The book you like most discussion
Where are all the men?
date
newest »
newest »
This is a great question. Thanks for asking it.As a middle-aged male teacher and reader, I will be following this post.
It's definitely attainable and there's lots of men in the Book Space I'm friends with on here and I follow on Instagram. I wonder if part of the lack of men in these spaces is because reading has become something that's viewed as a "woman's thing" idk if you've ever heard of the concept of "gender flight" where men begin to leave spaces once women begin to occupy them. & historically this space was male dominated so idk it's probably a mixture of societal and personal factors but don't be discouraged!!! ♥️
I actually fell in love with reading because of my father. We used to take daddy-daughter dates to the bookstore when I was a child. Even now, on the rare occasion that we go to a movie theater together, we pick one that has a bookstore nearby for afterward.
I think men are reading very different books than what is currently popular.Men are more into informative books, nonfics, adult fantasies, etc. And since they are not follwing a herd they get less recognition.
That's my opinion, idk.
I am here. I used to read YA fantasy but my taste is changing. I am now inclining more towards adult fantasy and nonfiction. Also, I think goodreads is getting kind of boring. It's too limited and restrictive and it's puts a lot of pressure on us to read more, to read the latest books, Etc
Dev,... I added you as a friend so you wouldn't feel so alone as a man.
My parents both read a lot and I started reading when I was 6 years old and learned how to read at elementary school.My husband reads lots of books by unknown free authors on his Kindle.
I am old-fashioned and prefer bestseller authors whom I've read for the past decades.
But he would never join Goodreads or leave a comment.
Christine wrote: "My husband reads lots of books by unknown free authors on his Kindle...But he would never join Goodreads or leave a comment."Kind of the same with my husband: he'd never join Goodreads or any other site but doesn't really read that much either; he says it makes him sleepy.
And we live in an area--rural California, U.S.--where even the most educated people brag about "not having time to read." In fact, a county supervisor here said that if he had his way, the doors to our public library would close and stay closed since he thinks that "every hour that damn place is open means another drug dealer on the streets!"
And a few years back, a worker at Barnes & Noble Booksellers (a large U.S. bookselling chain) even said the new store branch manager said he doesn't like to read! (Wish so much I could afford to move away from here.)
My father is the one who got me into reading. He reads near constantly. I believe it's definitely attainable. I follow a handful of male bookstagramers and booktubers. Some of my favorites are dalecsander99, kevintnorman, jareadforfilth, jessethereader, jack edwards, and jaysen headley (ezeekat). There are lots of male readers are out there.
I think sometimes people blame the lack of male readers on the wrong source. I see people saying that they’re not being exposed to books that interest them, and they need to find sports books or those Guys Read books. And that may be the case for some people, but I think it’s important to recognize that men and boys are not monoliths. A boy can like Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters. Or they could like a romance novel. What we really need to do (in my opinion) is encourage boys to explore even from a younger age, and find out what types of books they like :).
Not on goodread (I'm new here) but in real life I have more male friends, male accountants and males in my family that read than female. I more often talk about books with males than females. But I don't think any of them are on goodread. I asked one a week ago to join with me and he found it totally meaningless to do so. But he keeps reading interesting literature and would definitely have interesting and insightful reviews about the books he have read. So it's a shame.
when my son was alive, he was an avid reader. I read to him from the moment he was born. Needless to say i was shocked when his mmo teacher told me he had read are you my mother to his entire 2.5 year old class complete with sound effects; A child who is read to will read.
That is a really good question, I often ask myself the same thing. Thanks for bringing this up Dev.
I don't go with trend. I'll read a 1000 years old book if the plot is interesting
I agree Raven King about GR putting pressure to read more, but I think it's more pressure to read the newest and latest books. I don't think reading should have any pressure and it's good to always want to read more. I don't follow the latest and newest book trends, I read what I feel like reading and lots of old books too. Enjoy what you read. :)
Shizuku wrote: "I don't go with trend. I'll read a 1000 years old book if the plot is interesting"I love that! You should always go with what you love and what's interesting to you.
