Book Review: Rapp is on Tap in “Double Tap” by Don Bentley

By Jon Brooks

“REMEMBER. REMEMBER AND TAKE OUR REVENGE...”

The latest Mitch Rapp thriller “Double Tap” is here and I just finished my advance reader copy of the book (received as part of this year’s Mitch Rapp Ambassador program).  

When you think about the literary universe that the late Vince Flynn created in his novels, you think about all the great characters who have surrounded “tip of the spear” operator Rapp during his missions. 

I’ll talk more about the cast in a bit, but let’s talk about the setup for this novel. 

“Double Tap” is the 25th book in Flynn’s series. Flynn died in 2013. Kyle Mills took over after his death and wrote nine books in the series. Don Bentley took the reins in 2024 — “Double Tap” is the third Rapp novel he has penned. 

This time out fans are treated to another prequel story set a short time after the events in 2025’s “Denied Access” (read my review). 

Bentley’s debut novel in the Rapp series was 2024’s “Capture or Kill,” a novel that saw Rapp hunting down Osama bin Laden — a real-life event that hadn’t been tackled before in the series (read my review). 

Last year’s “Denied Access” concluded a Mitch Rapp-origin trilogy that began with the 2010 novel “American Assassin.” 

Prior to taking over of the Rapp series, Bentley published four novels in his Matt Drake series (read my review of “Without Sanction”) and four novels in the Jack Ryan, Jr. series for the Tom Clancy estate. 

In “Double Tap,” Bentley shines a spotlight on weapons of mass destruction and the decades-long conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighboring nations. The story takes place in the late 1990s, in the period between the first Gulf War and 9/11. 

It is certainly a timely geopolitical topic as the United States is set to observe the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. 

“BORDERS MIGHT COME AND GO JUST AS KINGS AND EMPIRES ROSE AND FELL...”

“Double Tap” finds Rapp, Stan Hurley, Scott Coleman (who is still in the military), Irene Kennedy, and Thomas Stansfield moving game pieces across the board in an intelligence game that largely centers around two concurrent field operations. 

Rapp is working undercover tracking down a Pakistani chemical weapons scientist in Verona, Italy. Hurley is conducting a training mission in Doha, Qatar. Incidents during both missions influence the meat of the narrative that follows in the novel. 

Another subplot involving a smuggler named Ibrahim who moves goods and cash between Iraq and Syria also weaves its way into the events in “Double Tap.” 

The threat of WMDs in the Middle East is certainly fertile territory to explore in “Double Tap.” 

Bentley spent a decade in the Army as an Apache helicopter pilot. He served as a Troop Commander in Afghanistan and had first-hand experience with the ill-fated Operation Red Wings (the operation was documented in Marcus Luttrell’s book “Lone Survivor”). 

Bentley understands the theater of conflict and knows the machinery involved. Whether he is describing how “unsexy” a Beretta 21 A Bobcat pistol is, or talking about an Israeli Air Force F-15 Baz fighter plane (known as an Eagle in the United States), the details ring true. 

“SOMETIMES, THEIR BRAVADO TOOK THEIR TEAMMATES WITH THEM...”

Earlier in this review I mentioned “the great characters” who have surrounded Mitch Rapp in Flynn’s novels. There are a number of characters I have come to look forward to in these stories, and I know other fans have similar sentiments. 

One character in particular is special operations veteran Stan Hurley. Hurley trained Rapp. The “old cuss” has formed a special bond with our hero. Since this novel takes place during Rapp’s “formative years” as an operator, Hurley plays a significant role “Double Tap.” 

The chain-smoking operative has been featured prominently in all three of Bentley’s Mitch Rapp novels. 

Honestly, I think giving Hurley his own novel might be worthwhile. He seems like he would be a fun character to write about. 

A hypothetical novel featuring the character could take readers back to the Cold War days when Hurley was a younger operator in the field. We saw glimpses of this side of Hurley in “Denied Access,” and it would be fun to see the character featured in depth. 

