Books
When I polled ten people and asked them about their reading habits I got some very different and similar answers. The two high school boys I interviewed both said that they had read no good books lately and the only books that they had read in the last six months were text books for their classes. I asked one middle-aged man the questions and he said that he had read no good books lately and the only things that he had read recently were the scriptures and a few articles from magazines. The two younger boys (early middle school and late elementary) that I interviewed had both read some young adult books like Holes, Despereaux, and NFL Superstars. They had read between five and ten books over the last six months.
The girls that I interviewed were a lot better readers. The youngest girl that I interviewed (about 10) had only read one book lately called Diary of a Wimpy Kid and read two books in the last six months. The three college girls that I interviewed had read plenty of good books lately ranging from Women’s Murder Club Mysteries, Pride and Prejudice, and The Book of Mormon. They all had read between eight and nine books in the last six months. And finally, the eldest woman that I interviewed had recently read the popular book Peace like a River and enjoyed it and had read about two books in the last six months.
From these results, it’s pretty obvious to see that women are more likely to read a book than men, and younger boys are more likely to read a book than older men. For high school jocks, I think it’s probably considered “lame” to be an avid reader and the boys I interviewed were definitely the athletic type. Or maybe they just don’t have enough time with all their athletics to read. Maybe one of the reasons that boys, on average, aren’t as good of readers as women is because there are more children’s books targeted towards girls like The Babysitters’ Club and The American Girls Series. Girls start out reading and so they have a good “reading foundation” to build upon for the rest of their lives. Or maybe other mediums of media are taking the place of books like TV and the internet. We only have so much time in one day so we have to choose and it’s very likely that the average person’s first choice is not to read a book for entertainment. Whatever the reason may be, there needs to be a change because the benefits of reading are so great and will help you for the rest of your life.

Paper Books or Electronic Books?
I have used both kinds of textbooks in college, electronic and regular, and I’ve got to say, I prefer the regular textbooks. Even though the cost is much cheaper and in many cases free, it’s easier on my eyes to read paper. Plus, I can mark and highlight important information very easily on a textbook. There is the option to print out all of the text, but I think it is a hassle to print hundreds and hundreds of textbook pages. It takes up time that I just don’t have.
Hands down I would rather read a regular book instead of an e-book in my leisurely reading. Call me old fashioned but there is just something special about curling up on the couch with a blanket, cup of hot chocolate, and good read. It wouldn’t feel the same trying to get cozy with my laptop computer. I like to feel the pages and know how far I’ve gone in the book. Books are easily portable, cheap, and they don’t have to be plugged in. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the original.