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Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?
I'm specifying books because I'm sure most HN users read blog posts technical articles regularly.
Personally, I spend a whole lot of time reading books, but only fiction. I particularly like science fiction and high fantasy.
I'd expect that HN mostly reads nonfiction, but I saw a Stormlight Archives reference here recently so I'm curious.
- notdang 6y ago90% - fiction, but never SF or fantasy 10% - non fiction, but never self-help or pop-science, preferably nothing written in the last 100 years.
- peruvian 6y agoI read both! Just finished Manhattan Transfer by Dos Passos - starting a book about history of dress codes/clothing and a short story collection. A good nonfiction can be as fun as a fiction books in terms of transporting you to other "worlds". Reading is my main hobby for pleasure, so I'm averse to the popular nonfiction "productivity" books.
- mam2 6y agoNot much but if I do it's pure fiction. How could you EVEN read non fiction after browsing hacker news all day ?
- NikolaeVarius 6y agoBooks go into topics vastly deeper than Hacker News could dream of.
- npsimons 6y ago> How could you EVEN read non fiction after browsing hacker news all day ? 1. Get book recommendations and research topics from being online (expand your "surface area"). 2. Step away from the computer. 3. Read books from step one. Granted, I need to take this advice myself, but the problem is I've been conditioned by variable rewards (akin to gambling) to keep scouring online for "more content", but it really pays to do deep dives on a regular basis, it's just the reward is usually far off and spread out over time.
- faddy 6y agoNot as much as I wish I did. I read a lot when commuting, but Covid keeping me remote meant I used my free time doing other things. I read less fiction than I did years ago and mostly read study books on fields I am interested in. I do read a bit of "self-help" too.
- codevark 6y ago90% fiction, almost all SF or fantasy. Some mystery/crime. 10% nonfiction. i.e., The Brothers Vonnegut by Ginger Strand. TBS, I've just started The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar, which is sort of both.
- underseacables 6y agoI read books obsessively as a kid and young adult but as I’ve gotten older I’ve been listening to audiobooks obsessively
- jpm_sd 6y agoMe too! I have three kids, and with all of us everything-ing from home I can't seem to find a quiet moment to read a book (to myself). Although I do read aloud to them every night. But I can listen to a book while exercising, walking the dog, making dinner, cleaning up, and even while doing certain types of work. PCB layout seems to use a non-verbal part of my brain so that's compatible.
- pablodavila 6y agoMy reading list is currently around 80% non-fiction (technical) books. I'm trying to read again as much as I once did but I'm overwhelming myself with all the options; I end up not reading anything because of choice paralysis. I also end up not even reading non-technical books because reading the technical ones is more "important" to me (which it might/should not even be the case) I'd be happy to hear any advice from anyone who had the same issue.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 6y agoI had a system going for awhile where I would load up Calibre with books that I wanted to read and then use the 'random' option to eliminate choice paralysis. Worked pretty well.
- avgDev 6y agoI'm all about nonfiction. Technical books, mostly programming, investing, true crime and books about some events. I really enjoyed "Bad blood" and a recent book about Chernobyl explosion but I cannot remember it's name. I read a few times a week tops.
- cjaro 6y agoI read a bit of both, depending on what kind of reading I want to do. I just started Abbadon's Gate, the 3rd book in the series that the TV show The Expanse (excellent show) is based on. Sci-fi/fantasy has always been my favorite genre though, since it seems like that caters to the way my imagination works and can create pictures and scenes in my head as I read.
- navbaker 6y agoI am eagerly awaiting the last book in the series! Supposedly it's due out at some point this year.
- navbaker 6y agoYes, I spend at least the last hour before bed reading. I alternate every other book fiction and non-fiction. I actually just finished the latest Stormlight book and loved it. Currently re-reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor.
- tyronehed 6y agoBoth. Always have one of each going simltaneously.