(I’m just spit-balling here, but maybe put him in Argentina during the Falklands War in 1982 — something unique like that.) 

I firmly believe that Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the character in the 2017 film adaptation of “American Assassin” (read my review) is part of the reason why the character continues to be popular with fans. Keaton was one of the film’s strongest assets, and his performance elevated the adaptation. He is a terrific actor and I’d like to see him play the character again.  

It was also nice read about Scott Coleman during his time as a special operator with SEAL Team Six in “Double Tap.” 

Later novels in the series feature the character working as an independent contractor. In those books he owns a private military company called SEAL Demolition and Salvage. 

Coleman — either in the past or in the present — would also be a worthwhile character to spin off into his own novel. We know he has the background and the skills to be more than Mitch Rapp’s combat-ready “side piece.” 

It might be fun to let an author explore some of these secondary characters on their own. Just sayin’… 

“THE COUNTDOWN TIMER REACHED ZERO...”  

I’ve had the opportunity to interact with Don Bentley during three of his book tour stops the past three years. He is a likable individual who has proven himself to be a solid writer. He has written a number of terrific books. I would encourage you to check them out. 

His upcoming tour stops for “Double Tap” include:

• Monday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m. CT – Once Upon a Crime, 604 W. 26 St., Minneapolis, MN
• Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. MST – Poisoned Pen, 4014 N. Goldwater #101, Scottsdale, AZ
• Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m. CT – Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX
• Thursday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. CT – Half Price Books, 5803 E. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX
• Saturday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m. ET – Half Price Books, 8211 Arbor Square D., Mason, OH

Bentley appeared a few months ago on the “Break It Down" podcast with Pete Turner. During their discussion, he talked about working on "Double Tap" for the Vince Flynn estate this past year. In addition, he also said he wrote two TV pilot scripts for his novel “Without Sanction,” has been writing a “standalone” novel, and has had the opportunity to work on a short story for Amazon (a result of his friendship with thriller writer Simon Gervais). 

(I apparently need to start a book podcast so I can ask Bentley about some of these projects!! 😉)

“Double Tap” continues Bentley’s line of high-caliber entries in the thriller genre and the Mitch Rapp series. 

I’m excited to see what’s on tap next for our hero… 

>> Order your copy of “Double Tap” here. 

To learn more about Don Bentley, visit his website at donbentleybooks.com, and to learn more about Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp novels, visit vinceflynn.com. 

>> If you enjoyed my review of “Double Tap,” consider following me on X/Twitter: @TheJonCrunch 

Related Posts on Vince Flynn, Don Bentley, Kyle Mills, and the Mitch Rapp Saga: 

> Book Review: Fan Wishes Granted in “Denied Access” by Don Bentley 

> Book Review: “Without Sanction” by Don Bentley 

> “American Assassin” Review: “It’s About the Mission, Not About You!”

> Honored to be Part of “Mitch Rapp Novel” Title Reveal! 

> Cool to be Part of the “What’s Your Story” Feature on VinceFlynn.com

> Thoughts on “The Survivor”... A Mitch Rapp Novel by Kyle Mills 

> Book Review: “Vince Flynn - Order to Kill” by Kyle Mills 

> Book Review: “Vince Flynn - Enemy of the State” by Kyle Mills 

> Contagious Thrills in “Vince Flynn - Lethal Agent” by Kyle Mills 

> Book Review: Sparks Fly in “Vince Flynn - Total Power” by Kyle Mills 

> Book Review: Things Change in “Enemy at the Gates” by Kyle Mills 

> Book Review: Take an “Oath of Loyalty” For Kyle Mills’s Latest Rapp Thriller 

> Bentley’s “Capture or Kill” Gives Flynn’s Rapp Series a Shot of Retro Adrenaline

> Book Review: A Unique Protagonist and Snark Highlight Kyle Mills’ Thriller “Fade”  

> Book Review: Heroes Come Alive in “Fade In” by Kyle Mills 

Previous post: Movie Review: “The End of Oak Street” 

Movie Review: “The End of Oak Street”

By Jon Brooks 

You loved “Jurassic Park”… you enjoyed “Jurassic World”… now get ready to experience “Jurassic Neighborhood”…!

