DO WE STILL HAVE TIME TO READ?

how have our reading habits changed in the past 30 years?

I ask this not because of the easy access to online information that has occurred during this time period but because of changes in the type of book we are attracted to and what we hope to experience when we sit down to read "a good book".

I heard on the radio today that a survey completed by USA Today a few years ago was repeated and people still feel like they have no time. They are so busy that they just can't get ahead.

So do we read books that are a "quick read"? Books that fulfill some need but don't create anxiety in the process?

I started thinking about this because I finally finished "Angle of Repose" by William Stegner.
(I asked back in June for your top ten list of books and one reader contributed their list which included this title - see post from that date below
http://redbankpl.blogspot.com/2008/06/would-these-be-your-top-10-for-past-25.html )

This is a beautifully written, tragic book. A love story (stories), a story of frustrations - physical and social, and a story of aging. It plays out ever so slowly, with the 1970's and 1870's sometimes competing on the same page. This is not a "quick read". You have to commit to this book - commit your time and your senses - in order to keep up with the characters and to get to know them.

To be honest, I didn't commit 100%. I think I am out of the habit. (I also don't have any time). Several times I considered picking up a "fun" book....something that I could finish quickly and feel productive.

Are books like the "Angle of Repose" still being written? Should the New Book shelf contain a category for the committed reader? I wonder...