One reason that reading seems to be in decline is that it takes more effort to read than to watch TV, play video games, or listen to music or talk radio. This puts reading at an inherent disadvantage to other choices we have for spending our free time. Given this disadvantage, doesn’t it just make sense for authors and publishers to try harder than ever to make their books as readable as possible?
No, I guess not, judging from most of the books I read.
A well-written book is, in my opinion, more engaging and enjoyable than a really good movie. Unfortunately, well-written books are even less common than really good movies, which are also quite rare.
Therefore, when I write about a book I’ve read, I will tell you whether or not I think it is well-written. I will evaluate the readability of a book by asking:
Is reading this book like downhill skiing, like walking upstairs, or like climbing Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen? I have never gone snow skiing (or water skiing, for that matter) in my life; and I don’t plan to because I have a knee that has been surgically repaired in two different ways, and those surgeries were more than enough, thanks. But, I digress.
I have never been skiing, but I know how it works. Gravity and good skis make the voyage downhill effortless and enjoyable for the skier. Yes, I know it takes balance and skill to keep from going Bono, but I’m talking about the amount of physical exertion a skier must spend getting from the top of a snowy hill to the bottom. Compared to other physical activities (like mountain climbing), skiing does not require as much effort from the athlete. Similarly, a good book—one that is really well-written—makes reading feel like you are gliding downhill, enjoying every second. You turn page after page and just don’t want to stop, but when you do stop, you wonder how it got to be so late and how you covered so many pages.
Reading other books is like going upstairs in your home. It takes some effort, but the effort required is minimal for a healthy person. And, when you do it everyday, you hardly think twice about it. A competently written book takes some effort to read and is less enjoyable than skiing along from page to page, but it is not overly difficult.
Some books are so badly written that you feel like you are trying to climb Mt. Everest. It takes extreme effort just to go from one sentence to the next and you look toward the end of the book like a summit that it is almost impossible to reach.
Unfortunately, most books are more like climbing Everest than they are like skiing Vail. But I think it should be the other way around. So, when I write about books I read, I’ll tell you exactly how difficult I thought it was to read the book.
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