Hacker News Reader

Comment by thismodernlife | Hacker News Reader

120+ books a year! I’m astonished. How do you achieve this? I struggle to read one a month.

I should probably turn off WiFi.

I browse indie bookshops, talk to colleagues and friends, read reviews and I’m on GoodReads. People know I like books so they buy or loan me books sometimes. I keep a list of loads of books that sound good, then chip away at it. The list is always growing so things fall off it, unread, eventually. It’s more of a stack, but with occasional queue behaviours.

I will typically always have about 10 unread books in a pile that I haven’t yet started. Which one I pick up next depends on mood. If I’ve just read an amazing novel I’ll probably choose non-fiction next as another novel immediately will often never feel as enjoyable.

View on HN

I read in bed with a Kindle with all the room lights turned off and just read until I can't keep my eyes open anymore. According to Kindle insights I've read 95 books this year.

I've always been a reader though; my mother would buy me a video game on my birthday or Christmas, but anytime I asked for a book she'd buy it for me.

Your reading speed will increase over time. When I read, I don't read word-by-word, line-by-line; I kind of dart back and forth through the page scanning for what I deem important and excluding things like detailed descriptions etc.. Usually the first line of a paragraph will tell you if it's worth reading carefully. If it's something like

> "Character A walked into the detritus of the ancient castle left by the shelling. They were struck by the total destruction of the place, a place that had stood stoically for centuries against endless tides of invaders, all undone..." etc.

I read "ok, character A walked into a destroyed castle" and move on.

I imagine I'm not getting the "full experience" by doing this, but even when reading big series like Malazan or the Wheel of Time I don't find I'm suddenly encountering things for the first time: the salient details seem to stick in my head.

Just out of curiosity... ever read anything by Gene Wolfe?

No, do you have a recommendation? Currently hooked on the 40k Horus Heresy series, on book 34 and hope to have it finished early next year.

> I imagine I'm not getting the "full experience" by doing this, but even when reading big series like Malazan or the Wheel of Time I don't find I'm suddenly encountering things for the first time: the salient details seem to stick in my head.

Don’t blame you with Wheel of Time, heck Jordan recycles descriptions word for word.

Not parent, but for Gene Wolfe I’d recommend starting with the “Book of the New Sun” series, especially if you’re into classic fantasy. It’s really something.

The thing with Wolfe though is you really gotta keep your eyes open to get much out of it. He plays a lot of games with point of view, subtext, and unreliable narrators. If you aren’t paying attention the actual story can sail right past you. Even then, there are things you’ll only pick up on the second or third time through.

After that, my favorites are The Fifth Head of Cerberus and The Sorcerer’s House. New Sun is imo definitely the place to start though, it’s the closest to traditional fantasy.

The Horus Heresy is not much better than WoT in that regard: I must read "they grasped gauntlets in the manner of warriors" or some variation thereof at least ten times per book

Try the first book from the New Sun cycle to see if you like the style. If yes, you'll have 4 more to enjoy.

If not, give Soldier of Mist a try (style is still great but more terse).

Hah recommending Gene Wolfe is definitely one way to teach someone to read closely...

I read both ebook/physical books and audiobooks, which has increased my yearly count from about 60 or 70 to where I am now. And I’m a fast reader, though I don’t “skim” or anything like that.

Your process seems almost identical to mine. Maybe I should just be OK with doing it based on mood and what I have around or on my list. It works, but could it work better?

"I should probably turn off WiFi."

I recommend it. I schedule my router to shut down the wifi during the hours I should be sleeping. It's not so much a distraction thing as it is just a health precaution.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com