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My spin on the latest book controversy

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Contributed by: Fronnie Lewis on 9/21/2007

Recently on a stressful day, I took a break and went browsing at a Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Well, I admit my first thought was to dive into a bag of my favorite chocolates, however, that kind of calorie overload would add too much guilt on top of everything else -sort of like pouring gasoline on a fire.

I needed something calming and guilt free. Books provide that for me, along with a never-ending source of information and entertainment. I read probably 50 books in 2006. That is on the average of four books a month.

I don't consider that a remarkable feat, but according to the latest Associate Press-Ipsos poll on the nation's book reading habits, it was off the chart.

The major media quickly picked up the poll and ran with it on Aug. 21, 2007, since then it has been bouncing around the blogophere.

According to the poll as reported by AP's Alan Fram, one in four adults in this country read no books in the past year. The data came from phone interviews of a little over 1,000 people conducted a short while ago in the second week of August.

The typical book reader surveyed claimed to have finished four books during the past year. Fram's story gave some ink to those of us who are serious book lovers; still the overall tone of the article was anything but uplifting.

At one point the article said the nation's book readers "...can hardly be called ravenous." Is this an example of the glass being viewed as half-empty rather than half-full or more accurately a quarter-empty versus three-quarters full? I think so.

I am a regular visitor to the Barnes & Noble in Burbank and the one in Glendale. At both bookstores it is hard to find an unoccupied chair. While strolling the book aisles, I have to watch where I am stepping to avoid stumbling over someone's legs. It is quite common for folks to sit down on the floor and read for hours.

Particularly on the weekends, I find these bookstores are crowded with families and young people, not just females and the over-50 set who were found to be the most avid readers by the AP-Ipsos poll.

If you want to get another view of the significance of books in our culture then look to the Hollywood movies. Books are hot commodities in Tinsel Town. Studios and producers are dropping major bucks for them especially bestsellers, which come with built in audiences who have read the books and connected with the characters and plots.

The J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne spy thrillers come to mind. This summer the latest films in these series, "Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix" and "The Bourne Ultimatum ," scored spots on the list of the10 movies with the biggest domestic receipts in 2007, according to the media tracking agency Media by Numbers.

Also, each of the five films starring the young wizard Harry Potter has grossed over $200 millions in the U.S. alone. Speaking of a major book influence, who can forget "The Da Vinci Code" phenomenon? It exploded from blockbuster novel to hit movie and next up , "Angels and Demons ," which is based on another novel by Dan Brown.

Meanwhile, books are invading the techy world and getting a healthy boost from online services, which provide downloads to computers, cell phones, and other mobile devices.

E-book sales leaped from 4.1 million in January of 2006 to 7.5 million in the first month of this year, these figures are from the website of the industry trade organization International Digital Publishing Forum. It is not just the small independent e-publishers that are tapping into the public's growing desire to read paperless books.

Major publishers like Kensington, Harlequin, Penguin, and HarperCollins are selling books online as well. In fact, on its website, HarperCollins is offering a new feature which allows users of the new Apple iPhone to browse before buying some its new releases like "Now and Forever" by Ray Bradbury, "The Burnt House" by Faye Kellerman and "Sweet Revenge" by Diane Mott Davidson.

HarperCollins' new pilot project strives to replicate the experience of browsing through the pages of a book, therefore, allowing users to enjoy at their fingertips yet another aspect usually associated with a visit to a typical bookstore.

The way I read the recent AP-Ipsos poll, 27 percent of the adult U.S. population did not crack a book in the past year, however, a whopping 73 percent of us did, despite the demands of busy lives and the pull of many other entertainment options.

As the long lines continue to grow at places like airports, supermarket checkout stands and, of course, the post office, I am betting even more people will decide to de-stress or break the boredom of waiting by escaping into the pages of a book.

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Showing 1-8 of 8 comments

Submitted By: Louise Paziak

posted on 9/25/2007 @ 5:41:06 PM

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Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Fronnie, your article was right on. People ARE reading! This year the Burbank Library had its first "one book one community" promotion and over 1,200 people checked out "Marley & Me" from the Library (not counting all the people who went and bought the book). The Burbank READS committee is currently meeting to choose a book for 2008. There are a lot of great books out there and a lot of people waiting to devour them. Write on, Fronnie!

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Submitted By: Fronnie Lewis

posted on 9/23/2007 @ 9:37:52 AM

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What a wonderful idea, Marion. I would like to know what everyone is reading as well. A few days ago I finished "Innocent In Death" by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). This is number 24 in a terrific futuristic/ romantic/suspense series. Also, I have read "The Dream Thief" the second book in a fantasy/romance/adventure series by Shana Abe.

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Submitted By: Jackie Houchin

posted on 9/22/2007 @ 8:00:30 PM

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The last two books I've read are "Ninteen Minutes" by Jody Picoult, and "A Garden in Paris" by Stephanie Grace Whitson. Am currently reading an ARC of "Deadfall" a really dark new thriller by Robert Liparulo for Mystery Scene magazine. Thanks for the challenge, Marion. I hope all Fronnie's blog readers will contribute THEIR current reading.

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Submitted By: Gayle Bartos-Pool

posted on 9/22/2007 @ 1:38:29 PM

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Your article encourages writers to keep on typing out those novels. People are reading, or listening, to all those lovely words. Thanks, Fronnie, for giving us the details.

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Submitted By: Marion Green

posted on 9/22/2007 @ 12:03:53 PM

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Fronnie, I also read those statistics and was amazed. I am a book-junkie and one of my addictions is that I can't resist ordering a book after reading a great review. Consequently, I have one shelf with unread books...and am waiting for a book I ordered from Amazon two days ago. Dieters have to vow, "no more sweets." I have to vow, "no more books!" I regret not listing all the books I've read. Can we do that? Find out the last two books everyone has read? I just finished The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner has been made into a movie and will be out in November. Hurry and read this book. It will have a profound affect on your life. Amazing book. Books, books, books....love them! Marion

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Submitted By: Charlene Swink

posted on 9/22/2007 @ 9:30:51 AM

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Fronnie, I found your info on reading startling, but it doesn't surprise me that maybe younger generations have too many other forms of communication nowadays. I loved your comeback - 73% of Americans do read! You did a great job of reseaching this! Charlene

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Submitted By: Pam Vetter

posted on 9/22/2007 @ 7:31:06 AM

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One in four adults read no books last year? That is a shocking statistic, especially knowing the success of Amazon. Interesting article. I think since it's raining, my kids are going to pick out one of our many books and read a book today. Thanks for the article!

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Submitted By: Jackie Houchin

posted on 9/21/2007 @ 11:09:21 PM

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Thank you for the positive article - for readers, authors and publishers. I think more people read books, although they may be the new e-books, or audio versions. Some of those ipod users MAY be listening to books - I know I am. Thanks for sharing the stats too, Fronnie. You do a great job putting your finger on the pulse of the people.

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Showing 1-8 of 8 comments

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Fronnie Lewis

Burbank , CA

Fronnie Lewis has posted 26 blog entries and 4 comments since joining on 8/16/2006. Fronnie Lewis 's average blog rating is 4.98.

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