I’ve been thinking of writing this post for a week or two. I’m not sure how I want to proceed, but let’s go anyway. I watch a bit of BookTube and other things on YouTube, and one of the things I’ve seen a lot recently is reactions to various posts about studies on men and reading. A lot is about how younger men, I’ll admit, I’m in my early fifties, so I know I look younger for my age. Some of the main points from the various posts I have read are, firstly, around specific figures in the Manosphere, as it is called. I won’t mention their names, as this particular field of people is something I have never had nor will I have an interest in. Anyway, they seem to promote anti-art, anti-reading ideas. Well, as someone who grew up loving culture, I find this whole thing just beyond me. I am going off track here, I’ll get back to the title as that captures what I am a straight male that reads fiction, we may be on the WWF endanger species, it seems. I wonder how we got here. How have my early years and life to the current situation with younger generations? I l start with me and then see how that may show how things have changed. I grew up with seeing my dad and granddad reading. They read lots of books, went to the library, and brought books. I already had a lead on most people, as males tend to read less than females, even years ago. Having a male reading role model is harder for some people. I also grew up in maybe a golden age of books, Roald Dahl , William Price maybe as early examples. Then on in my mid to late teens Great Fantasy this was a time of wonderfully evocative covers for books like The dragonlance series, Raymond Feist books. Then, Stephen King, I loved and literally just ate his books as a reader. Now, I didn’t go to university, and yes, like many men, I read less after my teenage years. I still brought books. Mainly literary fiction I will hold my hand upo and say I read mostly male writers, Thompson, Burroughs etc. Then it is Updike, Bellow, etc. I never got into Martin Amis but loved Will Self and Irvine Welsh. Then, maybe twenty years ago I became more drawn to world lit. I had read one or two books in translation in my twenties. Till now, where it is all translation bar the few books I pick in English still occasionally (i could do a whole post why this is less than it used to be as a straight male reader ) . Because my reading is so focused and driven, I have had a say in the way things have gone over the last twenty years. Translated fiction has first grown. But it has also become more and more diverse, and I tend to read more female writers than male writers, which sets me apart from many readers. So, I’m maybe an oddity. I love books, and I also grew up watching a lot of arts TV, back when it was actually arts TV, not what passes for arts TV or book shows these days. Sorry, I think about the poor state of Arts TV in the UK is an utter disgrace, and what these sorts of let’s make it hip and trendy and about the book tok or half dozen books that the UK press now seems to think are essential needs to change.Off on another tangent, let’s get back to the whole point of this: why do men read less, and why do they not read fiction ? I will throw my hat in with a few thoughts. The first and often mentioned is screens, whether it’s a computer, a game console, a phone, etc. These were so much less of a distraction and i can even see on my own reading how they have an effect, and I remember a pre-Games, pre smart phone age. So, that’s maybe the first issue. Then I am wary of saying this, but we may have, in a way, let the male novelist die out slightly over the last ten years. I think of the writers I grew up with, yes, they aren’t by today’s standard acceptable. Not that said, they did draw in males to reading. I think we need a new wave of charismatic male writers. But also maybe the demise of music papers, etc, has something as well. I remember a lot of the books I first read, which were new to me, came from interviews with singers in NME or Melody Maker, etc. List like Bowie’s favourite books. Then there is this sort of anti culture manosphere all about productivity, being a man or just how to be a complete arse really. Isn’t there enough of them? Surely, we need new male role models who can draw young men into books. In the early days of the blog, I did things like books about Eurovision. Books from teams involved in the World Cup. I used to do these to try to connect my love of football with my love of books. There are many great travel shows made these days that capture the world, but they often miss the writers and spirit of the place. I think translated fiction offers some great male writers, but also so many other avenues for male readers. The real answer is I don’t know what the anser is only it needs to be addressed soon rather than later or we will lose more and more men to boring how to be a better this that and the other productivity books. Rather than that, let’s stick to something that will feed there mind and take them elsewhere, or even give them empathy. What are your thoughts about this? Sorry to ramble on, I’m not sure what this does, if anything. I wish more people had my path and sheer desire to discover and read. I start with the picture from a well-known image of a woman reading, I saw it in Cambridge, nd will end with a sort of aAIhomage with a man ,this man in the style of that reading . WHta are your thoughts about men reading habits or lack of reading