Where have all the books gone?

[Blind_Io]

Ok, I got started on this in my Bridge to Terabithia thread, but that was getting off topic.

So, for those that missed the start of my tangent, when I was a kid I loved to read. I still love to read, but what happened to all the books? When I was in elementary school books were my window to another world, through them I could be anywhere and anyone, they stirred the imagination. At one point in 6th grade I even got the idea in my head that I should write my own book, nothing came of it, of course, but the passion for literature was there.

When I would fly home to see my grandparents for Christmas I would always have a book on the plane. Sure there was Game Boy and other forms of entertainment, but I always had a book. Now when I fly all I see are laptops, PSPs, Nintendo DSs, and portable DVD players, especially with kids. When did books disappear? Did I miss a meeting and it was decided that books were not cool? Ok, they were never that cool, but that's not the point. Here in California most the libraries are closed down, bookstore parking lots seem full but most people leave without buying anything and I never see anyone just sitting and reading a book.

So sound off bookworms! What are you reading, who are your favorite authors? And for those of you who don't read, why don't you? No criticism intended, just honest curiosity.

 

[SV]

And for those of you who don't read, why don't you? No criticism intended, just honest curiosity.

I don't read simply because i find it extremely boring. I never was a huge book reader and i don't think i ever will be, occasionally when i have a quick read over a book i may find something interesting that may keep me reading to see what happens but most of the time this is highly unlikely.

Jeffery Deaver is probably the only author that writes books in a certain way that makes me enjoy them. I still remember reading the bone collector years ago after seeing the movie

 

[Hatmouse]

I read whenever I can. This is typically in the summer.

Most people can't seem to stand reading. Don't know why, it definitely makes you smarter.

 

[TC]

I use to read a lot, but have slowed down lately. I'm currently reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Only on book 3 and have been chipping away at it for 6 months, kinda sad really.

 

[vRS]

I read all the LOTR books once a year, almost done with ROTK now. I enjoy reading, I mostly read books by Chris Ryan or Tom Clancy. There are around 9 bookshelf's in our house so I cant say there is nothing to do.

 

[TC]

I read all the LOTR books once a year, almost done with ROTK now.

Have you tried reading The Silmarillion? :? That book was hard to follow.

 

[Jay]

I love reading...I dont read in so much as I consume books. Mostly I like to read about WWII, world history, light sci-fi, Star Wars and adventure books from Alister MacLean. Books, if written well, feed the imagination and provide a much more vivid picture in your minds eye than film or television.

 

[jeffy777]

Here in California most the libraries are closed down,

Wow, really? That's terrible. I'm happy to report that all the libraries in my area are in full swing

 

[hokiethang]

I currently have a backlog of books to read. I'm about 50 pages into Cryptonomicon (by Neal Stephenson) and about the same into another book, Imagining the Tenth Dimension (By Rob Bryanton). I have a bunch of William Gibson, and Tom Clancy books on my bookshelf as well which are in line to be read. I find that I don't really ever have any time during the day to sit down and read, it's too much of a single task for me. I can watch TV and do other things, it's much harder when reading. But when I have a long flight ahead of me, I typically have a book close at hand.

 

[duality]

I enjoy reading immensly. A great book has the power of immersion that most movies and games cant stand up to. However with Uni, work and life, lately my amount of reading has radically decreased.

What kind of books? Basically, everything...but I prefer fiction and humor. Ive read all Dan Brown books, which were flawless imo.The same can also be said about Stephen King.

Pretty much all of Jeremy Clarksons books...and of course the usual Harry Potters (read 'em twice atleast), LOTR (dead boring), Phillip Pulman (not too bad). I also love crime and suspense...so it makes sense Agatha Christie ranks in the top 3 of crime authors. Ive read soo many crime novels...it'll be hard to to name 'em all since I dont remember their names.

Addtionally, war novels are also interesting to read: such as Primo Levi, Eickman in Jerusalem etc.

Atm, Im reading nothing..except magazines like Fortune, TIME and the lovely Evo/CAR.

 

[teletubby-warrior]

I just finished reading Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe; set in WW2 Japan.

Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids recounts the exploits of fifteen teenage reformatory boys evacuated to a remote mountain village in wartime, where they are feared and detested by the local peasants. When plaque breaks out, the villagers flee, blockading the boys inside the deserted town. Their brief attempt to build autonomous lives of self-respect, love, and tribal valor is doomed in the face of death and the adult nightmare of war.

Not the easiest book to find, but well worth the search. I'm currently hunting for the sequel...

