People used to read out loud for fun. Reading silently to oneself is a relatively new phenomenon, beginning as recently as the late 18th century. by yourbasicgeek Related: ARC/Beta Readers Question Halfway through DeLillo’s “Ratner’s Star” and it might be the funniest book I’ve ever read Which chapter is this quote from, in the King in Yellow? Has anyone here read “Outlander?” Would it be rude of me to swap out all the books in a public little library?