tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post115345198744696393..comments2023-08-20T01:16:36.709-07:00Comments on Decompose: Absent Without ReadingMike Duranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02223354088258809968noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1154191044858817522006-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:002006-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00Mike, I noticed the trend in Christian SFF to incl...Mike, I noticed the trend in Christian SFF to include women, too. It still has more men readers than most, I think. In our latest CSFF blog tour, we had a 2 to 1 ratio, women to men, among participants.<BR/><BR/>I suspect the causes are complex, but I can't help but think the publishing industry has nearly given up on male fiction readers. It's a troubling trend, I think. Fiction is a primary way we pass on our mores. So where are men learning what is societially appropriate?<BR/><BR/>BeckyRebecca LuElla Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06823550402103559922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153902290327049112006-07-26T01:24:00.000-07:002006-07-26T01:24:00.000-07:00My pastor occasionally says, when he's "guessing" ...My pastor occasionally says, when he's "guessing" at how something might have been yet there is nothing to support it, and he always states such ... he will say, "You can't prove that I'm right; but you can't prove that I'm wrong, either!"<BR/><BR/>You know ... women think they want to be men ... but then they want men to be real men ... then they complain when men are real men ... then they complain when they aren't "sensitive," ... really ... women simply can't find anything to make them happy ... especially when trying to make a man into their happiness ... lots of sad and lonely women still trying to make men what they want them to be and it's not working ... goes back to the basics ... happiness is only found in God ... not in forcing a man to become her "gimme" god - her be all to end all - will only happen in her warped fantasies ... never in reality.Amehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14358641966141610513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153771297272432362006-07-24T13:01:00.000-07:002006-07-24T13:01:00.000-07:00Hi Mike,I just discovered your blog because of the...Hi Mike,<BR/><BR/>I just discovered your blog because of the interview did with Jared from Thinklings....I like your blog and especially this entry. I think you hit a nail on the head in your last paragraph. I think there are many reasons that Men don't step to to the plate in leadership, but I think one is that, to generalize, is due the the feminization of society. I'm not putting woman down, I just think as a society, women & girls have been highlighted and men and boys have not....sometimes it is extreme. Men have a role in this as well as the have "let" it happen. <BR/><BR/>Just of the other day I was watching a little documentary called the "The Trouble with Boys." It was about how education is failing boys. There has been some popluar writers who have resonated with men, Robert Bly, and John Eldridge and I would say there is a reason for this. On a general level men/boys are not valued for their masculinity. Feminity is put on a pedestal and masculinity is somewhat seen as bad or negative. <BR/><BR/>I have a lot to say on this, but must get back to work. I will be adding you to Bloglines account.Jeremiah's Househttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794851177961398653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153619423381131082006-07-22T18:50:00.000-07:002006-07-22T18:50:00.000-07:00Hey Mike, I've often wondered the same thing about...Hey Mike, I've often wondered the same thing about guys. My husband reads, but mostly non-fiction. He will very occassionally read fiction. <BR/>Oh, I second Mir-I'll give up a Wendesday for you on Speculative Faith.Carol Colletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18324367772629822015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153516142742707932006-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:002006-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:00If you ever have a post idea that's very specific ...If you ever have a post idea that's very specific to christian SF, we have made it part of our mission to allow guest voices. :)<BR/><BR/>I'm hoping Elliot from Claw of the Conciliator will one day guest blog. I'd step aside on one of my Fridays for that guy. And if you ever have a killer one you think is right for SF, let us know, babes.<BR/><BR/>Did you behold the amazing loveliness that is now Mirathon? Yeah!<BR/><BR/>MirMirtikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04668769199544406582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153512182128037502006-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:002006-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comments, girls! Jeanne, I think yo...Thanks for the comments, girls! Jeanne, I think your observation about gender roles used to be <I>more</I> true. With so many women working outside the home nowadays, having time to read still seems like a big challenge. <BR/><BR/>Katie, I agree with you about Faith in Fiction. In writing this post, I checked through their members list. It's definitely NOT as disproportionate as most, but still lady-leaning. I don't know if the answer's as simple as that it's hosted by a man, though. Perhaps it's because Dave tends to be rather cebebral in his posts...<BR/><BR/>Mir, I really hope your new site does well. Maybe as I delve into spec-fic more, you might consider adding another male. Blessings all!Mike Duranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02223354088258809968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153498588439985432006-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:002006-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00My husband read his first novel in...well, I can't...My husband read his first novel in...well, I can't remember the last time I saw him read a novel. Maybe when we were newlyweds in the early 80's.<BR/><BR/>I had been carping on how he'd play video games, play role playing games, and that while he'd get story in those venues, he didn't read fiction. Yes, non-fiction, stuff for work, stuff for self-edification, theological stuff for Bible study, but not FICTION. As his wife is trying to be a "viable" writer, this irked. <BR/><BR/>So, he read a novel and he enjoyed it. And he's read a few short stories. He's not ebullient about it, but he's read some. :)<BR/><BR/>My brother reads Field and Stream and other fishing magazines. Occasionally the paper. Sometimes an article in National Geographic. That's it.<BR/><BR/>My BILs: One I've never seen reading. The other reads in secret, far as I can tell.<BR/><BR/>But the women in my family usually have a book nearby, whether to read to the kids, read with the kids, or a romance novel or bestseller that caught the eye.<BR/><BR/>I own a few thousand books. I make up for the boys in the family, I guess. :)<BR/><BR/>Hey, thanks for linking to Speculative Faith. We are trying to make it a good hangout on the blogosphere. :)<BR/><BR/>MirAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153497135711747112006-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:002006-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:00An addition reason females dominate ACFW is that n...An addition reason females dominate ACFW is that not so long ago it was ACRW - and if few men read fiction, even fewer read (and write) romance.<BR/><BR/>The Faith in Fiction community seems to have a healthy percentage of guys - perhaps because it's headed up by a guy?Katie Hart - Pinterest Managerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14892763965326103296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752420.post-1153490001127411072006-07-21T06:53:00.000-07:002006-07-21T06:53:00.000-07:00To give men a bit of a break, I think society push...To give men a bit of a break, I think society pushes them toward a) sports, and b) being providers. Neither are bad things (especially b--why do you think women have so much time to read?), but both pursuits deplete a man's discretionary time. <BR/><BR/>My husband is a big reader, but he mostly prefers nonfiction: biographies, history, theology, and truckloads of scientific journals. He does have his favorite novelists, but they're a throw back to his English minor in college (e.g., Chaim Potok, Joseph Conrad, Hemingway, Herman Melville, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), not contemporary authors. He reads the occasional current novel when one of our adult kids or I recommend them. <BR/><BR/>TV is a major culprit for both sexes. The Victorian woman in your first photo would most likely be watching Oprah if she were alive today. Men weary from a long day's work often just want to veg in front of the tube, not stir their emotions or stimulate their imaginations. <BR/><BR/>I take comfort in knowing that literacy is still alive and well in the upcoming generation. My college-aged son and his friends are voracious fiction readers, and not just material of the required variety. Even so, the facts remain. Men don't read as much fiction as women. <BR/><BR/>Maybe when your books hit the shelves they'll cause a mass revival of muscular readership, Mike. One can hope, eh? :)Jeanne Damoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03367259764815174547noreply@blogger.com