Post: #1

Like most I subscribe to a handful of content writers I respect and trust. From time to time they recommend books. I check these books out and they all sound great with good reviews, although I get recommended more than I could ever read.

Just wondering peoples thoughts on the different ways we have available to 'read' a recommended book.

For example, you could:

• Read a detailed blog about the concepts/ideas in it
• Watch a 15 min YouTube summary (free, possibly with charts, infographics)
• Watch an hour or so long YouTuber's summary (free)
• Buy and listen to a paid 'summary' style book
• Same as above but an eBook or physical book
• Buy and listen to an abridged audiobook
• Buy and listen to the original full length audiobook
• Buy and complete a paid course based on the teachings of the book (if one exists)
• Buy and read the full length eBook or physical book
  

In the past I've usually gone with the shorter summary style forms, and almost always video or audio, thinking I'm being 'efficient'.

After hearing Roosh's thoughts on the nourishment of a full length book and recently finishing an 8 hour+ audiobook on Stoicism, I can see that the longer drawn out concepts are, the more in-depth and numerous the examples, and also the slight repetition of some of the ideas the more the knowledge in a full length book will sink in.

Assuming 30min of listening time on the commute to work each day, that's 20 hours per month (20 days). I also do the odd hour long trip to visit friends family where I'll also listen to material.

I probably listen to 1x full length audiobooks per month + a whole heap of podcasts and so forth. I could ditch about half of the podcasts and fit in a 2nd full length book. I am also mindful of giving my mind a break and not being in intellectual/analytical mode all the time and have made it a point to just relax and listen to music every now and then.

How do you go about them?

Post: #2

Read a physical book. The more senses you engage, the more the act aids in memory formation. And make sure you have a pen in hand, don't be a pussy, make that fucking book your own with your marginalia linking insights to other books you've read.

If you want the full assault course on how to read a book, try Mortimer Adler's text How to Read.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #3

I like listening to the full audiobook and just being really selective about which books I choose.

I'll usually listen to the same book multiple times over until I have a really good feel for the book.

If a book doesn't catch my attention, or I feel it isn't very relevant right now, I'll drop it and maybe return to it far in the future.

This style means you'll go through much less content, but you'll know that content really well.

It has the added benefit of making you ask yourself what topics you really value vs. what topics are just for fun or just help you become a more well-rounded person.

That said, topics in the "fun/well-rounded"category have their place and, for these, YouTube summaries are a pretty good way to go.

p.s. Occasionally swapping music for audiobooks during a workout can give you a lot more listening time, but it's better for light material or stuff you've already gone through before.

Post: #4

I can't listen to audiobook, couple of times I tried I found it to monotonous to stay focused. If driving or don't feel like reading, I'll probably listen somehing on youtube. Otherwise, reading books is the way to go. I often do this on my tablet due to practicality of it (you can have a whole library there and carry it with you all the time), although I prefer physical copies.

Post: #5

If you travel a lot, an Ebook reader is the way to go. It's light and stores hundreds of books. With a kindle, you can also make notes and highlight text which automatically gets synced to your Amazon account. If going this route I highly suggest not getting one of the most advanced models which you can use for browsing the internet as well. You need a standard kindle/other models that is light to carry, with inbuilt light and with no fancy extras.

Audiobooks are cool as well, especially if you walk a lot. The biggest problem I have is that I haven't found a decent app that remembers where you left off. If anyone has suggestions let me know.

I also tried this website service called blinkist, which makes summaries of books. In the end, I ended up not using it that often as expected, since as mentioned above, I found it's better to fully read a book most times to improve retention. I cancelled the service.

If there were decent blogs which provide good detail and analysis I would be interested. A forum to review books in detail would also be cool, but so far I haven't seen one. Preferably it would be only for books that would be mentioned on this forum, not for the latest adventures from Christian Grey or whatever.

Another possibility is writing a summary yourself. For me, this is the best option to ensure incorporation of ideas but it's very time and energy consuming. I have yet to find a real methodology which would allow me to fully incorporate knowledge in a structured way.

Post: #6

(05-20-2019 07:26 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  If you want the full assault course on how to read a book, try Mortimer Adler's text How to Read.

2nd this... people laughed when they saw me reading it but it's a real gem that book... especially if you read a lot of non-fiction