Do teenagers still read books?

[TwistedVamp83]

I'm not a teen but I read whenever I can ....Especially when work is dead , I read before bed and in the bath and when I'm bored and when I'm on the bus !

 

I'm trying to get my Fiance's Nephew to read more , My Father in law 2b is an avid reader , and has all the stephen King novels and all the HP's and lord of the rings but the nephew won't read any ! He's such a talented and bright boy with a wonderfull imagination and loves writing and telling stories .....but he won't read em !

[Polly]

A lot of people just say 'Why read it when you can just watch the movie' but quite a few people do buy their books online I've taken to getting mine of Amazon as I can save about

[Edge Chronicles]

im ddicted to em ive red countlss amounts and as you can see my fave is the edge chronicles . I have read thousands of series of books I also like skulduggery pleasant. Nearly every one in my year(all 200 of em) like reading and find it a nice way to relax after a particularly stressful lesson with mrs. Murphy our maths teacher

Edited April 20, 2009 by Michelle

[atticjnr]

I'm 19 and absoloutly love reading. Ive gone through gaps in my teenage years where I haven't read for a month or two but I have always been reading a book for the past 3 or so years. One of my best friends is an avid reader and he is a year below me. I love going to his house because he always recommends me a whole library of books and is always willing to lend me books. Every birthday we give each other books as presents. However, he is the only other person I know who loves reading. Then again, I have always felt I am the odd one out in my group of friends. Maybe, it's just I dont know enough teenagers that well.

[Nightwish]

I'm 19 and love reading, have done since I was a child Every time I am in town I have to visit the book shop, and I am ashamed to say, buy a book or two even though I have at least 20 books at home in my TBR pile

 

What I hate is teenagers on social networking sites that put under the option of favourite book "I don't read" or "reading sux" (sux! I hate that word!). It also winds me up when some guy puts down something like Playboy or Nuts magazine... they asked for favourite books

[atticjnr]

I'm 19 and love reading, have done since I was a child Every time I am in town I have to visit the book shop, and I am ashamed to say, buy a book or two even though I have at least 20 books at home in my TBR pile

 

What I hate is teenagers on social networking sites that put under the option of favourite book "I don't read" or "reading sux" (sux! I hate that word!). It also winds me up when some guy puts down something like Playboy or Nuts magazine... they asked for favourite books

 

I am exactly the same in that whenever I go into town I always drag whoever I am with into the book shop for so long they get really annoyed. Thats why I prefer to visit bookshops alone. You can lose yourself amongst the shelves.

 

And like you, and so many others, I hate it when people write stuff like 'Reading is for losers' etc. etc. Irritates me. I think it makes you more of a loser being scared to admit you actually enjoy doing something intellectual for once in your life. Something besides touching yourself behind a computer screen.

 

Rant over.

:D

[Nightwish]

Thats why I prefer to visit bookshops alone. You can lose yourself amongst the shelves.

 

Exactly I am so glad we have a Waterstones at uni, a great place to go to after 3 hour lectures. I have to admit, I do lose myself and completely miss the bus back home

[atticjnr]

Haha, thats great! I wish there was a Waterstones at or even near my college. Luckily the local Waterstones is about 15 minutes from my house. I enjoy looking round Waterstones when I have money and you dont feel under pressure to go and buy something after spending ages in there browsing, but I love going to the local Second Hand Book Store. Its packed floor to ceiling with books all for around

[cathyd]

I was always a slow reader when i was little but once i could read properly i just read all the time and have not stopped since!

 

My son who is 4 also loves me reading to him and i hope that will carry on as he gets older. My 2 yr old however will not sit still long enough to be read to so hopefully will encourage his love of books when he gets older

[Christie]

Well I'm a teenager and I read ALOT! I don't know why but there never seems to be any teens in Waterstones but in WH- Smith there are loads believe me! Which is incredibly weird! However, there are not many in my school (which I just left! Yes!) who read and it is hard to discuss the best things in the world...BOOKS!

[bookcrazy14]

OF course teens still read books just because you don't see them in major book stores doesn't mean that they don't. They might be borrowing them from the libarary while school is in. I love to read I have trouble getting up in the morning because I spent all night reading. Most of my friends love to read. In fact there is a reading comption call WIRC that stands for Westmorland Interscolastics Reading Comption. I was a member for three years and once my team took second place.

[funrun]

Teenagers do read but they have to juggle schhool books there mobile interent and social party but many do read;)

[MyBooks]

I think teenagers definitely still read, there's loads of books written for that age group - The Twilight Saga, The Harry Potter Series, Jacqueline Wilson's books - that are some of the most popular nowadays. Teenagers like to be able to wander off into they're own little world and reading helps them do that!

[:HerculeHastings:]

Honestly, I can't quite pinpoint any specific age group that doesn't read. There're young kids who read voraciously, teenagers who go gaga over Twilight (that's reading for you too) and adults who pick something up to read while on their way to their offices. Even senior citizens can be seen in the libraries browsing through magazines.

