Losing patience to read deeply?

[Crankin]

OK, I have more time to respond now.
I have always been a voracious reader, since age 5 when I learned, both fiction and non fiction. Both of my parents are (were) very intellectual, even though my mom only went to college for 2 years and my dad skipped that to do WW2. They were always, always gong to the library, or renting books from the local bookstore. And, Book of the month Club, along with getting 10 magazines, and doing Theatre Guild every month. No wonder I became an English teacher.
However, despite loving American Lit (Fitzgerald, Hemingway), I hated the obtuse language of Victorian, Renaissance writers, whether it was Old English, or something translated from the French or German. I used the Cliff notes in HS, but I do remember having 2 really good English Lit teachers in college. Then, after I got my master's in Special ed, and I was working on my English certification, I took a more advanced English lit. class. The whole thing was related to literature that was based on Christian allegories/New Testament, which,ah, was not in my brain. I got a B+, but I struggled.
DS #1 is just like me, but even smarter. I mean, frighteningly intellectual. He is the one who reads all of that "hard stuff" in the original, speaks a foreign language, and is a published writer. He collects old books now, as well as reading on a Kindle and print. He was very social as a kid and did all of the kid stuff, but he always was a reader and writer. So were all of his close friends. I even enjoy reading his reviews on Yelp.
My other son didn't read as much as a younger kid. He mostly read non-fiction, until HS and then, all of a sudden, became just like his brother. Despite no college degree, he is extremely well read, and he can do that hard stuff, too. He read 40 books on his first deployment! Now he just downloads the stuff to his Kindle.
DH, well, not a reader. He reads non fiction, about all of his technical and hobby interests (cycling, etc), magazines, work stuff. Every year, he reads one or two big long non- fiction books, usually biographies of presidents or other political figures. He said his goal this year is to read more, but he always said he didn't know what the heck the 3 of us were talking about, when we asked each other what genres we were reading.

[shootingstar]

The whole thing was related to literature that was based on Christian allegories/New Testament, which,ah, was not in my brain. I got a B+, but I struggled.

Much of the older literature 17th century and back, was like that --full of religious allegories and metaphors, etc. That was part of my problem as well: except for me that was my primary undergraduate degree focus.

Literature is both universal in subject, but cultural in context. And religious in my mind, is twinned/embedded in culture.

Probably part of my problem not wanting to read novels, is the quality novels are more serious and require some careful thought at times. I guess either I don't want to make the effort or...I'm avoiding something. After all, good literature prompts the reader to reflect on what they know/experience.

I just want an easy read but still learn something so I turn to full length non-fiction books.

I never used Cliff (in Canada it's Coles) notes.

I do think there is interest in reading still but do seriously wonder if more and more people want sound byte like info. or a novel length cut in half.

I used to read 1 book in 1 day years ago. Now it's spread out over weeks. If it's good, I like to savour it.

[Crankin]

I haven't read a book (other than professional) since October. So unlike me. I read (fiction) all through my recent grad program, probably as an escape. I like historical or realistic fiction; nothing too difficult. I've been on a kick reading about Spain or Portugal and the Inquisition, mostly about the Marranos, or "secret" Jews of that time.

[Koronin]

I've never been one to read much. If I'm not interested in the book to begin with (doesn't matter what it is) I can't read it. Heck, I got through HS without reading much of anything for English Lit. College I carefully picked the Lit classes to where I knew it wouldn't take much to get a good grade in them. Actually one had something or other to do with movies and the other one had to do with plays. Then again you can say the same things for anything I had to take in school as well, if I didn't like or care for the class I didn't really bother with it and typically still got A's or B's. (The exceptions being Foreign Language and Chemistry). The only other class I had a C in was Physics and I actually liked that class, but they changed teachers part way through the year and I could figure out the new teacher.

[shootingstar]

Whenever I walk by a bookstore, I remind myself:

I still have 100 more books in another province that I haven't shipped over yet.

[bmccasland]

I managed to escape my local small book shop without buying anything for me - was there to buy a book for my 10-yr old nephew. Bought "Dangerous book for boys". My DS is going to hurt me The book has a variety of topics (reading) with an activity, disclaimer in front to follow all instructions carefully with an adult.

[indysteel]

I managed to escape my local small book shop without buying anything for me

That takes some serious self-control!

[ridenread]

My husband and I are both readers and have devoured books since early childhood. My nine year old has finally discovered the pleasure of reading as well. In the past year he has progressed from begrudgingly reading Captain Underpants and other picture books to mastering Moby ****. He and my DH were having this in depth conversation about Moby ****. I have tried several times but have never been able to get through it.

[shootingstar]

Ah, your pseudonymn.. Moby **** wasn't my thing at all.

But I loved reading for a long time. As a kid/teen I devoured the average of 1 bk. daily which is why now I'm surprised at myself not wanting to read a novel.

I even had a good buddy friend where she and I compared occasionally how much we were reading. She tended to be abit more social: even at 14 yrs. she started to express clear feminist opinions in class. This was in the mid 1970's.

I respected her for that plus her fun cartooning.
Zoom-zoom: May your son find a pal like that...equally introverted but lots of fun.