Just from personal experience I would say that women do read more than men, but I'm not sure why. Maybe because reading is about experiencing feelings, something men tend to avoid. A book my husband recently read and loved was City of Thieves.

My husband reads much more than I do because he makes time for it. He has read 1.5 books already in the past 3 days.

Before I had children, I read constantly. I don't seem to have as much time for it, which makes me sad.

As soon as I saw this book, I knew he had to have it. I'd love to win this book for him! But, I want my daughter to read it, as well.

Thanks!

Men read books too...but the difference is men don't like to discuss what they've read.
I'm hoping to start not a book club, but a magazine club with my male friends. We don't have the attention span for a book club.

Funny, I came to this site because my son saw a review of Unbroken and shared it with me as something he'd like to read. Unfortunately, my son is incarcerated, so I am pretty much in charge of his reading materials. It has been an interesting exploration for me to trying to find books that HE would enjoy. Not always what I myself would enjoy. (Poisonwood Bible, one of my favorites, was a total flop, for example.) I began asking everyone I encountered "What are you reading?" "What are your favorite books?" There was definitely some marked differences between men and women's response. I found (as I find with myself) that women do seem to have less time to read and therefore we're less reading less, but not necessarily less interested. Of course my research is skewed in that I often asked this of men in the act of reading (i.e readers) at the library or in book store, or more realistically the book section of the thrift store or men I was engaged in a conversation with on some front. So not exactly a random sample. I was however surprised at how many men read and what they found interesting (a broad range). I also noted that there is a significant void in books that were appealing to young men. My son is only 19, marriage, divorce, aging etc are topics that are still pretty foreign to him. I found young men had the most difficult time citing something that really held their interest and/or moved them. But again less years of reading and theoretically less life experience. That's my two cents

I think that men rarely discuss books. My husband doesn't read books written in English but he does like to read Chinese classis in Chinese. He loves Math so and does it for fun! Maybe it has something to do with the left brain right brain divisions being used differently for the sexes. Not sure.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

I think women read more than men and women are more likely to join a book club because I feel men would rather be active doing something outside than being a homebody and read. I think men who have jobs in education, such as English teachers and professors, read a lot more than men in other professions. But I think women beat men out in reading. I would suggest any book by Paulo Coelho for a guy to get him into reading.

The men in my life read just as much as the women, but maybe that's because I surround myself with readers. My English literature graduate program was overwhelmingly female, though, so I think there's something to this question. Maybe men aren't turned onto reading as early (like Jon Scieszka hopes to remedy with his "Guys Read" program, which helps boys find books they'll like), and they don't have a iife-long love of books? I'd recommend P.G. Wodehouse for men who don't read, and my father told me over Thankgiving weekend that "Unbroken" is on his to-read list.

Women read more than men. Probably because there are more books written for women, but I also think it's because some men think that it's "unmanly" to read. Thank goodness my husband doesn't think so!

seizethebookblog(at)gmail(dot)com

I'm not sure who reads more but I know there are a lot of great writers out there that would appeal to men. So happy that Laura Hillenbrand has a new book. Seabiscuit is one of my faves.

My husband and I are both avid readers. Books have always been a big part of our lives. We do discuss what we are reading.

I am not sure who reads more - men or women. It seems to me that young people are reading less - perhaps due to the Internet and computer games.

I would encourage everyone to read more.

With only one or two exceptions, the women I know read far more books than the men.My book club which is a group of 15 women invite our husbands to a book club meeting every April and of course we encourage them to read the book and join in the discussion. We try to pick a book that appeals to both sexes and give the men plenty of time to read as some of them are "reluctant" readers. Last year's book was The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Many of the men really look forward to the meeting and everyone has a great time.

We have a couple of sets of friends who belong to couples book clubs, but I would agree that more women than men read fiction.

Just as a side-light, my mother went to high school with Louis Zamperini--! We just saw her (now aged 90) at Thanksgiving.

When I worked for Hopkins, we had a book club that had two male members (myself included) attend the monthly meeting out of a group of a dozen or so. The male population would increase depending on the work (DaVinci Code and Stephen King as prime examples).

Men read as much as women. And as far as a suggestion for a reluctant reader...hmmm. Well, find your interests in life, go to a bookstore and find that section...begin to browse and before you know it you will be reading!!! enjoy

I know in my extended family, the women read more than the men. Although my husband likes to "read" on the internet. Ha ha. A specific book recommendation for a reluctant male reader? A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson. It's funny and full of manly adventure. For pure manly adventure, I'd recommend just about anything by Jon Krakauer. Thanks for the chance to win Hillenbrand's latest novel.

I enjoy reading, however I find that most males do not read much. I discuss books with my sisters more than my male friends or brothers. Seabiscuit was a tremendous book. i felt as if I had a front row seat at the horesraces. Laura Hilenbrand does a terrific job describing the characters and Seabiscuit. I cannot wait to read her next book Unbroken.