Poll -- Is the novel dead (to you)?

[Jingthing]

Literary pundits have been proclaiming the novel "dead" for many decades.

It's clearly not literally dead but it's also clearly much much less relevant given the internet and the golden age of television. 

If you're not personally reading any novels these days, then surely at least the novel is dead to you, yes?

Thus this poll. 

[pgrahmm]

I selected the 5-10 button but it didn't register.....

Basically, with about 200 on the shelf I'm rereading some...I really should catalog them in a better effort to keep from duplicate copies....It's a cringe worthy moment when you discover you've already read the book you've just purchased....

My wife also has around 200 on her shelves....

Admittedly, we're not reading as much as in years past....

If one daughter has money in her pocket she'll head straight for the book vendor....

[CharlieH]

Never been a reader, unless it was practical/educational.

I just dont seem to ever have time to sit and read and lose myself in a book as some seem to do.

So, voted 0, never done it and cant see that changing.

 

[Denim]

Read hundreds of books. Mostly history but almost no novels. Why waste your time ? Truth is stranger then fiction. Novels titelate , history educates.

[sherwood]

Zero books this year. Truth be known, not an english book exchange within cooee.

I do miss a relaxing afternoon on the bed with a good read, fiction or otherwise. 

[cjinchiangrai]

I read novels all the time but only have one book, my Kindle. I am on the unlimited program and have not made a dent in the reading list. Only two million books to go.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

I like reading. I never watch TV. I like cinema with a big screen and good sound.

 

When I watch a movie I want to see it from start to finish in one go without any interruptions.

The great thing with books is that they work only with our imagination. I like novels, especially long novels like i.e. Pillars of the Earth. I also read (auto)biographies or other interesting books, i.e. Edward Snowden.

Mostly I read them on my eBook reader (not phone or tablet!) and sometime real paper books.

Sometimes I read just for 1/2 hour and sometimes for hours. I think with a book it's easy to put it to the side and maybe a day later read again. With videos that just doesn't work (mentally), even if it is easy to start and stop a video at anytime.

I would be very surprised if my reading habits will change over the next decades.

 

[biervoormij]

I read real slow but when I stopped working I decided to try and read 50 books in a year. I have read at least 50 for the past 7 years. Currently I am at 40 for this year but am sure I will make it over 50 by the end of the year. I am glad a number of the authors that I really enjoy don't think that the novel is dead and keep writing.

[papa al]

... have a crate of books to swap with someone.

Fiction & non-.

Pattaya.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

Read hundreds of books. Mostly history but almost no novels. Why waste your time ? Truth is stranger then fiction. Novels titelate , history educates.

I truly think you have a very inaccurate and narrow opinion  about novels. 

[Maha Sarakham]

Never been a reader.  I just hate staring into a book and always have.

[TacoKhun]

I read several. My favorite this and last year "Dungeon crawler carl" 

[Leveraged]

Books absolutely murder any tv show or movie but it takes a certain kind of environment for me to be able to sit down and read. I usually read in bed at night to relax, but only a half hour or so before I fall asleep. 
 

The book reading environment is extremely hard for me to achieve so for that reason I don’t read as much as I’d like. Still get 4-5 novels in a year. 
 

Im 100% kindle

[OneMoreFarang]

58 minutes ago, biervoormij said:

I am glad a number of the authors that I really enjoy don't think that the novel is dead and keep writing.

That is an interesting point.

There was a time when I enjoyed James Patterson books, and then he outsourced his writing to co-authors..

I read lots of great Reacher books. After the last one I am not sure I will buy another one again.

Same with Baldacci. The last book which I read was horrible, after many good books.

At least Stephen Leather still writes great novels.

[DBath]

It is a telling statistic, but in fairness 14 people responded, so I'm not sure how relative your sample size is. It always bothers me a little to see trends like this (I've always admired those who like to read and remember how much I enjoyed reading books and novels, years ago). I spent my later years working in management consulting and relied heavily on the internet for much of my information, so in retrospect, I think that it (the internet) has everything to do with why I never went back to reading books and novels.

 

It's a tradeoff, IMO: you have more information available at your fingertips with the internet, there's no disputing that. This is a major reason why there is a major decline in novel readership, IMO. And you can also factor in how much the younger generation spends their time playing video games all day.

 

It would be interesting to see how many kids still go outside and play soccer, football and/or baseball with other kids in their neighborhood these days (my guess is, not many).

Edited September 5, 2021 by DBath

[DBath]

21 minutes ago, Leveraged said:

Books absolutely murder any tv show or movie but it takes a certain kind of environment for me to be able to sit down and read. I usually read in bed at night to relax, but only a half hour or so before I fall asleep. 
 

The book reading environment is extremely hard for me to achieve so for that reason I don’t read as much as I’d like. Still get 4-5 novels in a year. 
 

Im 100% kindle

It's been a long long time since I've read a book or novel, but I clearly recall how much better every good novel was than it's corresponding movie.

