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Ask HN: Are books worth it?

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Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#41

Post by shay_ker »

> I assume that the best part of the best books will surface in daily conversations, YouTube videos, CliffsNotes, podcasts, Reddit posts/comments, blog articles, etc.

I don't think this is true... while conversations may refer to certain sections or summarize certain things, topics of great depth require a lot of time. There's no substitute for reading the original source.

> One issue for me is that books are a very big time investment.

This is one of those "is this a feature or a bug?" situations. Reading for a long time slow you down on purpose. It's meant to create moments of critical thinking and inspiration. It's meant for you to sit down and truly think.

I do agree that, still, reading takes way too much time. I don't read a lot. I usually read on vacation/airplanes, or if I can't sleep at night. Because they take a long time, I'm also very picky about the books I _do_ end up reading. For learning things, though, I usually listen to podcasts or watch videos at 2x the speed.

And lastly.... have you tried reading fiction?

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#42

Post by tiniuclx »

samiur1204 wrote: post #29
tiniuclx wrote: post #19

I believe that the difference between sitting down and reading a book for an hour vs. browsing the internet is _exactly_ what makes books so valuable. You're right, books are a lot of effort. However, they teach something that internet articles & videos don't, and that is delayed gratification. In the digital age, everything is fighting for your attention and it is getting harder and harder to actually focus on anyth…

Can we be friends?

Sure :)

As a side-note, I think that mastering a musical instrument is a good thing to do for some of the same reasons: it teaches discipline and focus. I've found that playing the guitar is a good foil to programming because it engages a completely different part of my brain that hasn't been engaged during the working day, and it also lets the analytical part of me relax.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#44

Post by rlt »

(This doesn’t answer your question but feels related)

I have ADHD and find it incredibly difficult to read books.

I’ll often “read” the same pages over and over several times without actually comprehending them because after a few pages I realize I was looking at the words but thinking about something else. I also have trouble remembering to (or having the motivation to?) come back to books I’ve previously started.

I like online content because it’s easy to skim or switch to something else and not feel bad about it. I imagine over time this has made my ADHD even worse, but I’m not sure how to break the habit.

The 3-4 ADHD self-help books sitting unread on my shelf certainly haven’t helped :)

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#45

Post by sys_64738 »

Well-written books like K&R or the GO-Lang book by Google are much better than their online/kindle versions. The only problem with books is their weight.

Plus, reading a book on a tablet or reading a physical book - who looks smarter? :)

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#46

Post by nsomaru »

majos wrote: post #25
pubby wrote: post #11

I have noticed in the past 10 years online content has become very click-baited and regurgitated. Sites are designed to steal your attention with information coming as a secondary concern. Books, for the most part, avoid these issues. On average they are of higher-quality, contain more research, and are better for developing your focus. So read books! With that said, I also think people use the amount of books they r…

I agree on all points. I want to expand on two. > On average [books] are of higher-quality, contain more research, and are better for developing your focus. So read books! Along the same lines, the time and mental investment required to read a book, for me, produces a unique kind of immersive return. For example, I’m currently reading John Dos Passos’ USA trilogy. It is 1000+ pages of fiction about 1900-1930 America,…

On this point,

> But for me, I think a couple of quality books per month is already a ton of good input, and I hope people don’t get caught up in “# books read” as another metric to simply pump up.

Schopenhauer puts it well:

"As the biggest library if it is in disorder is not as useful as a small but well-arranged one, so you may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself."

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#47

Post by amanaplanacanal »

ege_erdogan wrote: post #21
anta40 wrote: post #17

I'm a photography enthusiast and hardcopy photography books is A must. Period. I mean books that display the works of the photographers. Sure you can find some of them on Flickr, Instagram, etc. But to study the complete work, gotta buy the books. For the rest, I'm fine with digital books. Take no physical space, can be easily read on phone/tablets. To sum it up: for me, yes they are worth.

Regarding the photography books, how does a complete digital archive of a photographer's works compare to a physical book of the same content? Would you still prefer the physical book in that scenario?

Many people think that you really need to see a photo printed to get the whole experience. Seeing it in a screen isn’t the same. I suspect resolution is part of the problem.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#48

Post by samiur1204 »

tiniuclx wrote: post #42
samiur1204 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can we be friends?

Sure :) As a side-note, I think that mastering a musical instrument is a good thing to do for some of the same reasons: it teaches discipline and focus. I've found that playing the guitar is a good foil to programming because it engages a completely different part of my brain that hasn't been engaged during the working day, and it also lets the analytical part of me relax.

I say that because I'm a big fan of all your recommendations, and also think you recommended them in a way that doesn't come off as patronising or condescending. Idk what your preferred method of communication is, but if you can do Twitter, please drop me a message on Twitter @samiur1204.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#49

Post by Elof »

Elof wrote: post #8

I didn’t read books for many years for a lot of the reasons you list. 2019 I read 24 and am already almost done with my first book of the year. I think they are worth it. Have you tried something like audible? I discovered that I get through and retain spoken content much better than site reading. Listening to content makes reading enjoyable and there are so many fantastic books

If you’re interested, here’s some info about how I listen to content: https://medium.com/@elof/listen-to-this-f5faace03302

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#50

Post by elchief »

Magazines and blogs/articles exist to keep you coming back. Same with serial television shows. The content is not self-contained, or particularly high quality. Only enough to bring you back for one more episode or issue.

Books (and movies) on the other hand, are generally self-contained. The book is the product, not your subscription. The quality is often higher

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