One thing you can be certain about with books (unless you're reading them outloud) is quiet. In this busy and, often, loud world that's one thing that really attracts me about the written word. It's whaat makes them different from other forms of storytelling such as radio or TV. And its, quite possibly, one of the reasons that so many teenagers (and especially boys) consider books boring.
Why is they associate quiet activities with boring ones? Is it the fact that peaceful activities such as walking, napping, birdwatching, stamp-collecting etc, are generally associated with the older generations? Is it some inbuilt idea that quiet people go unnoticed in our society? Or is it a fear of a time of stillness and doing something different to the usual hectic lifestyle?
The truth is, I don't really know. But what I do know is that a popular idea for re-engaging youth with reading is to add back some of the liveliness and excitement. E-books are starting to be developed with video and sound footage, teenage books tell of lively characters, movies hope to boost book sales, and puppets shoot out of children's books. Don't get me wrong, all this is great if it brings in readers. But, I wonder, will there always be a place in our world for the quiet of a peaceful written tale?