 

[Mischief007]

I love reading. My 8 year old sister also loves reading. I just bought her 2 books and she is almost done reading them. She has read all books at least 2 to 10 times that she has.

Currently I'm reading The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. On the back burner I have "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", "The Secret Supper", "Killer Dreams", and then "The Husband."

I love reading deep minded books and thrillers. I love reading Stephen King books and Dean Koontz.

 

[BerserkerCatSplat]

I'm a huge bookworm, but I don't read traditionally. I have all my books on my PDA! That way, I have 100 or more books at my fingertips at any given time.

...although, I still go back and read Good Omens every three months or so, haha!

 

[Redliner]

I am the kind of person that NEEDS to read. I finish one book, stop for a week or so and start another one. Luckily I inherited a big collection from my mother!
I just finished reading "Dirk Gently's Holystic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams...pretty good. And before this one I read "Gallows Thief" by Bernard Cornwell (one of my favorite authors, by the way. I enjoy the trilogies a lot.)

 

[jetsetter]

I read alot and always have. At the moment I must have 30+ novels sitting on the book shelf behind me. Usually I read SF, action, history type of novels. Nothing too thick but there are times when I just need to read something that makes me "think".

At the moment I am reading a book called "Dies the Fire" written by S.M. Stirling.

From Publishers Weekly
What is the foundation of our civilization? asks Stirling (Conquistador) in this rousing tale of the aftermath of an uncanny event, "the Change," that renders electronics and explosives (including firearms) inoperative. As American society disintegrates, without either a government able to maintain order or an economy capable of sustaining a large population, most of the world dies off from a combination of famine, plague, brigandage and just plain bad luck. The survivors are those who adapt most quickly, either by making it to the country and growing their own crops?or by taking those crops from others by force. Chief among the latter is a former professor of medieval history with visions of empire, who sends bicycling hordes of street thugs into the countryside. Those opposing him include an ex-Marine bush pilot, who teams up with a Texas horse wrangler and a teenage Tolkien fanatic to create something very much like the Riders of Rohan. Ultimately, Stirling shows that while our technology influences the means by which we live, it is the myths we believe in that determine how we live. The novel's dual themes?myth and technology?should appeal to both fantasy and hard SF readers as well as to techno-thriller fans.
Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

http://www.amazon.com/Dies-Fire-Roc..._bbs_sr_1/104-0378547-9724758?ie=UTF8&s=books

 

[jetsetter]

Wow, really? That's terrible. I'm happy to report that all the libraries in my area are in full swing

He does not speak for all of California. Up here they are building more libraries.

 

[zenkidori]

Last two books I read were:

Brimstone and The Zombie Survival Guide. I recommend them both, highly.

Currently I'm reading the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook.

 

[BlaRo]

The Zombie Survival Guide. I recommend them both, highly.

Zombie Survival Guide: great book, though it was so well-written that I couldn't help believing it. It terrified me, and I want to get my hands on World War Z since my RA has a copy (she loves zombies).

In the meanwhile, I've started to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas which is something I've been meaning to read for a while. I gotta finish The Stand as well, and pick up more Stephen King while I'm at it. Probably Christine, because it's got that badass Plymouth Fury in it. 8) I may reread my Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy because Douglas Adams is my favorite author, but I'm slowly descending into a Hunter S. Thompson fetish.

Great thread, too: I've read books all my life for which I owe my parents, who took me down to the local library every weekend so I could devour random mystery books. I tried my hand at writing a novel when I was 9 which was a ripoff of some lame soccer book, but that didn't stop me from emailing Random House and begging them to take me seriously. They ended up writing a cutesy postcard telling me to keep it up!, those bastards...

 

[Peter3hg]

Last book I read was Clarksons latest.
Current book I'm reading is 500 Mile Walkies by Mark Wallington (I would be extremely suprised if anyone knew it).
I'm not much of a fiction fan TBH and the only fiction writer who can really keep my attention is Terry Pratchett. I much prefer the sort of funny / non-fiction books.

 

[andyhui01]

I love reading as well, actually more when I was a kid but as I grew older, I started to get more interested in current issues. So I read alot of magazines (I have a local paper subscription, international paper one (IHT), TIME, Fortune and Businessweek... that keeps me busy with my reading most of the time. But a car magazine is always good for my plane journeys

But yes, I have noticed alot of friends my age don't read much anymore, not even Current Issues Magazines or newspapers let alone books (I don't count my friends who read Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Car and Driver as proper reading).