Books Reveal Volumes About Their Readers

Books Reveal Volumes About Their Readers

Three years ago I convinced a few friends in Lutz to come together to enjoy each other’s company and some good books.

It’s a diverse group, not only in life stages, but in our reading interests, which include everything from “The Founding Brothers” to “The Nanny Diaries.”

We’re part of a trend. Oprah revived her book club with a focus on the classics, Barnes & Nobles has one for every genre imaginable, while many moms’ clubs boast their own groups.

But unfortunately, the written word has become a real lightweight in the competition for leisure time against big hitters like television. Americans spend at least 2.5 hours a day watching TV and a scant 22 minutes reading, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.

Watching too much TV can promote an unhealthy lifestyle that steals from our family time and hampers our children’s education. Many would argue it’s a factor in climbing obesity rates and violence as well.

By contrast, reading requires an active mind that engages the reader. And while book groups help invigorate reading, it’ll be a long while before many Americans skip a favorite TV show to break out “Don Quixote.”

Book sales in this country have essentially tracked population growth, despite Harry Potter, Amazon.com and the popularity of Oprah’s book recommendations.

Women seem to make up most book groups, as I have yet to run into a men’s book club. My husband contends his is called “work.” I explained to him that women are more educated than ever, and many of us opt to leave the paid work force, undoubtedly helping to fuel the interest in more intellectual pursuits.

One of our members moved to Tallahassee and attended a friend’s reading group, only to learn later that it was really a Christian Bible study. This made me realize that Bible study is the original book group. And the “Good Book” continues to be the weekly selection in congregations far and wide.

Perhaps that explains the origins of the somewhat spiritual experience that can occur in a reading group. Members bond on various levels. Some share their own personal stories, successes and trials, while others remain removed by focusing their commentary on the book and its characters.

What evolves is an honest portrait of each of us, revealing our deepest thoughts and beliefs – ultimately, who we are. As one member put it, “You see me for me,” not as a mom, a wife or a business woman, but the real person.

And that is what sets a reading group apart from other social gatherings; it’s beyond the superficial. Reading literature connects humanity across time, place and even cultures. It’s our quest for what is lasting and real; through reading, we can hang out with the great, experience things we’ve never done or felt before, as well as identify and empathize with our own.

In a materialistic culture that judges us by the clothes we wear and the cars we drive, if you really want to know someone, check out her bookshelf.

MyLinh Shattan lives in Lutz with her husband and three children.

Sep 30, 2005

0 Comments

About the Author

Mylinh Shattan is a writer who has lived on three continents, served in the Army, worked in corporate America, and taught in college. She loves adventures, in the world and in the mind. Literature is relevant and learning is a lifelong pursuit, so you might as well have a bit of fun along the way.

Stay Up to Date

Rise above the tedium with the TreeHouseLetter. Always learning with a bit of fun.

Latest Posts

Degree of Separation

5 Min read Social connection on Earth in 2023 Network theory U.S. Army and Armed Forces Math geek special, logarithm * Thought exercise for the day. How many friends between you and anyone on the planet? In popular culture this number is often referred to as Six...

What Makes a Speech Great?

2 Min read Admiral McRaven Operation Neptune Spear Toolbox, Speaking skills * Admiral 'Bill' McRaven spoke at the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment event to commemorate Operation Neptune Spear. He started by saying he was going off script and that his wife...

The Cure for Resentment and Cynicism

3 Min read 2 Book recs 1 Podcast rec Wisdom from the college graduate AVAILABLE ON PODCAST Spotify iTunes The cure for resentment and self-abnegation is gratitude. So says Douglas Murray, author and guest on the Good Fellows Podcast.* Murray asked his friend--a...

Weasel Words

3 Min read 2 Book recs on grammar, usage, and style Toolbox, ages 9 to 99 Improve writing immediately AVAILABLE IN PODCAST Spotify iTunes * One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called weasel words. When a weasel sucks eggs it sucks the...

What Makes a Single Person’s Death Feel Large?*

4 Min read 2 Book recs, on writing and on jigsaws Toolbox, the Eulogy 1 Elegy, What is Dying? for the bereaved * AVAILABLE ON PODCAST SPOTIFY iTunes * Four friends died recently and three were my age: one from acute liver failure, one from Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS),...

Wild Horses Dragged Me Away

3 Min read Wild horses Assateague Island Estancia Alta Vista, Patagonia 1 Book, children's classic AVAILABLE ON PODCAST Spotify iTunes * Wild horses dragged me away.* In earnest. My road trip last weekend had a detour to Assateague Island off the Eastern Shore of...

Topics

Inoculate yourself against the absurdity of life with a dose of the best ideas and writing. Always learning with a bit of fun.

TreeHouseLetter

Always learning with a bit of fun

 

 

Readers receive one to two letters a week, with 2 to 10 minute read time. Includes regular features:

 

The Music in Prose
Poetry for Emergencies
Toolbox

 

 

Be inspired by the best writing and ideas, and become better readers and writers in the process.

Thank you for joining! Please check your email for a confirmation.