“The End of Oak Street” is the latest sci-fi thriller centered around dinosaurs to hit the big screen. 

I watched this movie yesterday at the theater and have been chewing on it ever since. It is either a brilliant new take on the “man vs. dinosaur” sub-genre, or it is a heaping pile of dino-poop. 

I can’t decide which. 

My nine-year-old nephew (who was at the same matinee) said it is “better” than “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (read my review). Keep in mind, the kid is a dinosaur lover (and he didn’t think “Brand New Day” had enough action). 

But if the post-movie reaction from our group is any indication, feelings about this one will be all over the place. 

“The End of Oak Street” stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. It was written and directed by David Robert Mitchell (who wrote and directed the 2014 horror film “It Follows”) and is produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. 

The entirety of the film is set in 1982 in a neighborhood in Flowervale, Michigan (a fictional suburb of Detroit). 

David Robert Mitchell is a Michigan native. He was born in 1974. On the surface, this would seem to be a “nostalgia play” for the filmmaker. “Stranger Things” fans like myself are very aware that sci-fi thrillers set in the 1980s have proven themselves popular in recent years. 

I turned 10 in 1982, so my initial curiosity regarding “The End of Oak Street” was piqued by the setting. 

The film follows the Platt family as they are living life in Flowervale. It is late summer as the movie begins. Greg Platt (McGregor) and his wife Denise (Hathaway) are having a difficult time as a couple. Greg has had a tough time keeping a job (and is seen delivering pizza as a side gig in the movie). Denise is secretly writing a novel (and pondering divorce). 

The couple’s teenage children Audry (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) are both coping with the tension between their parents and the standard assortment of issues facing teens in these types of scripted dramas (bullying, crushes, a desire to go to your dream college, etc.)  

Much of the exposition about the characters plays out during a block party in the early stages of the movie. 

When a neighbor (Anne Gee Byrd) — who is proofreading Denise’s novel — asks Denise for help identifying a mysterious plant that has suddenly appeared in her backyard, the main plot is set into motion. 

After looking at a Polaroid photo of the plant, a local librarian (Emily Kuroda) tells Denise that this particular plant has been extinct for millions of years.

(It seemed odd to me that the librarian had a vast repository of jurassic-era plants on tap in her brain. It would have been more credible if the two had discovered it together by doing research, or something like that, but I digress…) 

In addition to the extinct plant, the Platt’s next door neighbor finds a large pile of animal feces in his yard. 

Then, our protagonists experience a peculiar “storm” that causes the power to go out in the neighborhood (along with the water no longer working). Greg and Denise search the neighborhood for the family’s missing dog Starbuck and soon learn that the entire area is surrounded by a jungle-like environment. 

Before they know it, the residential enclave is under siege by long-extinct dinosaurs. 

That’s the setup. The movie chugs along from there as our protagonists try to find a way out. 

“The End of Oak Street” has its exciting moments, but I’m not sure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There is only so much you can do with this type of movie as it regards nuance and characterization, but those aspects fell flat for me. 

I didn’t buy McGregor and Hathaway as a married couple. I didn’t buy those kids as their kids. Again, that isn’t really the point of a movie like this, but the familial aspects of the movie didn’t work for me. 

There was also a subplot about a neighbor girl named Jeanette (Jordan Alexa Davis) that felt unnecessary. I do wonder if additional character points were filmed for this movie, but ultimately left on the cutting-room floor in favor of a faster pace. It sure felt that way at times. 

There were also certain techniques in the movie that felt too “film school-ish” for me. 

For example, there is one particular sequence in the film where the Platt family is sitting in their living room talking to each other as the neighborhood is falling apart. 

