Attention, local authors
We’ve heard from avid readers. Now, we’d like to hear from the local authors in our midst. If you are a Chattanooga-area author (or an author with Chattanooga-area ties) who has published a book within the past year, let us know. We’ll run a roundup of selections in coming weeks.
Headed out for vacation and looking for a beach read? Maybe you’re the mom of schoolchildren and have a little more time to delve into a best-seller this summer without the scheduling demands of school and after-school activities. Or maybe you’ve just replaced a book in your hand with your cellphone and find you’ve become addicted to quick, social-media posts rather than spending time reading chapters.
A study commissioned by Barnes & Noble taken in May found that more readers are committing themselves and their children to reading books and breaking their addiction to electronic diversions this summer. Of the 1,500 polled adults in the U.S., 80% plan to put down their cellphones and read. The survey was conducted by Atomik Research, an independent creative market research agency.
Furthermore, 55% of the parents responding said they plan to read the same books as their children in an effort to create bonding opportunities. This might be attributed to the fact the survey revealed that Americans believe constant scrolling on social media is detrimental to their relationships with family compared to time spent reading books; 75 percent said they would feel guilty ignoring their families if they were scrolling through social media.
Of those surveyed, 38% hope to read one to three books this summer, 37% were shooting for four to six.