[DBath]

2 hours ago, Denim said:

Read hundreds of books. Mostly history but almost no novels. Why waste your time ? Truth is stranger then fiction. Novels titelate , history educates.

While your aversion to fiction does strike a chord, I never want to limit myself to just actual history. And while I've always believed in following what is practical and useful, it also bothers me personally that I was a poor student when it came to history (SHlT, I almost didn't graduate from high school!!).

 

I also think fiction serves an important purpose, though I would never attend - or presume I could fit in - at a 'Trek' convention.

[HeijoshinCool]

.

 

Not a day goes by that I don't read something about the novel coronavirus.....

 

That count?

 

.

[Jingthing]

35 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

.

 

Not a day goes by that I don't read something about the novel coronavirus.....

 

That count?

 

.

No. 

[mahtin]

I live for novels.

My only nightmare is losing my eyesight.

There was a time when I read a novel a day. Keep you up all night? That was me.

Used to haunt the public library, every lunchtime in the bookshop.

 

My son has never read a book.

[Old Croc]

3 minutes ago, mahtin said:

I live for novels.

My only nightmare is losing my eyesight.

Free Audio Books for the Blind [2021] (audioforbooks.com)

[jak2002003]

I read several novels a month. Use my kindle.  

 

Easy to download the books and stopped having the piles of finished unwanted books to dispose of. 

[mahtin]

4 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Free Audio Books for the Blind [2021] (audioforbooks.com)

Only a nightmare.

Not happening.

[mahtin]

1 minute ago, jak2002003 said:

I read several novels a month. Use my kindle.  

 

Easy to download the books and stopped having the piles of finished unwanted books to dispose of. 

Don't you find the kindle too small?

I had a 6.8 inch Kobo, but now use an 8 inch Fire tablet. Koreader app is adjustable for brightness, fonts etc. Works on kindle.

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Jing Thing,

 

This is actually a much more profound question than you might have originally imagined, and a topic worthy of a PhD, for sure.

 

Your question might be bifurcated thusly:

 

aa.  Is the novel dead?

 

bb. Or, are those who are old enough to be approaching death, no longer interested in fiction?

 

==========

 

The novel is not dead. Absolutely, well-written fiction is not dead.

 

However, those of us who have reached the age when death is staring us in the face no longer are able to get turned on my fiction. Life becomes just too real after we reach a certain age, and, therefore, we prefer to read nonfiction.

 

I am not really sure why you would have wished to post such a serious topic here, on this forum, though it is nice that you have.

 

I have often wondered why, for example, during years gone by, especially when I was quite young, novels were a part of my life.

 

There are now few novels I know of, even novels which I had read years ago, which are able to hold my attention.  

 

This is an important question, and one which many people might ask.

 

The novel is not dead.

 

It is only those who will soon be dead who are unable to read novels, I think.

 

Take care, my friend.

Nice question.

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Jing Thing,

 

This is actually a much more profound question than you might have originally imagined, and a topic worthy of a PhD, for sure.

 

Your question might be bifurcated thusly:

 

aa.  Is the novel dead?

 

bb. Or, are those who are old enough to be approaching death, no longer interested in fiction?

 

==========

 

The novel is not dead. Absolutely, well-written fiction is not dead.

 

However, those of us who have reached the age when death is staring us in the face no longer are able to get turned on my fiction. Life becomes just too real after we reach a certain age, and, therefore, we prefer to read nonfiction.

 

I am not really sure why you would have wished to post such a serious topic here, on this forum, though it is nice that you have.

 

I have often wondered why, for example, during years gone by, especially when I was quite young, novels were a part of my life.

 

There are now few novels I know of, even novels which I had read years ago, which are able to hold my attention.  

 

This is an important question, and one which many people might ask.

 

The novel is not dead.

 

It is only those who will soon be dead who are unable to read novels, I think.

 

Take care, my friend.

Nice question.

 

Note:  I hope that we will not all die before this question is answered to the satisfaction of most of us.

 

 

 

 

[mahtin]

2 hours ago, TacoKhun said:

I read several. My favorite this and last year "Dungeon crawler carl" 

Bit, searched, found goodreads thread, learned about "dungeon based books or LitRPG".

The novel is not dead, but attempted murders abound.

[ourdon]

I think the novel is alive and well.  The same may not be said of the book and the paper publishing industry.

 

I like others here utilize the kindle.  Have found it incredibly essential as I wander about.  Gotta two hour layover?? poof there's a hundred pages.  On the beach?? Pick up the newish waterproof one.   Print too small - Make it bigger.  Can't see?  Up the background lighting so you can read in bed without turning on the lights and bothering the missus.   For me it works.

 

I don't wax nostalgic about the smell of paper fresh or mouldy.

[talahtnut]

I was looking for a book on wasting time,

and then found Thai visa forums.

[GammaGlobulin]

What about the novel, as a form, and when the novel first became an art form?

 

Henry Fielding? Who does not love Tom Jones?

 

What about Fanny Hill?

 

How has the novel changed since the days of Fanny Hill?