Reader Friday: Reading Habits

Are you reading more fiction or less in the age of the e-reader and apps and social media and 24/7 feeds? Is it easier, harder, or just the same for you to get “lost in a book”?

13 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Reading Habits

  1. I read almost exclusively fiction. I read much of it on my e-reader, so I’m not sure why there was the implication that e-readers cut down on fiction reading. The time I spend on social media hasn’t cut down on my reading at all. I read every night in bed. The only thing that’s made it harder to get “lost in a book” is the internal editor who started showing up after I began writing.

  2. I read daily and on an engaging streak lately – discovered Michael Koryta (“how it happened”), enjoyed Robin Cook (“charlatans”) and savored long-running series offerings from Wm Kent Krueger (“desolation mountain”), the inimitable james lee burke (“new iberia blues”), and currently michael connelly (“dark sacred night”)
    Just so happens recent books all by well-known authors though i read new authors regularly as well. Reading inspires, informs and energizes my writing. Love it!
    So little time so many great books…

  3. I have a mixed answer. E-readers make reading so much easier. Until the e-reader, I never had an opportunity to carry around 700-800 books at a time and I LOVE that. it lets me read in whatever snatches I can. Provided my library’s digital loans are available and not on a wait list, I can grab & download whatever my heart desires (well, almost).

    However, I have less time to read–but I don’t attribute that to technology—apps and such because 1) I’m not obsessed w/my phone as so many are–it is used for talk and text only, and I do neither one very often and 2) yes, I’m on FB & check it twice a day, but that is for brief periods to interact w/significant humans in my life.

    I have less time to read because I have found your life gets crazier the older you get. Now middle aged, I have realized the liklihood of being able to retire is slim to none, so I have put turbo speed on the things I didn’t used to take time to do like learning to draw, paint, etc. And those things cut into reading time.

    But I read in snatches wherever I can–while waiting to get in at the doc’s office, while waiting for my oil to be changed, etc. Ereaders are the greatest thing since the wheel. 😎 I read far more non-fic than fic–about a 95 to 5% comparison. That probably also impacts HOW I read because you don’t necessarily have to read word for word in non-fic.

  4. I wish I had more time to read, but I don’t. I always have an audio book going on my phone for commute time. Last weekend I started blocking 30 minutes or so for hammock time on Sunday with a paperback.

    • Dang I wish I could come to love audio books. I have tried several times but I might as well have not listened to the book at all. Without reading the words, it simply doesn’t process.

      And I hate it when some books come out as audio only options.

  5. I like to switch fiction and non-fiction although I prefer my non-fiction on paper, I am not sure why. I read more with my e-reader and a wider variety of fiction. My work involves watching a computer update almost every day. I always have a book in my “pocket”. My father used to carry a paperback with him. Long line? No problem. A few chapters of something were always ready. Now I have a few books with me next to Facebook.

    The other thing is I will take a 99 cent flyer on almost anything. Some have been good. Some should have submitted to First Page Critiques, and some… Well? Some have a 1 star from me.

  6. I have loved to read since I first learned how. I read a book every two to three days. I block off other activities in the evening after supper and devote that time to just reading. I love my ereader. Before that, it was hard to hold a print book because of job related damage to my hands. Also, I love the fact I can have tons of books with me without actually carrying the tonnage.

  7. I do dabble in true crime from time to time. Fiction is my first choice, though. Well, and craft books. 😉 Before I bought my Kindle Fire, I preferred paperbacks, but the Fire is so easy and lightweight that lately, I always have a thriller in my hand (when I’m not writing). Good thing, too, because my TBR list keeps growing at an alarming rate. 🙂

  8. I still read fiction, but not nearly as much as I used to. I used to devour multiple books a week. Then…kids. A lot of my reading now is non-fiction research for my book. I do have a kindle and use it a lot, especially for traveling, but I still prefer reading a paperback. For me, it’s a more immersive experience.

    I’m consciously trying to make time to read more fiction because it’s so important as a writer, plus it just makes me feel good. I am finding it’s harder to be totally swept away–so I’m more discerning about what I read.

    Social definitely eats away at your writing time and I need to be more conscious of this. More importantly for me than time, it puts too many voices in my head when I need to be listening to the girls in the basement.

  9. Unrelated but for the first time this week I learned the term “book dart” (little metal clip to mark a line in a book). I can’t believe that being a life-long book nerd, I’d never heard of this, but it’s true. Have the rest of you heard of it?

  10. I read everyday. It’s my preferred source of entertainment and we don’t watch much tv in the evenings. It’s harder to get lost in a book on my ereader these days. Too much stress so attention span is less and I dip too often into the internet so yes social media has become too big of a distraction. Interfering with reading as well as writing. Limiting now and I’ve gone back to reading mainly physical books. I’ve slowed down too and not devouring 12 books a month. I’m getting more picky and reading mainly fiction, but a broad assortment of nonfiction. I’ve never been able to read nonfiction in ebook because I like to write notes.

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