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Comment by throwaway98797 | Hacker News Reader

You only have time to read 300-3,000 books in your life. Pick wisely.

As a tangent, I find audiobooks offer a great multiplier to the number of books I can read. I'd say I get maybe 80% as much out of a book I listen to versus reading it in print, but I end up reading 3-4x as many books because I can listen while I bike to work, drive to errands, etc.

They also force me to stay focused while I'm listening, versus how my mind tends to wander while I'm reading a print book (where I realize I've been on the same page for five minutes).

For fiction, I get more out of audiobooks than print. There's something about hearing a story, especially from a good narrator, that just sticks in my mind and affects me more.

For non fiction, I'd probably agree with your 80% number. I generally prefer print in those cases, where I can easily highlight important sections and take notes.

Can you show your work for how you arrived at this range of values?

Not OP. But suppose you read books from when you are 10 until you are 70. How many books a year? For me, 5-10. Now multiply.

That doesn't seem to be a matter of "not enough time" but "not going to read many books."

Well, everybody is different but I have a stack of to-be-read that I just never get time for. (Almost done How I Wish I'd Taught Maths and next is A Nation of Deadbeats.)

Agree, I can do several books a week if I'm motivated and they're excellent enough to keep me engaged.

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