The Declining Number of Male Readers

The Guardian reports on a new study for the Reading Agency conducted by OnePoll which found that 63% of men don't read as much as they think they should. Almost 30% of men admitted that they hadn't picked up a book since they were forced to read at school. Three-quarters of male respondents also indicated that they would rather watch the screen version than read the book.

Bestselling British author Andy McNab stresses the need to reach young boys before they turn away from reading completely. His concern is that once they stop reading, they will never start again.

On April 23, 2014, an event entitled "World Book Night" will provide for the free distribution of 250,000 copies of selected titles. This year's selection shows "a particular emphasis on books for men and teenagers".

To read the full text of the article and to find out what books have been selected for World Book Night distribution, please see http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014....

The readers' comments on this article are also interesting, with a number of male respondents crediting Goodreads membership with renewing their interest in reading.