The director uses a “split focus” technique during that scene. You can see the technique on display in this frame from the movie: 

It immediately brought to mind “The Chicago Way” scene in Brian De Palma’s 1987 movie “The Untouchables”. When De Palma used this technique, it helped illustrate Ness’s moral turmoil about the path Malone was suggesting, using very few words: 

In “The End of Oak Street” I felt like the technique was merely used because it “looked” cool. 

(I know it’s a minor quibble, but it immediately reminded me of Mr. Krainak’s “Film Theory & Criticism” class at UNO in 1996. We analyzed the implementation of framing and shot selection to create emotional resonance in a film.)

It is apparent that David Robert Mitchell is a talented director and screenwriter. I’d be curious to see what he would do with a bigger movie. He squeezes a lot out of this movie’s $85 million budget. 

At this point you’re probably wondering what my final verdict is for “The End of Oak Street”… 

The film moves along at a steady pace and there are some suspenseful sequences. Overall, it is an entertaining watch. 

It tries desperately to capture the retro magic of recent films like “Super 8” and films of the era like “Poltergeist,” but things didn’t click. (And don’t even get me started on the movie’s ending.)

In the end, “The End of Oak Street” didn’t quite work for me. 

(But my nephew loved it…)

Rated PG-13, Runtime: 1 hr, 40 min 

P.S. While this is a PG-13 film, there was an awkward “mating” scene in the movie if you decide to take the little ones… 

>> If you enjoyed my review of “The End of Oak Street,” consider following me on X/Twitter: @TheJonCrunch 

Related blog posts: 

> Movie Review: “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” 

> “Stranger Things” Season 1 Box Set Brings the Old School Cool 

> Review: “Stranger Things 2” Retro-Styled Box Set (4K Blu-ray + Blu-ray)

> “Stranger Things” Season 3 “Starcourt Mall” Teaser Hints at Possible Releasee Date… My Thoughts 

> Latest Trailer for “Stranger Things” Season 3 Looks Good, Right? 

Previous post: “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Jumps the Muppet

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Jumps the Muppet

By Jon Brooks

I haven’t watched the Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” since the show’s second season in 2023. 

During that season, the series featured a musical episode titled “Subspace Rhapsody” (where a subspace fold causes the crew to sing their emotions). 

I thought it was fun at the time. I remember reading years ago that a producer was actually considering creating a “Star Trek” Broadway musical (I might’ve read that in Entertainment Weekly). 

The folks behind “Strange New Worlds” have just launched another “novelty episode” of the space series. 

I had to check it out (even though I was skipping ahead from where I left off). 

The episode is titled “Level-Five Transporter Accident,” and a mechanical issue with the Enterprise’s transporter system turns the crew into Muppets (while Mr. Scott is doing some convoluted-sounding experiment to expand long-range transportation). 

All of them were transformed into puppets except for Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck), who was piloting a shuttlecraft at the time. 

And yes, the puppets are essentially Muppets. The fuzzy puppets were created (and puppeteered) by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. 

This episode of SNW has created a firestorm of debate among “Star Trek” fans online (some the posts made me miss the days when the biggest debate fans had was whether or not they should be referred to as “Trekkies” or “Trekkers”). 

Modern “Star Trek” (content that has been released since J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” movie) has elicited considerable debate among stalwart fans online. 

There has been a considerable amount of discussion about how the franchise has strayed from the original vision creator Gene Roddenberry had in the 1960s. 

Some fans think that the current showrunners aren’t taking the franchise seriously anymore. 

Anson Mount (who plays Pike on the series) told SYFY Wire, “The puppet thing just existed out there as a joke. Every season would be ‘The puppet episode, right?’” 

As you might imagine, the “puppet episode” has quickly become the “poster child” for fans’ perceived shortcomings with modern “Star Trek.” 

I mentioned earlier in this post that I enjoyed the musical episode in season 2 of SNW. Sure, it was silly, but it was executed well and I thought it was fun. 

I was hopeful the puppet-based “Level-Five Transporter Accident” episode would work in a similar fashion. 

At times, modern “Star Trek” properties have been pretty dreary in nature (see “Star Trek: Discovery” as an example). So I don’t mind these moments of levity. 

