Do you belong to a book club? If you do, chances are excellent that you are a woman. Chances are good that all your book club members are also women. My friend Marian said that was true of both book clubs to which she belonged. According to a full page article in the Times last week, men commonly read novels in the past, but their habit of reading has died out.
Male authors also appealed to men. Cormac McCarthy, John Updike, Philip Roth, John Cheever, to name a few, wrote novels featuring male characters. Check out the new books section of the Palmerton Library, and you will find mostly women authors. The male authors are there, but they are of the Clive Cussler/James Patterson/David Baldacci ilk, hardly serious or worth reading in any case.
I’m not sure if the lack of novel reading among men is even a problem. They are probably reading their text messages. Maybe that’s enough for most men. They won’t even know what they are missing.
Interesting. Right about book clubs but still some popular authors. You forgot Carl hiaason. Our book club discussed James McBride book Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. Fantastic read. He also wrote Color of Water & Good Lord Bird. Then there’s Kazuo Ishiguro,Peter Heller, Colton Whitehead—enough.
ReplyDeleteI just finished the latest Hiaason book. It was over the top, but all of his books are. It really skewers the MAGA cult. I don't think that changes the claim that few men read novels-or any books.
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