- sndean 6y agoI'm listening to audiobooks for most of the day while working, and 100% of time while driving or doing chores around the house. Almost all non-fiction, and almost all history. Consume some paper books too, but maybe only 5%? Audible has become pretty expensive, with hundreds of books. I started using Librivox, but the time listening to professional narrators has made me spoiled with Audie winners like Derek Perkins. Some of Librivox narrators are pretty good, though. I even investigated how much it'd cost to commission a well-known narrator to read a book that doesn't exist in audiobook form – it's a few thousand dollars. [0] https://librivox.org/ https://librivox.org/
- hemloc_io 6y agoI have the same love/hate relationship with audiobooks. I'm hoping one day that we can get software reading books in a convincing/pleasurable way. Maybe a company like DeeScript realizes the possibilities of their tech. Otherwise I don't think the audiobook model really scales. (What's the point in investing x thousands of dollars for a book that isn't/won't sell.) [0] https://www.descript.com/ https://www.descript.com/
- Causality1 6y agoFor me, the new "read aloud" narration in Google Assistant crossed the threshold into good enough. It'll only narrate a web page about three hours long but I've split a couple books into pieces and had it read them into Audacity to make audiobooks of novels that didn't have them. I wish there was an easier way to do it.
- bratsche 6y agoI read a little of both. Incidentally, I'm reading Rhythm of War (from the Stormlight Archives) right now. :)
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- Arrath 6y agoTypically both, with a bias towards fiction. I need to read some sword n' spells stuff to cleanse my palate after harrowing history books like Bloodlands[1] [1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6572270-bloodlands https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6572270-bloodlands
- wunderflix 6y agoI am trying to read one non-fiction book a month. It doesn't sound a lot, but for me it's a stretch while managing work, family, HackerNews etc. I have noticed that I gained a lot of speed through Kindle's WhisperSync Feature. You buy the book + audiobook as combo. Thus you can listen to the book while walking for example and then re-read important passages. Highly recommended.
- whomst 6y agoMostly finances, economics, mathematics and law. Looking into self teaching a JD track (currently a Math undergrad at UIUC so ill probably follow the JD curriculum here) but I need to pass the Bar, which requires having a proper JD from an accredited university.
- 5555624 6y ago> I need to pass the Bar, which requires having a proper JD from an accredited university. Depends on the state. In Virginia, California, Vermont, and Washington you can take the bar exam without going to law school. It requires an "apprenticeship" with a licensed attorney. In Virginia, this is a news story once a year or so. As I recall, it takes three years X number of hours per week. And you're doing it for free -- you can't be paid. (This is the path Kim Kardashian is taking in California, too, to become a lawyer.)
- whomst 6y agoInteresting. Ive only looked into Wyoming and Illinois. If I pursue this path, what should I do to prepare? Thanks
- 5555624 6y agoLook at the requirements for each state. I know Virginia is a three year apprenticeship program. I think California is four years. Finding a mentor is supposedly not all that easy. Good luck.
- fjaved 6y agoI read all the time—fiction and nonfiction. Currently reading nonfiction: Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog. Currently reading fiction: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien. Finished Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 2020 (pandemic silver lining). Life changing book.
- rangibaby 6y agoWhich translation of War and Peace?
- approxim8ion 6y agoPevear+Volokhonsky are usually pretty great. I haven't read War and Peace, but their Dostoyevsky translations are very good.
- karfam 6y ago"Currently reading nonfiction: Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog." Which edition? And why read it?
- vehemenz 6y agoI am re-reading Plato's dialogues again. Are they fiction or nonfiction? I'm not sure either category fits. Regardless, they are entertaining and fulfilling to read.
- dataminded 6y agoAt least one book a week. Probably 80% fiction and 20% non-fiction.
- nynx 6y agoI generally read 3ish scifi books a week.
- jakebasile 6y agoI read in waves - I'll get the itch occasionally and knock out one or two novels in a few days each then ease back into a much slower pace. Almost exclusively fiction. I like the Harry Dresden novels, and lots of older science fiction and horror. Reading on a Kindle really improves the experience vs on a LCD/OLED screen.
- Kratisto 6y agoI'm really into the Dresden novels as well. Also read all of the Cosmere, and I highly recommend. 1/3rd of the way through Wheel of Time right now.
- jakebasile 6y agoThe Wheel of Time series is intimidating to me. I have a bad habit of putting books down midway and forcing myself to restart them later on. I think it would take me a decade to get through Wheel of Time!
- fish45 6y agoI'm on book 5 of Wheel of Time right now. Honestly I haven't liked it as much as anything Cosmere so far but I'm hoping that will change.
