I’ve always been a voracious reader and since childhood, carried a book with me everywhere in case I had a few minutes of downtime. To me, reading gave me glimpses into other worlds and allowed me to experience so many different cultures and people. I read a wide variety of books, from biographies to westerns to mysteries to romance. As a young adult when I started working in downtown Washington, D.C., I treasured my commute on public transportation as it allowed me more time to read.

As an author, I’m always curious as to what other people read—or don’t read, as the case might be. In fact, one of my go-to questions when I’m exhibiting my romantic suspense books at craft fairs or holiday festivals is “Do you like to read?” If they say yes, I follow up with “What do you like to read?”

I wish I could say I’ve been surprised by how many people answer the first question with “I don’t like to read” or “I don’t read books.” I always respond with “You’re breaking this local author’s heart,” which generally gets a laugh but it’s no laughing matter. But they’re not alone.

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According to a YouGov poll[1], barely half of all Americans indicated they’d read at least one book last year, with 85% of Americans reading 10 or fewer books in 2023. Not surprisingly, reading books has a strong link to education, with 44% of US adults without a college degree reading at least one book in 2023, compared with 73% of those with a college degree.

Interestingly, those Americans who did read were more likely to do so with a physical book. More than 40% of Americans read a print book last year, compared to 21% who read an ebook and 19% who listened to an audiobook. However, the heavier readers preferred ebooks over print or audiobooks.

Where do you fall on reading books? The YouGov poll gives us additional insights. If you read or listened to a single book in 2023, then you joined more than 46% of your fellow Americans. Those who read five books catapulted themselves ahead of two-thirds of US adults. Readers who consumed 10 books ranked in the 79th percentile, while Americans who finished 20 or more books read more than 88% of other US adults.

I fall into the 20 or more books per year category, reading both print and ebook, and listening to audiobooks as well. Today, I still read (and listen to) a wide variety of books in both nonfiction and fiction, Christian and secular, depending on what catches my fancy. Recent fiction titles include Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal, Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jamie Jo Wright, The Billionaire’s Wife by Elizabeth Maddrey and Hidden Sins by Edie James. On the nonfiction side, I finished listening to Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow.

How many books do you read each year?

[1] https://today.yougov.com/entertainment/articles/48239-54-percent-of-americans-read-a-book-this-year

Sarah Hamaker Biography

An award-winning author of inspirational romantic suspense, Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s an AWSA certified writer and speaker coach, and podcaster of “The Romantic Side of Suspense.” Sarah lives in Virginia with her husband, four children, a first-grader foster child and three cats.