I enjoy reading. There are millions of people who are the same. Reading can be a diverse business, some love fiction, romance, poetry, tabloids, broadsheets, journals, scientific theses; the list is endless. From my own perspective I am discovering that my circumstances are driving my reading habits in ever more diversifying directions. With lots to read it’s not just a question of what to read, but how am I going to read it?
I’m referring to the choice of reading a traditional printed book, or departing into the realms of eBooks, eBook readers, and online resources. This is a theme that I’m going to come back to a lot as it is an important question that governs my current career aspirations, as well as making the most out of part-time study. Future posts will tackle individual elements of this issue and will consider all of this in detail. For this post, I’m going to lay down my current reading habits for each ‘category’ of reading that I’m currently undertaking. I’ll do this regularly so that I can chart how this evolves in the coming weeks, months and years.
Fiction – Reading fiction is still my main reading pleasure, sometimes for escapism and on other occasions to satisfy an itch to challenge myself. When it comes to fiction, I still read traditional printed books 99% of the time, as my strained book shelves and their imminent collapse testifies. I am currently flirting with the idea of buying my first Kindle eBook, so maybe the balance will shift.
Non Fiction (autobiography, history etc) – As with fiction, I’m a traditionalist (so far) and buy the physical books.
Newspapers – I do this almost exclusively online. I’m a guilty party who reads The Guardian on a daily basis online without paying a penny. How much longer The Guardian remains free (in light of their competitors’ actions) is unclear, but I only physically buy the paper very rarely. I also read a New York Times app most days, which I got for free (legally I hasten to add!)
Academic - This refers to my impending resumption of studying at university, and I think it’s going to be a split between print and electronic texts. I recently picked up some books from the library, and as a study habit that will continue. However, I’m discovering that there is a huge amount of content online, such as journals and even full texts. eBooks on portable devices don’t yet have a significant role, as I can see, in academic texts.
Journals/Magazines – I’m a subscriber to London Review of Books and Granta, and enjoy the copies coming through the post. However, the scope of online back issues and articles for these kinds of publications and others is growing exponentially. Much like with newspapers, I can see my online browsing habits including more magazines and journals, not to mention the apps and phone subscriptions that are becoming more prominent.
So, as it stands, I’m firmly on the fence. When it comes to books I’m still a bit of a traditionalist, but digital content is creeping into my other reading habits. I’ll be thinking about individual issues in future blogs, as well as keeping a track of how my habits change. The future of these industries will be driven by how the majority’s reading habits develop, and that’ll be interesting to follow.
Until next time, enjoy your reading.
Thomas
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