- fish45 6y agoI agree that e-ink ereaders are amazing. I had a Kindle for 4 years or so but surprisingly it broke. Nowadays I've got a Kobo which is much nicer though.
- osrec 6y agoI struggle to read fiction, even as a kid. Not sure why that is, but I feel my imagination allows me to have enough interest in real life that I don't need to escape via a fiction book. Non fiction books on programming or maths, or something that's practical and interesting (eg how to tie knots), keep me pretty captivated.
- billfruit 6y agoOne can experience only ones own single version of reality, but fiction allows us to peek into thousands of other such realities, which seems a fascinating thing.
- osrec 6y agoQuite true. I wish I had the ability to get into a fiction book, but I can't seem to.
- yesenadam 6y agoWell, I read a lot of old stuff - history, essays, philosophy, diaries. It's like travelling in time. Experiencing life in ancient Greece (e.g. Plutarch, Herodotus) or China; medieval Japan; 16-17th C France (Montaigne, La Bruyere), 19th C England (Hazlitt) etc etc. Non-fiction actually allows us to "peek into thousands of other such realities", not just imagined "realities". (I get a similar effect chatting with my friends in many countries, only all the different time zones can get quite disorienting!)
- mrweasel 6y agoYou’re not alone. I do read fiction, but not a lot. If I read non-techically books, it’s mostly biografy or history. It’s a little irritating that language education focuses solely on fiction. I believe I would have had a better appreciation of language, if the school had noticed that some students just don’t like fiction that much.
- geoah 6y agoMostly science fiction here. I'd be interested in seeing other people's reading lists if they are tracking them some how, so I'll try sharing mine in hope others do the same. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/75821997-george-antoniadis?shelf=read https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/75821997-george-antoni...
- domano 6y agoNice, found some new ones there. I do not have a list, but want to say that somehow i can only read science fiction for leisure and everything else looses me.
- FpUser 6y ago>"I spend a whole lot of time reading books, but only fiction. I particularly like science fiction and high fantasy." Exactly the same goes for me
- jimnotgym 6y agoI used to. Now it is audiobooks on my commute. I mostly listen to history books atm.
- jppope 6y agoI read articles/blog posts 30 min a day and Books 30-45 min a day. The articles are 98% Non-fiction, the books are whatever I'm into at the time. This has been more Non-fiction over the last 10 years because I binged the classics ages 14-22 (probably ~500 books or so, even those nasty thick Russian novels)
- gherkinnn 6y agoUsed to read mostly non-fiction, but have now shifted to 80% fiction. I like to believe that this shift has led me to understand the world better than before. It is also worth reading for the beauty of the language alone.
- jkingsbery 6y agoI've gone through phases where I'm more or less organized. Since the start of COVID and not needing to commute, I found myself with time to exercise for the first time in many years. In order to use that time efficiently and avoid injuries that would inevitably come from someone in his late 30's pretending he's in his early 20's, I read a bunch of books around running, biking, strength training and nutrition over the summer. I try to make myself read some fiction, but I don't feel compelled too often enough, so it doesn't happen much. I end up re-reading Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia every 2-3 years. I've been listening to a few Audible books lately about Roman History. A finished a biography of Caesar and a book offering (yet another) set of theories on the fall of the Roman Empire. I'm currently listening to a book about Cicero's life. For sorta-related-to-work I have a few really niche books I'm reading on Telecom OSS/BSS, network planning and telecom regulation. I think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase.
- npsimons 6y ago> It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Perspectives from the past are super interesting. In "Teton Tales" by Paul Petzoldt, he describes chopping down a tree and tying it with rope to a car to use it as a brake going downhill, back in the early days of cars where brakes weren't so good. Crazy stuff! I need to finish that book someday.
- Jtsummers 6y ago> I think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase. Years ago, on a whim, I picked up a copy of Lapham's Quarterly in a Barnes & Noble. After that I started picking them up less-than-quarterly (two or three times a year, typically) and finally subscribed last year. It's fantastic to read the themed content (Scandal, Democracy, Trade, etc.) drawn from cultures around the world and throughout history. There's a surprising amount of content ("surprising", not to me I got over my shock regarding this a long time ago through a "world literature" course in college that drew from, mostly, BCE writings and a later Old English course) that, with small modifications, would easily read as contemporary (to us) writing. Long way to say, if you enjoy Chesterton and have an interest in reading more broadly through history and cultures, but don't know what to read, pick up a copy. You'll probably enjoy it.
