I\u2019m off to the family reunion this weekend, and along with the burgers and dogs, I\u2019ll be bringing my list of books to share with the cousins. The reunion has been going strong for many years\u2014so long that I\u2019m no longer one of the kids but one of the matriarchs.<\/p>\n
My family has a lot of readers. After the usual catching up, we talk about a book or two we\u2019ve read (Florence Gordon<\/em>, 2015), an author we discovered (Fredrik Backman), a plot that kept us up at night (Moving Day<\/em>, 2014) or a memoir that got us through a rough patch (Can\u2019t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?,<\/em> 2016). So at our last reunion I was caught by surprise when I heard several contemporaries say they weren\u2019t readers anymore, no longer finding the pleasure in it that they did when younger. The common themes seemed to be aging eyes, too tired to read, or reading was putting them to sleep. It made me wonder, is my family alone in this shift?<\/p>\n According to a Pew Research study from 2014, we do indeed read less as we grow older: younger adults (18-29) are more likely than their elders to have read a book in the past 12 months. While 80 percent of that age bracket read a book, only 71 percent of those 30-49 did so. Dropping slightly from there, 68 percent of adults 50-64 and 69 percent of those 65 and older read a book in the year\u2019s time frame.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re reading less because you\u2019re falling asleep with a paperback, consider joining the one-in-five who listen to their books<\/a>. I love my Audible account. I get one title for $15 a month\u2014more if I want to pay extra. I listen on my phone with my earbuds, usually when I\u2019m doing laundry or puttering around the house. I also try to have a book on CD for the car. I get those free from the library.<\/p>\n To stay awake, I suggest that you sit up (don\u2019t get too-too comfy) in a room that\u2019s not too warm. Find something to read that you truly enjoy; don\u2019t feel it has to be what everyone else is reading. And you have my permission—if you don\u2019t like the book, don\u2019t finish it. Read whatever makes you happy.<\/p>\n As for my family of readers, it\u2019s been a joy to bear witness as my young cousins became young adults and now parents themselves. I\u2019ve been close enough to be invited to many a baby shower and, invariably, the request goes out to help build the child\u2019s library. I\u2019m a reader, so you can imagine how happy this makes me. My college-age daughters enjoy buying their infant cousins a treasured title from the bookshelves of their youth, and often they\u2019ll include a warm inscription, detailing a memory of what the book means to them.<\/p>\n If you’re looking for some terrific book recommendations, we have many suggestions at SCF: fiction<\/a> where older people are dynamic protagonists, and nonfiction<\/a> to help you learn about growing older. We\u2019ve even identified books for children<\/a> that depict aging in a positive light. So move over, ketchup and mustard, I\u2019m bring the reading list to the reunion. (And, hopefully, bringing some new book leads home!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m off to the family reunion this weekend, and along with the burgers and dogs, I\u2019ll be bringing my list of books to share with the cousins. The reunion has been going strong for many years\u2014so long that I\u2019m no…<\/span><\/p>\n