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Reading. I used to tell myself that I loved to read, but I never read any books. It was a feel-good saying I told myself because everyone likes to think they lo
by EarthIsHome 9y ago
Reading. I used to tell myself that I loved to read, but I never read any books. It was a feel-good saying I told myself because everyone likes to think they love to read.
The past few years, I started to actually read. I've fallen in love with reading. The world is more open, my critical analysis is stronger, and my school and engineering work has improved. Overall, I have a much happier disposition than before I read.
I don't know whether to attribute this change to reading or maturing; it's probably a mix of both. However, I think I really enjoy reading now because I select works that I consider well-written. This single characteristic, reading something that is well-written, has changed my outlook on reading. There is some incredible writing out there, and I wish I started reading these pieces when I was younger.
> A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies... The man who never reads lives only one.
>
> - George R.R. Martin
Edit for parallelism.
- Amorymeltzer 9y agoAlso from Martin: >[A] mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.
- davidscolgan 9y agoStrongly agree. Something that really helped me was to start listening to audiobooks. It made reading something that required just a little less effort, and so it was easier to do it more often. And I can listen at times when I can't read, like driving or walking.
- snausages 9y agoWhat types of books have you read that you've found helped the most with your critical faculties and such? This year I've finally got around to Infinite Jest. I don't know that I'm enjoying the book itself so much as I enjoy the mental exercise that I get from its reading, if any of that makes sense.
- EarthIsHome 9y ago> What types of books have you read that you've found helped the most with your critical faculties and such? In this area, I feel I've learned the most from reading commentary in the New Yorker. For enjoyment, I've read: * Stories of Your Life and Others by Chiang * The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson * What The F by Bergen * Blindsight by Watts
- davidmr 9y agoHave you read any of the other Odyssey translations? I'm very curious Wilson's translation. I read the Fagles, Latimore, and Fitzgerald translations in college and did a few weeks of translation myself in our Greek class (I went to one of those hippy-dippy "Great Books" schools). I think I was in the minority, but I found the Fagles translation to be far and away the best. I definitely subscribe more to the school of poetic translation than literal translation, so I was intrigued by the Wilson translation. What were your thoughts?
- EarthIsHome 9y agoI haven't read Fagles' translation or any others. I wouldn't have picked up the Odyssey if it weren't for reviews from others [0] and reading articles [1][2]. I really enjoy her translation, and I wish I could compare hers with others. As someone who knows very little about Greek mythology, I found her 70-page introduction in the Odyssey to be a great primer on what to expect in the epic. After her introduction, she has a shorter translator's note discussing some decisions she made in her translation. If I remember correctly, she does throw a little shade at other translators in the introduction or translator's note. [0]: Comments from other HN readers, some who have read Fagles' translation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15624881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15624881 [1]: A note from Wilson in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-translators-reckoning-with-the-women-of-the-odyssey https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-translators-re... [2]: NYT article: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/magazine/the-first-woman-to-translate-the-odyssey-into-english.html?referer=https://news.ycombinator.com/ https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/magazine/the-first-wom...
- Kinrany 9y agoWhat does well-written mean?