- oldsklgdfth 6y agoThe Mediations of Marcus Aurelius is something I keep around and revisit frequently. If I need some time to refocus during a busy workday, I’ll open it up to a random page and read for a few minutes.
- kevstev 6y agoI have essentially replaced my morning commute with reading time. I read almost entirely non-fiction and textbooks/technical books. I had a backlog that had been growing over the years that I am now nearly through. On the rare occasions I read fiction, I sometimes have to remember that the story is actually made up! (obviously more for "realistic" fiction and not sci-fi/fantasy stuff)
- tomduncalf 6y agoI pretty much only read fiction. I've never really got in to reading much non-fiction, though I'd like to try to get into it more. I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception. I usually read for about 30-60 minutes a day before bed, I find it helps me switch off and sleep well. I've recently been working my way through some classics which have been reissued, properly typeset etc., by Amazon on Kindle for free: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=18660703011 https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=18660703011. The best one I've read so far is Count of Monte Cristo - it's long but it's one of those books where you get really engrossed in its world and you're really sad when it is over!
- stonecharioteer 6y agoMonte Cristo is one of those novels you think will be slow because of its age and lengthy, but, like Les Miserables, it is highly readable and an intense page turner!
- fish45 6y ago> I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception. This is definitely where I'm at. The only two technical books I can say I've really read are The Rust Book and Crafting Interpreters, both of which I kind of skimmed, wrote some code, and read more in detail to fill in the gaps. Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites.
- number6 6y agoNever got Monte Christo. I only read half of it. Yeah these guys crossed this dude and sure he can have his revenge but it's like reading about Jeff Bezos picking on his school bullies. What did I miss in this book?
- tomduncalf 6y agoFor me it was a combination of the scale of what he was getting revenge for - not just “crossed this dude” but ruined his entire life as he knew it - and that regardless of the overarching plot, it is a very well written book. Personally, I’m a fan of long books that suck you into their world, even if the story itself isn’t incredible - I’m the same with music, I tend to like slow evolving techno and ambient - I’m more interested in the atmosphere than the narrative/drama!
- scottLobster 6y agoNot as much as I'd like, always seems like there's something else more important to do, or when I do take downtime something more convenient (video games, etc). Mostly SciFi, the harder the better. Entertainment value aside it's where I draw inspiration from, I'm basically an engineer because I watched/read a lot of sci-fi as a kid and thought it would be awesome if we could build all the stuff shown. In 5th grade when asked to "come up with an invention" I drew my best 5th grader blueprints of a probe to explore under the ice of Europa :P Turns out there are a few pesky laws of physics in the way of some of the cooler stuff, but just because we can't build it directly doesn't mean we can't move the ball closer, and new physics is always a possibility. In the meantime there's plenty of awesome things we can do with the tech we have. When I do read non-fiction it's almost always history, particularly military history. Aside from simply finding it more engaging I find the strategic aspects of war to be highly applicable to daily life and decision-making. Much like engineering, dishonesty about one's capabilities is not rewarded for long. If you can't code effectively your program won't run, if you can't fight effectively you lose the war, and more things are decided by superior logistics than superior warriors, among many other lessons that can be drawn. I probably differ from a lot of the HN crowd in that I don't spend much time reading about abstract theoretical science. For instance, for all the talk about "mental models" I've yet to see any way of productively integrating such things into my life, or found one that would lead me to make superior decisions when applied to real-world circumstances. Clearly others have and that's fine, I just don't personally find it a useful/enjoyable way to spend my time. Likewise I once read about "Optimal Stopping Theory" as applied to relationships, the idea being using mathematics/statistics to maximize one's odds of a successful marriage. The methodology was actually impressively in-depth, I forget the precise numbers, but it was something like you should skip the first few people you seriously date, then pick number 4-7 or something, and that gave you like a 40-something percent chance of success, which was the maximum. Well my wife is the first person I ever dated more than once and I have no regrets there, so if I strictly followed that formula it would have been a huge mistake. Lots of squeeze, not much juice in the theoretical stuff for me.
- ibn-python 6y agoAny recommendations on military history reads?
