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- #21
I read 25+ books a year...fiction and non-fiction in a wide range of genres. My mother took me to the library every week when I was a kid and instilled a love of reading. She was an avid reader as well.
How many books do you read in a year?
- Thread starter Rusty Blade
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I prefer the feel of a real book, but even so I suspect around 75% of the books I read these days are on my iPad. The convenience is simply unmatched.
As far as I can tell from Amazon, about 100 ebooks and audio books were purchased in 2024. That seems too high, and probably includes streaming rentals and music.
I believe I read about a book a week. When on vacation, it can be as many as 3-4 in the week, depending on if I am binging a series or not! My trends for the last several years are authors that publish on Kindle as independents or on Book Funnel. With Audible I tend towards bigger names and more non-fiction.
I have been an avid reader since elementary school. Here in the US, how many of you remember Scholastic Books and the monthly (?) sales?? I loved the day the books came in and the teacher would pass out our purchases. (Or more likely, the purchases our parents made for us!) This is when I discovered some classics, some newer stuff (Alfred Hitchcock presents The Three Investigators) and then started going to the library to find books listed on the back as books in the series.
Once I discovered Tolkien and Asimov, SF and high fantasy ruled my reading into my early 20s. Now I read (listen) to a lot of history, biographies, police procedurals, and cozy mysteries. And good, hard, science fiction.
Thanks, @Rusty Blade, for asking the question.
Similarly, many folks younger than my 60 years only listen to streaming music, and have no idea of the joys of sitting with headphones and the album art and liner notes, pouring over it all as you create "audio visions" in your mind to the music you are taking in. Many teenage hours spent reading and listening to full albums, so that now, certain songs or albums, or books remind me of the other!
I believe I read about a book a week. When on vacation, it can be as many as 3-4 in the week, depending on if I am binging a series or not! My trends for the last several years are authors that publish on Kindle as independents or on Book Funnel. With Audible I tend towards bigger names and more non-fiction.
I have been an avid reader since elementary school. Here in the US, how many of you remember Scholastic Books and the monthly (?) sales?? I loved the day the books came in and the teacher would pass out our purchases. (Or more likely, the purchases our parents made for us!) This is when I discovered some classics, some newer stuff (Alfred Hitchcock presents The Three Investigators) and then started going to the library to find books listed on the back as books in the series.
Once I discovered Tolkien and Asimov, SF and high fantasy ruled my reading into my early 20s. Now I read (listen) to a lot of history, biographies, police procedurals, and cozy mysteries. And good, hard, science fiction.
Thanks, @Rusty Blade, for asking the question.
Similarly, many folks younger than my 60 years only listen to streaming music, and have no idea of the joys of sitting with headphones and the album art and liner notes, pouring over it all as you create "audio visions" in your mind to the music you are taking in. Many teenage hours spent reading and listening to full albums, so that now, certain songs or albums, or books remind me of the other!
Since I retired, it’s a lot less. Doesn’t make sense, does it? You’d think I’d have more time to relax and read more but, that’s not the case. I used to read 2-3 books a month. Now it’s about 1 per month.
My hat's off to you heavy readers. I wish that I read more, but I have a number of hobbies and interests that distract me too much, and don't have the discipline right now to dedicate a specific amount of time each day to reading a novel.
I read 10 novels that I can think of in 2024. On top of that though, I read 4 poetry books from cover to cover, at least a few dozen short stories, some essays and book excerpts, and a few memoir styled cookbooks. I don't consider listening to something as reading though, so those are what I've actually read from opening up a physical book (with the exception of reading a handful of the short stories from PDF files obtained online).
I read 10 novels that I can think of in 2024. On top of that though, I read 4 poetry books from cover to cover, at least a few dozen short stories, some essays and book excerpts, and a few memoir styled cookbooks. I don't consider listening to something as reading though, so those are what I've actually read from opening up a physical book (with the exception of reading a handful of the short stories from PDF files obtained online).
I think it's great that your doing 20-30 mins each day consistently. That's good self discipline. I only get in about 45 mins a day Monday-Friday, I'd say double on the weekends, but the consistency is key and at the end of the year, you've got a substantial number of books read. You always hear people say they wish they read more, but can't find time. I think you can always find at least 20 mins a day for something that is a priority.
Same here.
That's an impressive variety, particularly poetry, I always aim to read more poetry but haven't done very well
Oh, and I'm of the opinion that listening to an audiobook absolutely counts
I suppose a decent number, although I do reread quite a lot - I always have a pile by the bed of rereads as I like to read a bit before trying to sleep but I don't want to get engrossed in a new book - then I have a couple of new reads on the go, one on the iPad (currently a history of Indonesia), and a physical book, I am on a new spy series by one Oliver Dowson, they are a bit odd and I am finding them slow going. Then there is a Frederick Forsythe on the go on my phone that I read while having a solo lunch. I do prefer a physical book and never read the Kindle after dark, it wrecks the night vision, which is something Mrs P refuses to acknowledge and still wonders why she can't sleep properly...
