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Ask HN: Are books worth it?

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Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#101

Post by tarboreus »

growlist wrote: post #93
tarboreus wrote: post #71

Books shouldn't be about absorbing "information." Think of them as intellectual obstacle courses. A good book should challenge you, either with radically new ideas or radically new viewpoints. I basically can't do serious thinking (i.e. not administrative or programming thinking but broader thinking about ideas) without reading. On the other hand, you're not going to get this experience from "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" or w…

> Thinking Fast and Slow I thought a fair amount of this book was debunked in one way or another?

Thought about mentioning this in the above rant. Yes, a lot of that book is debunked. No, that doesn't stop all self-help books from being based on it. It's also still worth reading, just don't take each individual claim as gospel and if you're going to excitedly incorporate any given claim into your model of how things work, have some other evidence for it or read some papers. (Though the papers you read will also be debunked before you can say "priming effect.")

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#102

Post by newnewpdro »

Yes, but I recommend combining book reading with another time-consuming "unplugged" activity: camping in nature.

Turn in early, and read a book by flashlight in your tent for a few hours, preferably with no rainfly and the Milky Way visible through a mesh top. Kill two birds with one stone.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#103

Post by seibelj »

Books are infinitely superior to internet content for most things. Basic facts, no. I read lots of nonfiction and it’s so much more informative and deep than a blog post. Reading both fiction and nonfiction gives a richer and deeper understanding of the human condition and makes your life choices better informed and more productive.

One thing that the internet does do better is giving a read about the latest trends and anecdata. You can get details and perspective that is “under the radar”. But otherwise, internet news is throwaway pulp. So much news is written everyday and 95% of it is forgotten immediately.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#104

Post by _s4uu »

There was something my AP literature teacher told us when someone asked why literary analysis would ever be necessary; he said something along the lines of: “math and physics might be more valuable in the job market, but if you’re ever depressed or your soul needs nourishment you’re far more likely to reach for classic literature than the math textbook.” 5 years later and I find a lot more peace and joy in pondering the topics literature is focused on; love, death, life, purpose, war, compared to sifting thru the endless news on hacker news.

Literature and the great novels have consistent themes that are unending in their search for answers, and often this evokes a deeper level of thought compared to the internet.

That said, when I do watch tv I try to stick to artistic movies or something I can learn from. Recently I watched Come and See, an excellent movie about Nazis in Belaruse. After watching it I thought this movie deserves a literary analysis of its own.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#105

Post by tiriplicamihai »

I am a fan of both worlds - I spend a good amount of time watching conference videos on youtube and reading articles and I also like reading books. What I like about books is that they put everything in context way better than a short article and/or youtube videos (just think about the difference between a book and movie made after it). Another advantage of well written books is that by providing the context they give you time to think about a possible solution or reflect on a similar real situation before giving you a solution. The information sticks with you better this way in my opinion.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#106

Post by [deleted] »

sjg007 wrote: post #99
tarboreus wrote: post #71

Books shouldn't be about absorbing "information." Think of them as intellectual obstacle courses. A good book should challenge you, either with radically new ideas or radically new viewpoints. I basically can't do serious thinking (i.e. not administrative or programming thinking but broader thinking about ideas) without reading. On the other hand, you're not going to get this experience from "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" or w…

Thinking Fast and Slow came out in 2011. Also there is recent work showing that some of its conclusions may be flawed due to failure to replicate. Self help books are not all bad. The early ones around cognitive behavioral therapy have been proven to help in scientific studies. I would look to ones that have scientific basis. That being said the placebo effect is very powerful.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#108

Post by sjg007 »

rlt wrote: post #44

(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…

I have a similar problem. Focus jumps. My solution is to just read one page. Everything is our lives today is adhd anyway. The news, the internet, tv etc...

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#109

Post by randomsearch »

habosa wrote: post #87

Yes. I have always loved books. I read about 30-40 a year, mostly fiction with a few non-fiction thrown in. Novels are the closest thing I know to a form of magic. A good author can completely encode an entire world full of people on 300 pages of black and white text. And when they do it well, it literally never expires. I read mostly books from the last 50 years but I think the best example of a book as magic is Don…

+1 for Steinbeck being a “true master”. East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath essential.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#110

Post by coffeefirst »

Yes!

There's a huge gap in how much time and energy goes into most books vs online stuff. That's the part you're missing. I can name all sorts of books I'd describe as a life-changing experience, and maybe one blog post, and zero youtube videos.

A few (hopefully) practical thoughts:

1. My favorite way to find books to read is to ask people. It helps me find books I'd never have noticed. Goodreads will lead you to the lowest common denominator, but not to something that speaks to you.

2. The more you read, the faster you'll get at reading, just like anything else. Don't worry about remembering anything.

3. You seem to be looking at books as a means to an ends. I suppose in some cases that's true, I will occasionally seek out a book because I want to learn something new.

But writing is a conversation held across time and space, almost a sort of telepathy. If you're viewing it as strictly transactional, and overlooking the ability to experience their stories and ideas, I think that's where you're really missing out.

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