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Art Garfunkel's Library

artgarfunkel.com

11–20 of 146 posts

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#11
I started keeping a text file with all things I read and another one for audiobooks. Since Obsidian came out I use it to edit my file and link books together.

I use the following format:

[[title]] by [[author]] (date finished)

That way I generate a separate file for each book where I can keep notes and my rating. I also keep a separate file for each author so I can easily link all the books/short stories/essays etc by that author in one place. Obsidian is bloody awesome.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#13
post #10

Interesting. Number of the 100 of his favorite books written before year X: 1500 6 1900 29 1950 24 1990 41 2022 0 → it's all pretty recent, which is surprising for a Taleb reader → but 0 was written in the last 30y! Also, 0 of the books he read in the last 30y made it to his 100 favorites list. When I did the same exercise, 50% of my favorite books were readings from early adulthood. It scared me: am I not learning a…

Looks like The Road by McCarthy (2006) is marked as his favourite but for some reason is not included on the favourites list.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#14
post #10

Interesting. Number of the 100 of his favorite books written before year X: 1500 6 1900 29 1950 24 1990 41 2022 0 → it's all pretty recent, which is surprising for a Taleb reader → but 0 was written in the last 30y! Also, 0 of the books he read in the last 30y made it to his 100 favorites list. When I did the same exercise, 50% of my favorite books were readings from early adulthood. It scared me: am I not learning a…

> Also, 0 of the books he read in the last 30y made it to his 100 favorites list.

He hasn’t ranked his favorites. He has listed them in chronological order of reading. He has a second page of favorites which are more recent.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#15
post #9

I love this! Everyone should keep a list like this (self-hosted). It also makes me a little bit sad, as there are SO MANY books and this shows that a lifetime of reading will only get you to maybe 2000 books. Choose wisely what you read.

Or stop reading if you feel it is not worth your time.

No one who downvoted this is a serious reader. I would much rather jettison a bad book or movie than waste the one life I have on material that doesn’t make my life better in some way.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#16
post #9

I love this! Everyone should keep a list like this (self-hosted). It also makes me a little bit sad, as there are SO MANY books and this shows that a lifetime of reading will only get you to maybe 2000 books. Choose wisely what you read.

Or stop reading if you feel it is not worth your time.

Yes, this is something I had to learn over the years. I always had this notion that I HAD to finish something (book, movie) to be able to express the opinion on it. Now, if I dont enjoy it I just stop reading and when I’m asked what did I think of it I simply answer that I didnt finish because xyz. It gives you so much more time resulting in reading something you actually enjoy.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#17
post #15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or stop reading if you feel it is not worth your time.

No one who downvoted this is a serious reader. I would much rather jettison a bad book or movie than waste the one life I have on material that doesn’t make my life better in some way.

I think it may be being down voted as it can he read as saying stop reading entirely rather than just stop reading a particular book, ie an attack on reading as an activity. Doubt the comment was meant that way though and I agree with you, dropping a particular book if it's not rewarding is something I do although I do still struggle with myself when doing so.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#18

I love this! Everyone should keep a list like this (self-hosted). It also makes me a little bit sad, as there are SO MANY books and this shows that a lifetime of reading will only get you to maybe 2000 books. Choose wisely what you read.

This is why I’m surprised by people rewatching tv shows and movies, rereading books, etc. You have a limited amount of time before you die and an, effectively, infinite amount of material to consume. Most of it is dross, but enough isn’t that there is no time to revisit.

Re: Art Garfunkel's Library

#20
post #4

Art Garfunkel encases his library shelves in plastic?

Not the shelves but books, apparently not all of them. I saw collectors of comics doing it to preserve them and be able to resell them later at a higher price, never for books.
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