According to GoodReads, I logged 31 audiobooks and 27 print books last year. Most of those are fiction. I started listening to audiobooks in hopes to improve my listening, and I think it's helped. But more to this topic, it's certainly improved the number of books I can consume in a year.
For print books, I got an ereader last year and have really enjoyed it for the way I read. I typically do most of my reading in bed, and the Kindle's weight and size make this much more pleasant than holding a thick book above my head. I also appreciate that I can read one handed and can adjust the light level and even put it in "nightmode" with dark background and light text. Especially if I'm struggling to sleep and decide to open it back up to read a bit more.
For print books, I got an ereader last year and have really enjoyed it for the way I read. I typically do most of my reading in bed, and the Kindle's weight and size make this much more pleasant than holding a thick book above my head. I also appreciate that I can read one handed and can adjust the light level and even put it in "nightmode" with dark background and light text. Especially if I'm struggling to sleep and decide to open it back up to read a bit more.
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- #32
I remember Scholastic Books. I always enjoyed it when the book order arrived. I think I still have a few kicking around somewhere.
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- #33
A couple of points:
** I have not purchased an e-reader because I spend a lot of my day in front of a screen for work...and in my off hours I try to limit my screen time. And I find if I read a paper book I sleep better. If I look at a screen it messes up my sleep. For those of you who use e-readers do you find the glow of the screen hard on the eyes? And does it interfere with your sleep in the same way a smartphone or tablet does?
** Back to my point about my mother taking me to the library when I was a kid and how that contributed to me being a reader, I did the same with my kids...every Saturday the library was a regular visit. And they are readers as well.
** I try to carry a novel with me when I leave the house. If I have to wait somewhere for any length of time rather, than take out my phone and scroll I read my book. Surprising how many novels you can read in a year just waiting in a line, or for an appointment.
** I have not purchased an e-reader because I spend a lot of my day in front of a screen for work...and in my off hours I try to limit my screen time. And I find if I read a paper book I sleep better. If I look at a screen it messes up my sleep. For those of you who use e-readers do you find the glow of the screen hard on the eyes? And does it interfere with your sleep in the same way a smartphone or tablet does?
** Back to my point about my mother taking me to the library when I was a kid and how that contributed to me being a reader, I did the same with my kids...every Saturday the library was a regular visit. And they are readers as well.
** I try to carry a novel with me when I leave the house. If I have to wait somewhere for any length of time rather, than take out my phone and scroll I read my book. Surprising how many novels you can read in a year just waiting in a line, or for an appointment.
I appreciate hearing this, I love the tangible, physical book and have been reluctant to embrace e-readers, but there definitely are some advantages.
I remember it well, and I think about it almost every time I get a book in the mail. The day the books arrived was always the best day of school.
I can't address your question with regard to a dedicated e-reader, but I have the both the Books app and the Kindle app on my iPad set for black background and the text set to a warm grey color. In the Books app, this is one of the stock menu settings called "Quiet." In the Kindle app I just tweaked the settings to mimic the look of the Books app. I also have "Night Shift" enabled in the Display settings on my iPad, so that between sunset and sunrise, the screen automatically shifts to warmer/yellower tones. Apparently the cooler/bluer light is much less conducive to sleep. I can 100% attest that I'm just as likely to fall asleep and smack myself in the face with my iPad as I am with a physical book.
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For clarity, I too have come very close to falling asleep and having my Kindle slap me in the face. Though it is typically lighter weight than a physical book would be.
One other thing I enjoy with the Kindle is it's seamless integration with the Libby app. I use Libby to borrow eBooks from my library. I can send those to my Kindle (most titles - some do not have this feature) and read off of it. Also, with the Kindle app on my phone, it will sync between the 2 so I can sneak read a few pages while waiting for coffee to brew in the break room. Or while..."recycling" coffee in another room.
If you include comic books, it's about 40-50 books a year, but if it's books with no pictures (or those books where all the pictures are in the middle on glossy paper) only about 6 a year.
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- #38
I grew up reading comic books. I still enjoy reading comics. A great form of literature.
I only read now on my ipad, last year I read 20 +. Really have not counted them. I do read daily, sometimes for a short period, sometimes longer, but every day.
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- #40
And graphic novels are also a great read; a nice combination of visual and literature. I have used graphic novels in my teaching. Students love them.
