Trees are cut, mashed, pressed flat and bound in leather. Blackberries are boiled down into ink, symbols are traced across the page, opening a door into another world — this is the origin of reading as we know it. 

Long before paper and ink, stories were shared aloud in groups, passed down through oral tradition. Over time, stone tablets, scrolls, and eventually books placed storytellers directly into readers’ hands.

In schools, books such as “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card or “Beloved” by Toni Morrison are read with teachers and classmates, who guide discussion and interpretation.

But what happens after school? What happens when people want to keep reading?

A 2023 study from the University of Florida and University College London, reported in the Financial Times, found that reading for pleasure in the U.S. has dropped by more than 40% in the past two decades. Of the 236,000 Americans surveyed, 28% reported reading for pleasure on an average day in 2003, compared with just 16% in 2023.

The decline was steepest among Black Americans, people with lower incomes, and rural residents.  But even groups more likely to read for pleasure — women and those with higher education levels — also saw a downturn. The study noted that time spent reading with children remained particularly low. Among respondents with a child under age 9, only 2% said they had read with them.

Researchers argue the drop matters because reading supports mental health, creativity, empathy and lifelong learning. Factors behind the decline include the dominance of digital culture, economic insecurity, limited access to books and a national decrease in leisure time.

Libraries step in

In Garfield County, libraries have leaned into book clubs as a way to support reading, create community and give people a reason to pick up a book. Clubs provide a structure — read by the next meeting, then discuss with others.

The Parachute, Carbondale, Silt and Rifle libraries all hold at least one book club. Some are themed, like Silt’s Happily Ever Dark, which focuses on romantasy — a blend of romance and fantasy. Others read across genres.

In the Escaping Reality Book Club in Parachute, the next book is voted on, and so far, since beginning in January, have read a romance, the classic “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, and literary novels with vampires. 

“A lot of it is fantasy and mystery, mostly general fiction,” said Rob Zimmermann, Adult Services Coordinator with the Parachute branch. “We do it once a month, every fourth Sunday and no one is shying from the suggested books, romance or not.”

Zimmermann said even five attendees can feel like a success in Parachute, a community where many residents commute long hours for work.

Who shows up

Most library book clubs draw mostly women. Silt Branch Manager Brenda Ramirez said they are trying to attract more men.

“We don’t typically see a lot of male attendees in book clubs, so we’re trying to start a nonfiction book club and hopefully we’ll see more,” she said. “In our regular Book Club, a husband and wife run it, so we think that men feel more comfortable being there.”

Rifle Branch Adult Services Coordinator Maria Gaytan said men often read the books alongside their wives or partners but rarely show up for the group discussion.

“The eight to 10 women who attend, their husbands will read the book from the club,” she said. “They’ll come and check it out, but they won’t come to the club to discuss it.”

Gaytan also said that the book club at the Rifle City Senior Center has about seven attendees on a given day, and that they mostly read history-based books, but that men are not interested if a book isn’t in that genre.

“They’re not interested in the title, but when they get into it, they enjoy it and participate,” Gaytan said. 

Creative approaches

The libraries holding book clubs have identified that men prefer nonfiction books, so they’re trying to start new book clubs that are specifically for nonfiction to get more men in attendance, but are glad for whoever attends the book clubs. 

“Our Happily Ever After Dark book club is mostly female attendees and they read a new book every two weeks, they’re very aggressive,” Ramirez said. “There’s around 12 to 13 of them and they read popular romance with different creatures. Last time there were snacks themed around the book, which had dragons in it.”

Gaytan surmises that one of the reasons men don’t attend is because they might feel a bit odd being in a room full of women. 

“They also might not want to be perceived in a different way,” Gaytan said. “But the book club is for everyone.”

The Friends of the Library Book Club in Rifle also reads a huge mix of fiction and nonfiction, romance and novels, and they also vote on which book will be read next. 

Some clubs are held outside the library, but still supported by them, like Books in Bars in the Carbondale branch.

“We’re hoping to reach people who normally don’t come to the library, but want to read,” said Erin Hollingsworth, the Adult Services Coordinator for Carbondale. “We go to El Dorado and we read a book that we vote on.”

The club has read books such as “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and others. 

“We try to keep abreast of the trends in reading,” Hollingsworth said. 

Gaytan said the libraries work hard to find books for everyone to connect to.

“Rifle is 48% Spanish speaking, so we find books for the people who want to read in Spanish,” she said. 

Hollingsworth said Carbondale has a Spanish Book Club for this reason. 

Gaytan said that previously, Rifle wasn’t reading as much, but she’s seen the population that comes to the library grow, from children to adults. 

“They’re getting more books than before,” she said. “We’re also seeing growth from our digital collection, because people may not have time to sit and read a book, but they have time for audio books while they’re working or doing another activity.”

These materials are free with a library card, Gaytan says, and the library staff will help you learn how to use Libby and Hoopla, library apps for digital collections, and Mango, a language learning app. 

Beyond the library

Other book clubs held by individuals are being held in New Castle and Silt, as well as Alpenglow Books & Gifts in Glenwood Springs, where they recently read “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” by Alix E. Harrow, and are currently reading “My Friends” by Frederik Backman for the month of September. 

Those interested can find Alpenglow’s book club dates are at alpenglowbooks.com/events. Garfield County Libraries book clubs can be found at gcpld.org/events/.