Why Adults Don't Read ... and How to Start Again

So many adults do not read at all. Let's look at why this happens and how we can fix some broken habits to get you reading again.

This is a researched video essay designed to inspire and motivate you to start reading again. Enjoy!

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[wolflink]

I stopped reading for like a decade until my sister made me read mistborn together with her. This year I've already read like 7 books and 13 light novels

[fernandopaiz]

Last year I’ve read maybe 4 books through the whole year. This year I’ve read 15 so far and it’s barely April and I’ve noticed my mental health, overall happiness and other benefits rise since l!

Btw your channel is a key motivator you got me to reread ASOIAF and I’m nearing the end of my first journey to the Dark Tower :)

You’re making a difference Book Guy thank you for being a good guy!

[BobAg_]

The amount of people I've heard used the I Don't Have Time excuse, and yet on casual observation they spend hours in any given day scrolling through social media. They have more time than they realise, they're just hypnotised by their little devices

[anamarcelino]

After 15 years of not being interested in reading the Cruel Prince was life changing. It is not a piece of art but thanks to that book I've regained the love for reading. ❤ I read more books this summer than in the last 15 years. 😊

[rana]

I used to read non-fiction books only as genre worth reading, but now I read more of fiction books and I have noticed that even if I am not getting a direct message or learning things from fiction books, the message lasts longer and sometimes it changes how I think about something and encourages me to read more about specific subject and sometimes even if I learn nothing I prefer a fiction story after a long week of working than a non-fiction book just to be productive!

[Wouter_K]

I really want to hug you for your partial essay on literacy. How succinctly you explain its underlying mechanisms while simultaneously calling everyone to be respectful and helpful towards those lacking the opportunities to read or learn to read. Love it and 100% agree. Now to reflect on what I can do :)

[carolinec]

In the 1970s, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings became extremely popular. They were available cheaply in paperback. One family in our rural area had illiterate teenagers. These teens taught themselves to read just so they could read these books. How awesome is that?!

[sk]

One very big reason adults don’t read and is not quite talked often is the eye strain. People are staring into laptops for 9 / 10 hours straight and the eyes get glazed. To then read books on paperbacks (which have small font) or digital devices causes more eye strain. So subconsciously people don’t reach for reading. Another thing is that many people are severely myopic but for reading you need magnifying glass or lens, so again wearing myopic glasses or lenses while reading will make it a non fun experience for you. People also ignore signs of hyperopia which starts after 30 even sometimes so again blissfully ignoring why they are not reading. I have had hyperopia all my life and my lenses are the same reading or distance so for me reading is a breeze… if you are a reader and above 30 years of age buy a reading plus one from the pharmacy and see if that is helping you read more.

[rogerlewis]

A friend recommended to me the Feist Magician books, and I read Magician Apprentice as fast as I used to read Goosebumps books in middle school.... So yeah, definitely agree with finding the right book and reading whatever you WANT to read. I haven't read 1 whole book in years until now

[recoveringknowitall]

58yr old married man here. my wife and i both read widely and constantly. 9 full, burgeoning bookshelves tell our story. cheers. :)

[DelphiaOrlova]

I think other helpful tips are:

- reread your favorite books. The positive and nostalgic connotation might give you more joy! (Mind that over time our taste changes and we become older, so sometimes things might be less enjoyable or feel "childish". Embrace the things your younger you loved about them!)

- read the book to the film you liked: you already know what the world looks like and what happens. So there is no problem when you don't understand something while reading. All the important things about the story you usually already know. You don't have to mind that part.

- read fanfiction to stories you like: you already know and like the characters. Have fun watching them go through other adventures. (Fanfictions are not rarely written in a simpler language).

- read more comics/graphic novels/mangas/webtoons: less descriptive text, more dialogs - which is usually a more familiar vocabulary. Also, they work with a lot of visual storytelling like movies.

- "bookfriends": if you find someone you can share your book experience with, it can be even more fun to read and share you current progress of your book. (Be careful, it there are many people involved (like a book club) and if there is a fixed shedule because you might put yourself under unnecessary pressure!)

[VenturesBeyond]

It's sad how people leave books behind when they get older. Thankful for Book Guy for keeping the reading game alive!

[Paien]

I randomly came across your channel late last year and watched your intro to the Malazan series. I just started Midnight Tides and I have to thank you for inspiring me to pick it up….this is the best thing I’ve ever read. Cheers sir!

[OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

Awesome video! And very enlightening. I've never really thought of why someone might or might not read beyond my assumption that people either like to or they don't. The part about trauma is very relatable - that's what actually drove me to start reading more, which eventually led me to creating a Booktube channel. I'd never have even realized it without this. Kudos to you!

[peach]

I'm currently learning Chinese and I find what you said about literacy to apply to that as well. I'm currently at a level where I'm reading graded reader content made specifically for language learners and the fact that I am able to read it at all is so encouraging to me! It really helps me see that if I keep at it, someday I will hopefully be reading full native content novels in my target language! Loved this video and the lack of judgement for aspiring readers who are struggling! <3

[reminiscentoss]

Happy to be part of the 4.1 percent of Australians who support this channel 👍

[revolution]

I don’t read because I work in document review and by the time I have done that to a few hundred documents over eight hours, my brain cannot process language anymore.

[keturahspencer]

Ugh, thank you for this! I'm trying to get back in with physical books. Thank goodness for audiobooks. They really help with the time aspect.

[alexanderlavoie]

I'm going to share my trouble with reading just as message to other people who may be struggling.

I'm from the US (one of the green states on that map), and I have struggled with dyslexia my entire life. Reading has ALWAYS felt like a chore to me. But I have just recently jumped back into reading books at the ripe old age of 32, and only having read 2 or 3 books in all my life prior. The key for me with reading was finding out the rest of the storyline being more rewarding the not reading because its can be hard for me. I happened to get sucked into The Licanius Trilogy and now I'm hungry for more. Those first 100 pages were tough but once I got into the groove it became easier.

[anjapinkau]

Great video! I enjoyed it a lot, thank you! You have a new subscriber.

You were talking about a "bad book experience". A few notes on that:
1. A bad book could never spoil reading for me as a whole.

2. When money was scarce and I had to decide between a new book or lunch and I chose the new book, I always read it from cover to cover, even if I enjoyed it less than I had expected at the beginning and sometimes I discovered that it was actually quite good.

3. My eyes are turning bad and audio books have become easier. I always listen to a chapter or so before sleeping, it's like someone is reading you a bedtime story. But it is not the same. Books of paper give a deeper reading experience. You can go at your own pace, re-read passages, create your own idea of for example a person's voice etc.

4. Watching the film or series before finishing the book has killed two series for me: Percy Jackson and The Song of Fire and Ice (nowadays known as Game of Thrones). Never watch a film of a book before finishing the book! Never!