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

30 points by fish45 ↗ HN
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.

93 comments

[ 358 ms ] story [ 1835 ms ] thread
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.

peruvian
I read both! Just finished Manhattan Transfer by Dos Passos - starting a book about history of dress codes/clothing and a short story collection. A good nonfiction can be as fun as a fiction books in terms of transporting you to other "worlds".

Reading is my main hobby for pleasure, so I'm averse to the popular nonfiction "productivity" books.

mam2
Not much but if I do it's pure fiction.

How could you EVEN read non fiction after browsing hacker news all day ?

NikolaeVarius
Books go into topics vastly deeper than Hacker News could dream of.
npsimons
> How could you EVEN read non fiction after browsing hacker news all day ?

1. Get book recommendations and research topics from being online (expand your "surface area").

2. Step away from the computer.

3. Read books from step one.

Granted, I need to take this advice myself, but the problem is I've been conditioned by variable rewards (akin to gambling) to keep scouring online for "more content", but it really pays to do deep dives on a regular basis, it's just the reward is usually far off and spread out over time.

faddy
Not as much as I wish I did. I read a lot when commuting, but Covid keeping me remote meant I used my free time doing other things.

I read less fiction than I did years ago and mostly read study books on fields I am interested in. I do read a bit of "self-help" too.

[dead] codevark
90% fiction, almost all SF or fantasy. Some mystery/crime. 10% nonfiction. i.e., The Brothers Vonnegut by Ginger Strand. TBS, I've just started The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar, which is sort of both.
underseacables
I read books obsessively as a kid and young adult but as I’ve gotten older I’ve been listening to audiobooks obsessively
jpm_sd
Me too! I have three kids, and with all of us everything-ing from home I can't seem to find a quiet moment to read a book (to myself). Although I do read aloud to them every night.

But I can listen to a book while exercising, walking the dog, making dinner, cleaning up, and even while doing certain types of work. PCB layout seems to use a non-verbal part of my brain so that's compatible.

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.
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.

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.
navbaker
Yes, I spend at least the last hour before bed reading. I alternate every other book fiction and non-fiction. I actually just finished the latest Stormlight book and loved it. Currently re-reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor.
tyronehed
Both. Always have one of each going simltaneously.
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/

Causality1
For me, the new "read aloud" narration in Google Assistant crossed the threshold into good enough. It'll only narrate a web page about three hours long but I've split a couple books into pieces and had it read them into Audacity to make audiobooks of novels that didn't have them. I wish there was an easier way to do it.
bratsche
I read a little of both. Incidentally, I'm reading Rhythm of War (from the Stormlight Archives) right now. :)
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wunderflix
I am trying to read one non-fiction book a month. It doesn't sound a lot, but for me it's a stretch while managing work, family, HackerNews etc.

I have noticed that I gained a lot of speed through Kindle's WhisperSync Feature. You buy the book + audiobook as combo. Thus you can listen to the book while walking for example and then re-read important passages. Highly recommended.

whomst
Mostly finances, economics, mathematics and law. Looking into self teaching a JD track (currently a Math undergrad at UIUC so ill probably follow the JD curriculum here) but I need to pass the Bar, which requires having a proper JD from an accredited university.
5555624
> I need to pass the Bar, which requires having a proper JD from an accredited university.

Depends on the state. In Virginia, California, Vermont, and Washington you can take the bar exam without going to law school. It requires an "apprenticeship" with a licensed attorney.

In Virginia, this is a news story once a year or so. As I recall, it takes three years X number of hours per week. And you're doing it for free -- you can't be paid. (This is the path Kim Kardashian is taking in California, too, to become a lawyer.)

whomst
Interesting. Ive only looked into Wyoming and Illinois. If I pursue this path, what should I do to prepare?

Thanks

5555624
Look at the requirements for each state. I know Virginia is a three year apprenticeship program. I think California is four years. Finding a mentor is supposedly not all that easy. Good luck.
fjaved
I read all the time—fiction and nonfiction.

Currently reading nonfiction: Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog.

Currently reading fiction: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien.

Finished Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 2020 (pandemic silver lining). Life changing book.

rangibaby
Which translation of War and Peace?
approxim8ion
Pevear+Volokhonsky are usually pretty great. I haven't read War and Peace, but their Dostoyevsky translations are very good.
[dead] karfam
"Currently reading nonfiction: Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog."

Which edition? And why read it?

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.
dataminded
At least one book a week. Probably 80% fiction and 20% non-fiction.
nynx
I generally read 3ish scifi books a week.
jakebasile
I read in waves - I'll get the itch occasionally and knock out one or two novels in a few days each then ease back into a much slower pace.

Almost exclusively fiction. I like the Harry Dresden novels, and lots of older science fiction and horror.

Reading on a Kindle really improves the experience vs on a LCD/OLED screen.

Kratisto
I'm really into the Dresden novels as well. Also read all of the Cosmere, and I highly recommend. 1/3rd of the way through Wheel of Time right now.
jakebasile
The Wheel of Time series is intimidating to me. I have a bad habit of putting books down midway and forcing myself to restart them later on. I think it would take me a decade to get through Wheel of Time!
fish45
I'm on book 5 of Wheel of Time right now. Honestly I haven't liked it as much as anything Cosmere so far but I'm hoping that will change.
fish45
I agree that e-ink ereaders are amazing. I had a Kindle for 4 years or so but surprisingly it broke. Nowadays I've got a Kobo which is much nicer though.
osrec
I struggle to read fiction, even as a kid. Not sure why that is, but I feel my imagination allows me to have enough interest in real life that I don't need to escape via a fiction book. Non fiction books on programming or maths, or something that's practical and interesting (eg how to tie knots), keep me pretty captivated.
billfruit
One can experience only ones own single version of reality, but fiction allows us to peek into thousands of other such realities, which seems a fascinating thing.
osrec
Quite true. I wish I had the ability to get into a fiction book, but I can't seem to.
yesenadam
Well, I read a lot of old stuff - history, essays, philosophy, diaries. It's like travelling in time. Experiencing life in ancient Greece (e.g. Plutarch, Herodotus) or China; medieval Japan; 16-17th C France (Montaigne, La Bruyere), 19th C England (Hazlitt) etc etc. Non-fiction actually allows us to "peek into thousands of other such realities", not just imagined "realities". (I get a similar effect chatting with my friends in many countries, only all the different time zones can get quite disorienting!)
mrweasel
You’re not alone. I do read fiction, but not a lot. If I read non-techically books, it’s mostly biografy or history.

It’s a little irritating that language education focuses solely on fiction. I believe I would have had a better appreciation of language, if the school had noticed that some students just don’t like fiction that much.

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.