A good year for the proses
The average person reads 12-15 books a year.
That said, the average person isn’t a real person, more a statistical construct. So how do they work it out?
The ‘mean average’ takes the number of books read divided by the number of people surveyed.
And so 10 people read 100 books, the average is 10 books per person.
Clearly a lot depends on the sample size of the survey and the demographic of those being surveyed and how accurately those demographics reflect the univer…
Enough!
Last year I read 12 books, of both the hand held and audio formats.
Thought I was doing well too.
Doing well for me anyway and then I met someone who reads 80 books a year.
In a conversation that started with me talking about watching the Sopranos for the 3rd time, the lady in question explained that she doesn’t watch any TV but spends 2 hours a night reading.
I was much more impressed than I was surprised in the knowing of how much better that must be for your mind and spirit – that complete immersion in words, regardless of author or genre, against doomscrolling or binge watching, the 2 most likely alternatives
I have removed all social media from my life, with the exception of Linkedin and the occasional access to YouTube.
80 books a year seems like a lot but at 2 hours a night it’s only a fraction of the time people spend on social media and box sets.
The 12 books I read last year served me well for variety but even as I type this I wonder what I did with the rest of the time.
The full list from 2025:
Unbreakable, Ronnie O’Sullivan
The Long Shoe, Bob Mortimer
Autobiography, Bob Mortimer
The Wisdom of Insecurity, Alan Watts
The Tremelo Diaries, Justin Currie
The Essene Gospel of Peace, Edmond Szekely
Are ye not Gods, Eileen McCourt
Irish Sagas and Folk Tales – from my year 1 at grammar school
The Coaching Manual, Julie Starr
Essentials, David Whyte
Consolations, David Whyte
Scattered Minds, Gabor Mate
Not a great return and as I type out the list it all feels a bit underwhelming, made worse by the presence of another list – of all those books I bought without beginning nor finishing.
How much joy, love, learning, escapism and fantasy must there be in 80 books against the mind-numbing alternative?
A few more statistics to lighten the mood pulled from a number of online sources:
– 21% of adults report that constant social media use negatively affects their mental health , 28% in for younger adults
– Heavy use and addictive engagement styles have been associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness and feelings of isolation in clinical and community samples.
– Consistent evidence shows that excess screen time correlates with poor sleep quality, stress, and emotional distress — factors linked to lower psychological resilience in adults.
There are no shocks here – we all have a sense of the harm being done by our digital living.
What about all the un-regulated content and fake news?
The unfettered access to unregulated advertising and sales pitches.
The facism masquerading as free speech?
I have another 25+ books that were bought and remain unread throughout my very small house.
They are everywhere, in plain sight, covered in dust and the fingerprints of good intention.
I need to get on it – I have 2 books on the go at the moment that will be read by the end of this week.
Only 2 episode of the Sopranos to go, mind you…
Thanks for reading
