Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#31

Post by pontus » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 6:52 PM UTC

pontus wrote: post #15

My experience is that books come in two forms: ones that can be summarized by a blog post (e.g. any Malcolm Gladwell book) and those that contain content of irreducible complexity (e.g. history books or textbooks). I usually get bored with the first type of book because it just rehashes the same thing over and over again. So, when you choose book vs article, I think this distinction should be part of the thought proc…

I'd like it if the trend became to write business books as a collection of essays rather than around a single topic. I'm sort of imagining Paul Graham's essays bound into a book or something similar. That way it's not unnecessarily verbose, but still long enough to warrant putting into a book.

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#32

Post by ghaff » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 6:56 PM UTC

gumby wrote: post #27

pontus wrote: post #15

My experience is that books come in two forms: ones that can be summarized by a blog post (e.g. any Malcolm Gladwell book) and those that contain content of irreducible complexity (e.g. history books or textbooks). I usually get bored with the first type of book because it just rehashes the same thing over and over again. So, when you choose book vs article, I think this distinction should be part of the thought proc…

Business books — even the insightful ones — are typically only 2-3 pages long (there a few, very few, exceptions). But that can’t sell at the airport so they are padded out like washing powder.

In all fairness, examples and context usually would push them out past magazine length. (It's also true that, based on the complaints here about things like recipe embellishments, I'm probably more tolerant than some.)

That said, many/most are padded out. In general, you can't publish a book unless it's 250 pages or so. The economics for publishers apparently just don't work out. Fairly or not, a lot of people at least subconsciously buy by the pound. They're not going to pay $20 for a 50 page book in general.

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#33

Post by techbio » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 6:58 PM UTC

Like others here, I read books on paper by incandescent light in the hours before bed. But since you bring it up, I think I might try to start using paper-only for an hour or two after waking also, before facing a screen.

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#34

Post by grenoire » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:02 PM UTC

pontus wrote: post #31

pontus wrote: post #15

My experience is that books come in two forms: ones that can be summarized by a blog post (e.g. any Malcolm Gladwell book) and those that contain content of irreducible complexity (e.g. history books or textbooks). I usually get bored with the first type of book because it just rehashes the same thing over and over again. So, when you choose book vs article, I think this distinction should be part of the thought proc…

I'd like it if the trend became to write business books as a collection of essays rather than around a single topic. I'm sort of imagining Paul Graham's essays bound into a book or something similar. That way it's not unnecessarily verbose, but still long enough to warrant putting into a book.

I love essay compilations, the latest one I read was Umberto Eco's Chronicles of a Liquid Society. A compilation of his columns in l’Espresso magazine. Such a good format, doesn't waste any space in his writing whatsoever (that's Eco and the format).

I would really appreciate more of this kind, any commenters here have suggestions?

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#35

Post by benjaminogles » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:06 PM UTC

gregmac wrote: post #28

pontus wrote: post #15

My experience is that books come in two forms: ones that can be summarized by a blog post (e.g. any Malcolm Gladwell book) and those that contain content of irreducible complexity (e.g. history books or textbooks). I usually get bored with the first type of book because it just rehashes the same thing over and over again. So, when you choose book vs article, I think this distinction should be part of the thought proc…

I've read too many of the first that lately it has killed most of my motivation to read any non-fiction books (the last couple I started, I just never finished because essentially I got bored). I enjoy reading (and still read fiction), and I want to have that motivation, but I just can't seem to muster it. This includes books that have good reviews, because apparently a lot of people don't seem to mind. It just seems…

I experienced the same thing. Waiting for recommendations from similarly minded people helped me get past it.

I didn't read any non-fiction for a long time before I was given a book as a gift [0] that was really good. Since then, I have received a few other recommendations that I enjoyed [1-2].

[0] Artificial Intelligence by Melanie Mitchell

[1] Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths

[2] The Theoretical Minimum Series by Leonard Susskind

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#36

Post by infinityplus1 » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:07 PM UTC

gregmac wrote: post #28

pontus wrote: post #15

My experience is that books come in two forms: ones that can be summarized by a blog post (e.g. any Malcolm Gladwell book) and those that contain content of irreducible complexity (e.g. history books or textbooks). I usually get bored with the first type of book because it just rehashes the same thing over and over again. So, when you choose book vs article, I think this distinction should be part of the thought proc…

I've read too many of the first that lately it has killed most of my motivation to read any non-fiction books (the last couple I started, I just never finished because essentially I got bored). I enjoy reading (and still read fiction), and I want to have that motivation, but I just can't seem to muster it. This includes books that have good reviews, because apparently a lot of people don't seem to mind. It just seems…

You are overthinking this. Some people just like reading those books and you don't. It's personal preference. Just try reading new genres you haven't given a chance before and maybe you will find something interesting.

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#37

Post by psmyrdek » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:08 PM UTC

Please take a look at my model - it's all about two dimensions and things get easier - https://dev.to/psmyrdek/the-learning-funnel-133i

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#38

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:09 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#39

Post by anewguy9000 » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:10 PM UTC

articles on the shitter, books on the couch

Re: Ask HN: How do you balance reading books vs. articles

#40

Post by omosubi » Sun, Dec 06, 2020, 7:12 PM UTC

pontus wrote: post #15

My experience is that books come in two forms: ones that can be summarized by a blog post (e.g. any Malcolm Gladwell book) and those that contain content of irreducible complexity (e.g. history books or textbooks). I usually get bored with the first type of book because it just rehashes the same thing over and over again. So, when you choose book vs article, I think this distinction should be part of the thought proc…

I'm a big fan of the adage to not read anything younger than 10/20/30 years old. by definition most books are mediocre, especially new ones, and only reading stuff older than a certain age helps filter out the crap.

same goes with blog posts to a certain extent - there are a number of shorter works that are constantly posted on HN (http://jsomers.net/hn/) and many of them are worth reading. though tbh I read a lot of articles all over the internet from any time. blame it on lack of discipline