1 in 4 adults say they read no books in the past year. August 21, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) — There it sits on your night stand, that book you’ve meant to read for who knows how long but haven’t yet cracked open. Tonight, as you feel its stare from beneath that teetering pile of magazines, know one thing — you are not alone.

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn’t read any, the usual number read was seven.

“I just get sleepy when I read,” said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool.

Why do you have to choose?  I like to spend my Saturday mornings relaxing in our neighborhood pool with a book.  Granted, I have to accept splashing kids and soggy pages – but it’s free time well spent.

And get too sleepy to read?  Try don’t get enough sleep due to reading!  Back in college, I had to limit the reading I’d do for pleasure because I’d get absorbed in the story, stay up late to finish, and end up skipping class the next day.  (Sorry, Mom & Dad!)

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

After working at my Aunt Sue’s bookstore, The Book Bag, for so many years, I wanted nothing more than to run my own store – but with the flat sales referenced above and the dominance of chains like B&N and Borders, I don’t think it’s meant to be.

Friends – pick up a book!  One person at a time, one chapter at a time, we can make a difference – to these statistics and to our lives.  If you’re one of the one in four, you don’t know what amazing worlds you’re missing out on knowing.

article from CNN.com