- Causality1 6y agoI'm a voracious consumer of audiobooks. I listen to them while doing almost any mundane task. Cleaning house, doing dishes, yard work, commuting, eating lunch, etc.
- ericskiff 6y agoAt some point I realized I was missing out a ton of learning that my business parter was getting, and I decided to get over myself and accept that audiobooks do actually count as "reading" 8 years later I have read over 100 books (at 2X speed), mostly nonfiction business and self help books and I have retained a ton and applied lessons from those books in my business and everyday life. Since the pandemic, I've lost my commute reading time so it's slowed way down, but I'm currently enjoying President Obama's book. I typically give myself 1 fiction book as a treat for every 3-4 nonfiction books I read.
- ericskiff 6y agoHere's my goodreads list if interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33532141-eric-skiff?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=read&view=table https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33532141-eric-skiff?re...
- _0ffh 6y agoMostly fiction and of that mostly speculative fiction. The non-fiction part is mostly economy, history and social philosophy.
- npsimons 6y agoI've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my "surface area"). OTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough. That said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in "Snow Crash". ETA: There's some great "forgotten" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. "The Stars my Destination" and "Lord of Light" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune
- angmarsbane 6y agoHa! I picked up Starting Strength from HN too. It transformed my workout routine and changed my understand of strength building.
- kbhacker 6y agoI read mostly fiction and occasionally non-fiction. See my list at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9357863-kishor?shelf=%23ALL%23 https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9357863-kishor?shelf=%...
- Cyph0n 6y agoI try to read two books in parallel: one fiction (sci-fi or fantasy, usually) and one non-fiction (history, philosophy, economics, or psychology). I’ve found that this approach keeps things fresh, and allows me “cooldown” and let my imagination flow periodically. I used to read even more books in parallel (3-5), but 2 books has been the sweet spot for me. Right now, I’m switching between “Oathbringer” (Stormlight Archive series) and “Capital in the 21st Century”. I also used to listen to a lot of audiobooks and I’m trying to get back into that.
- fish45 6y agoI might try to take that approach in the future. Usually when I get bored of whatever book I'm reading I just queue up a video game though. Oathbringer is really great.
- myth2018 6y agoI read both, as much as I can. I'm currently reading fiction and essays written by Mia Couto (portuguese is my mother tongue). It's been a long time I don't read a book which thrills me right at the first page. Highly recommended. English translations may be also very good, although you may loose a bit of the delighment of his beautiful use of the language. I read a book about the formation of Brazilian peoples and I'm about to begin one on the history of the United States. When it comes to non-fiction, I've recently started the habit of taking notes. Now I go through the book fairly slower, but the experience gets more pleasurable and constructive overall. I've already read a lot of books on Kindle but since some years ago I've focused on traditional, paper books. It's been a great way of getting offline and the smell of a new book is priceless. It's like the smell of coffee to me, it immediately makes me feel that I have a good couple of hours ahead.
- watwut 6y agoNo. I used to, but then I completely stopped for years. When I tried to read fiction again, I rarely found much pleasure in it. I just did not cared about finishing to read it in majority of cases. Once in a while I run into a fiction book I like based on news review or something like that. So I am randomly trying them once in few months. I have periods when I binge read some history topic through. Modern history can engage me much more then fiction. But my interest in it is not regular.
- serjester 6y agoMostly non-fiction, about an audiobook a week for years now. Love memoirs, biographies and anything else that's stood the test of time. Every couple months I try to read a fiction book but never seem to be able to finish. If any other non-fiction snobs have advice on how to broaden my horizons, I'm all ears. As a kid I'd devour encyclopedias so starting to think I'm just wired this way.
- 5555624 6y agoI try to read each night, getting away from screens, before going to bed. I'm usually reading two books, one fiction and one non-fiction. The fiction can be science fiction, mystery, action. The non-fiction is history or science. Currently, "Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past" (Sarah Parcak) and "Blue Moon" (Lee Child).
- GoodJokes 6y agommm another thread on books dudes read and write.
- D13Fd 6y agoI have sworn off fiction. I've accepted that I just lack the self control to reliably stop reading at bed time and actually go to bed. I've had better luck with some non-fiction books, but mostly I read various material on the web.
