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The pages dragged on and on, it could have been half the length it was and lost nothing of value. I find the topic interesting and was looking forward to readi
by newnewpdro 8y ago
The pages dragged on and on, it could have been half the length it was and lost nothing of value. I find the topic interesting and was looking forward to reading this book based on other HN comments, but it was not written in a way that I find engaging at all.
Edit: the intention of my comment is to prevent another user like myself from being disappointed if they have better things to read. Reading is a time-consuming process, I'm rather annoyed when I bother to read a book that leaves me feeling like I've wasted a significant amount of time with little to show for it.
Based on another comment here, I'd recommend giving Casting the Net a read instead.
- FPGAhacker 8y agoWith regards to your edit, I feel the same way.
- chiefalchemist 8y agoOn one hand, I hear you and agree. On the other hand, 95% of the non-fiction I read usually feels like it could be half as long. Yeah. You're wasting half your time. But the question always remains: which half? ;)
- ghaff 8y agoSome of it is economics. You can't really publish a standard book that's less than 200-300 pages. It's also the case that a lot of "filler" does add to the readability and general intellectual heft of a book; the reader's digest form really wouldn't have as big an impact.
- njarboe 8y agoI would many times pay extra for a shorter book on a subject. Maybe some books could be padded with a few hundred blank pages so that it would be the acceptable thickness for publishing?
- ams6110 8y agoNon-fiction writing will often repeat the same thing in different ways. Different phrasings resonate with different readers. The goal of the nonfiction writer is communication, not entertainment, and he will try to illuminate his subject from different angles to reach the widest audience.