i haven’t heard of the idea of getting entire cities of people to read the same book at the same time before. and whilst i think encouraging people to read is a good idea i’m not quite sure i like the stepford wives-ness of this. i don’t want to see everyone on public transport reading the same book, seeing what others have picked to read and guessing what they are like is a fun game to play when travelling. i wonder if reading a book about serial killers makes people stay away from me?

perhaps i’m just contrary and find being asked to do something a captivating reason not to do it. i love reading and have spent a good proportion of my life doing it ever since i learnt to but i still hated english literature at school and still detest the books that were my set texts. it’s fifteen years - half a lifetime - since i was set great expectations and i’ve still never picked up another dickens book and quite feasibly may never do. if the rest of my city was setting out to read a single book i’d feel obliged by my own contrary soul to avoid that book even if it was something i already wanted to read.

i do enjoy reading books that i can discuss with other people and books that i wouldn’t pick up of my own volition. that’s why i choose to belong to reading discussion groups. i think promoting discussion groups in real life (all mine are on the net) as well as just promoting reading in general would be a better idea.

two other points are made by the guardian article that i heavily disagree with.

firstly they seem to think reading is something only done to pass time on public transport. the idea that people in los angeles can’t read because most of them drive places is clearly ludicrous. even in la people don’t spend all their leisure time driving.

and secondly i don’t like to see books on tape compared to film as an easy way out for experiencing literature. the author has obviously never listened to a fifteen or twenty hour unabridged audio book. i while away traffic jams with them quite often and i know plenty of other people who listen whilst doing other things where you can’t read (for example, doing the housework or even on the train or bus if reading aggrevates travel sickness (as it does with me)). i don’t think audio books are that different an experience to turning the pages yourself. the narrator does add something to the story, but he or she doesn’t take anything away from the original work.