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Read fewer books and feel better about it

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Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#31

Post by ranger207 »

bdw5204 wrote: post #13

As a general presumption, avoiding anything on the non-fiction bestseller list is a good idea. Those books are generally aimed at the lowest common denominator that reads so you probably won't get anything of value out of them. There are rare exceptions that prove the rule and you'll generally know them when you see them. People who tried reading the non-fiction bestsellers and then equated them with "books" are pret…

> I'd also advise against letting friends and family recommend books to you.

Family, sure. Friends, no, those are some of my most valuable book recommendations. My friends generally share my interests in at least some categories

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#32

Post by wenc »

moneywoes wrote: post #29
wenc wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm an incorrigible book non-completist. I only read to get what I need and I duck out. Now with ChatGPT-4, I can read and comprehend even faster. For dense books in areas I'm unfamiliar with, I ask ChatGPT to, not summarize, but to break things down for me. For me, it's the new efficient way for doing syntopical reading (Mortimer Adler's technique for reading deeply). https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-get-…

what do your prompts look like?

I just keep a ChatGPT session alive and ask it questions. I tell what I’m reading, eg, “the Prince by Machiavelli”. And then i ask it things like “what’s the context of the book” or “what other books deal with the topic in chapter x” or “I don’t understanding chapter y, can you break it dow for me?”

It’s like talking to a partner who’s read everything in the world.

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#35

Post by ip26 »

wenc wrote: post #9
woliveirajr wrote: post #3

> If you’re finishing every book you start you’re doing something wrong: you’re probably finishing books not worth your time This is how you'll have time to read a lot of interesting books: by not finishing all books you started. If you read half of a book and it still didn't gave you good feelings, the last half probably won't. Save your time.

I'm an incorrigible book non-completist. I only read to get what I need and I duck out. Now with ChatGPT-4, I can read and comprehend even faster. For dense books in areas I'm unfamiliar with, I ask ChatGPT to, not summarize, but to break things down for me. For me, it's the new efficient way for doing syntopical reading (Mortimer Adler's technique for reading deeply). https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-get-…

Wikipedia already summarizes books in two sentences. The point of reading is to experience, absorb, etc.

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#36

Post by bumbledraven »

cyrillite wrote: post #24

There are more books than you can read in a lifetime. There are more books in hypothetical list of “highest rated classic and modern staples” than you can read in a lifetime. Then there’s all the non-fiction. You should read for pleasure and as widely as you can. But do not spend a moment longer than necessary with anything you fail to enjoy or isn’t adding value for certain. There is, quite simply, not enough time.

Related: "The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything" (https://www.npr.org/2011/04/18/135508305/the-sad-beautiful-f...)

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#37

Post by TylerE »

digbybk wrote: post #20
TylerE wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If ever there was an author who did one or two good things early on and has been coasting oon reputation ever since... What the man needs is a damn editor.

I really enjoyed Seveneves.

Fair. Easily the best of the second tier.

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#38

Post by dtmaurath »

Permutation City is so good! I haven't ran into it in the wild before but excited to check out his notes. It's a favorite and highly recommend.

I like Goodreads for tracking everything I read and collecting all my reviews, which are just unedited thoughts that I can return to later and very rarely helpful to others. It's also fun to see what friends are reading. Just yesterday I was able to pull up my last two years of books to quickly give a friend a few recommendations based on their interest.

I find listening to books far easier but they have to be non-fiction (or a reread of fiction) and not too complicated. Cobalt Red, Outlaw Oceans and There Are No Accidents were all great listens from this past year. But it's the only way I get through the 2hr minimum of exercise my dog needs a day.

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#39

Post by JoyfulTurkey »

My wife, former librarian, introduced me to the rule of 50 of Nancy Pearl (famous librarian from Seattle Public Library). Essentially, if you aren’t feeling a book after 50 pages, you should feel no guilt putting it aside.

Recently, it seems Nancy has revisited the rule and adjusted for the 50+ crowd. If you are over 50, subtract your age from 100 and use that as your cut off for putting a book aside.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/nancy-p...

Re: Read fewer books and feel better about it

#40

Post by ethanbond »

wenc wrote: post #9
woliveirajr wrote: post #3

> If you’re finishing every book you start you’re doing something wrong: you’re probably finishing books not worth your time This is how you'll have time to read a lot of interesting books: by not finishing all books you started. If you read half of a book and it still didn't gave you good feelings, the last half probably won't. Save your time.

I'm an incorrigible book non-completist. I only read to get what I need and I duck out. Now with ChatGPT-4, I can read and comprehend even faster. For dense books in areas I'm unfamiliar with, I ask ChatGPT to, not summarize, but to break things down for me. For me, it's the new efficient way for doing syntopical reading (Mortimer Adler's technique for reading deeply). https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-get-…

Trying this with books I was familiar with yielded extremely disappointing and off-base results.
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