Why Do You Read?

The Big Read - D.C. asks communities to read together, but that's not always possible. So we're asking individuals "Why Do You Read?" That's the them for the "keynote" for the upcoming kick-off Saturday, April 25 at 11 AM at Gallaudet University (800 Florida Avenue, NE). George Pelecanos will be there to give the keynote - "Why I Read....Why I Write."

Lots of people seem to read to take them to different places or experiences outside their own. For some readers that "someplace else" can be "anyplace but where I am now."

Apparently, there's an up-turn for reading during a downturn. Book sales are currently up in Europe. And in the U.S. sales of romance novel are on the up-tick according to Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic Monthly:

Romance fiction generated $1.375 billion in sales in 2007. And while other forms of entertainment suffer economically, romance novels usually sell better during economic downturns. Why? Probably because it's cheap -- anywhere from $4 to $8 for several hours worth of escape in the privacy of your own garden, bed, or bathtub --- and best of all, when times are awful everywhere you're guaranteed a happy ending.

Spoiler Alert: Uh...Big Read - D.C. books haven't offered neat happy endings. But the Big Read - D.C. does offer happy experiences for new and continuing readers who show up at our activities and events.

We're less than two weeks away from the official start of the 2009 Big Read - D.C. The schedule is on-line at http://www.wdchumanities.org/

Tell us on this blog "Why Do You Read?"