 

However, I find that nobody I know ever reads the same books I do. I don't know why. ):

[courtneysadancer36]

Of course we still read books! Well, some of us at least. I think there are a few major reasons why you don't see us in the book stores. First of all, we have barely any money to go buy books, so, like me, we just go to the handy Library! Second, we don't have all that much time! Yes, you may think all the activites or whatever that we have consumes our, "good reading time", but for me it's mostly school work. My english teacher has us reading all sorts of things and some of them are tough! So, with all of my homework piling up, plus dance, and a social life (ah! i hope i still have one:) I barely ever have time to just sit back and read a good book like I have in the past.

[iamnotreal]

'Course we still read books! I'm seventeen, and I try to read as much as I can. Admittedly, the amount I've been reading has lessened over the past year due to excessive amounts of school work, but my New Year's resolution this year was to get through the ever-growing pile of books I want to read.

 

Most of my friends are avid readers, too. We all lend each other books, and it's nice to be able to go out as a group and hang out in a coffee shop or something and discuss the books we've been reading.

 

In regards to bookshops, I do most of my book shopping in Waterstone's (since Borders is now closed ) and so do my friends. However I must agree with what you said - most of the time, there are hardly any teenagers in bookshops. Which is sad, really.

[Jay Landsman]

I'm a teenager who reads books

 

The thing with our generation, is that we have so many different activities to keep us occupied in our own homes: Television, DVDs, the internet, video games, unlimited access to music . . .

 

You can't blame us teenagers for not reading the same amount of books that the previous generations might have. I spend my spare time trying to absorb as much quality television, films, music, and literature as possible -- but sadly, there aren't enough hours in the day for me to fit all it all in

 

I am somebody who hates to be ignorant on any subject that I have a remote interest in, so I'm a bit of a culture sponge.

[aquarius91]

I'm 18 and none of my friends read (that I know of). They may pick up the occasional autobiography of someone they love but as far as reading novels or any other sort of book, well..they don't. They think I'm a geek for reading all the books I do but I don't care. I just tell them I'm more intelligent because of it.

 

I order all my books online. Book shops are dangerous! I love them though and can spend ages in there. Usually I find ones I like, make a mental note of the name and look it up online for less then half the price!

 

I certainly think a lot of teenagers read. Maybe closet readers? Its not as cool as partying, t.v or computer games.

[angelofboox]

I'm not quite a teenager anymore (I'm 20...oh dear, I'm past it!) but I certainly read phenomenal amounts when I was. Slightly less now I'm at university, unfortunately. However, pretty much all my friends and most of my year at high school read a lot (though I went to a grammar school) - in fact, one of my friends doesn't read and we constantly tease her about it!

 

However, I agree a lot of people don't spend money on books anymore - I have a crazed habit of buying all books so I've ended up with a couple of thousand (and my mother's a librarian...) but for most people their money seems better spent on an iPod or something; I suppose we all have our weaknesses

[madcow]

My youngest is 15 and she is only just getting into reading properly, looks like she is going to be a fantasy book lover

[IfDreamsCameTrue]

I am a teenager and love to read more than I love to watch a good movie. I have never understood why, I just know that books fascinate me by the way they can control my emotions so severely.

 

Unfortunately I am yet to find a friend who enjoys reading as much as me. For now, I am stuck telling my mum all about every book I read because I absolutely love to discuss a book with someone else who has read it.

 

I think she gets a little sick of it sometimes. Which I understand. It must be annoying when I try to explain to her what happens in the whole book just so that I can tell her my opinions on it.

[angelofboox]

IfDreamsCameTrue: Encourage your mother to read the books too! I do the same thing, commenting on books to my mother - but she has to read children's/young adult books for a living, so usually the conversations aren't too tiresome for her, I hope!

[Polarfox]

I'm 16 and i love reading! Well.. I don't read as much as my mother(she's the one and only bookworm ) but I read much!

But many friends of mine don't like reading. I think it's a pity, because there are so many nice books! Not only the ones for adults. There are also many books for teenagers(Although most of them are vampires stories... but I hope it will pass by..)

[corina]

Mine don't

[Johnny Carson Whit]

Depends largely on their upbringing, education and background in my view. I remember being laughed at when I was about 17 by my father, when I chose to stay in and read rather than sit in a club on a Saturday night when he sarcastically said 'have fun' as he closed the door.

My family have never been readers, I have learned and am still learning to enjoy it, but growing up everyone around me saw readers as a kind of different breed.

 

I suppose it's no different to the kind of groups you get in schools, you always have the kids who will gather around the back of the building at break having a cheeky fag and bunking off every lesson they can, who will shun any member of their 'group' who admits to enjoying reading. Whereas you will get the A grade students who are naturally academically gifted who will like nothing more than settling down with a good book.

 

It is due to the above example that I dont think you will get a balanced view on here, because the first group I mention wouldnt dream of being on a forum like this, whereas the second group will.

 

Some people are more inclined to read, whilst some will shudder at the thought whilst they go and kick a football around the park; all people old or young are different.