Tasha wrote: "That is a really good question, I often ask myself the same thing. Thanks for bringing this up Dev."Of course! I'm always down to questions the simple and the problematic.
Sam wrote: "My father is the one who got me into reading. He reads near constantly. I believe it's definitely attainable. I follow a handful of male bookstagramers and booktubers. Some of my favorites are dale..."These are some great suggestions. Most of which I didn't know about! So thank you!
The Raven King wrote: "I think men are reading very different books than what is currently popular.Men are more into informative books, nonfics, adult fantasies, etc. And since they are not follwing a herd they get less..."
I agree! I think men are pushed to move in a different direction in terms of what they read and why. Not that I agree with it, Good points though.
currently reading a 2005 book I'm enjoying
I also think how kids are raised has a lot to do with them reading, I have two children, daughter is 24, son is 21. They grew up seeing me read every night. My son fell in love with reading and books, when he hit his teens, instead of going out hanging with his friends he'd stay home and read encyclopedias for fun and right book reports lol. He stayed on high honor's until he graduated high school and just graduated from the police academy. My children and grandchildren are biracial. I'm currently raising my 5 year old grandson and I'm building a home library for all the kids. I feel if the kids see the love of books in the home they will love them. I also feel video games and technology plays a HUGE part with many males not reading books anymore.
I can only speak for myself regarding this question. The first thing is that most of the popular / bestselling books don’t appeal to me and I’m not sure why as I love reading and trying different styles. The second thing is if a book does appeal to me it goes on my tbr and I don’t read it until a few years later and I’ve missed the hype especially when it’s a book I enjoyed or moved me emotionally.
Hi Dev,I'm a bit of an outlier.
Weirdly enough, these are the circumstances in 2021 that got me into this space and reading in general:
a. My ex is a bookworm, and she got me to create an account.
b. I bought AirPods for the first time, and it was a game-changer for its noise-canceling technology.
c. I was seeking other avenues for good mental health, considering I suffer a milder form of PTSD.
All these factors combined, and here I am, exploring the wonderful world of books. I wasn't surprised that there aren't a lot of men in this space. I'd bet Goodreads ten years ago were predominantly men. It's the times, I think. Social media, targeted marketing, and different ways men and women engage in online communities have likely played a role. I wouldn't count out some lingering societal stereotypes at play.
However, I'm not bothered by it in the slightest. I see it as a matter of perspective. I use Goodreads for the community and because reading is my healthy escape.
Lynn wrote: "Christine wrote: "My husband reads lots of books by unknown free authors on his Kindle...But he would never join Goodreads or leave a comment."Kind of the same with my husband: he'd never join Go..."
I always made time for reading, even when I was working 8 hours a day and had 2 hours commute way back in the 1980's and 1990's.
Everybody has different priorities.
People don't realize HOW MUCH time they spend on their computers, laptops, iPads or cell phones. If they would limit that time, they would have plenty of time to read.
Chrissie
Earl wrote: "Hi Dev,I'm a bit of an outlier.
Weirdly enough, these are the circumstances in 2021 that got me into this space and reading in general:
a. My ex is a bookworm, and she got me to create an accou..."
Earl, it's the same on Facebook.
I'm in a film noir group on FB and there are mostly men as if women don't enjoy film noir movies from the 1940's and 1950's.
Chrissie
Shizuku wrote: "currently reading a 2005 book I'm enjoying"I read a historical trilogy by Charlotte Link which she wrote in the early to mid 1990's.
Way back then novels were so much better written than these days!
Shizuku wrote: "I don't go with trend. I'll read a 1000 years old book if the plot is interesting"I would go with the trend if such fascinating books like The DaVinci Code, Millennium Trilogy, Dancing at the Harvest Moon, A Peculiar Chemistry, Travels with Charley, Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte-Cristo, Pursuit of Happiness, The Big Picture, Into the Wilderness etc would still be written.
