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Ask HN: Are books worth it?

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Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#381

Post by habosa »

exegete wrote: post #120
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…

How do you decide which books to read?

I don't really have a process. About half the books I read I get just from browsing a book store. I love stores that have little notes from the employees recommending certain books. The others I just hear about from friends or online.

Once I've read a book by an author and liked it I'll normally try 1-2 more. So that's a main discovery path for me. However I try not to read the same author back-to-back as I like to have variety.

I think the key is don't keep a list, just buy the book. In my house I have a stack of 5-10 'queued' books at any time so when I finish one I can immediately start another.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#382

Post by habosa »

Volrath89 wrote: post #326
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…

I've always wondered how non-spanish or even non latin american people can enjoy García Márquez. His books display great usage of the language and are full of historic references. I personally enjoyed his work after having read a lot of other books (expanding my vocabulary) and only after learning colombian history and not before PD: Before becoming a nobel laureate writer, he worked as a journalist for a newspaper.…

Spanish-language novels translated to English is reliably my favorite category of books. I think with a good translator the beauty of the language carries through.

(I speak some Spanish but not enough to read a whole book)

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#383

Post by habosa »

maroonblazer wrote: post #312
exegete wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you decide which books to read?

Awards are a great place to start. National Book Awards, Man Booker Prize, Pulitzer, etc.

Yeah the Man Booker in particular tends to be a good source to find my favorite novels.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#384

Post by nickpp »

WalterBright wrote: post #325
nickpp wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey Walter, I'd love some more book recommendations from you. Maybe some sort of favorite lists even? Thanks!

I really should do a list, but here's a few more: "Nothing Like It In The World" Stephen Ambrose The men who built the transcontinental railroad 1863-1869 "The Pity of War" Niall Ferguson Explaining World War 1 "Steve Jobs" Walter Isaacson "The Wright Brothers as Engineers" Quentin Wald "With the Old Breed" Eugene Sledge "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" Richard Feynman "Small Wonder" Walter Nelson The amazing stor…

Thanks a bunch!

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#385

Post by dragonwriter »

carapace wrote: post #374
dragonwriter wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The people in the self-help section need something else The people in the self-help section don't know what they need or they wouldn't be looking for someone to tell them what they need. > Those things (philosophy, literature, history and science) are the luxury of folks who aren't struggling with e.g. depression, abuse, drugs & alcohol, co-dependency, etc. Excluding paid testimonials, one can find at least as many…

> The people in the self-help section don't know what they need or they wouldn't be looking for someone to tell them what they need. With respect, how do you know? Are you a priest or psychologist or psychic? > one can find at least as many anecdotes of ... and a lot more who ... I'm dubious but let's grant it for the sake of discussion. So what? I mean that's terrific if reading Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" straig…

> With respect, how do you know?

Basic logic: if you know what you need, you don't look for someone to tell you what you need.

> Are you a priest or psychologist or psychic?

Would the answer to that question have any relevance to anything no matter what it was?

> So what?

I agree that that's generally the appropriate response to (especially unverifiable) anecdotes offered as evidence but...that's kind of the point, given the anecdote I was responding to.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#386

Post by nick_urban »

The idea that you can get 80% online what you can get from books is somewhat true for "fluff" books such as many business books and self-improvement books.

Serious books, however, are incomparable more valuable than either fluff books or internet reading. They require a bigger investment, but they can give you whole new ways of seeing. That only comes through a substantial investment and effort to see with a new perspective.

Try some books that have stood the test of time, such as those published by Everyman's Library or Modern Library. Often insight comes not so much from keeping up with the bleeding edge, as from about understanding enduring truths about life and the world.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#387

Post by thisisit »

There has been an influx of information. And it applies to books as well. There are tons of books written by ever growing breed of aspiring writers. Most of the recent books tend to be full of

> fluff, anecdotes, stories, jokes, and trivialities.

The amount of insights in each book have grown less and less.

That said, books are still the best source of information. The problem is - with ever growing list of recommendations it is easy to get overwhelmed with your to-read lists.

> I have thousands of non-fiction (mostly self-improvement) books in my reading list on GoodReads, but almost never bother to read any.

I was in your position too. Then I read Straight Line Leadership (one of the few books which is really short and to the point) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11556152-straight-line-l...)

One of big takeaways from the book was - Knowledge acquired and not used puts you in the same category as an uneducated person. Learn stuff and then use it.

Since then I have worked towards identifying what I really want in life and then reading stuff geared towards it.

For example, after reading tons of recommendations on HN about NVC, I tried the audio recording from YT. I was half way there I got bored and gave up.

I thought it over and found that NVC didn't align with what I wanted "now" in my life. I might acquire skill but never use it. And I will end up forgetting most of it with time. So I have put in on hold and drawn up a plan on how and when I will need NVC. Currently I plan to get to NVC in the 2nd quarter of this year and doggedly pursue to applying in my life.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#388

Post by mark_l_watson »

I am not sure how to answer your question because different things work for different people.

For myself, I like eBooks because it is easy to occasionally hilight especially useful or inspiring bits of text, then months or years later, I can review a book by just looking at the stuff I hilighted and this triggers my memory.

Also, some books really have inspired me (e.g., reading Bertram Raphael’s Mind Inside of Matter changed the whole course of my career) and it just makes me feel good to have the really important books on my book shelf.

Also, don’t forget to use your local library for both physical books and you can check out eBooks.

Re: Ask HN: Are books worth it?

#389

Post by randomsearch »

armitron wrote: post #362
randomsearch wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I never understood the fascination of many Americans (I'm British) with Steinbeck. For me, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Hemingway and even McCarthy and Melville are completely outclassing him. One American friend of mine once mentioned that Steinbeck is obligatory reading in many American schools but few read Faulkner. Maybe that has something to do with his popularity.

I've only read Hemingway, and no doubt to my taste that Steinbeck is a much better writer (despite Hemingway's reputation).

One thing I love about Steinbeck is that he is a true artist in the level of detail and research he puts into his writing. There is so much grounded substance in there, so much depth, hard work, and yet he doesn't show off, doesn't throw it in your face. A huge amount of wisdom can be found in East of Eden, more than any other book I've read.

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