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Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

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Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#1

Post by adversaryIdiot »

I'm trying to get into reading, but I keep running into an issue where a lot of these books feel like fluff. Like, why are there so many books around 250 pages? Surely, these authors are trying to hit a page count first, and then providing information second. It just feels disingenuous, which kills my vibe while reading the book.

There are some books I've read where it feels like every page is a gold mine of information. Is this whole fluff-to-information predicament a common thing in reading? What tools/metrics are there to help find meaningful books? For example, is it viable to only read books greater than 4.5 stars on Goodreads? Or is meticulously researching for good books just a matter of life in the book-reading hobby?

Maybe every book is valuable, and it's just a skill to read, to extract the meaningful information effectively. But honestly, as with everything in life, it's probably a mix of everything. Researching and reading skills will probably make the hobby more enjoyable. But I mean, since it's a hobby, I have the right to try to avoid books I would consider 'useless'.

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#2

Post by tjr »

Sure. Lots of books are ten pages of real content forced into a 250-page package.

Likewise, lots of articles (both printed and online) are three paragraphs of real content forced into a four-page package.

And plenty of blog posts are one-sentence ideas spread out amongst five paragraphs.

As for finding good books, for me, one helpful clue is the author. If I like one book from an author, I very likely (though not certainly) will like another. Of course, sticking with one particular author can be very limiting. Another clue is the publisher; having found some books that I like all from one publisher, then that is encouraging to peruse more books from the same publisher.

And likewise, finding books that are poorly written and low on content from a publisher seems like a good warning to avoid getting more of their books.

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#3

Post by groffee »

It depends very much what you're trying to read.

Start with the 90 day Harvard classics https://www.myharvardclassics.com/categories/20120622

And also check out Penguins Great Idea series https://www.penguin.co.uk/series/PEN02/penguin-great-ideas

If a book was read 100 years ago and is still being read today then it's worth a read. Most books written a few hundred years ago are just as relevant (if not more so) today.

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#4

Post by Silverback_VII »

You are right, a lot of books are redundant. The gems are becoming rarer and rarer the more you read. You get the feeling that whatever unique message a writer has, if he has one, is buried beneath a ton of words.

You will also notice that the books you read become increasingly more arcane to the point where you question your own sanity. It's almost like porn, the more you watch, the more extreme the content gets. I think this is one of the main reasons for the prevalence of occult stuff over the ages.

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#5

Post by rchaud »

Welcome to the majority of business/productivity/self-help literature.

I know from experience never to pick up a Cal Newport book again. 50 pages of well-written, cogent prose surrounded by 300 pages of repetition.

Same with James Clear's Atomic Habits. I was on his newsletter list for about a year prior to the book, and I can tell you there is almost nothing new in there. But that's really a testament to the quality of the newsletter. Once the book came out however, every email after that was an ad for the book. Unsubbed!

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#6

Post by throwawaysalome »

Correct. 19th century classics became so only because a good chunk of the populace was still illiterate, and not only could Austen, Balzac, Tolstoy, etc., write, they could write a thousand pages! So glibness was mistook for wisdom.

I read a ton only because today's movies and tv are so bad, and because I can go as fast as I want. I skim because I'm only gonna remember 10%.

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#7

Post by zemvpferreira »

Books are a medium that has been elevated by pseudo-intellectualism into a divinity of sorts. They're as good as what's written in them and like most human output, most are garbage. Why should it be any different? Is most of TV that good? Most magazines? Most TikTok? Most music? Conversation?

What are you trying to read and why? From your description it sounds like you're reading to learn, which is fine but likely sub-optimal. Or are you reading to learn how to read?

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#8

Post by noud »

Yes, most books are useless.

> What tools/metrics are there to help find meaningful books?

Okay, first I never read a book that is less than 10 years old. Why? Because 10 years is roughly the time needed for a book to withstand the wheel of time. 100 years, as noted in other comments as well, is even better. If old books are still read, they are probably good books. But I cannot tell you the best books of last year. The only thing I can do, is tell you what the most popular books of last year were. But popular books are not the same as best books.

Secondly, I only read books I'm willing to read multiple times. Reading a book more than once is a great experience. Usually, I get more out of the second or third read than from the first read. If, after reading a couple of pages of a book, I realize I will not want to re-read the book, I quit reading it.

Re: Ask HN: Are a lot of books just useless?

#9

Post by vmoore »

I have a huge collection of quotes I gathered from Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and Twitter which are from classic self-help books and I prefer them over memorizing a whole book. You can sometimes distill the essence of what was said in a book into a small morsel/quote. The stoic ones are my favorite. They were the kings of one-liners.
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