Comments on: 8 Ways to Reverse the Decline of the American Book Lover https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/  Informing Minds. Moving Hearts. Directing Hands. Mon, 23 Feb 2026 18:08:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.41 By: The Daily Roundup: 1 February 2014 - SOG- Servants of Grace https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-48652 Wed, 23 Dec 2015 05:34:12 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-48652 […] 8 Ways to Reverse the Decline of the American Book Lover – David Murray offers some suggestions for addressing the decline of book reading. […]

]]> By: Zuckerberg, Winfrey & Kindle all want the same thing – Got Books? | smart and snarky https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-47173 Sat, 10 Jan 2015 21:34:02 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-47173 […] Zuck is right about (at least) one thing; Americans aren’t reading books like they used to. According to the Pew Research […]

]]> By: The Daily Roundup: 1 February 2014 | https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-45466 Tue, 08 Apr 2014 22:57:52 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-45466 […] 8 Ways to Reverse the Decline of the American Book Lover – David Murray offers some suggestions for addressing the decline of book reading. […]

]]> By: Jo DeVinney Murch https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44729 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:28:46 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44729 One of the things I read that shaped my reading is a “talk” from a collection of short pieces by C. S. Lewis, called “On the Reading of Old Books.” There was a suggestion that one read books written in previous centuries, specifically, that for each book one reads, written in the present century, one read at very least one book written in a previous century. Not material written just a generation earlier, but a century or even a couple of millennia earlier than the reader’s birth. We are talking about historical perspective, here, and yes, it does “count” if one reads the Book of Genesis more than once a year!
I was reading books from previous centuries by the time I was in second grade (which may have been before Lewis made that recommendation) and that probably accounts for the fact that by age 11, I was six years ahead of my contemporaries in “reading comprehension” on achievement tests. This was over half a century ago; the thought of the breathtaking advantages of reading old books for the present school-age child can barely be calculated!

I prefer paper books, for a couple of reasons, most important of which is the fact that my hands are not in the best condition, and they are easier to hold than an electronic device, and far lighter. (also, print size is often far more readable) On the other hand, I have about 40 books stored on my cell phone, so it’s easy to have something to read when unexpectedly waiting for something somewhere. But a real paper volume is far easier for me to handle, “turn pages” and locate chapters, without poking a tiny little arrow, which seems to dodge my ancient fingers far too easily, so I usually like to use paper books for that, as well. I did take a class at the local library, to learn how to access books on cell phone, but it’s a cumbersome process for me, and why waste time poking difficult “icons”, when you could be reading?

]]> By: Weekend Reading - February 8 - Perkins in Haiti https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44572 Sat, 08 Feb 2014 21:12:15 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44572 […] 8 Ways to Reverse the Decline of the American Book Lover - Do you want to read more? So do I. This post gives 7 (not sure why the titles says 8) easy things you can do to begin to read more. […]

]]> By: 8 Ways to Reverse the Decline of the American Book Lover https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44537 Sat, 08 Feb 2014 05:07:42 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44537 […] is Professor of Old Testament & Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on his blog, Head Heart hand, and is used with […]

]]> By: Gabriel Rodriguez https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44492 Fri, 07 Feb 2014 21:13:39 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44492 I agree. I have found myself reading faster and far more than reading paper books. I guess it might also be a generational thing. Maybe?

]]> By: Lamp Post: February 6, 2014 | The Wardrobe Door https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44392 Thu, 06 Feb 2014 08:00:52 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44392 […] Heart Hand: I really enjoyed these tips on reversing the decline of the American book lover. I plan on doing number seven with my boys when they get a little […]

]]> By: Jolene https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44300 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:22:07 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44300 What about using your library? Use the free resources around you instead of buying a book you may not enjoy. Libraries have plenty of books, audiobooks, and ebooks to borrow. And if they don’t have the book you want they can borrow it for you. You can listen to audiobooks while driving, working on a hobby, cooking, or cleaning. This is multitasking at its best and makes tasks and long trips more enjoyable.

]]> By: Darren https://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/01/31/7-ways-to-reverse-the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/#comment-44282 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 10:33:18 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=16467#comment-44282 Love this post and the suggestions here.

I’ve found the opposite with my kindle. I read about 10 times as much as I did when I was reading paper books.

I aim for 5% of a book per day and have been able to achieve that for the past 2 and a half years.

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