However, these days modern novels include boring topics like podcasts, e-mails, cell phones and I'm just not into that at all!
How I miss atmosphere and suspense and a great location in modern novels!
That’s actually a really good point. At the same time I feel like a book like the da Vinci code only comes around once every so often.
For todays authors I can only recommend to check out Patricia Highsmith and Laird Koenig, both of them were able to create plenty of atmosphere and suspense with few sentences only.One of the most boring authors I've ever read (I like her TV movies though) is Danielle Steel.
She is just so in love with describing a room to a T or flowers in a house that I feel compelled to skip over that useless accumulation of words (in order to bring her book up to over 400 pages?).
Chrissie
Fluff is definitely never fun! I’ve definitely read my fair share of books as of late that tend to describe or rather, I should say or describe something in order to probably boost page numbers!
I’m going to give an answer no one else has, which i that the publishing industry is dominated by women. Once upon a time most editors were male but not they are female. Naturally editors acquire the kinds of books they want to read. And to an extent the books that get the most buzz are the ones the publishing industry puts their publicists and their marketing dollars behind. Since those books are often female-oriented or written by women, they draw more female readers than male. And thus more women are drawn to Goodreads and to reading generally.
Janine wrote: "I’m going to give an answer no one else has, which i that the publishing industry is dominated by women. Once upon a time most editors were male but not they are female. Naturally editors acquire t..."WOW!! Good answer! That's fantastic. And definitely makes some sense. They are indeed going to put their money behind what they want to read and what they know will sell.
Sean wrote: "I can only speak for myself regarding this question. The first thing is that most of the popular / bestselling books don’t appeal to me and I’m not sure why as I love reading and trying different s..."That's totally fair. I really feel you on this take.
Janine wrote: "I’m going to give an answer no one else has, which i that the publishing industry is dominated by women. Once upon a time most editors were male but not they are female. Naturally editors acquire t..."Good point, Janine.
However, there are lots of men who read Robert B. Parker, Lee Child, John Sanford, Kay Hooper, Michel Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King and Linwood Barclay. And some of them sure could drop us a line.
IMO, it starts with being a child and school, and really takes hold in high school. And yes, parents are a huge contributing factor. You have your jocks, freaks, frocks, Heathers, mean girls, and IDK how many more sub cultures there are. What do all these cliques have in common? They are not known for reading. In fact, it is a thing of pride for being known as a non-reader. "At least I'm not a nerd!" Or a member of AV, theater, etc...Granted, these are stereotypes and of course there are exceptions but in general it was the emo kids or the nerds, or club members etc. that where known as "brainy" kids, and of course, they read.
My point is, this alpha attitude may follow the individual throughout life, even if they are or become a closet reader. And unlike women who recognize strength in numbers, men have this loner alpha stereotype that has been ingrained into them since childhood.
Most novels today are written by women. In the US, many men have unfortunately decided that novels are basically chick-lit. (Haven't they read Lord of the Flies, the Count of Monte Cristo, or Treasure Island??) Of the 50 books most highly recommended by the New York Public Library this year, barely a handful have male protagonists. I think it might be helpful if guys started to read novels written by men in translation, such as Fredrik Backman's Beartown Trilogy, or Carsten Jensen' We, the Drowned, which focus on traditionally male activities/careers and then add a ton of soul along with intellectual rigor. I do think men are generally not as outgoing when it comes to looking for friends, but I'm hopeful that can change.Let's hear it for Earl and Dev!!
Dee wrote: "Most novels today are written by women. In the US, many men have unfortunately decided that novels are basically chick-lit. (Haven't they read Lord of the Flies, the Count of Monte Cristo, or Treas..."Thank you! I definitely agree and love what you had to say
I never assigned gender to anything... Outside of when languages were structured that way of course. (Spanish, German etc.) What you look like really shouldn't influence your pursuit of literary enjoyment and culture. That world is for everyone, but not all share that same paths. Best advice I can give is to find yours.
