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What Happened to Reading?
 

DonVon's picture
IB
(King Kong, 1,914
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 6:30pm
books.jpeg

Monkeys, something I've noticed a lot over the past few years is that fewer and fewer people seem to be reading for pleasure. Obviously, within the past 6 years of my life, I was a senior in high school for 1 year, in college for 3, and working for 2 -- all of these things leave little room for free time...right?

Well, not really -- come to think of it, during college I did have a lot of free time, and while working a non-finance job I had more free time than I knew what to do with. Even so, as a kid who grew up reading a lot of books throughout my elementary and middle school days, I find myself VERY rarely reading for pleasure these days.

What gives?

The issue isn't that there aren't books that I want to read. For instance, I've had pretty limited exposure to American literature -- Faulkner, Mark Twain, James Fenimore Cooper -- and even have a list of fiction that I want to dig into. To top it all off, if you've been keeping up with my blog over the past month or so, you'll know that I am currently on an "extended vacation" during which I'm traveling and doing those things that I purportedly didn't have time for in college. Now is the time to crack those books, but...I haven't.

And it's not even American literature...it wouldn't kill me to read some Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Dickens, Tolstoy, the list goes on and on. And why limit ourselves to fiction? Why not read some seminal works of political theory and philosophy -- from Aristotle to the Founding Fathers -- to get a better idea of how the world works and what role thinkers have historically played in its evolution.

Oh wait, Facebook. And eBay. And look, WallStreetOasis. Refresh, refresh, refresh. 2AM already? Zzzzzz...

So what does all this mean?

It's bizarre to think that, based on my own observations, people seem to be less likely to seek out reading materials on their own than they were even 20 years ago. Reading is a chore. It's something you do for that silly humanities class that you have to take despite being a finance major, and let's be real, who actually does the reading anyway? So will these classics be forgotten? Have we really entered an era where SparkNotes and the silver screen undermine the power and beauty of a novel like Les Miserables?

Hell, people even rarely read the "big" pop culture novels of today -- Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey, Harry Potter, etc. These books require the attention span of a 5-year-old (literally) to get through, but nah, I'll just watch the movie, why bother reading. Note: I have not seen Twilight or any of the HP movies, and don't intend to.

Thoughts, monkeys? Do you read for pleasure? Do you feel that people today are reading less fiction and non-fiction than folks even 10 or 20 years ago? Is it good, is it bad? Discuss.

Thanks for reading. Now stop refreshing this page. #butseriously

"An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Comments

1000Talents's picture

If its important to you, you

CO
 
Points)
 on 10/31/12 at 3:52pm

If its important to you, you make time. I make a point of reading 20-30 pages per day no matter what.

sayandarula's picture

i used to read for pleasure.

O
(King Kong, 1,810
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 6:46pm

i used to read for pleasure. but then i discovered drugs...

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?

ReadLine's picture

The problem is literature,

O
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 6:53pm

The problem is literature, philosophy, etc isn't pleasurable to most people. And I don't really see a problem with that.

Koho's picture

Still try to read when I

ST
(Orangutan, 320
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 6:59pm

Still try to read when I can.. thing is that I say should I be reading for fun or doing some reading for work and will I regret the answer later? Don't want to "miss something" in regards to my job, so usually I'll do work stuff.. such is life.

Going Concern's picture

If I had an infinite amount

(King Kong, 1,698
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 10:17pm

If I had an infinite amount of time and patience, I'd probably gobble up all the books I could get my paws on. But unfortunately, I don't. That's where film comes in. As far as pleasure and entertainment go, film is a far superior art form. Film not only has a narrative and dialogue and descriptions of characters and situations, but you also get moving images, you get sound and music, you get so much more and in so much less time - a concentrated blast of awesomeness. Film is also a more powerful medium for telling a story or conveying ideas and emotions. Of course, if you feel that your entertainment medium has to be limited to what was available in the 1700s...

Of course, this only addresses the aspect of being entertained. For actual information or pure knowledge, like if you want to learn more about philosophy or finance for example, you obviously need some good ol' fashioned chopped tree.

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

West Coast rainmaker's picture

I read a fair amount. I

ER
(Neanderthal, 2,072
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 7:08pm

I read a fair amount. I usually get through 4 books per month. Granted, a lot of these books are related to investing and politics, but that is what I enjoy. I might read a horror or fantasy novel every 2 or 3 months. But generally I like to live in reality, or something close to it.

I've read probably 90% of the "classics"...but as a teenager. I don't really have desire to revisit them aside from a few (Vonnegut, Steinbeck). I also probably read the equivalent of a small book's worth of news daily. I think that literature was read (and re-read) 100 years ago because there were so few choices.

moneymogul's picture

I have the same issue of

IB
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 7:29pm

I have the same issue of wanting to read but not following through with it despite having time. However I have no problem watching multiple movies in my spare time.

BTbanker's picture

West Coast rainmaker: I read

IB
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 7:44pm
West Coast rainmaker:

I read a fair amount. I usually get through 4 books per month. Granted, a lot of these books are related to investing and politics, but that is what I enjoy. I might read a horror or fantasy novel every 2 or 3 months. But generally I like to live in reality, or something close to it.

I've read probably 90% of the "classics"...but as a teenager. I don't really have desire to revisit them aside from a few (Vonnegut, Steinbeck). I also probably read the equivalent of a small book's worth of news daily. I think that literature was read (and re-read) 100 years ago because there were so few choices.

Do you have any recommendations for a good book on politics?

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

In The Flesh's picture

Reading for pleasure is

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,811
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 7:50pm

Reading for pleasure is terrific. There's nothing like cracking open "Middlemarch" at the beginning of the month and hacking away at it night after night after work until you're done at the end of the month.

