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Just Read the Book Already

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Re: Just Read the Book Already

#171

Post by eatonphil »

creep wrote: post #165
eatonphil wrote: post #163

Am in my twenties, hadn't read a book for fun since I was eight (nothing outside of school). Two things got me going reading books again: 1) not getting that much from blog posts and not learning enough from coworkers and 2) friends I looked up to who read much more than me. Three years ago I forced myself to read 2 technical books. Two years ago I read 8. Last year I read 40 and this year I'm on track for 50+ (33 so…

Hey bud, I've never lost the drive to read and learn new things, but I definitely have trouble organizing everything I want to be learning/reading. Usually I have a fiction book going at all times. Keeps me sharp, interested, engaged, even if I don't feel like being "productive". But apart from that, there are so many things I'm working on, I feel a bit muddled. Do you have any advice for a dude like me? How to know…

The first few books I read were from lists I found online aggregating suggestions on HN and Reddit. After that I'd just make a note of any books referenced in ones I read that I liked and branched out. After a bit you have no end to books you want to follow up on.

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#172

Post by fraudsyndrome »

Raidion wrote: post #23

Problem I have with books is that it's much harder to justify the "time" to get lost in books. When I was a kid, I was near the top of the school's reading program and devoured books. But now, when I do have time on vacation or sick, I'd almost much rather read something that's educational-ish. It's hard to justify the X hours falling into a fantasy world, though it's still almost as fun as it used to be. Practically…

I feel the exact same way. I tend to lean towards self-help books but this ranges anywhere from your typical self-help, to dog training books, to biographies, to educational, to technical ones for developing.

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#174

Post by pnutjam »

heurist wrote: post #155
smt88 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a problem focusing on reading until I started just listening to books on Audible while doing chores or taking walks. The physical activity occupies my mind enough to allow me to focus on the content.

Same here. I listen while driving, cleaning, and walking my dogs and am able to focus much better on the content of the book. I went from struggling to finish 3-5 paper books per year to completely finishing 20-30 audiobooks per year. I am often disappointed with the limited selection on Audible for things I am interested in, though.

I read epub and let my phone read them to me using TTS.

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#175

Post by mcguire »

bowlich wrote: post #64
emodendroket wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author's more concerned with fiction

Fiction has suffered the same bloat. Used to be that letting an author ramble for 200,000+ words was considered indulgent. Dune told it's entire story in around 180,000 words, I can hardly say anything more intriguing is going on in Song of Ice & Fire at 1.7 million words.

Dune is about the size of Game of Thrones, no?

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#176

Post by mcguire »

bowlich wrote: post #73
emodendroket wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not very interested in fantasy, but the idea that writing is more long-winded than it used to be doesn't really survive even the most cursory survey of literature from the 1800s. Or if that's not your speed check ancient literature and see if you find it more to-the-point. You're the second person I see in this thread complaining that texts have become too bloated and using this exact example. Perhaps the guy is…

I picked Dune/Song of Ice and Fire because they're thematically similar. In terms of bloat, excluding the Tale of Genji or the Story of the Stone, I can hardly think of anything in the 1800s that pushes into the 1M+ word mark in order to tell a complete story. I mean, people used to joke about War & Peace being long and it's hovering around 1/2 a million words -- and at least when I read it, Tolstoy seemed to be usin…

David Copperfield is 360k. Two Cities is 140k. (http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2011/12/a-dickens-of-a-...)

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#177

Post by mcguire »

wilsonnb3 wrote: post #126
byproxy wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If all you care about are plot details, maybe. But you're missing out on a person's voice. Prose can be as beautiful as any piece of visual art in a gallery. Not only are you depriving yourself of an aesthetic experience, but also a learning experience. Reading will boost your vocabulary and help your writing and give you more cultural references to pull from (and recognize, when they come up in another's work). But.…

> Prose can be as beautiful as any piece of visual art in a gallery For many people, "prose" is just what you have to get through to find out what happens in the plot or to the characters. A lot of people have a minimal appreciation for most forms of art and literature is far more subtle and unappreciated than visual and auditory forms of art. > Not only are you depriving yourself of an aesthetic experience, but also…

I, too, preferred the animated, stick-figure version of Lawrence of Arabia.

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#178

Post by Skunkleton »

zebrafish wrote: post #27
Raidion wrote: post #23

Problem I have with books is that it's much harder to justify the "time" to get lost in books. When I was a kid, I was near the top of the school's reading program and devoured books. But now, when I do have time on vacation or sick, I'd almost much rather read something that's educational-ish. It's hard to justify the X hours falling into a fantasy world, though it's still almost as fun as it used to be. Practically…

Be careful with that. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you least expect it. Let yourself relax and get lost on occasion. It will do wonders for your mental health.

> It's easy to get overwhelmed when you least expect it.

I am in process of learning this the hard way. Too much stress built up has lead to lots of physical manifestations.

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#179

Post by retsibsi »

ryandrake wrote: post #70
sidstling wrote: post #31

For around ten years I didn’t read much, not because I didn’t want to, I certainly did, but because it takes too long. I get up at around 6am, get home from work at around 5pm and then I have daily chores mixed with family stuff for 3-5 hours. Not much left after that, and I’m not good at setting fixed hours for specific hobbies, so reading a whole book just didn’t work out for me. I soon found that even if I managed…

I’m kind of in your camp. Back when I had a lot of time, I used to read a lot. But it’s such a low bandwidth communication, and books seem to have so much useless filler material. I tried e-books but failed. If I listen to them while I’m doing something else like commuting, I don’t pay attention (since I’m trying to not get killed on I-680), and if I listen while I’m not doing anything else, I fall asleep. Still wait…

I find audiobooks excellent when I'm doing something that occupies my body but not my mind. Excercise (whether working out or just going for a walk) is great, as are any jobs you do around the house that are >90% autopilot -- cooking familiar meals, vacuuming, washing up, that sort of thing.

(When driving I think it's better and safer to listen to something you can easily drift into and out of, like music or a podcast you don't feel the need to follow closely, rather than a book.)

Re: Just Read the Book Already

#180

Post by heurist »

pnutjam wrote: post #174
heurist wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here. I listen while driving, cleaning, and walking my dogs and am able to focus much better on the content of the book. I went from struggling to finish 3-5 paper books per year to completely finishing 20-30 audiobooks per year. I am often disappointed with the limited selection on Audible for things I am interested in, though.

I read epub and let my phone read them to me using TTS.

Are you happy with the voice? Would you be able to listen to it for 2-3 hours straight or would the computer voice become grating?
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