I wrote a cozy mystery that I'm very proud of. When I tell men, they generally view it as a genre that is beneath them. When I tell women, they generally view it as something they don't want to read because it's from a "man's" point of view as if I've done something wrong. I wrote a very funny, very believable book with great characters and great dialogue - but apparently am fighting an uphill battle because of preconceived notions. It doesn't have enough violence and profanity to be a "mans" book and it doesn't have enough recipes and cute animals to be a "womans" book - despite getting pretty good reviews on Amazon. So I too wonder where the men are?
R. wrote: "This is an interesting topic! I think someone said it before but it feels like reading has become a “girly thing”, especially over the last few years with booktok and how booktok tends to cater to ..."There does seem to be an abundance of romance and romantasy novels as a focal point on Goodreads, usually more popular with women than men.
It doesn’t mean that men don’t or won’t read, but they are unlikely to engage in discussion and reviews about genres they don’t read. For many, those genres may dominate their view of Goodreads even if it doesn’t need to be that way.
Like some other people have pointed out, I think there has been a large push since the mid 00's to cater to women and girls in the publishing and marketing world. I feel like previously it was pretty evenly split but at some point (maybe with Twilight). publishing companies started pushing more romance (no matter the sub-genre) at women and girls, and left men and boys behind, at least as far as marketing goes, and has never really recovered from that. Now with Booktok, there is even more catering to women and girls with sci/fi, fantasy, and contemporary romance, true crime, etc, while men and boys are told to only read self-improvement or "hustle economics" books. I don't think there is a lack of content, but a lack of attention on male-centric fiction.My dad is a huge reader, as was my grandfather. My nine-year-old nephew loves to read and all he wanted for Christmas was a Kindle/Nook because he ran out of room on his bookshelf. I want more for my nephew in his reading choices as he gets older and not lose his passion for reading because publishing doesn't market to him.
As far as being a male Booktuber or Booktoker, I think there is a huge demand for men who read to talk about books that aren't "The Rules of War" or "The 48 Laws of Power." Some of my favorite book recommendations came from a male booktuber (Jack Edwards) and I think there is more room on Booktube for men than on Booktok. Booktok is what Booktube was turning into 5 years ago, where content creators just promote the same ten books over and over again. The only problem with that is that Booktube usually pulls way fewer views than Booktok lately, as that is where the publishing companies are pushing for marketing purposes.
While not a man, I am a lesbian and tend to not read books that publishing companies often market to (heterosexual) women. I don't have anything against these books and am happy to see more interest in reading; it was lonely out here for a while being a bookworm! I just prefer other types of books (literary fiction mostly because I am a pretentious hipster with a writing degree lol).
I wish more men were on this platform as well, I always like to hear a male perspective, my brother-in-law is an avid reader and I enjoy our chit-chats on what we are each reading. I also have a good friend who loves to read and it is funny the different takes we get on the same novel. I find it valuable insight.
Han wrote: "Like some other people have pointed out, I think there has been a large push since the mid 00's to cater to women and girls in the publishing and marketing world. I feel like previously it was pret..."I think nobody in this group has read my previous post.
There are plenty of good authors who dominantly write for men like Robert B. Parker, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Stephen King, Kay Hooper, Lee Child, Linwood Barclay, Douglas Kennedy, Michael Allegretto, Nelson DeMille, Peter Robinson, John Gilstrap, Richard Proenneke, Alexandre Dumas, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Larry McMurtry (sp?) etc.
Don't forget to check out your local public library's (auto)biography and history section (for instance non-fiction books on WW II or the Vietnam war).
