2 ms·

To an extent it depends on what your interests are, what your research skills are, and how well you can articulate what it is you're looking for. That last esp

To an extent it depends on what your interests are, what your research skills are, and how well you can articulate what it is you're looking for. That last especially if you're dependent on others to find materials of interest. For someone reading for distraction, with narrow interests and tastes, who's covered most of the obvious canon (Great Books, literary prizes/awards, etc.), coming up with useful recommendations gets challenging. Mind: I'm describing others, not myself, for whom the situation is similar to what you describe. I am getting better at realising that many of the works I'm referred to by the means mentioned earlier (references and citations) aren't especially illuminating, though at least for now, many others are. More books than time is still my status. The problem as stated derives largely from what I've heard of trying to keep a very literary visually-disabled person with refined and/or narrow tastes "in books". A few thousand titles in, and much of the low-hanging fruit is harvested, and recommendations (friends, book reviews, AI/LLM) tend to either replicate books already read or come up with inappropriate / unsatisfactory recommendations.

carlosjobim 3mo ago
I'm just reading for my own pleasure, and if any other book which seems interesting is mentioned in a book, or any person of interest, or place of interest, then that's another one to the list. Of course it's hit-or-miss, but fairly soon into a new book you know if it's worth continuing. If you've covered most of the obvious canon, then that person has read a lot and must have developed their tastes and curiosity into new paths, where there again is an endless variety. Unless there's a more urgent need for real life living instead of books.
- dredmorbius 3mo ago
  For you and me this works. For others ... not so much, so I've come to find. People's relationships to information, literature, books, and bibliographic methods vary widely, and it's helpful to be aware of this. No matter how hard to understand it may be.

carlosjobim 3mo ago

I'm just reading for my own pleasure, and if any other book which seems interesting is mentioned in a book, or any person of interest, or place of interest, then that's another one to the list. Of course it's hit-or-miss, but fairly soon into a new book you know if it's worth continuing. If you've covered most of the obvious canon, then that person has read a lot and must have developed their tastes and curiosity into new paths, where there again is an endless variety. Unless there's a more urgent need for real life living instead of books.

dredmorbius 3mo ago
For you and me this works. For others ... not so much, so I've come to find. People's relationships to information, literature, books, and bibliographic methods vary widely, and it's helpful to be aware of this. No matter how hard to understand it may be.