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Yes, most books are useless. > What tools/metrics are there to help find meaningful books? Okay, first I never read a book that is less than 10 years old. Why
by noud 4y ago
Yes, most books are useless.
> What tools/metrics are there to help find meaningful books?
Okay, first I never read a book that is less than 10 years old. Why? Because 10 years is roughly the time needed for a book to withstand the wheel of time. 100 years, as noted in other comments as well, is even better. If old books are still read, they are probably good books. But I cannot tell you the best books of last year. The only thing I can do, is tell you what the most popular books of last year were. But popular books are not the same as best books.
Secondly, I only read books I'm willing to read multiple times. Reading a book more than once is a great experience. Usually, I get more out of the second or third read than from the first read. If, after reading a couple of pages of a book, I realize I will not want to re-read the book, I quit reading it.
- rhn_mk1 4y agoHow do you know if you're willing to read a book multiple times before, you know, getting acquainted with it by reading it? Do you have a 100% accurate method to ensure you never ever start reading something not-awesome?
- m463 4y agoMost of my life, I've been a completionist and would power through any book I started reading. Same for tv series, etc. But then I found that forgiving myself for quitting had some really good consequences and few bad ones. So if a book/show isn't cutting it, I am mindful of the sunk costs fallacy and get onto something better. I've been happier.
- noud 4y agoI think there is only one 100% accurate method to ensure you never start reading a non-awesome book, and that's by never read any book at all. Instead, admit quickly that you made a mistake and stop reading a book if it turns out to be not-awesome after a couple of pages.