I am a woman in her late sixties and must admit that I do have BIG problems finding any appealing novels these days. Even my favorite author Nancy Thayer writes since the beginning of the millennium for young women under 30 and I simply can't get into her books anymore since 2001.
Fortunately I've kept 1.500+ of my favorite books from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and early 2000's.
Since then I've noticed a fast decline in read-worthy books (I apologize if this term is not existing, English is not my native language). That's why I simply reread all my favorites and as I only read 120 books per year at the most, it takes me years before I reread the same books again.
My advice to all male readers: check out these authors that I have listed for you on Wikipedia and request their books at the public library, because most of their books may not be available on e-books, because they were published years ago.
Moreover, very often at the end of a book there are book tips for other authors who might be worth exploring.
But the refreshing thing about these authors is that a) they don't bore you to death with constant mentioning of podcasts, e-mails and cell phones on every page and b) they have more unusual plots than today's crime novels where I can often guess who did it before I've even reached the middle of the book.
Just my two cents.
I hope this time my post gets a bit of attention. :)
Chrissie
There are plenty of men on social media platforms promoting reading and engaging with readers in all genres. Some of them are extremely insightful and engaging. But speaking for myself (and possibly extrapolating for a few other men) I’ve never felt much need to share my reading experiences with others in order to derive more pleasure from a book. I read for my own enjoyment, and I read more if I’m not wasting time searching for others with similar interests. While these platforms have value, in finding recommendations, etc, like so much else on the internet I find myself wading through oceans of drivel just to find a few drops of quality content. It’s often not worth the swim.
That said, social media is a tool like any other, and what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t made a great deal of effort in that regard. Like you, I consider myself old school in the way I engage with reading, and so this whole online reading experience may never hit home for me.
Still, I can see the value it brings to others, and I’m about to release my own first novel, so it stands to reason I’ll have to make a bit of an effort to wrap my head around all this eventually.
Until then, I’m going back to my books!
As a woman of a certain age and being old school too, I don’t see a problem. Man or woman, Black, White or Pink it doesn’t matter. Women generally speaking feel more need to share with others their thoughts and feelings I think. That’s just my opinion. I think that the best you can do is to try. Listen to yourself.
I think the reason there are fewer men on Goodreads might be because, in general, women are more into reading and talking about books. Sometimes, social expectations guide guys toward different hobbies. The way Goodreads looks or the stuff it talks about might be more appealing to women. To really get why this happens, we’d need to look at who uses the platform and what they like. It’s not just one thing but a mix of how society sees things, what people like to do, and what Goodreads is all about that shapes why more women are on it compared to men. But I believe there are a number of men in this space, and they don’t just like to talk about the books they read.
You would think I’m 80, but even as a 35-year-old, I consider myself a little bit more old-school when it comes to how I’ve always interacted with books. Last year my sister bought a spur of the moment gift. My very first kindle. And it has revolutionized the way that I interact with books and book media.
With it came my interest in Goodreads. And although I’ve enjoyed the experience, the one thing I can’t help but notice is the incredible lack of men on this platform, as well as many others, (Booktok, Bookstagram and Booktube). Naturally, I have to ask myself why it seems that so few men engage with books and media platforms related to books.
I’m a young African American man who grew up in a military household. Organization, education, and breaking the stereotypes were things that always stayed at the forefront of my daily instruction.
I guess I just find myself questioning why it is that men seem to be so absent in the book space. And whether or not women see the value of men in this space?
I’m asking because I’m interested in pursuing entering this space via one of the platforms, if it’s a goal that’s actually attainable. So, from a women’s perspective, as I know, there are so many of you in here...
Is a man in the booktok, bookstagram, and booktube space, even an attainable goal?
Why is it that you believe there are so a few men in the space?
And why is it that you feel there is such a low presence of men reading in general?
Please be kind and courteous with responses. This is a sincere inquiry. As someone who wishes to start a family of my own one day and emphasize the importance of reading to all my future children, I can't help but notice the obvious.