Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?

[fish45]

I'm specifying books because I'm sure most HN users read blog posts technical articles regularly.

Personally, I spend a whole lot of time reading books, but only fiction. I particularly like science fiction and high fantasy.

I'd expect that HN mostly reads nonfiction, but I saw a Stormlight Archives reference here recently so I'm curious.

[tomduncalf]

I pretty much only read fiction. I've never really got in to reading much non-fiction, though I'd like to try to get into it more. I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception.

I usually read for about 30-60 minutes a day before bed, I find it helps me switch off and sleep well. I've recently been working my way through some classics which have been reissued, properly typeset etc., by Amazon on Kindle for free: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=18660703011. The best one I've read so far is Count of Monte Cristo - it's long but it's one of those books where you get really engrossed in its world and you're really sad when it is over!

[fish45]

> I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception.

This is definitely where I'm at. The only two technical books I can say I've really read are The Rust Book and Crafting Interpreters, both of which I kind of skimmed, wrote some code, and read more in detail to fill in the gaps.

Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites.

[stonecharioteer]

Monte Cristo is one of those novels you think will be slow because of its age and lengthy, but, like Les Miserables, it is highly readable and an intense page turner!

[cx42net]

I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.

I recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading "The wealth of Nations" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).

The motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)

On my to read next list, I have:

- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book) - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical) - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure) - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical) - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

[hadleycode]

How do you feel about reading before bed? I'm usually tired and just want to call it a night. I've found reading in the morning (during breakfast to be a different but sometimes more pleasurable experience).

[npsimons]

I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my "surface area").

OTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough.

That said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in "Snow Crash".

ETA: There's some great "forgotten" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. "The Stars my Destination" and "Lord of Light" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune

[angmarsbane]

Ha! I picked up Starting Strength from HN too. It transformed my workout routine and changed my understand of strength building.

[jkingsbery]

I've gone through phases where I'm more or less organized.

Since the start of COVID and not needing to commute, I found myself with time to exercise for the first time in many years. In order to use that time efficiently and avoid injuries that would inevitably come from someone in his late 30's pretending he's in his early 20's, I read a bunch of books around running, biking, strength training and nutrition over the summer.

I try to make myself read some fiction, but I don't feel compelled too often enough, so it doesn't happen much. I end up re-reading Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia every 2-3 years.

I've been listening to a few Audible books lately about Roman History. A finished a biography of Caesar and a book offering (yet another) set of theories on the fall of the Roman Empire. I'm currently listening to a book about Cicero's life.

For sorta-related-to-work I have a few really niche books I'm reading on Telecom OSS/BSS, network planning and telecom regulation.

I think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase.

[Jtsummers]

> I think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase.

Years ago, on a whim, I picked up a copy of Lapham's Quarterly in a Barnes & Noble. After that I started picking them up less-than-quarterly (two or three times a year, typically) and finally subscribed last year. It's fantastic to read the themed content (Scandal, Democracy, Trade, etc.) drawn from cultures around the world and throughout history. There's a surprising amount of content ("surprising", not to me I got over my shock regarding this a long time ago through a "world literature" course in college that drew from, mostly, BCE writings and a later Old English course) that, with small modifications, would easily read as contemporary (to us) writing.

Long way to say, if you enjoy Chesterton and have an interest in reading more broadly through history and cultures, but don't know what to read, pick up a copy. You'll probably enjoy it.

[npsimons]

> It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant.

Perspectives from the past are super interesting. In "Teton Tales" by Paul Petzoldt, he describes chopping down a tree and tying it with rope to a car to use it as a brake going downhill, back in the early days of cars where brakes weren't so good. Crazy stuff! I need to finish that book someday.

[cjaro]

I read a bit of both, depending on what kind of reading I want to do. I just started Abbadon's Gate, the 3rd book in the series that the TV show The Expanse (excellent show) is based on. Sci-fi/fantasy has always been my favorite genre though, since it seems like that caters to the way my imagination works and can create pictures and scenes in my head as I read.

[navbaker]

I am eagerly awaiting the last book in the series! Supposedly it's due out at some point this year.

[wafflespotato]

Long time lurker, first time (in a while) commenter :)

I read a lot of blog content but the majority of books I read is fiction (wast majority is SF or fantasy).

