So, how important are these books to you if you're not inclined to read them? I used to read books a lot as a child, but stopped in my teens and have more rece

So, how important are these books to you if you're not inclined to read them? I used to read books a lot as a child, but stopped in my teens and have more recently found them more rewarding per unit of time than much of what I find on the internet. I think this started when I realised you can actually buy a copy of The Origin of Species, and so I did. The insights and justifications for evolution presented in that book are much greater than any summary I've ever found online. Things like the imperfection of the fossil record, the importance of one species on the state of an ecosystem, distribution of related species due to geological processes, and so much more. It was a difficult but rewarding book to read, and solidified the importance of reading books for me. I do however suffer from the same lack of motivation and time to invest as you, so I select my books and allocate time appropriately. Currently I set a goal to read for either half an hour, or one chapter of a book, at least once every couple of days. If the book grabs me I may read more, and I feel I can justify that investment quite often. If it doesn't, I may have to put it aside for another time. I find this habit often draws me toward my next book as I am nearing the end of one, however it needs to be one that feels interesting or important to me. If it's not, then it just won't get read.