I admit it. I am a terrible reader. I did a good job probably in the last couple of years, but 2011 has been devastatingly bad. I blame it on my thesis, like everything else bad that happens to me - like not keeping up with my blog, for example.I am bringing it up today because this week, in my Italian class, they mentioned a couple of books that everybody read. One of them was The Divine Comedy (I can't remember the name of the other book now - but it was written by James Joyce). Even though they are classics and I know of their existence, I never even held those books in my hands.
Terrible, terrible, terrible!! I dearly hope that after I am done with the PhD I will be able to resume with my reading. I just don't understand how I can be so lazy sometimes. Or maybe it's just lack of organization? At the same time there is so much material to read around me: news, blogs, The Economist, New York Mag (new favourite brought home by my roomie, yeay!).
To close the article I am putting a link to Sheridan's article on Mexicans and how much they (do NOT) read. Pretty appropriate. If you can't read Spanish, try Google Translate. Otherwise here are a few (shocking) stats:
- Mexicans read an average of 2.8 books per year and 40% of them have never been in a bookstore (!!!!).
- 18% of the people with a bachelors degree in Mexico has *never* been to a bookstore.
- In 1950 there were 150 bookstores in Mexico City. In 2005 there are twice as many, but the population has six-folded since then.
Really depressing. Back to my thesis now.
2 comments:
I have a meter high pile of books next to my bed... but I only arrive there when I'm too tired to read :( damn papers!
Rodrigo: this is the first comment on my blog EVER!! :D ¡gracias!
Back to your comment (ja!): I totally sympathize. I had "Grapes of Wrath" accumulating dust on my nightstand for months, and then I conveniently forgot it in Mexico. *sigh* :) Today's nightstand status is more realistic: no book at all!
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