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Hi Friends,
It’s book prep summer, which means that I am full steam ahead getting ready for the release of Hollow Bones. I’ve been talking to podcasters and book influencers, inviting conversation partners for different venues, and watching all of you buy tickets to my events – which stunned and humbled me. I know that right now, a lot of families are tightening their belts. In times like these, seeing people buy a ticket for a hardcover book and a night at one of my tour stops truly overwhelms me. When I say I have the best readers on this planet, I mean it.
Because Hollow Bones is my thirtieth novel, we want to – well – have a party. We’re calling this "The Chapters Tour” – celebrating not just my newest release but all the titles that came before it, in the same festive spirit as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. It feels like a milestone because it is one. I’ve spent a lifetime building up a body of work and amassing readers. I’m proud of my novels and humbled by the lives they’ve touched and the conversations they inspired. But I would never have reached this point without all of you. That’s why, on this epic tour, there will be surprises and games and gifts and branded merch (that’s right, I’m going full rock-star!)
(Special note to my UK and Irish readers: I’m coming your way the first week in November!! Details and ticket links below!!)
But I also know that many of you can’t get to a tour event, or live in an area where the tour isn’t passing through. And I don’t want you to feel left out – so – there’s a surprise for you too. For the first time ever in my career, we are offering an exclusive preorder giveaway. If you preorder Hollow Bones at my local bookstore, you will be sent a personalized, signed copy with a gorgeous art overlay. Details here.
The Chapters Tour is meant to celebrate reading, and readers – and there isn’t a better time to do so. Maybe you saw The Atlantic story, about how America has become a post-literate society? What does that even mean – and why should it worry you? A post literate society is one that knows how to read… but chooses not to. The article shared some terrifying statistics:
- 51% of adults read 0 books a year. Yeah, you read that right. ZERO BOOKS.
- Reading for fun is getting more rare. Americans who read for pleasure on any given day fell from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023.
- Everyone is reading less: whether you classify by age, education level, or gender, all groups saw declines. Even the demographics that once were considered strong readers —retirees, women, and college graduates—have seen a decline.
- We’re dumbing down books. The sentences in today’s New York Times best sellers are one-third shorter than they were a hundred years ago.
- Kids are struggling to read: Fourth-and-eighth-grade reading scores have slid for the past decade. Roughly a third of 13-year-olds said they rarely or never read for fun.
Once, illiteracy was the biggest reading issue faced in this country. People didn't have the education necessary to read books. But today even though people can read, they don't. They scroll. They consume memes and social media posts. That kind of “reading” changes people. They lose the ability to think critically, to focus, and to see issues through multiple perspectives. They live in echo chambers instead of engaging in conversations. I bet you don’t have to look too far to see evidence of that.
It’s summertime. It’s the season of paperbacks jammed into a beach bag, of settling down with a great novel and a glass of rosé. I still fondly remember those summer reading programs at the library where I got a sticker for each book I read. Summer was when I shaped my love of reading for pleasure – and it’s never too late to rekindle that. So go to the library or bookstore today, and find a book you can’t wait to dive into. Me? I’m about to dive into a galley of Rachel Gillig’s The Knave and the Moon. It’s a beautiful day to be reading.
XO,
Jodi
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