3 ms·

I skim because most non fiction books, especially those published in recent years, simply aren't worth reading word for word. Most books I've found can be conde

I skim because most non fiction books, especially those published in recent years, simply aren't worth reading word for word. Most books I've found can be condensed to a blog post at most.(Fiction can have similar issues. Epic fantasies are the worst offenders of this which sometimes have entire BOOKS of useless filler) I also feel an internal pressure to make the absolute most out of my time spent doing activity x. If I'm reading a book then every page, every paragraph and every sentence should contribute something to broadening my understanding of whichever topic I'm reading about. Perhaps this is all a sign of a fractured attention span, but I've found that since skimming books (as well as being able to simply put down a book that I'm not enjoying and not feeling any guilt about it) that I not only spend more time reading but seem to get more out of it.

ohduran 7y ago
> Perhaps this is all a sign of a fractured attention span It is not, I think. It's a sign of the overall bad quality of most books, fiction and non fiction ones alike. Your ability to skim through the bad ones pays off if you find one book worth reading, and read that one slowly and carefully.
rimliu 7y ago
"Good morning," said the little prince. "Good morning," said the merchant. This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need of anything to drink. "Why are you selling those?" asked the little prince. "Because they save a tremendous amount of time," said the merchant. "Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week." "And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?" "Anything you like..." "As for me," said the little prince to himself, "if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water."
jhoechtl 7y ago
Books are contracted often by number of pages. The essential information would fit onto a fraction of pages but printing houses order a certain amount of pages because otherwise the price couldn't be justified.
bamboozled 7y ago
I find (while not arguing you should do this too), I’ve given up attaching an expectation to reading. This is because some of the most useful material I’ve read, I had to struggle though it and deal with the boredom. In hindsight, I really appreciate the fact I didn’t skim through it and persevered to grasp it all. I find if open the book without looking for some kind of amazing or fun / exciting experience, it helps me to read more and feel less disappointed and bored if I’m not having a blast. Sometimes I feel like reading a “good and enjoyable book” for fun, in that case, I would be disappointed if I wasn’t enjoying it and just find something else.

ohduran 7y ago

> Perhaps this is all a sign of a fractured attention span It is not, I think. It's a sign of the overall bad quality of most books, fiction and non fiction ones alike. Your ability to skim through the bad ones pays off if you find one book worth reading, and read that one slowly and carefully.

rimliu 7y ago

"Good morning," said the little prince. "Good morning," said the merchant. This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need of anything to drink. "Why are you selling those?" asked the little prince. "Because they save a tremendous amount of time," said the merchant. "Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week." "And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?" "Anything you like..." "As for me," said the little prince to himself, "if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water."

jhoechtl 7y ago

Books are contracted often by number of pages. The essential information would fit onto a fraction of pages but printing houses order a certain amount of pages because otherwise the price couldn't be justified.

bamboozled 7y ago

I find (while not arguing you should do this too), I’ve given up attaching an expectation to reading. This is because some of the most useful material I’ve read, I had to struggle though it and deal with the boredom. In hindsight, I really appreciate the fact I didn’t skim through it and persevered to grasp it all. I find if open the book without looking for some kind of amazing or fun / exciting experience, it helps me to read more and feel less disappointed and bored if I’m not having a blast. Sometimes I feel like reading a “good and enjoyable book” for fun, in that case, I would be disappointed if I wasn’t enjoying it and just find something else.