One reason is that if I want to read a non-fiction book it's usually to make a real deep dive into a technical subject (control theory for instance) which does not lend itself to quick things. One issue is that I usually don't have the time for that, another is that due to me following so many blogs and having RSS feeds to keep me busy my ability to focus has essentially vanished.

(edit: I also used to read interesting research papers but, again, have lost the focus factor there)

[scottLobster]

Not as much as I'd like, always seems like there's something else more important to do, or when I do take downtime something more convenient (video games, etc).

Mostly SciFi, the harder the better. Entertainment value aside it's where I draw inspiration from, I'm basically an engineer because I watched/read a lot of sci-fi as a kid and thought it would be awesome if we could build all the stuff shown. In 5th grade when asked to "come up with an invention" I drew my best 5th grader blueprints of a probe to explore under the ice of Europa :P

Turns out there are a few pesky laws of physics in the way of some of the cooler stuff, but just because we can't build it directly doesn't mean we can't move the ball closer, and new physics is always a possibility. In the meantime there's plenty of awesome things we can do with the tech we have.

When I do read non-fiction it's almost always history, particularly military history. Aside from simply finding it more engaging I find the strategic aspects of war to be highly applicable to daily life and decision-making. Much like engineering, dishonesty about one's capabilities is not rewarded for long. If you can't code effectively your program won't run, if you can't fight effectively you lose the war, and more things are decided by superior logistics than superior warriors, among many other lessons that can be drawn.

I probably differ from a lot of the HN crowd in that I don't spend much time reading about abstract theoretical science. For instance, for all the talk about "mental models" I've yet to see any way of productively integrating such things into my life, or found one that would lead me to make superior decisions when applied to real-world circumstances. Clearly others have and that's fine, I just don't personally find it a useful/enjoyable way to spend my time. Likewise I once read about "Optimal Stopping Theory" as applied to relationships, the idea being using mathematics/statistics to maximize one's odds of a successful marriage. The methodology was actually impressively in-depth, I forget the precise numbers, but it was something like you should skip the first few people you seriously date, then pick number 4-7 or something, and that gave you like a 40-something percent chance of success, which was the maximum. Well my wife is the first person I ever dated more than once and I have no regrets there, so if I strictly followed that formula it would have been a huge mistake.

Lots of squeeze, not much juice in the theoretical stuff for me.

[ibn-python]

Any recommendations on military history reads?

[Cyph0n]

I try to read two books in parallel: one fiction (sci-fi or fantasy, usually) and one non-fiction (history, philosophy, economics, or psychology).

I’ve found that this approach keeps things fresh, and allows me “cooldown” and let my imagination flow periodically. I used to read even more books in parallel (3-5), but 2 books has been the sweet spot for me.

Right now, I’m switching between “Oathbringer” (Stormlight Archive series) and “Capital in the 21st Century”.

I also used to listen to a lot of audiobooks and I’m trying to get back into that.

[fish45]

I might try to take that approach in the future. Usually when I get bored of whatever book I'm reading I just queue up a video game though.

Oathbringer is really great.

[vehemenz]

I am re-reading Plato's dialogues again. Are they fiction or nonfiction? I'm not sure either category fits. Regardless, they are entertaining and fulfilling to read.

[pablodavila]

My reading list is currently around 80% non-fiction (technical) books.

I'm trying to read again as much as I once did but I'm overwhelming myself with all the options; I end up not reading anything because of choice paralysis. I also end up not even reading non-technical books because reading the technical ones is more "important" to me (which it might/should not even be the case)

I'd be happy to hear any advice from anyone who had the same issue.

[2OEH8eoCRo0]

I had a system going for awhile where I would load up Calibre with books that I wanted to read and then use the 'random' option to eliminate choice paralysis. Worked pretty well.

[StevenForth]

Yes, constantly, and as wide a mix as interest and attention affords. I also try to read books from many different cultures and across a wide time span. Just reading books from the past five years impoverishes thinking, especially in fields like AI that have deep roots and where a current standard approach is stifling the imagination (as much as I likes using Keras and Tensorflow).

[geoah]

Mostly science fiction here.

I'd be interested in seeing other people's reading lists if they are tracking them some how, so I'll try sharing mine in hope others do the same.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/75821997-george-antoni...