Unfortunately, this episode sort of felt flat for me. 

Sure, it was cute to see the crew as puppets, but the novelty wore off pretty quickly. 

You could tell that the writers didn’t know what to do with the gimmick. Moreover, they wrapped up the episode with the “laziest” solution to the problem, ever. 

Considering the work it took to create the puppets and configure the sets to accommodate them, it is a shame they didn’t have a good story to tie it all together. 

It could have been much, much better. 

While “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is no stranger to “jumping the shark,” jumping the Muppet wasn’t the creative flex they were hoping for. 

If you would like to check out the “Level-Five Transporter Accident” (S4, E5) for yourself, all episodes of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” are streaming on Paramount+. 

>> If you enjoyed this blog post, consider following me on X/Twitter for more content: @TheJonCrunch 

Related Blog Posts on “Star Trek”: 

> Quentin Tarantino’s Upcoming “Star Trek” Movie 

> As “Star Trek: Discovery” Debuts... I look at the “CBS All Access” Streaming Service 

> “Phasers Locked” 

> “Star Trek: Discovery” Review 

Previous post: Watching “Legally Blonde” Outside in Downtown Omaha

Watching “Legally Blonde” Outside in Downtown Omaha

By Jon Brooks 

I think it’s fun to watch movies outside. 

As video projectors have become more affordable for your average consumer, the idea of watching movies outside has lost some of its novelty for people. 

At least, that has been my impression. 

We used to do two “Dive-In Movie Nights” at our neighborhood pool during the summer. I was in charge of them for nearly a decade. Members used to enjoy them. Then, they started complaining about the movie selection (this isn’t the Sundance Film Festival, people!!).

Maybe it is because we live in a world where people can watch whatever movie they want, whenever they want. I dunno…

But I still think it’s fun. 

And apparently Omaha’s local arthouse cinema Film Streams thinks it’s fun, too. 

The theater is in the midst of its “Film Streams on the Green” series. The free outdoor screenings are being held this year from July 20 through Oct. 26 at Sonny’s in the Builders District in Downtown Omaha. 

Sonny’s is a seasonal outdoor bar with two locations in Omaha. 

The Aksarben Village location has been open since 2022 and we have attended a number of events there. The Builders District location opened on June 12, 2026, and is located at 724 N. 16th Street. 

The “Builders District” is the moniker given to the properties being redeveloped in the northern section of downtown between the Charles Schwab Field and Creighton University. The area is anchored by the Kiewit Headquarters and the company’s Innovation and Training building. 

It had been a bit since I had explored that area in downtown Omaha. Film Streams’ screening of “Legally Blonde” at Sonny’s gave me an opportunity to see the progress. 

The screening started at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17. It was in the low 80s (and the humidity was pleasant) when we arrived at the site and found our parking spot along 16th Street. 

“Legally Blonde” is Bridget’s favorite movie. 

When the movie was released in 2001, we saw it seven times in the theater. Bridget was “test shopping” a new AMC MovieWatcher membership (for a theatrical research company) that allowed you to see unlimited movies for a monthly fee. I purchased a membership as well, and we definitely put it to the test with “Legally Blonde” that summer. 

Film Streams had an information table set up near Sonny’s entrance. They had bags of theater popcorn set up on a table for attendees to snack on. 

There are tables and chairs set up under the pergola for patrons. We set up camp there because we were planning to get dinner from the Alley Taco 402 food truck that was on hand for the evening. 

In addition, there were a limited number of “low slung” seats set up on the lawn in front of the screen for attendees. There was ample space on the lawn for people bringing blankets and lawn chairs. 

I had a steak taco and Bridget had a cheese quesadilla from the food truck. (Bridget definitely got the better deal — I should have known that a $3.50 taco was a street taco, but it didn’t dawn on me at the time.) Both items were tasty and they were a nice snack to have before the movie started. 

In addition to the food, we purchased drinks from Sonny’s bar. The downtown Sonny’s features a bar built out of a retro camper (the Aksarben location features a bar built out of an old Airstream). I’d imagine this will become a popular spot during the College World Series. 

