lurker123123
Robin
how do you guys choose what books to read?
How many books do you read per year?
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lurker123123 said:
I have four main passions in life not related to school or self improvement:
1. Fitness
2. Combat type sports like rugby and boxing
3. Primitive Archery (mostly outgrew this but I have never met someone better at it than me)
4. Pickup type stuff/PUA outer and inner game
All I do is google, check out amazon, and pay big attention to the reviews.
Works great, I have a nice library of stuff.
basil
Robin
How do I choose a book? Theres is the simple answer of 'I read what looks good'.
Beyond that I use http://www.goodreads.com/ to track what I have read and want to read, I follow what people with similar taste read and get ideas from them, when something catches my eye I check the reviews there and on Amazon. Goodreads has recently incorporated a recommendation engine like netflix, its not perfect but I have gotten some solid recommendations from it.
I also use Amazon to keep track of books I want to buy (I have over 300 book in a few wishlists) and also get recommendations from them - a bit hit and miss.
I get recommendations from places like this forum - start with http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-2472.html and http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-6008.html
Also author blogs (I've got some awesome recommendations from guys like Neil Strauss, Steven Pressfield and Tim Feriss), my friends, random people I talk to even one of the best book recommendations I ever received was from an ex-con who did 7 years for manslaughter.
Follow up leads - if you dig one book, google the author, do they have recommendations, what books did they research to write that book, do they have other books.
Beyond that I use http://www.goodreads.com/ to track what I have read and want to read, I follow what people with similar taste read and get ideas from them, when something catches my eye I check the reviews there and on Amazon. Goodreads has recently incorporated a recommendation engine like netflix, its not perfect but I have gotten some solid recommendations from it.
I also use Amazon to keep track of books I want to buy (I have over 300 book in a few wishlists) and also get recommendations from them - a bit hit and miss.
I get recommendations from places like this forum - start with http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-2472.html and http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-6008.html
Also author blogs (I've got some awesome recommendations from guys like Neil Strauss, Steven Pressfield and Tim Feriss), my friends, random people I talk to even one of the best book recommendations I ever received was from an ex-con who did 7 years for manslaughter.
Follow up leads - if you dig one book, google the author, do they have recommendations, what books did they research to write that book, do they have other books.
I read about 2 dozen books a year [200-300+ pages each]. But that's usually when I'm travelling on a plane or stuck in some podunk bus terminal in Poland.
It's a mix of travel and travel cooking books. a bit of non fiction, a few from last years best of lists that interest me and occasionally something I would have enjoyed as a kid [Asimov, Wodehouse etc]
The rest of the time I love devouring long form journalism. 4-8k words. Takes about 30 minutes.
iPad + longreads.com is my friend
It's a mix of travel and travel cooking books. a bit of non fiction, a few from last years best of lists that interest me and occasionally something I would have enjoyed as a kid [Asimov, Wodehouse etc]
The rest of the time I love devouring long form journalism. 4-8k words. Takes about 30 minutes.
iPad + longreads.com is my friend
pitt said:
I'm one of the 30-50 responses. Its just a guess but may well be more.
My Amazon ebooks sync across all registered devices. If I have down time at work I can take my phone out and pick up where I left off on my Kindle the night before. Before that it was used bookstores and library sales with the occasional new release. Its my primary entertainment choice. When most people would watch television or play a video game, I read.
Of note is that all books are not created equal. I'm usually reading two or more books at the same time of different types. Usually its a fiction book for entertainment, and a history or biography to expand my mind. I also enjoy philosophy and academic religious material quite a bit.
Ebook files are tiny as well. I literally have thousands of ebooks I will probably never read.
I read 50-100 full length books each year, have done all my life. I don't own a TV (because I'd be lazy and watch it instead), and it makes it pretty easy to rip through books. I have a couple on the go at one time. Usually something weird, something historical, something classic, and something philosophical. I tend to go through fiction pretty quickly, and use it as a sort of mental deload from other, heavier reading.
Truth Teller
Ostrich
I read at least 20-30 books a year, and probably far more than that. With my college courses, I must have 15-20 books assigned during the year, plus whatever I read on my own time.
That doesn't take things like journal articles or magazines into account either.
That doesn't take things like journal articles or magazines into account either.
Espresso
Woodpecker
@dassad5a5
I'd say 20 pages a day is a good place to start. I'm a slow reader so 20 pages actually takes me a long time, especially for non-fiction.
This way you can still get through books reasonably quick (about 2-3 weeks per book) but it's sustainable and not too taxing on your daily routine. Even starting at 10 pages a day will get you far, done consistently.
I think the key is to start at a sustainable level (so you don't quit), do it consistently and then slowly build up if and when your capacity to read more increases. Another way of doing it, is to do "book challenges" where you commit to starting and finishing a book within say 2 weeks flat, and resolve to finish that book in that time frame no matter what, which will give you motivation.
Happy reading!
I'd say 20 pages a day is a good place to start. I'm a slow reader so 20 pages actually takes me a long time, especially for non-fiction.
This way you can still get through books reasonably quick (about 2-3 weeks per book) but it's sustainable and not too taxing on your daily routine. Even starting at 10 pages a day will get you far, done consistently.
I think the key is to start at a sustainable level (so you don't quit), do it consistently and then slowly build up if and when your capacity to read more increases. Another way of doing it, is to do "book challenges" where you commit to starting and finishing a book within say 2 weeks flat, and resolve to finish that book in that time frame no matter what, which will give you motivation.
Happy reading!
Bad Hussar
Pelican
CrashBangWallop said:
Tempo depends on the material. The harder the material the slower the tempo. I've been reading a lot of "Physics for the Layperson" books recently. I have an interest in Physics, but High School was the last time I studied it formally. So it's slow going.
A "trashy" novel can be read at a very fast rate, but my general view is that the faster a book reads the more likely it is it should be a movie/documentary rather than a book. There are exceptions though, like a very well written spy thriller. The Day of the Jackal, by Fredrick Forsythe, would be a good example. But anything written by Stephen King or Michael Crichton should be going straight to celluloid.
didaskalos
Chicken
I read over 100 books each year. Part of that number includes books I read for work. I have time and space to read during work and it is somewhat expected. These books are most often professional or focused on personal development. In the evenings, I prefer reading over watching tv. I usually have a novel and a nonfiction book going at the same time.
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