Never reads!

Both my DGC (16 and 13) had a lot of books for Christmas - and read them most of the time they were with us - about a week.

They are as adept as the next child at using their phones, but they are not the centre of their lives. That is possibly because their parents do not have their phones at the centre of their lives either. Both have a lot of outside interest that are not phone based and they are growing up in a house full of books, where their parents always have one if not more books around that they are actively reading.

The same applies when they visit any of their relatives (grandparents, aunts/uncles) we all have houses full of books and can regularly be seen reading them.

We never had a lot of books at home, my dad had a bookcase of dull looking books, I think he enjoyed reading, but money was tight, and books were way down the list.
I was never bought any, maybe an annual at Christmas, and my gran had a book which had been my mothers which was full of rather scary cautionary tales.
So for children like me the library was a life saver, loved choosing books on a Saturday morning.
But I agree TerriBull, if I’d had an iPhone, Netflix and so many other distractions, it might have been very different.

My 10 year old DGS will happily spend time with books, he has Down Syndrome. He often adds his own words to what he's 'reading', he's very good at entertaining himself.

Not a regular reader and have been looked down on for this. Most annoying as I can embroider, make clothes and curtains etc, I am a milliner when the mood takes me. Add to this gardening and painting and decorating and finally computer games. How dare they look down!! They should be looking up!!
I detest intellectual middle class snobbery!!!
Grrrrrr

Shantaram is a big favourite of mine - amazing that it got someone into reading. It’s a huge book, that’s fantastic.

The few books I had as a child I absolutely cherished, then when I started having pocket money, I saved up for books, like Pinkcosmos, usually Enid Blyton to start with.
My lovely English teacher recommended books I would never have thought of, I’ve hardly ever been without a book on the go since.
I don’t think everyone should read books, but I think maybe everyone should give it a go.

During Covid I started reading a bed time story to my two granddaughters in Italy a couple of times a week. We've carried this on, progressing to reading chapters of longer books, but homework now has to take priority so it's usually down to once a week . They both avidly read Italian books, but also enjoy being read to in English which is a joy for me to do.

I am a bookworm and usually read about four books each week - I am a very quick reader. Also read magazines and the Sunday paper. One of my new year's resolutions is to read a few pages of the complete works of Burns each day and a couple of nonfiction books a month (enjoy history so that won't be an onerous task).

Read a lot to my children but neither are keen readers though they do read technical stuff for work and I know the younger one reads on his phone. Little grandchild is 16 months and definitely going to be a bookworm - read her over 30 stories in one day last week and she won't settle at bedtime unless she has her story. She is now choosing to sit in her wee rocking chair with a book, babbling away as she turns the pages.

The only time I can recall when I didn't read every day was after my dh died very suddenly in his early fifties. I couldn't even concentrate on a newspaper article for several weeks. My friend suggested The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. Had never read any of his books before and really would not have chosen them but I did enjoy them and they got me reading again.

Everyone is different. One of my friends loves tiktok, another enjoys her kindle (I just don't enjoy using a kindle), etc. I can't imagine not reading but appreciate that others have different interests.

My youngest grandson (11 now) couldn't get into school books. But during lockdown I introduced him to some of my favourites, black beauty, treasure Island and wind in the willows. When he told his teacher on a zoom call what he was reading the teacher was amazed by how enthusiastic he was. He has developed a real love of reading , books not kindle. Sometimes I think you need to find your way into reading for the love to follow. But if its not for you then that's entirely your choice. I'd never judge.

I vividly remember my lovely Mum adding 'and, no, you can't just finish the chapter' when she asked me to do some simple chore. My nose was seldom out of a book. Move one generation on and I recollect mentioning to that same Mum that I was concerned that my boys were slipping into only reading comics. 'If they're reading them regularly then leave hem alone' She was right (again!) and they both reverted to books in their own good time.

My parents and older sisters were never great readers but I loved to read. I got no encouragement what so ever. My mother saw it as a waste of time. I still read a lot and encouraged both my daughters to read
They in turn encouraged their children to read too.

I have always been a reader. Maybe it was because I was an only child. My parents were not big readers. My grandmother looked after me when I was young and my parents both worked. The highlight of the week was going to town and my grandma buying me a paperback book from our local bookshop. It was usually Enid Blyton, especially the Famous Five, Secret Seven, Mystery of... books. They were two shillings and sixpence.

When my children were small I didn't have much time to read. However, we (me and ex DH) always read to our children at night and at other times.

All three of my DS's still read. Two of them prefer physical books (like me) but the other one prefers digital and audio books.

My DH is dyslexic and finds no pleasure in reading. He prefers listening to music. I think it's such a shame. He is missing out on so much.

I read quite a bit now but, hopefully when I retire, I will have more time to read. I must have about 200 books on my TBR shelf and I am still buying more

I’m another book worm , I’ve always read as a child when we would go to the library. When I started work , I traveled on the train and tube and so read during my commute .
I always have a book on the go either paper book or my kindle and read every night for 30-60 minutes.
My Dh only reads on holiday but gets really engrossed in the book .
My AC are both avid readers and have been since very small . The Harry Potter books took over from the school books . Both also read on their commute to work . My DD and I both belong to book clubs and my DDs book club had a literary weekend last year .
I do have friends who don’t read either due to time or aren’t keen. We’re all different.
Interestingly , when a friend suggested a book club 5 years ago , two women weren’t readers . 3 months later both women bought kindles and are now avid readers.