Heck, I'm the WSO resident book reviewer--reading is awesome, and I refuse to get a Kindle or anything else like that. I enjoy reading precisely because it isn't electronic.

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

In The Flesh's picture

.

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,811
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 7:50pm

.

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

West Coast rainmaker's picture

BTbanker: West Coast

ER
(Neanderthal, 2,072
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 7:52pm
BTbanker:
West Coast rainmaker:

I read a fair amount. I usually get through 4 books per month. Granted, a lot of these books are related to investing and politics, but that is what I enjoy. I might read a horror or fantasy novel every 2 or 3 months. But generally I like to live in reality, or something close to it.

I've read probably 90% of the "classics"...but as a teenager. I don't really have desire to revisit them aside from a few (Vonnegut, Steinbeck). I also probably read the equivalent of a small book's worth of news daily. I think that literature was read (and re-read) 100 years ago because there were so few choices.

Do you have any recommendations for a good book on politics?

Clash of Civilizations was great for international relations. Also like Washington Rules (although it is rather liberal).

markhobbus's picture

I read during my

(Baboon, 138
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 8:20pm

I read during my commute/before bed and enjoy it a lot. I am currently in the middle of How I Became A Quant and just finished Ed Thorpe's Beat the Dealer. I find it a much better way to pass the time than mindlessly slashing fruits on an iphone (e.g. people at work are surprised that I know some financial history given that I'm a recent grad)

BTbanker's picture

West Coast

IB
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 8:22pm
West Coast rainmaker:
BTbanker:
West Coast rainmaker:

I read a fair amount. I usually get through 4 books per month. Granted, a lot of these books are related to investing and politics, but that is what I enjoy. I might read a horror or fantasy novel every 2 or 3 months. But generally I like to live in reality, or something close to it.

I've read probably 90% of the "classics"...but as a teenager. I don't really have desire to revisit them aside from a few (Vonnegut, Steinbeck). I also probably read the equivalent of a small book's worth of news daily. I think that literature was read (and re-read) 100 years ago because there were so few choices.

Do you have any recommendations for a good book on politics?

Clash of Civilizations was great for international relations. Also like Washington Rules (although it is rather liberal).

Awesome, thanks.

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

anaismalcolm's picture

I always try to read at least

IB
(Orangutan, 329
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 8:46pm

I always try to read at least 2-3 a week; at the beginning of every season I have a "bucket list" of books I want to read, and try to make it through at least 4 (out of 10+, so not like a grand success here). It's difficult given the time constraints, magical time-sucking power of the internet, etc. but worth it. I try to read mostly fiction or things completely unrelated to finance/banking -- I think it's important to stay grounded / have a broader lens...the culture and nature of the job can kind of make you boring otherwise.

TOB2020's picture

I've been trying to justify

 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 9:48pm

I've been trying to justify buying a iPad/mini/Nexus with hopes that I would read more but in reality I would just watch more porn.

JohnTuld's picture

I'm pretty sure alot of

O
(Monkey, 38
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 10:11pm

I'm on the verge of tears by the time I log onto Wall Street Oasis, since I'm positive that a user has thrown monkey shit at me. But they haven't, and relief washes over me in an awesome wave.

Plato's picture

Used to be a big reader and

(Baboon, 165
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 10:32pm
kraziazi's picture

I was a huge reading nerd

IB
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 10:42pm
hockey1316's picture

There will never be a single

CO
(Gorilla, 504
 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 11:28pm
proptrader14's picture

I read every day but after

 
Points)
 on 11/1/12 at 11:37pm
philosophizingphilosoraptor's picture

Fully agree. My rate of

 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 12:17am

To the starving man, beans are caviar

Amphipathic's picture

Getting through the economist

 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 12:50am
Moneyman's picture

It has declined over the

(Chimp, 3
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 1:37am
Moneyman's picture

Amphipathic: Getting through

(Chimp, 3
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 1:38am
Moneyman's picture

Amphipathic: Getting through

(Chimp, 3
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 1:39am
TheSquale's picture

Moneyman: Amphipathic: Gett

AM
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 3:27am
Oreos's picture

JohnTuld: I'm pretty sure

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,454
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 4:34am
JohnTuld's picture

yes haha.

O
(Monkey, 38
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 6:54am

I'm on the verge of tears by the time I log onto Wall Street Oasis, since I'm positive that a user has thrown monkey shit at me. But they haven't, and relief washes over me in an awesome wave.

rnellis2002's picture

yep, definitely read for

CO
(Chimp, 12
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 10:58am
Going Concern's picture

Speaking of books, any other

(King Kong, 1,698
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 11:22am

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Going Concern's picture

The difference between a film

(King Kong, 1,698
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 11:41am

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Plato's picture

TheSquale: Moneyman: Amph

(Baboon, 165
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 4:46pm
WhoSteen's picture

Story of my life.

(Monkey, 42
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 4:52pm

"Don't be fooled, my game is mental." - Jay Z

moneymogul's picture

I read Ender's Game last year

IB
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 5:18pm
TheSquale's picture

Plato: This is apparent in

AM
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 5:57pm
Boreed's picture

Reading a nice novel by Jules

PE
 
Points)
 on 11/2/12 at 6:12pm

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Kejsaren's picture

Boreed: Reading a nice novel

(Baboon, 134
 
Points)
 on 11/3/12 at 5:38pm
Amphipathic's picture

Boreed: Reading a nice novel

 
Points)
 on 11/4/12 at 12:15am
awm_russ's picture

I think people don't read

(Chimp, 5
 
Points)
 on 11/5/12 at 6:26am

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