |
| Ed Mohrmann | 06 Mar 2014 10:18 a.m. PST |
Read too much ?!? T'ain't no sech thang, Homer ! I've a mort of books on the shelves as well, and that
after giving away 400 to the outfit that sends them to
deployed servicemen/women and another 300 to the County
library. Y' can probably have too many books – but only too many
if the house is listing dramatically from the weight ! |
| Brian Bronson | 06 Mar 2014 11:04 a.m. PST |
If Dan Cyr is correct, my 6 year old is way above the US avg as she reads about 3 books a week. I lead the way, however, as my game room doubles as my library. It has books probably in the thousands…and some haven't even been colored in yet! |
| John the OFM | 06 Mar 2014 11:38 a.m. PST |
The key word is "average".
What is the average of 0, 0, 0, 0, 700? |
| 20thmaine | 06 Mar 2014 11:45 a.m. PST |
140 With a standard deviation of 62.61 |
| Dan Cyr | 06 Mar 2014 2:32 p.m. PST |
link Read (pun intented) and weep…
Dan
|
| streetline | 07 Mar 2014 3:32 a.m. PST |
I think my 4 year old has 138 books. Certainly feels like that when he's picking one for bed time. |
| John the OFM | 07 Mar 2014 8:34 a.m. PST |
Read (pun intented) and weep… Why weep? Has the number ever been better? "I don't need to read no stinkin' books!" has long been around. I am more inclined to read into it and cheer that 72% HAVE read a book in the last year. Like it matters. Are they reading the "right" books? Are we supposed to be happy that they read a Twilight book? |
| John the OFM | 07 Mar 2014 8:35 a.m. PST |
What does standard deviation have to do with it? The article cited is all about "average". |
| Andrew Walters | 07 Mar 2014 9:09 a.m. PST |
Buying books takes less time than reading them. Plus there's paperback swap, the Friends of the Library Book sales, and free Kindle books. So, yeah, there are more books lying around here than I could ever read. I think I've painted a higher percentage of my minis than I have read of my books. But that doesn't mean I'm not reading. Plus, what's the standard for having "read" a book? I skim and cherry pick a lot of books, no choice, too many books, not enough time. And then there are libraries. And books you were given that you're not going to read. So I think the owned/read ratio is a pretty useless number. |
