Reading Books in 2026. A Simple Joy

Reading books is quietly becoming one of our most overlooked habits and it's not good news. Real books. Paperbacks. Hardbacks. Ebooks. I've lost count of the number of people who have approached me stating they are "interested in writing a book" but then follow this up with "I don't read books anymore." And yet, they are considering writing one, wanting to become a published author. There is an allure in this status. 

Let's take a look at recent figures from the US as they paint a depressing picture. In 2022, fewer than half of American adults said they had read a book of any kind, while just 38% had read a novel or collection of short stories. Wow. Looking at longer-term trends, the decline is even more striking. Research analysing more than 236,000 responses to the American Time Use Survey found that the proportion of people reading for pleasure on any given day fell from 28% in 2004 to just 16% in 2023. That's not quite a cliff drop in that period, but it's certainly a hill roll. Downwards. 

Of course, it's easy to blame super busy lives, smartphone addiction or the endless streaming services, but the causes for this drop and the consequences run deeper than just these three phenomena. 

I genuinely believe that reading doesn't just entertain us; it strengthens concentration, expands our vocabulary, improves empathy and healing and, very importantly, encourages critical thinking (remember that one?). In a time of constant scrolling and shrinking attention spans (just take a peek at the research on that theme), those benefits have never been more valuable.

So, perhaps the real question isn't why people are reading less (there are many, many reasons for this), but more what we're losing as a result. Every book left unopened is a missed opportunity to learn something new, see the world from a different perspective, or simply take a break from the noise. We need each of these to remain mentally healthy. We really should continue to champion books.

#books