Robert Louis Stevenson Was a Sickly Man with a Robust Imagination | Hacker News Reader

Robert Louis Stevenson Was a Sickly Man with a Robust Imagination

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30 pointsdrjohnson9 comments

If you want some insights into the engineering dynasty that was the Stevenson family then "The Lighthouse Stevensons" by Bella Bathurst is a good read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Lighthouse-Stevensons-Bella-Bathur...

At last, across the weary faem,

Frae far, outlandish pairts I came.

On ilka side o' me I fand

Fresh tokens o' my native land.

Wi' whatna joy I hailed them a' -

The hilltaps standin' raw by raw,

The public house, the Hielan' birks,

And a' the bonny U.P. kirks!

But maistly thee, the bluid o' Scots,

Frae Maidenkirk to John o' Grots,

The king o' drinks, as I conceive it,

Talisker, Isla, or Glenlivet!

I've always wanted to read Treasure Island but just never quite got the time to do it. Approaching my 30s and working on side projects, I spend most of my reading time on startup books and articles now. It's highly informative and sometimes entertaining, but it feels I am missing out on other things.

Maybe I need a little fiction to broaden my horizons...

The first book I ever requested from a library when I was 6 years old, on my first day of school. It was the portuguese translation, but I liked it a lot. Read it again some 10 years later.

Treasure Island is not a long or complicated book. It is pretty much for kids or young adults. It is perfect for a lazy day in nature. There are also nice audiobooks of it.

His short fiction and essays are good, too, and his books about his travels from Scotland to California.

Fiction serves a purpose, at least IMO. Maybe not as much in adulthood (but that hasn't stopped me), but certainly in childhood. Check out Neil Gaiman's erudite reasoning:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-fut...

It's a good read no matter, though.

Reading apps on my phone have completely rejuvenated my fervor for reading again. There's tons of free books out there, and there's several services that let you pay a monthly fee and then read all of the books you want. I also know that my library checks out digital books as well.

Having a book on my phone means I can snatch some reading time whenever, wherever- waiting at the dr's office, at lunch, while on public transit, whenever. It's awesome.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/120 it's totally free too

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