[domano]

Nice, found some new ones there.

I do not have a list, but want to say that somehow i can only read science fiction for leisure and everything else looses me.

[TimButterfield]

I read quite a bit. Reading fiction before sleep helps me to relax. I like a variety of fiction, mostly science fiction, but also some general, historical, legal and spy thrillers, etc. The Overdrive and Libby apps are good for books from the local library as are borrowing from Amazon (Prime or unlimited). I don't really buy fiction books, only borrow, read, and return them. I read some non-fiction. I have purchased some tech/dev books, but have an O'Reilly Learning subscription. It's cool to be able to read in-depth on about any tech topic I have an interest in (or watch some of their video courses). I am now trying out Blinkist to read/listen to blinks (brief synopsis segments) of popular non-fiction. I have a few more days before my trial expires, but will probably keep it. With limited time for this kind of reading, I like being able to get the gist of some interesting books without having to give them a full read.

[dvfjsdhgfv]

I try to read everything I can about the Anunnaki. As you can guess, 95% of it is utterly useless, but at least some bits can point me in an interesting direction, so I'll just mention two titles.

Last year I read The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity, and the author has a PhD next to her name, so she caught me off guard. It's not a bad book, she basically tries to make sense of it proposing her own theory (I don't want to spoil you the pleasure of finding out in case there are other Anunnaki (or panspermia in general) fans here). Unfortunately at some point she wrote we're using 10% of our brain which was a big letdown.

So I was very positively surprised by Reign of the Anunnaki by Jan Erik Sigdell. The guy uses proper references! It's invaluable in these kinds of books where you need to check almost every sentence because the authors have a tendency to colorize facts or sometimes simply fantasize or repeat gossip.

[myth2018]

I read both, as much as I can.

I'm currently reading fiction and essays written by Mia Couto (portuguese is my mother tongue). It's been a long time I don't read a book which thrills me right at the first page. Highly recommended.

English translations may be also very good, although you may loose a bit of the delighment of his beautiful use of the language.

I read a book about the formation of Brazilian peoples and I'm about to begin one on the history of the United States. When it comes to non-fiction, I've recently started the habit of taking notes. Now I go through the book fairly slower, but the experience gets more pleasurable and constructive overall.

I've already read a lot of books on Kindle but since some years ago I've focused on traditional, paper books. It's been a great way of getting offline and the smell of a new book is priceless. It's like the smell of coffee to me, it immediately makes me feel that I have a good couple of hours ahead.

[notdang]

90% - fiction, but never SF or fantasy

10% - non fiction, but never self-help or pop-science, preferably nothing written in the last 100 years.

[StevenForth]

There is an assumption that anything worthwhile is available on the web. About half of what I read is only available in print (mostly older books of poetry, math and music). I spend enough time looking at and working on screens that when i read I prefer physical books with all of their delightfully different form factors.

[Arrath]

Typically both, with a bias towards fiction.

I need to read some sword n' spells stuff to cleanse my palate after harrowing history books like Bloodlands[1]

[1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6572270-bloodlands

[sndean]

I'm listening to audiobooks for most of the day while working, and 100% of time while driving or doing chores around the house. Almost all non-fiction, and almost all history. Consume some paper books too, but maybe only 5%?

Audible has become pretty expensive, with hundreds of books. I started using Librivox, but the time listening to professional narrators has made me spoiled with Audie winners like Derek Perkins. Some of Librivox narrators are pretty good, though.

I even investigated how much it'd cost to commission a well-known narrator to read a book that doesn't exist in audiobook form – it's a few thousand dollars.

[0] https://librivox.org/

[hemloc_io]

I have the same love/hate relationship with audiobooks. I'm hoping one day that we can get software reading books in a convincing/pleasurable way. Maybe a company like DeeScript realizes the possibilities of their tech.

Otherwise I don't think the audiobook model really scales. (What's the point in investing x thousands of dollars for a book that isn't/won't sell.)

[0] https://www.descript.com/

[avgDev]

I'm all about nonfiction. Technical books, mostly programming, investing, true crime and books about some events. I really enjoyed "Bad blood" and a recent book about Chernobyl explosion but I cannot remember it's name.

I read a few times a week tops.