Do you read? • Hacker News Board

Re: Do you read?

#101

Post by bookhuddle » Thu, Nov 06, 2008, 4:24 PM UTC

Check out www.bookhuddle.com, a site where you can track the books you want to read, are reading, your favorite books, etc. Find out what books are newly released, top selling, in most users' lists, and more, by book category.

Here are the books I want to read: http://www.bookhuddle.com/list/4/Books-I-want-to-read Here are some of the books I've read: http://www.bookhuddle.com/list/2/Books-I-ve-read

Re: Do you read?

#102

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Nov 06, 2008, 9:12 PM UTC

paraschopra wrote: post #94

I always avoid reading fiction. When there are non-fiction books which are as gripping as the fiction ones, why read the latter as you get knowledge plus pleasure reading the former. Examples of the books I am talking about are: The Black Swan, Brief History of Time, God Delusion, Selfish Gene, Predictibly Irrational, etc. etc.

[deleted]

Re: Do you read?

#103

Post by Psyonic » Thu, Nov 06, 2008, 9:12 PM UTC

paraschopra wrote: post #94

I always avoid reading fiction. When there are non-fiction books which are as gripping as the fiction ones, why read the latter as you get knowledge plus pleasure reading the former. Examples of the books I am talking about are: The Black Swan, Brief History of Time, God Delusion, Selfish Gene, Predictibly Irrational, etc. etc.

What difference does it make if the events really happened? It's all in the past anyway, so fiction is just as "real" as non-fiction. What matters is the insights gained, which are often just as common in good fiction and often more eloquently presented.

Re: Do you read?

#104

Post by Psyonic » Thu, Nov 06, 2008, 9:14 PM UTC

qeek wrote: post #68

Not really. Not proud of it, but I just don't see that much value in reading. It seems like a waste of time to me. I'd rather use that time to get more done. I might start reading about web design and related topics, since that's what I do and I could probably learn a lot from this kind of books, but honestly I'm not interested in reading fiction at all. Maybe it because of all those boring books I was forced to read…

Interesting question, but what's so great about "getting things done."? I'm guessing it's just a matter of personality, but contemplation is at least as important to me as any accomplishment.

Re: Do you read?

#105

Post by shard » Thu, Nov 06, 2008, 11:19 PM UTC

ojbyrne wrote: post #81

shard wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, because reading _Godel Escher Bach_, _Shock of the New_, and _Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain_ (my current reading list) obviously doesn't exercise the imagination.

I said "only." And just for the record, I've read all of Hofstader's books, not just the popular/mainstream one. EDIT: Ok, not all, just the ones in English. ;-) And a further EDIT: all three of those books are about "Art" more or less. I can't see how someone who read those books can't read fiction. So I'm guessing you missed "only."

No, I didn't miss the "only". I don't read fiction anymore. No time. I pretty much want everything I read to be full of new knowledge for me.