Have you forgotten how to read?

I've been thinking a lot about my reading habits lately. Mostly, I think about the year I read 100 books. I did it for fun; I did it for the love of reading; I did almost no other extra activities that year. But, I enjoyed those books and the process of finding them and devouring them.

I still think I read a lot, but definitely a lot less than 100 books a year. And I still enjoy the journey of finding the next book to read and the feeling when a book grabs you and you don't want to put it down.

But I am starting to wonder: Do I read differently than I used to? Has all my time reading news and stories online changed the way I read books?

One author has bravely written about the way his brain has re-wired itself to the point he can't read the way he used to. And I am sure he is not alone. I think about all the online reading my son does at school on several mandatory websites that track his progress and comprehension and difficulty level and I...shudder. I dislike that he reads so much online at school that I only let him read real books at home.

But am I battling a war I will eventually lose?

I don't know. But I am willing to keep up the fight. And if that means using every trick in the book (pun not intended) to make reading a paper book more engaging, then that is what I will do. So, yes, we have several reading nooks in the house, and I will continue to read books in front of my son, and I frequently remark about how nice it is to have a wall full of books since my wonderful husband built a full wall of bookshelves.

So far? My son still prefers real books to the screens he uses at school. But I don't know how much longer they will be enough to hold his complete attention.

Do you find it difficult to pay attention to a single book? Tell me the truth in the comments.