Why do people in the UK read so much, and is Russia really the most reading country in the world? We compare reading culture, books, and bookstores in Russia and Britain.

When I moved to the UK, I was surprised by the number of bookstores. In London, people read on the subway, buses, and cafes. Books are sold in charity shops for £1–2, there are bookstores in museums, and a trip to Waterstones easily ends with buying a book you never intended to buy.

Yet, we were taught from childhood to have a completely different attitude toward literature: Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, mandatory summer reading lists, and War and Peace, which you had to master rather than love.

In this video, together with writer Lena Timokhina, we explore the differences in reading culture in Russia and the UK, and where the myth of the "most reading nation" came from.

Why did people in the USSR get books and recycle them for Dumas and Conan Doyle? Why do Brits calmly sell finished books next to old sweaters? Why do Londoners read on the tube? How does Waterstones turn books into impulse buys? And why do they prioritize teaching British children to read for pleasure, rather than to develop a love for the classics?

We'll also discuss children's literature: from Roald Dahl and Matilda to books, comics, and stories that children choose for themselves.

In this issue:
— Where did the idea that Russia is the most reading country come from?
— Why were books scarce and a status symbol in the USSR?
— How the British attitude toward books differs from ours;
— Why do Brits read so much on the London tube?
— How Waterstones and British bookstores work;
— Why books in Britain have become a common impulse buy;
— What's happening with bookstores and marketplaces in Russia;
— How are British schools teaching children to read?
— why British children's literature can be so mischievous;
— and what's more important for a love of reading: respecting books or simply enjoying them.

📚 Lena Timokhina's free book club:
https://forms.yandex.ru/u/6a82e5a590f...]

🎭 "Birch Tears" — Lena's literary stand-up in London:
https://fienta.com/elena-timokhina-li...

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My masterclass "Personal Brand on YouTube":
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📲 My Telegram channel:
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🇬🇧 Tours and travel in the UK:
https://sundaycultureclub.short.gy/fM...

▶️ Why the British are considered insincere:
Почему британцы говорят не то, что думают

▶️The Sugar Coating Phenomenon: Why the British Don't Like Criticism
Почему британцы ВРУТ и считают это вежливо...

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Is Russia the most well-read country in the world?
01:14 Why did people read so much in the USSR?
02:02 Books, shortages, and waste paper in the Soviet Union
03:25 Why the British treat books differently
04:04 The best bookstores in London
04:55 What the British actually read
06:28 How much do people read in the UK?
06:50 Why the British read on the London Underground
07:31 A book as a way to avoid conversations on the underground
08:30 How Waterstones makes you buy books
10:05 Free book club in London
10:42 What's happening to bookstores in Russia
11:23 How British children are taught to love reading
12:46 Reading for pleasure and World Book Day
13:00 Why are British children's books so naughty?
14:10 Books and restrictions in Russia
15:08 National Year of Reading in the UK
15:27 "Birch Tears" - a literary Stand-up comedy in London
3:50 PM Why Russia was called the most reading country
4:09 PM What's the secret of British reading culture?

#UnitedKingdom #Books #BritishCulture