Reading?

As you can tell from the list at the left. I read a great deal. The people in my family read a great deal...both for school and for fun.

At work, I traffic in ideas most of the day. That list doesn't include much of what I read at work, either. Or newspapers. Or magazines of interest. That list only includes books that I read outside of work.

That list is slowed somewhat, too. I mean, last year I read over 50 books. This year I've read several books that have way more pages than many of those of previous years...and I've decided to read some more "classic" works that are "harder" reads. Hence, I don't expect to complete as many books, but it'll still be around the same number of "pages," I'd guess.

Maybe I'm an odd duck in this regard.

But when I read this article from the Associated Press today, I truly couldn't relate.

1 in 4 adults doesn't read any books over the course of a year?

Now, of those that read books, women averaged 9 books a year. Men, 5.

I guess because I read about 10x what "normal" guys read, I truly had no idea this was the case. Now, I'd also really like to know what is being read. Are they harlequin romances or business books or best-selling fiction or biographies or historical accounts or "self-help?" And, exactly what counts as a "book?"

So, in an informal poll of Diner patrons...

...about how many books do you read in a year?
...what was the best you've read thus far in 2007?
...what "genre" do you prefer to read?

As for me, well, I've read 20 in 9 months, and with vacation time I'll have at the end of the year, I'll likely get to 30 (largely because of Bugliosi's definitive work on the JFK assasination that took a month and de Tocqueville's treatise on democracy that total 2,500 annonated pages my average of 50 will drop, but you figure that's 8 or so books--and throw in the fact that Christian publishing has been absolutely AWFUL this year...well...suffice to say I've forgiven myself of not hitting my average).

The most enjoyable reads this summer have been "Punk Rock Dad" which was a surprisingly good parenting book and "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmaiel Beah which was both encouraging and heartbreaking at the same time.

Oddly, I prefer to read books you'd find in the "Christian Living" section if they have even a remote appeal...but since that's kind of "professionally related" I'd have to say I like books on history, particularly American history.

Have at it, kids!