- TimButterfield 6y agoI read quite a bit. Reading fiction before sleep helps me to relax. I like a variety of fiction, mostly science fiction, but also some general, historical, legal and spy thrillers, etc. The Overdrive and Libby apps are good for books from the local library as are borrowing from Amazon (Prime or unlimited). I don't really buy fiction books, only borrow, read, and return them. I read some non-fiction. I have purchased some tech/dev books, but have an O'Reilly Learning subscription. It's cool to be able to read in-depth on about any tech topic I have an interest in (or watch some of their video courses). I am now trying out Blinkist to read/listen to blinks (brief synopsis segments) of popular non-fiction. I have a few more days before my trial expires, but will probably keep it. With limited time for this kind of reading, I like being able to get the gist of some interesting books without having to give them a full read.
- dvfjsdhgfv 6y agoI try to read everything I can about the Anunnaki. As you can guess, 95% of it is utterly useless, but at least some bits can point me in an interesting direction, so I'll just mention two titles. Last year I read The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity, and the author has a PhD next to her name, so she caught me off guard. It's not a bad book, she basically tries to make sense of it proposing her own theory (I don't want to spoil you the pleasure of finding out in case there are other Anunnaki (or panspermia in general) fans here). Unfortunately at some point she wrote we're using 10% of our brain which was a big letdown. So I was very positively surprised by Reign of the Anunnaki by Jan Erik Sigdell. The guy uses proper references! It's invaluable in these kinds of books where you need to check almost every sentence because the authors have a tendency to colorize facts or sometimes simply fantasize or repeat gossip.
- wafflespotato 6y agoLong time lurker, first time (in a while) commenter :) I read a lot of blog content but the majority of books I read is fiction (wast majority is SF or fantasy). One reason is that if I want to read a non-fiction book it's usually to make a real deep dive into a technical subject (control theory for instance) which does not lend itself to quick things. One issue is that I usually don't have the time for that, another is that due to me following so many blogs and having RSS feeds to keep me busy my ability to focus has essentially vanished. (edit: I also used to read interesting research papers but, again, have lost the focus factor there)
- dfxm12 6y agoFiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. On Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
- thelastinuit 6y agoOnly read non-fiction. One book per week, 10-15hrs.
- FabianBeiner 6y agoI read every single day and would recommend doing that to anyone. Especially to us folks that is sitting in front of a screen all day long. ;-)
- malyk 6y agoI try to alternate between Fiction, then Non-Fiction, then something related to my job, then repeat. I often skip the job related ones though. :/
- kyriakos 6y agoI never used to read books but recently I realised that I can experience fiction books via audio. I probably went through 10 books the past year and I'm really happy about it. I can experience a book while doing housework, driving or exercising. Pair it with a good pair of headphones and it's a great experience, less wasteful than watching TV.
- cx42net 6y agoI try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book. I recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading "The wealth of Nations" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts). The motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book) On my to read next list, I have: - High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book) - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical) - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure) - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical) - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky
- hadleycode 6y agoHow do you feel about reading before bed? I'm usually tired and just want to call it a night. I've found reading in the morning (during breakfast to be a different but sometimes more pleasurable experience).
- cx42net 6y agoI think I prefer. It helps me cut with the mental load of the day, and helps me go to sleep faster, even with a technical book (except on rare case when the book is about my work and get my gears going ;) ). Reading in the morning is impossible for me, I have to manage three young children go to school and I go to work right after that. I'm not an early bird too so it doesn't help ;) But I do believe that, in summer, going out early, reading a book outside when the sun has just started to get up, might be something amazing :)
- StevenForth 6y agoThere is an assumption that anything worthwhile is available on the web. About half of what I read is only available in print (mostly older books of poetry, math and music). I spend enough time looking at and working on screens that when i read I prefer physical books with all of their delightfully different form factors.
- StevenForth 6y agoYes, constantly, and as wide a mix as interest and attention affords. I also try to read books from many different cultures and across a wide time span. Just reading books from the past five years impoverishes thinking, especially in fields like AI that have deep roots and where a current standard approach is stifling the imagination (as much as I likes using Keras and Tensorflow).
- peelle 6y agoI read 2 fiction for every non-fiction. For a while I read 40-50 books a year. Nowadays, It's between 1 & 2 a month on average.