4 ms·

Around 2005 I started to fill my amazon wish list with all the books I where liked the idea of having read them. It didn't take very long until I had two dozen

Around 2005 I started to fill my amazon wish list with all the books I where liked the idea of having read them. It didn't take very long until I had two dozen or so wish lists (non-fiction subdivided by coarse categories of my interests, fiction subdivided by genres). Last year I did the math: If I wanted to read them all, assuming I'd read one book per week (a pace that I was able to keep up with when I had no kids), I'd be way beyond retirement age until I could add another book to the list. And given my actual reading pace currently, there was no chance to finish the list in my lifetime. After some soul-searching I discarded all wish lists in an act of liberation from self-inflicted fear of missing out.

WalterBright 3y ago
I have long gotten used to the idea that I cannot remotely read all my books in my years remaining. It bothers me only a little. When I feel like reading, I have a curated collection to choose from. A large fraction of it is deep dive material, so went I want more than the shallow tripe on the internet, it's available.
- skydhash 3y ago
  Curation is the key. I also curate my media (movies and music albums) library. And it's more enjoyable to put on an album you like and purposely listen instead of launching a random playlist. Or browse Netflix.
- davidthewatson 3y ago
  I realized that I'd finally accepted my habit of reading Ken Wilbur and others sideways an odd paragraph at a time when I saw your comment here. Thank you for the idea that my nonlinearity is ok with a tip of the hat to leo buscaglia.
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    I once had a debate with a friend who maintained that the nukes dropped on Japan did not cause the Japanese to surrender, that the declaration of war by the Soviet Union did. I remembered I had two history books covering the Japanese surrender in detail, with proper cites and everything, which thoroughly supported the former.

WalterBright 3y ago

I have long gotten used to the idea that I cannot remotely read all my books in my years remaining. It bothers me only a little. When I feel like reading, I have a curated collection to choose from. A large fraction of it is deep dive material, so went I want more than the shallow tripe on the internet, it's available.

skydhash 3y ago
Curation is the key. I also curate my media (movies and music albums) library. And it's more enjoyable to put on an album you like and purposely listen instead of launching a random playlist. Or browse Netflix.
davidthewatson 3y ago
I realized that I'd finally accepted my habit of reading Ken Wilbur and others sideways an odd paragraph at a time when I saw your comment here. Thank you for the idea that my nonlinearity is ok with a tip of the hat to leo buscaglia.
- WalterBright 3y ago
  I once had a debate with a friend who maintained that the nukes dropped on Japan did not cause the Japanese to surrender, that the declaration of war by the Soviet Union did. I remembered I had two history books covering the Japanese surrender in detail, with proper cites and everything, which thoroughly supported the former.