My partner in literary crime, Rita M. Reali, (see below) and I share vendor space at various shows around Crossville and Cookeville. She’s more experienced in the art of selling her books than I. She has no problem asking passers-by, “Are you a reader?”

She’s so friendly and interested in their answers that most people reply. Sometimes people tell her their favorite genre (mystery, thriller… romance not so much, it seems)

It surprised me how many people shake their heads no. I just assumed because I’m a bookworm, everyone is. Here are some quotes about reading from fellow worms.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. . . The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” — Ray Bradbury

“Think before you speak. Read before you think.” -— Fran Lebowitz

“Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.” -— Fernando Pessoa

I could go on. There are more quotes at https://bookroo.com/blog/the-100-best-quotes-about-reading

I guess some people just don’t care for reading, or can’t find the time. Some read out of necessity, not pleasure. Then there are people who admit to having a pile of books waiting for them. (And don’t need more. After all, there’s such a thing as a library.)

Crunching the Numbers

According to AI (for what it’s worth) only 16 percent of American adults read for pleasure on any given day. Only 16 percent!! Roughly 48 to 49 percent report reading at least ONE book in a YEAR. A 40 percent drop in reading occurred over the past two decades.

What happened? I’ve been alive and kicking for 20 years (plus), and it never occurred to me readership dropped. I was out of state and asked my dear friend and neighbor to check for a certain book in my house because the library insisted I still had it (not). She later said, “Do you have any idea what it’s like to look for A book in your house? (She’s a reader like me.)

Why read?

Reading opens other worlds. I crawl into someone else’s skin and experience struggles, fears, and challenges I can’t imagine living through. Somehow, it widens my horizons, and I’m able to be more compassionate in “real” life.

Historical fiction or non-fiction takes me into the past, where I learn about skills and ways of life that may come in handy, the way things are going now. I love it when I discover the source of something we take for granted today.

I revel in the humor and irony I discover in the pages of a book.

I get to “live” in different places. I especially enjoy reading anything set in the English countryside.

I pick up skills and knowledge that help me every day.

Finally, buying books keeps authors in paper and ink, so we can continue to create adventures for that 16 percent.