11 Comments

1. Vaughn Roycroft on April 26, 2014 at 8:26 am

   Good crop of links this month, Heather. I’m particularly interested (and a bit troubled) by the two articles on the reading habits of young people at the top of your list. It’s a serious issue. I’m convinced the world would be a better place with more readers in it. Great work to you and the WU Twitter Team!

   
   
   
   • Heather Webb on April 26, 2014 at 9:04 am

     Thanks, Vaughn. I agree with you, which is why I featured those articles. As a former teacher, I can’t help but worry about the generations behind us and their reading habits. (Not to mention my own kids). Thanks for your comment. Have a great weekend.

     
     
     
2. Andrea van der Wilt on April 26, 2014 at 9:29 am

   Thanks! Great collection of links for someone like me who cannot be bothered with Twitter herself ;)

   
   
   
   • Heather Webb on April 26, 2014 at 11:30 am

     I’m so glad they’re useful for you, Andrea.

     
     
     
3. CK Wallis on April 26, 2014 at 11:14 am

   “Students Reading E-Books Are Losing Out, Study Suggests
   Researchers find that students’ reading comprehension was lower when they read books on electronic devices. ”

   “New Poll Finds E-book Readers Read More Books Than Print Readers @DigiBookWorld https://bit.ly/1lfpJxo #WUDigital #WUPrint”

   Hmmm…reading more but comprehending less?

   Or, maybe just adults, who’ve mastered comprehension, are reading more, and we’re losing the next generation of readers? Think I’ll check into these studies a little more.

   
   
   
   • Heather Webb on April 26, 2014 at 11:33 am

     It’s all very interesting, isn’t it? I’m not surprised by the lower comprehension. I find I scan text in electronic form, but when it’s on paper, I spend more time reading each page, absorbing. I’m not sure why that is, but I’d love to hear more about it if you find additional studies, CK.

     
     
     
4. Anastasia Elizabeth on April 26, 2014 at 11:39 am

   Great list of links. Thanks so much!

   In my circle of friends, both male and female, only one girl dislikes reading. All the others would choose a book over a movie any day–surprisingly, even those who hated to read when they were young. I think it varies from person to person. There will always be those who are good at reading and those who aren’t, those who enjoy it and those who don’t. I don’t worry so much about the reading comprehension of kids these days because there will always be that massive bestseller that piques their interest and make them explore other corners of the library.

   
   
   
   • Heather Webb on April 26, 2014 at 3:16 pm

     For some kids, I’d say that’s definitely true, Anastasia. But because adults are dividing more and more of their time to spend on gadgetry and television and the internet, I worry the value won’t be placed on books as much as it should be–they are the stirrings of change and evolution, me thinks. But I’m so glad to hear that you and almost all of your friends read! The high school teacher in me is very happy about that. :) Thank you for commenting today!

     
     
     
5. CG Blake on April 26, 2014 at 5:13 pm

   Thanks for another outstanding roundup, Heather. I really liked the piece about creative resilience. It applies to life as well as to writing.

   
   
   
   • Heather Webb on April 26, 2014 at 6:31 pm

     Thanks, CG! I did as well, especially this line: “there is both great wisdom and necessary humility in letting others see you learning”. I feel as novelists, we are always learning and if we are not? We have nothing poignant to share.

     
     
     
6. Therese Walsh on April 26, 2014 at 9:02 pm

   Wonderful roundup, Heather! Thank you!