Quite honestly I will read anything. A new neighbour has just recommended Eloisa James. She said they were like Georgette Heyer. I think not….very eye opening .

my husband and i got called for a meeting with my sons teacher, he was about 11, she was going on about the fact he did not like books, he could read and write, she started on about us as parents not bothering to read and that is why he does not like books, i stopped her in mid sentence and said my house is full of books, including childrens books, we visit the library every week, my son has never liked books, i gave him 4 thrillers to take to iraq, me thinking he would get bored and maybe start reading, the books ended up being passed around to other soldiers, i ended up sending more books. i have always been a book person, i devour 3/4 books a week on my kindle, i was asked years ago as a joke what would you rather loose, music or books, i can still hear music in my head but i would hate to live without my books.

Our youngest son only read what he had to for exams, never for pleasure.
His brother and sister couldn’t grasp this as they were voracious readers.
He went to live in India for 6 months aged 18,no TV, internet etc.
His sister gave him a book called Shantaram as a parting gift, he is now a voracious reader too.

I am a reader and come from a family of readers, my own children all read and my teenage Granddaughter is never without a book. My youngest stepson was an avid reader until he went to Secondary school and then refused to read as he said he would be bullied if his classmates knew he liked to read.

Read much as a child and taught mine all their letters and how to read at varying rates before they started school. One was away at 3 1/2 and is still a sponge for information in his 40s. He just reads everything everywhere not just books but anything written anywhere.

I am an avid reader and like Urmstongran would read the back of a bottle of ketchup as my mother did before me. I drive my husband mad when we are out because he loses me as I read notice boards, every label at a museum, etc.

My daughters are bookworms, the sons less so. The boys read for research purposes only whilst the girls read for the love of reading as well as for research. Horses for courses and all that!

At junior school age we never had many books at home that I can recall. I do remember reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’ home alone when I was about 9y - off school and unwell for some reason. Was a bit scared to be in the house on my own too I remember! Maybe that’s why the book I read stays in my memory. Mum worked in a shop part time further up the road. No telephone in those days for us either. “Stay in bed. Keep warm. I’ll be home at lunchtime and here’s a banana by the bed for your snack.”

I was an avid reader. I’m sure I’m not the only kid of that age who, if sat eating at the table on my own, would read the label on the bottle of HP sauce. Or the cereal packet - I can still remember ‘riboflavin’ and ‘nyocin’ in (sp?) in the list of contents!

Happy Days. 😁

I learned to read when I was very young, about three. It was the only thing I excelled at! I can’t remember a time since then that I haven’t had a book although of course when you have small children your reading time is very limited! My two DD do read but nothing as much as I do. The grandchildren sadly would prefer a screen. I have several friends who never read books, I find it a bit strange, but don’t judge them.

DH, DS, DiL, DD, DGD and myself avid readers. DSiL not at all and DGS has to be “encouraged”. I can’t imagine life without reading but don’t judge - well not much! 😂

I know someone who says he has never read a book in his life. However his practical skills are second to none. He can visualise how things should be or how things work. I guess it's how our brains are wired.

I'm inclined to agree with others, there are generational differences, we all grew up in a time when there was precious little television, so we were forced to make our own entertainment and reading was one such way of keeping ourselves from being bored. I grew up in a house that was crammed with books so much so, some were piled up on the floor sometimes. My father was not a diy person, in fact a bit useless in that respect, and my mother was prone to say from time to time, "before you get married, make sure whoever you marry can put up shelves!" with a sidelong glance at my father, conveying to me that was some pre requisite for a happy shared existence. I vividly remember my visits to libraries from the earliest age and treasured books at birthdays and Christmas.

I did the same for my own children, one is a voracious reader still, I'm pleased to say, the other, apart from devouring the Harry Potters back in his school days, hardly ever picks up a book, apart from his small stash of his own personal "bibles" not in the religious sense, but books pertaining to exercise, diet and wellness all of that. It is fair to say they, as other have stated, access all manner of information pertinent to their lives and interests via their devices, and it can be serious and lengthy material, so that's reading of sorts it's just a different medium to books. My grandchildren loved their books when they were little, and I think they always have one on the go, but they come to ours armed with their gadgetry, which they do swear they're only allowed at the week-ends at which time any book gets kicked into the long grass.

When one of my step grandchildren hit a significant birthday a while ago, when asked by friends what she would like, she replied "just give me the best book you've ever read" thought that was a great idea.

My husband is an avid reader, God he gets through books in a nano second, his preferred genre is crime, but occasionally he deviates, my choices are more eclectic, I always have a book or two on the go, it's how I switch off. Books have always been a source of joy, but I have to admit, distractions are many and sometimes I find it harder to switch off completely, I had the same problem with yoga. Just zoning out I swear it never used to be this difficult.

I go mad if I haven’t got a book (or Kindle) to read.

If a book doesn’t grab me after the first dozen or so pages, I won’t go on with it though. Ploughing through books I wasn’t enjoying ended with school/uni exams - though I still found myself at over 50, ‘ploughing’ through a couple (out of 10 or a dozen) on an OU Eng Lit module.