Books, books, books

Sometimes, when Brian finds me sitting on the sofa reading a book, he'll give me the evil eye and quip, "Reader," like it's a bad thing. I know it's a term of endearment from him, but I also know that he is one of so many people that simply doesn't get a whole lot of enjoyment out of reading (anything that isn't Harry Potter anyway). Weirdly, there is a lot of reading-centric news out and about today.
Tidbit #1: According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday, one in four adults read no books at all in the past year. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.
So states the article, "The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.
"People from the West and Midwest are more likely to have read at least one book in the past year. Southerners who do read, however, tend to read more books, mostly religious books and romance novels, than people from other regions. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently.
"There was even some political variety evident, with Democrats and liberals typically reading slightly more books than Republicans and conservatives. [Editor's note: That seems obvious...]
"The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the survey, more than all other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all cited by about half, while one in five read romance novels. Every other genre — including politics, poetry and classical literature — were named by fewer than five percent of readers.
"More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography. Industry experts said that confirms their observation that men tend to prefer non-fiction."
Tidbit#2: Barnes & Noble is refusing to stock the O.J. Simpson book, If I Did It, in its stores. The company cites a lack of customer interest as the reason, though it will have the "fictional" account available on its web site and through special order. Borders will stock the book, but won't market it in any way. "Head to the back of the store for that one, sir, no one wants to be seen looking at it." I can't decide if this is censorship on the part of Barnes & Noble. I guess not, since they aren't telling customers not to read it ... and they have a right to sell what they'd like ... but still ... it's intentionally making it hard for someone to find and read the book if they want to.
Tidbit #3: How is it that Paris Hilton can get ideas for books with minimal effort, and I find myself with a severe case of "nothing's good enough" just at the thought of creating a tome? Yep,the news is that Hilton is penning another book -- her third -- though she isn't sure what it'll be about yet. Where is that literary agent's phone number? Can he publish my book even though I don't know what I want to write about yet? For, I too, am in the "planning stages."