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Summer Reading List

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21–30 of 283 posts

Re: Summer Reading List

#21

Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.

I read 2-10 books a week, depending on what else is going on in my life.

Conditions allowing that:

- I nearly always read on my phone.

- I can read on my commute.

- I read before going to sleep.

- I read quickly.

Re: Summer Reading List

#22

Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.

I have read 4-6/month basically consistently for the past 3 years - I don't believe in audiobooks because you don't retain the same amount of information as you do from read words. I live in NYC and read about 2 hours a day

> you don't retain the same amount of information as you do from read words

I think I'm the opposite. When I was in school I was able to learn things much faster by attending the lecture compared to reading on my own.

Re: Summer Reading List

#23
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was the same way until I realized reading fiction before bed helps me sleep better. Turns off the mental to do list. Now I'm at 3/month fiction. For non-fiction, I need to be stuck on a plane or have a clear weekend morning.

I regret starting the routine of reading before bed. I think I've conditioned myself to sleep anytime I read something more than a couple of paragraphs long.

For me (not parent) I only nod off if it's fiction and I'm laying down.

Re: Summer Reading List

#24
I haven't read Behave by Robert Sapolsky, but I did read 'A Primate's Memoir' a while back and it was fantastic. A memoir of his time in Africa studying baboons, well written and entertaining. One of those books that I was sad to finish. You can learn a lot about human behavior and society by studying baboons.

Two books I've read this summer that would fit on this list are This will make you smarter from edge.org, and Waking Up by Sam Harris. The first is a collection of the essays from edge.org about what everyone should have in their cognitive toolkit [1]. Consider it a list of a) the many ways one can go wrong when trying to think scientifically, and b) some of the many concepts to consider when trying to solve a problem or understand something. Waking Up was good from the point of view of understanding the science behind 'the self' and meditation. I've started meditating because of this book, and it's a useful guide for avoiding the, shall I say, less rational aspects that are out there.

[1] https://www.edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would...

Re: Summer Reading List

#25
post #21

Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.

I read 2-10 books a week, depending on what else is going on in my life. Conditions allowing that: - I nearly always read on my phone. - I can read on my commute. - I read before going to sleep. - I read quickly.

How long is your commute?

Re: Summer Reading List

#26
post #21

Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.

I read 2-10 books a week, depending on what else is going on in my life. Conditions allowing that: - I nearly always read on my phone. - I can read on my commute. - I read before going to sleep. - I read quickly.

My dad reads about the same level as you do. My wife reads about the same speed as she speaks. I am probably half the speed as my father at my peak. I have found out that my dad really isn't a details person. Sadly I am more of a global view first then details and I have to process stuff into that global view all the time. Being a Theological student in grad school I would have about 2,000 to 12,000 pages of reading per class. UGH took me forever to learn how to up my speed and my retention.

Re: Summer Reading List

#29
post #9

Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.

Audiobooks are a great way to increase your book intake considerably. "Reading" while washing dishes, other house chores and commuting can easily get you through 2-3 extra books a month (depending on the length of the commute :)

This, so much this. I don't mind a day full of chores or yardwork if I've got a good book to listen to.

Especially when you realize that you can listen to a lot of books at 1.5x - 2x speed, with very little loss of comprehension.

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