This is probably the reason why there are so few readers out there

[cathyshiying]

I've never met a parent who told their kid to not read, unless it was an inappropriate time.

[kebuzf]

Another phrase that always gets under my skin is this one.... "Yeah, i read a book once."

Like that book is a pleasant memory of some one night stand twenty years ago- but not pleasant enough to repeat.

Our problem (writers) is that there are way too many distractions out there. And many of those distractions, while they cost more than our particular form of entertainment (the cost of buying or renting a video game/the cost of renting a DVD or BluRay/ and others....VS....the cost of buying and reading an e-book between 1.99 and 9.99)

All that other stuff is, lets face it, more FUN from their point of view.
Reading is very much a solitary, quiet endeavor.
And yet, we have to hang in there and continue fighting for our small share of eyeballs.
We've already lost far too much in the literary world

[ManosHandsOfFate]

Books can be mind-candy in the same way TV is. Your kid (or you) can read books that are the entertainment equivalent to watching an episode of Jersey Shore.

I will always encourage my kids to read but I do want to keep an eye on the entertainment they're consuming - book or otherwise.

[Freeshadow]

@kebuzf
the community of roleplayers faces a decline of new hobby-sharers by similar reasons

• the preparation time for the gamemaster
• manage to get all the players in time and place to gather

all this vs. the instatt log in and play @ things like warcraft or guildwars
a lot of people go for the instant then altough a human managerd session will always be superior in terms of choices of actions for the players

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by ManosHandsOfFate

Books can be mind-candy in the same way TV is. Your kid (or you) can read books that are the entertainment equivalent to watching an episode of Jersey Shore.

I will always encourage my kids to read but I do want to keep an eye on the entertainment they're consuming - book or otherwise.

But I think there's a BIG difference between brain-candy books and mindless tv (I say as a fan of brain candy books). When you read, you are still forced to visualize the scene, your brain is still working. Everything isn't handed to you like it is on tv. You are decoding, making sense, and imagining.

[DArenson]

Most people I know don't read. One or two of my friends are readers; most people I know in "real life" haven't read a book since high school English class. That's one reason I hang out a lot on book websites.

[Jar Jar Binks]

I have an 90 year old friend who loves to read play boggle and do Jigsaw puzzels. Recently she is reading books way faster than I do. I have noticed the more she enjoys them the faster she reads. There are not enough die hard readers anymore.
Jar Jar Binks

[jessicalynn]

wow this makes me so grateful both my parents encouraged me to read when I was younger!

[Fastolfe]

Originally Posted by Jar Jar Binks

Recently she is reading books way faster than I do. I have noticed the more she enjoys them the faster she reads.

The reverse is true too: the faster you read, the more enjoyable the book. Reading is like cycling: if you don't go fast enough, you lose track.

[bhartman36]

I really wish people needed licenses to breed. Or at least had to take a test or something. This is appalling.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I really wish people needed licenses to breed. Or at least had to take a test or something. This is appalling.

I know a good number of people who don't read for pleasure, but are great parents.

I have an in-law who once visited, saw my book room and asked in surprise whether I actually read so many books. Neither she nor her husband reads books for pleasure (husband reads news), but it turns out now that their kid does.

I have another non-reading in-law with a kid who loves books. I'm getting him an e-reader, in hopes that he'll keep it up as he enters his teen years.

No one read any books to me during childhood. I started learning English in school and quickly learned to love books. I grew up and became an editor, thanks to reading.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I know a good number of people who don't read for pleasure, but are great parents.

I have an in-law who once visited, saw my book room and asked in surprise whether I actually read so many books. Neither she nor her husband read books for pleasure (husband reads news), but it turns out now that their kid does.

For me, the issue isn't parents who like to read vs. don't like to read for pleasure. What I found appalling was actively discouraging a child from reading.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

For me, the issue isn't parents who like to read vs. don't like to read for pleasure. What I found appalling was actively discouraging a child from reading.

That would be someone like my mom. I turned out to be a reader, so judging by her wouldn't have worked.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I really wish people needed licenses to breed. Or at least had to take a test or something. This is appalling.

Eugenics

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Eugenics

Eugenics is abhorrent. Basing reproduction on some genetic or biological misunderstanding a) is a bad idea on moral grounds, and b) wouldn't work. What I'm talking about is very different.

All I'm saying is that it would be nice if you had to have some basic clue about parenting before you became a parent. I mean, you need a license to drive a moped but not to raise a child? Which one sounds more potentially dangerous to you?