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What? Why would you think that the point of fiction is to coat a set of shallow ideas with a thick layer of empty-calorie entertainment?
> I like Fantasy and Young Adult stories.
Oh.
My approach to fiction is different from the author's, but there is a point where we agree: taking notes on books greatly improves the experience. Before and during college I read a fair amount of fiction. Most of it I enjoyed in the moment, and sometimes I even experienced those deep-truth-feeling "whoa" moments. But even then they faded from memory within a few months. Eventually, I'd recommend the book to somebody…
I do the same thing. My reasoning is, if you're going to put dozens of hours into a book, or hundreds into a good series, an extra 20 minutes at the end to file away any good memories from that really isn't too much of a time expense in comparison. Sometimes it's even fun. I basically wrote an essay on the Stormlight archive (probably my favourite ever series) which is something teenage me doing my English Literature…
>his knowledge is small compared to non-fiction. Rest of the book is for your entertainment. And fiction does a good job of presenting the idea. To absorb the idea, it doesn’t require a thorough reading of the book (sometimes it does). For the same reason, I find audiobooks are a better medium for consuming fiction. By doing so, you also save your time. this is such a horrible take on fiction that I've seen popup in…
I just finished Marquis de Sade's ‘Justine’—what's so difficult about that book that would require me to sit down to read it? The pornography and torture? Or the wading of the heroine from one misfortune to another? There are only a few philosophical sections in the book, and it's not hard to think about them while they're recounted.
Guess what, Plato works fine as audiobooks. Because people were telling to each other arguments such as his, for ages—exactly the reason why you can't read or listen to Socrates, and probably part of the reason for the dialog format. There's always the pause button if you need a minute to mull over what you hear.
On top, narrator performances are sometimes delights in their own right.
And on the contrary, even Fry's excellent reading can't hide how in the Harry Potter series, topographical descriptions are often clumsy, confusing and claustrophobic, especially in dungeons or forests. Plenty of authors have this problem with places, doubly so with tight ones. Except for Vonnegut, who dances around physical descriptions like they barely concern him. Perhaps someone should've read those passages out loud to Rowling?
> Most of the fiction books are based on the presentation of a concept or a group of concepts. The concept that presented by the book is the knowledge you’re gaining. This knowledge is small compared to non-fiction. Rest of the book is for your entertainment. What? Why would you think that the point of fiction is to coat a set of shallow ideas with a thick layer of empty-calorie entertainment? > I like Fantasy and Yo…
I read some of that stuff too, but I wouldn't dream of using my speed at reading them (or anything, in fact, but especially those) as a point of pride. I'm old enough not to be at all ashamed of them and I'd happily talk about reading them, but no way I'd brag about how many books I get through if that's most of what I've been reading. I mean I can go grab some Goosebumps books and read like 10 of those in a day if I want. They have chapters and everything so that counts, right? Then I can get some shirts and tote bags and pins and bumper stickers telling everyone what a reader I am.
There are lots of sorts of books.
And if you're using that as your basis for what fiction is then you've got some learning to do, to put it mildly.
[EDIT] just to highlight a part you quoted again, this is so, so frustrating to read:
> Most of the fiction books are based on the presentation of a concept or a group of concepts. The concept that presented by the book is the knowledge you’re gaining. This knowledge is small compared to non-fiction. Rest of the book is for your entertainment.
No. There are certain kinds of fiction that, when done right, have you stopping at most every couple pages to think and absorb and reflect, if you're reading it in such a way that you'll get anything out of it. If you're reading it the way you read Terry Goodkind probably you won't, and you'll have a bad time, and maybe think it's "bad" and "boring" and so on. Just like listening to 80s top-40 pop music doesn't really prepare you to give a deep listen to Miles Davis, or Beethoven, or hell even Public Enemy, despite it all being music.
>his knowledge is small compared to non-fiction. Rest of the book is for your entertainment. And fiction does a good job of presenting the idea. To absorb the idea, it doesn’t require a thorough reading of the book (sometimes it does). For the same reason, I find audiobooks are a better medium for consuming fiction. By doing so, you also save your time. this is such a horrible take on fiction that I've seen popup in…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The idea that consuming fiction is a waste of time always irks me. The entire concept of 'wasting time' is so contrived it makes my stomach churn. It reminds me of people who become a doctor for the money. You're mistaking the game for reality.. play whichever game you want but make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.
It's a consequence of absolutely every aspect of life or thought being commoditized in some form.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Young Adult stories are stories that are often where the protagonists are coming-of-age, still dealing with school or part-time jobs, parents are significant in their lives, etc. The themes are often coming-of-age, finding suitable mentors (and avoiding villanous mentors), new love, etc. I'd suggest: The City Of Ember Akata Witch The Hate U Give The Sun Is Also A Star There's also the ones most people know: Silverwin…
Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
I'm trying to consume all these comments
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> I just I wish I had more time to read. When I started working two days a week a colleague of mine said he was jealous and wished he could do the same. While he agreed that objectively there was absolutely no reason he couldn't actually do the same. Isn't it about setting priorities? What stops you from for example spending less time on your side business and more time reading? Please don't take it as judgemental, I…
> When I started working two days a week a colleague of mine said he was jealous and wished he could do the same. While he agreed that objectively there was absolutely no reason he couldn't actually do the same. Spoiler warning for a season 1 episode of Black Mirror: this is precisely the gut-punch realization delivered at the end of the "future" "sci-fi" episode Fifteen Million Merits. It is set in the future, and i…