CHICAGO—  According to a new report from the American Library Association. The data also revealed younger Americans’ preference for physical versions of books – they read and buy twice as many print books per month than older generations. In fact, print books are Gen Z’s number one preferred book format, and both Gen Z and Millennials are consuming books: on average, they buy and read one ebook, one audiobook, and two print books per month. Gen Zers purchase and read more than Millennials in all formats, the survey revealed – and even more interestingly – the younger Gen Z’s are, the more print books they buy. Book sales following the pandemic set records, especially in young adult fiction, which increased 30.7 percent in 2021. Hook Research reported that YA fiction print sales have increased by 48.2% since 2018. The category experienced huge jumps in sales during the pandemic, growing by 24.7% in 2020 and 27.5% in 2021. Young readers cite eye strain, digital detoxing, and – again – their love of libraries as reasons for the shift to traditional book buying and reading habits that helped to skyrocket book sales in the US to a record of more than 843 million units in 2021, 789 million in 2022 and 767.36, in 2023, the three highest sales years in the last two decades.