We both had Sonny’s Limeade mocktails ($7 each). Mine had mango and Bridget’s had blueberry. We had a second round later in the evening. 

There is a permanent LED wall that was used to show the movie. Before the movie, the screen was showing information about Sonny’s and the upcoming movie screenings. I would imagine they'll also have things like Husker Football games on there this fall. 

There are fixed restrooms on the property for attendees. (That was one of my first questions before we went down there.) Two of the restrooms are in a permanent shipping container (very nice) and two additional restrooms are in a trailer. 

Film Streams had a pre-movie contest tied to “Legally Blonde” trivia (done via phone) and offered some information on the theater and future screenings. 

Film Streams features two locations in Omaha — its original location in downtown (Ruth Sokolof Theater) and its second location in Dundee. Oddly enough, the only movie we’ve seen at Film Streams was the terrific documentary “Page One: Inside the New York Times” (back in 2012). 

I’m not sure why we haven’t been back (we saw several things at the old Dundee Theater back in the day). 

It was a lot of fun to watch “Legally Blonde” with a group of enthusiastic fans. It had been 25 years since we’d watched the movie with other attendees, and it was neat to experience that again. 

It also turned out to be a mild evening. It was a good night to watch a movie outdoors. Omaha’s weather lately has been “humidity soup,” so it was nice that it didn’t feel like a swamp. 

As I mentioned earlier, “Film Streams on the Green” runs through Oct. 26. If you get a chance, check it out. It is a fun way to spend an evening and an opportunity to get to experience some of the new developments going on in Downtown Omaha. 

>> If you enjoyed this blog post, consider following me on X/Twitter for more great content: @TheJonCrunch

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Previous post: Say Goodbye to a Popular Book Format

Say Goodbye to a Popular Book Format

By Jon Brooks 

I had a hard time figuring out how to start this blog post. 

I wanted to start out with some clever turn-of-phrase that would yet again lament the “death” of something that has become one of life’s constants. 

For those of us who are “nostalgia buffs,” the mass market paperback recently became another media format that is going the way of the dodo. 

I know what’s going to happen here… 

People are already saying, “What the heck is a mass market paperback, Jon?” 

I’m going to explain, and talk about why the discontinuation of the format (which happened at the end of 2025) is kind of a big deal for the publishing industry. 

The mass market paperback format (first introduced by Pocket Books in the late 1930s) became synonymous with “paperback books” for more than 80 years. 

According to Publisher’s Weekly, “mass market unit sales plunged from 131 million in 2004 to 21 million in 2024.”

The size of these books (typically measuring 4.25 inches x 6.8 inches) featured smaller print (similar to the font size found in newspapers) and a cheaper paper stock (than that found in hardcovers). 

They were also much less expensive than their hardcover counterparts. As such, mass market paperbacks became the top selling book format for decades. 

Mass market paperbacks have been credited with democratizing reading. In addition to the their reasonable price, you could also find these books in places like grocery stores, discount stores, and gas stations. 

I took a chance on a number of writers while browsing newsstands at grocery stores. 

One such author was western scribe Louis L’Amour. 

I picked up one of L’Amour’s novels when Bridget and I were shopping for Fourth of July snacks one summer back in the 1990s. He quickly became one of my favorite writers. 

From a construction standpoint, mass market paperbacks never held up particularly well.  

The binding would crease and crack. The cardstock cover and pages would become “dog-eared” pretty easily. The pages yellowed in no time flat. 

But those books were accessible. They were smaller in size (originally designed to fit in your pocket) which made them easier to tote around in a purse or a backpack. 

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is so enamored with the format (having been an avid reader in his youth) that he released the 2021 novelization of his movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (read my review) as a mass market paperback. 

This is where some smarty pants says, “I was just at a bookstore last week and saw all kinds of paperbacks. Why are you even talking about this?” 

To be sure, the “trade paperback” format is alive and well (and has been steadily supplanting the mass market paperback format over the past 20 years). 

