I was reading last weekend (in a newspaper) that the modern (GenZ) generation no longer reads long books or even long newspaper articles. Apparently, they seek instant gratification with information immediately accessible and literature repackaged as film to make it easier to access. Although definitely not of that Generation, I can say, ‘So do I’.

As a student many years ago I did my bit of literary exploration by reading 700 page Russian novels packed full of hundreds of characters, each of whom had three proper names, and a pet form of the first name, and a title (prince, princess, doctor, general, etc). They might be addressed by any one of this set of five. Identifying a character in a book of thousands of names, titles, etc. It never seemed to trouble me then.

But now, when I read a name in any book I have to go back to the start to remind myself who this person was, re-reading word for word, until I’ve forgotten what the name was, why it matters, or anything else.

I read books at an average speed of ten pages a day, and as I take such a long time to read a book that I can’t remember if it’s good or rubbish, or if I’ve enjoyed it, or what it has been about, or what the ending has to do with the dimly remembered words at the start of the book.

Actually, I could sometimes read up to 50 pages a day, on a good day when I have been able to find my glasses. But when I read in bed, as I fall asleep the book slips from my grasp and my place is lost, and the following day I have to go back a long way to find any text that I recognise, back before the soporific period when the written words were not properly digested.

The following night this routine used to be repeated, until I gave up on nightly sleep-reading.

Newspapers are now my preferred means of written information or entertainment. Concise, topical, informative, and difficult to read in bed, they are a far more convenient means of acquiring information or reading for leisure.

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