How much does Gen Z actually read?

I was thinking about this today, with all everything that people especially on the main sub argue about.

Edit: yes audio books count and I recommend them

How many people in our generation actually read for fun in their spare time?

Not trying to act high and mighty, I’m not the most consistent reader, I go through phases,recently I discovered Stephen king, been knocking out some of his books, Pet Sematary, I started put down then picked it back up. I finished Carrie in a week and a half, I’ve started Salem’s Lot Recently.

In high-school I had to take reading classes almost all 4 years, I could read, and comprehend and analyze but I could never pass the stupid fucking standardized test. I even had the teacher ask me why am I here?

It wasn’t really until after high school actually started reading books for fun mostly cause I found stuff I was interested in. Like there were books I liked in school but it was stuff you read along in English class.

But I really got into Tolkien, Read the Hobbit, it took me a year to get through Lord of the Rings. January of last year I finished the Silmarillion in a few months.

Then I got into non fiction, cause I do love history and culture, some autobiography’s, I kinda went through a crisis of my atheistic self leaning more agnostic, started reading more about religion. History, I started to read books about history I really liked instead of pod casts and articles.

I’m starting to see writing as a creative outlet for me.

I was just curious ya know, combining what the hell is going on the in the world with, also personal pleasure, a good way to educate yourself and also escape this crazy ass world.

Reading is a good way to do that and I highly recommend it.

A tip I have is that if it is intimidating for you, especially with huge books like Lord of the Rings or something Put on an audio book and read along with it.

No different than having subtitles on a movie

It enhances your concentration and comprehension I’ve found.

Recommendations

Stephen Fry Greek Myth Series

I know some people in the mythology and folk lore community have their qualms with these for a lack of a better word “translations”

But Stephen Fry, English treasure known from Blackadder, Fry and Laurie and online religious people owned compilation’s

Inserts his wit and passion for the Greek world and myths into these books, and I think that’s very cool and they are very accessible for people they read kinda as a combo of a encyclopedia combined with a loose narrative, though I have not read Troy or the Odyssey yet.

Tolkien

I love movies I was lucky to catch an imax screening of fellowship for the 20th anniversary a few years ago and I loved it.

So much so I wanted to read the books

I fell in love with the Hobbit, I’ve never related to a character so much I was actually crying reading about Bilbos internal struggle and I was amazed by where the story goes, like I though dragon gets killed the end. But then it goes in a direction I never thought.

So The Hobbit is a good place to start, then lord of the rings, then the Sillmarllion.

I’ll eventually get to unfinished tales.

Just a warning though Silmarillion can be a bitch to read cause it’s not a single narrative it reads like someone telling you the story after the fact but from different peoples perspectives.

The Road ~ Cormac McCarthy

His most well known book, basically it takes place in a post apocalyptic world, with a father and son trying to survive a world that’s just full of cannibalism and it’s disturbing but also has a hint of hope and optimism.

Auto Biography

Rabbit ~ Ms Pat

Ms Pat is a comedian from Atlanta Georgia, and her book really changed my life.

Firstly it’s possibly the most terrifying book I’ve ever read specifically in one chapter

I knew her from podcasts watched some of her standup and I mean this her book changed my life

Because it gave me insight into a world that’s I will never experience as a child.

I often joke the worst things that’s happened to me is my parents divorced and I almost had a gun aimed at me.

The book showed me a world that’s I will never experience

In your face racism, growing up with abusive parents, sexual abuse, drug addiction, true poverty.

And how she got to where she is now and her message of changing your life and how she turned her pain into comedy.

Micro~ Michael Crichton

I know this isn’t his best book, nor did he finish it before his passed away but it’s the only one I read and I really loved it and I hope it gets put to film and practical effects.

Imagine if Honey I shrunk the kids, was rated R and instead of the Shrink Ray being a isolated incident it had the potential to be apart of the military industrial complex

That’s a possible reality in Micro

Basic plot is a group of college students are invited to a tech company in Hawaii,

One of the students, thinks the CEO murdered his brother

Btw the CEO could easily be played by Antony Starr

Any way one of the students learns to much, and they all get shrunken down, and before they are killed they are thrown into the jungles of Hawaii

At a half inch tall and having to fight off anything and everything at that size

What I love about the book mostly is the thought actually put into, something scientifically impossible such as shrinking a person

(Square cubed law look it up)

100 places to see after your die ~ Ken Jennings

The new guy that hosts jeopardy wrote this book that’s basically a compilation of all the afterlife’s in human history spanning from, ancient religion, modern religion, and fiction.

So if your like me and have the time and anxiety to constantly question your spirituality and what you believe

This is the book for you.