Trade paperbacks are bigger in size than mass market paperbacks (generally 6 inches x 9 inches). 

This photo will give you an idea of the size difference, relatively speaking. The book on the left is the mass market paperback. The book on the right is the trade paperback: 

(At this point, Bridget is wondering why I own both the mass market AND trade paperback editions of Brad Thor’s Blowback…)

Trade paperbacks often feature a better paper stock and a bigger print size (similar to the hardcover editions). 

They are also pricier. Trade paperbacks currently sell for ~$20 or more, compared to a ~$10 price tag for a mass market paperback.

Digital options the past two decades (such as Amazon’s Kindle format) have contributed to the erosion of both hardcover and paperback sales. 

But an overall decline in daily reading has also had a stifling effect on the entire industry. According to recent research, daily reading has declined 40 percent the past two decades. 

Author John Grishman was lamenting this fact in a recent BBC interview with journalist Katty Kay: 

Grisham suggests that the popularity of streaming TV shows is one contributing factor. He says we talk about popular TV shows more than books. 

“We don’t read as much as we used to,” admits Grisham, regarding his household’s reading habits. “If we have an hour or two at night, we’re probably going to watch a TV show that we’re hooked on.” 

“I sold twice as many books before the Internet,” he says. “People were reading more. There were many more bookstores — 3000 more bookstores — in the U.S. before the Internet.” 

We’re obviously not going to be putting the Internet in a bottle anytime soon. 

We’re all guilty of scrolling social media when we could be doing something more intellectually stimulating, like reading a book. 

I’ll admit, it has become harder for me to concentrate on long-form content (like a novel) the past few years. 

It brings into question how you get the next generation interested in books when what they interact with on their phones and tablets seems far more immediate and stimulating to their developing brains. 

Maybe there is a solution. Then again, maybe there isn’t. 

Some thought the solution would be digital books. 

I’ve purchased and read a handful of novels on my iPad over the years. I’ve just had a hard time getting into “e-books” in the same why I have “physical” books.  

One of the things I’ve found irritating about digital books is when a publisher “updates” one of the books I have in my iPad library. 

Sometimes the update brings new cover art (which sucks if I preferred the older cover art). Other times the changes are much less “apparent.” 

For me, seeing books updated like they are an “app” sort of sucks the joy out of the reading experience. 

It sort of goes something like this:  

Friend: “Hey Jon, have you ever read ‘Lord of the Flies?’” 

Me: “I have. As a matter of fact, I just downloaded version 3.7.1 of the book on my iPad last night.” 

The fundamental issue with e-books is the fact that it requires you have a digital device to read the books on. Some screens are more conducive to the experience than others. You’ll also need an Internet connection available to download books. 

You generally have to set up an account “somewhere” to get books — with either a paid or a free distribution service. 

There might be some troubleshooting involved in the process, depending on the device and the software used. 

While jumping through those hoops might seem ubiquitous in today’s society (“That’s just life in the 21st century, Jon!”), it takes away from the “analog experience” that makes reading a book such a pure endeavor. 

And let’s face it, there are a million things that seem far more interesting and immediate to do on a phone or a tablet than reading a book. 

In addition, the serendipitous experience of a book jacket catching your eye as you wander through a store (or browse the shelves at your local library branch) is essentially lost. 

The ability to pick up a book, flip through the pages, and see if it is something you’d enjoy is boiled down to an excerpt and a synopsis on a website. 

Maybe the algorithm will let you discover it; maybe it won’t. 

This doesn’t even begin to tackle the fact that the way I’ve discovered a number of new books and authors has been friends and family members loaning or gifting me copies of books they’ve enjoyed. 

All of this might seem like I’m howling at the moon, but something is obviously lost when the most accessible book formats of the past century is ushered away. Can the other print formats be far behind?

I want more people to read. 

The process of turning symbols on a page into a visual picture stimulates the mind, develops cognitive abilities, enhances critical thinking, and cultivates creativity.

The world needs more of that... 

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