•Question 1: Poll 10 people by posing the question “Read any good books lately?” How many have they read in the past 6 months? What types of books have they read? What does this tell you about your sample and society?
Out of the ten people I polled, seven were students, and three were working adults. Six of the seven students admitted that the only books they had read lately were textbooks, or readings for class. A few of them said that they actually liked some of their textbooks, like The Iliad or The Grapes of Wrath. However, most said that they thought their readings were dull and didn't really count as "good books."
For those who actually read books outside of school, many of them said that they enjoyed perusing the New York Times Bestseller's list and Oprah's Book Club, and choosing books from there that interested them. Most people read books that were either romances or mysteries--or both. Not necessarily the bodice-ripping romances, but more the quality romances, with a slow build and an outside plot.
Two or three people said that they liked to read books if they had a movie based off of them. They liked to read the book first, and then go and see the movie later.
And, of course, there was the standard "Blockbuster" novel. Eight of the ten people who answered said that one of the last books they had read was either Twilight, Harry Potter, or both.
Not to mention the religious reading. Only at BYU could I hear that nine of ten people polled had read The Book of Mormon and/or the Bible in the past week.
This sample tells me that people generally follow the expected trends--they widely read the blockbuster novel, as well as being attracted to the more popular books, as outlined by bestselling lists and "Book of the Month" reviews. In a religious atmosphere, religious texts were, of course, more widely read than any other genre.
Out of the ten people I polled, seven were students, and three were working adults. Six of the seven students admitted that the only books they had read lately were textbooks, or readings for class. A few of them said that they actually liked some of their textbooks, like The Iliad or The Grapes of Wrath. However, most said that they thought their readings were dull and didn't really count as "good books."
For those who actually read books outside of school, many of them said that they enjoyed perusing the New York Times Bestseller's list and Oprah's Book Club, and choosing books from there that interested them. Most people read books that were either romances or mysteries--or both. Not necessarily the bodice-ripping romances, but more the quality romances, with a slow build and an outside plot.
Two or three people said that they liked to read books if they had a movie based off of them. They liked to read the book first, and then go and see the movie later.
And, of course, there was the standard "Blockbuster" novel. Eight of the ten people who answered said that one of the last books they had read was either Twilight, Harry Potter, or both.
Not to mention the religious reading. Only at BYU could I hear that nine of ten people polled had read The Book of Mormon and/or the Bible in the past week.
This sample tells me that people generally follow the expected trends--they widely read the blockbuster novel, as well as being attracted to the more popular books, as outlined by bestselling lists and "Book of the Month" reviews. In a religious atmosphere, religious texts were, of course, more widely read than any other genre.
•Question 2: Which would you prefer to use in your college classes, regular textbooks or electronic textbooks? Why? Which would you prefer for your leisure reading? Why?
This isn't a very easy question for me to answer. On one hand, electronic textbooks would probably be much cheaper. They would also be convenient to access, since all I would have to do would be to carry around my laptop, and that would be the only textbook I'd need. Not to mention the fact that it would be easier when searching for a specific bit of information in the reading--all I'd have to do would be to press Ctrl+f, and then I could type in the specific phrase or word I was looking for. I've actually had a few electronic resources in a few of my classes, and those are the reasons I've enjoyed them.
On the other hand, however, electronic books annoy me. First of all, my eyes tend to dry out and start aching after I've been reading something on the computer for so long. I'll get headaches if I try to read it all at once, so I have to space out my reading. I also prefer regular books because I have to read something on my laptop indoors--the screen is too dark to read out in the sun. And laptops aren't always superportable. Some are heavier than others, some have a short battery life. Much of the time, electronic resources can be very inconvenient. Not to mention the fact that I really like the tangible experience of reading a book--marking pages, highlighting passages, just holding it. So, ultimately, I think that I prefer to have real books, instead of electronic ones.
The same goes for normal books as well. These have an even more vehement argument for tangible reading, since they aren't really expensive like textbooks, and they are much more portable than either textbooks or laptops. I really don't see any downside to having real, 3D, tangible leisure reading, as opposed to eBooks, which really aren't that popular.
This isn't a very easy question for me to answer. On one hand, electronic textbooks would probably be much cheaper. They would also be convenient to access, since all I would have to do would be to carry around my laptop, and that would be the only textbook I'd need. Not to mention the fact that it would be easier when searching for a specific bit of information in the reading--all I'd have to do would be to press Ctrl+f, and then I could type in the specific phrase or word I was looking for. I've actually had a few electronic resources in a few of my classes, and those are the reasons I've enjoyed them.
On the other hand, however, electronic books annoy me. First of all, my eyes tend to dry out and start aching after I've been reading something on the computer for so long. I'll get headaches if I try to read it all at once, so I have to space out my reading. I also prefer regular books because I have to read something on my laptop indoors--the screen is too dark to read out in the sun. And laptops aren't always superportable. Some are heavier than others, some have a short battery life. Much of the time, electronic resources can be very inconvenient. Not to mention the fact that I really like the tangible experience of reading a book--marking pages, highlighting passages, just holding it. So, ultimately, I think that I prefer to have real books, instead of electronic ones.
The same goes for normal books as well. These have an even more vehement argument for tangible reading, since they aren't really expensive like textbooks, and they are much more portable than either textbooks or laptops. I really don't see any downside to having real, 3D, tangible leisure reading, as opposed to eBooks, which really aren't that popular.
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