Burn all the books!
By Riptide
@Riptide (2756)
United States
August 31, 2007 4:46pm CST
Just let me get a few years supply first lol.
Ok, in all seriousness now. I don't want books to be burned, but my point is, would anybody really notice?
Whatever happened to reading? I barely ever see anybody with a book in their hands anymore. Gone are the days of sitting in the park with a good book,spending a rainy day curled up on the couch with a book.
If you approach anybody to try to talk about a book, the usual reply is:" yeah I seen the movie" or "I just wait for the movie to come out".
If they burned all the books today, how many people would truely notice or care?
Have you ever gone shopping on a saturday? It's a nightmare, crowded store and malls. Want some peace and quiet? Go in a bookstore! It's sure to be empty in there.
I used to go into the bookstore in the mall to browse and it was the only place that wasn't busy. I say used to, because that store has closed its door! The only bookstore in the mall and it's now closed!When I was a child I was encouraged to read. I always saw my dad reading and he had shelves full of books, it inspired me to read. My dad was a member of a book club and he never said no when I wanted a book. He took me along and let me pick any book I wanted. He never said, no this book is too big for you or too hard to read.He said no to toys and sweets sometimes but never books.
I learned how to read when I was 5 and I read books way beyond my age. I love reading and I think the love for reading and books does not get instilled into children anymore these days.
I think we need to get back to the days where reading was still treasured and the word bookworm is a compliment rather then an insault.
Check out the article that has caused me to go on my little rant.
http://classiclit.about.com/b/a/258211.htm
2 people like this
5 responses
@craftcatcher (3699)
• United States
1 Sep 07
Hi Riptide, I was a little shocked by this so I posted another discussion in relation to this one. It's a site called the Gutenberg Project and has free 100% legal public domain ebooks available. They have thousands of classics and many obscure and rare books that are absolutely facinating. I've been using it for many years. There are no new books of course because they aren't public domain but there are plenty of books to wet a reader's appetite.
http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1262349.aspx?p=0
2 people like this
@lancingboy (1385)
• United States
1 Sep 07
Thanks for the Gutenberg Project site. I know what you mean by lots of people not reading anymore. I just finished "The Devil's Labyrinth" by John Saul earlier today. It was thunderstorming outside and my electricity went out, so I grabbed a flashlight and continued reading the book. I started reading at about 5AM or before that and finished the book about 9AM or so. I couldn't fall asleep without my fan on, so I just read until the power came back on lol.
I'm a member of the One Spirit, Science Fiction and History book clubs. These are really good for when you want to buy a book. These are sister companies of the Doubleday Book Club and is located in Camp Hill Pennsylvania.
@HollyK (29)
• United States
1 Sep 07
My mom was the same way when it came to buying books. She would always say no to toys, but never books. So when I was a kid I always had my nose stuck in a book and wound up reading things that were not intended for my age. I'm probably the only kid in my school that played hookey to go to the public library all day.
I certainly hope that e-books don't replace real ones, and from what I've read on this discussion most folks who love books feel the same way. There's something about holding one in your hands that just can't be replaced by a computer monitor.
I don't consider bookworm to be an insult. I wear that title proudly. I tend to read everywhere because I always carry a book with me, my boyfriend once told me as I was reading in a parking lot of a coffee shop that someone could hook my car up to a tow truck and tow me away and I wouldn't notice until I was speeding down the highway. I guess I get a little focused when I'm into a good book.
2 people like this
@patgalca (18394)
• Orangeville, Ontario
31 Aug 07
300 plus television channels, video games and the internet have all taken people away from reading. It is sad. I will never stop reading but I have to admit I don't read as much as I used to. I try to read WHILE I am on the computer but because I now have a subscription to a writing magazine, that reading takes a good deal of my reading time... and crossword puzzles. LOL!
I have always been an avid reader and my father was also a member of the Book-of-the-Month Club as well as Reader's Digest condensed books. This is how I managed to drag four boxes of books home from my parents' house after my father passed away last year and now sit with bookshelves of about 200 books waiting for me to read. I'll probably die before I get through them all! It's not for want of trying. I just keep bringing new books into the house or I see a book at the library I like and take it out and read it.
They say a writer should read a lot. I don't know how a writer can do both, frankly, as well as have a life. I have two kids and a husband to care for along with my writing and reading.
My husband doesn't read, never was much of a reader. I think it has to do in part with the fact that English is not his first language. He is totally bilingual now but he never took to reading. The only thing his mother reads is the Bible and Daily Inspirational books. With 8 kids she didn't have time to read.
I think my oldest brother was a reader but my other brother (4.5 years older) never read very much. I want to write a book that would appeal to the male readership and had an idea in mind. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to do it though. It's tough for a woman to get inside a man's head.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
1 Sep 07
You and I share a great love for books...meet a fellow bookworm..You should see the collection I have, and not just fictional books, but histories, science, and so forth. I share your same sense of dismay about book stores in general. There USED to be a bookstore, first it was Barnes & Noble, then Waldenbooks..No longer now. In a neighborhood not far from me were also two large bookstores..no longer.
One time a friend of mine said, someday there will be no need for books or even libraries as everyone will be able to get their reading material on-line--I wanted to deck him one, for I shudder the day that happens, and I hope it never does.
I actually don't like to read much on a computer...I would much rather lie in bed before I go to sleep and read, and I can't think of anything better than spending a lazy, rainy day with a book in my hands...you can't drag a computer to bed to read (unless you have a laptop) ..LOL
It's odd though..my mother wasn't a reader and never encouraged me to read..If I had relied on her to teach me to read I'd be illiterate..heehehe--luckily I was the opposite of her and could never get enough of reading..even now
2 people like this
@southernbelle77_ab (87)
• United States
6 Sep 07
I agree with you. Reading does seem to be a lost art among younger generations. Like you, I was encouraged to read and the only way my request for a book was turned down was if money was short. It's really sad because when you read a book you can go anywhere or be anything you want to be, all while staying in one place.
