I really don't like the "more books are better" attitude/goal of so many readers, amirite?

What if they read for entertainment and do retain those stories even though they read quickly?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Read the first sentence again

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

Because you're talking about stories and my first sentence is about how I'm talking about non fiction and non fiction means it's not fiction which means they aren't stories. Narratives are easy to remember. That's why we as humans have held on to the same ones for such a long time.

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

What about "stories" implies it's fictional? Would you not consider the passages in Frederick Douglass's autobiography to be stories about his life?

by Fritschelenora 2 days ago

Aparrently I cannot read

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Sure but also a lot of people don't necessarily read books to "learn" from them, at least beyond the messages the story is trying to tell, cause a lot of them read fiction for entertainment.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Read first sentence again. I'm not talking about fiction. And I guess with fiction I don't understand the need to have a number goal at all if it's an enjoyment thing and not something you're trying to gain from. It's like having a goal for the amount of smoothies you drink in a year sure they're healthier than beer but if you're drinking them for enjoyment then why have a number goal?

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

Do you watch movies the same way? One documentary a month. Thumbtacks and strings adorning your walls?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

No. But I don't normally watch documentaries. If I did I'd probably at least pause and write down what I found useful on interesting so I could get the most out of it.

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

I get that what you do works for you but good lord your way of reading sounds miserable to me. I like to read the book at my own pace, put it on the shelf, and then take it back down when I think about it again to read it again. Reading a work of fiction like a textbook just sounds...bad.

by Kiera30 2 days ago

I do this for non fiction not fiction

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

I think you should work on upping your reading pace and comprehension abilities, taking one month per chapter and reading it 4-5x through is an absurd level of overkill. Most people read more books than you because they can absorb all the information much more quickly so it's weird you're proud about this

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Why do you need to do this though? I'm a professional academic who absolutely needs to remember what they read, and I don't read nearly as exhaustively as this. I mean this completely seriously and not as a troll/insult: you mentioned that you failed a course once; have you ever been tested for learning difficulties/disabilities?

by antonettesenger 2 days ago

Seriously, go to your school's testing center and see. You might be surprised.

by antonettesenger 2 days ago

You're a slow reader which is fine, but your sense of superiority over fast readers is comical. Yes I remember non-fiction books well, my job involves reading a large number of academic texts

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Where's my sense of superiority? I think I'm just hitting a nerve you don't like for some reason. Just cause I don't think a mass reading goal is more helpful than a mass comprehension goal doesn't make me any better than you.

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

You do you bro. Let others do their own thing.

by Vanessa84 2 days ago

So you read a chapter FOUR times before moving on to the next? That seems like a comprehension problem more than enjoyment.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think the problem here is a disconnect. Non-fiction readers like you aren't generally in the reading X amount goals category. They're reading to learn Fiction readers with a yearly book goal are usually trying to read more because at one point they weren't reading a lot, or because they're entertaining themselves. If you've memorised a piece of fiction front and back, it's less fun to reread. That being said, there actually is a category of fiction readers who do read fiction like you read non fiction, so whatever floats a person's boat I say! Also I'm one of the as many one night stands as I can people 😂

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Totally respect that. And yeah I've met and seen all kinds of readers. To each their own. Just totally confuses me sometimes when (for example) I see book-tokers saying "I read 150 books this year. Here's which ones you should read" like how could they possibly remember and fully understand the details of every book enough to do that. Unless it's their full time job and they write notes on them all as they go.

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

A book-tokers read list I find should probably be taken with a pinch of salt.... that being said they've probably taken some notes

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Only a non fiction reader would think like that.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Reading systematically like this will go a long way. If you keep it up throughout life, the amount of learning you can accomplish is massive. Your process is not so different from the one I used in earning a PhD, and in my studies and research since then. It's nice to see someone engaging with texts like this, because it's not generally so common anymore.

by Marvinskyla 2 days ago

Your way of reading is pretty intense, if I did that I'd have failed my degree- being able to process information quickly is as important as approaching it methodically. That being said, I definitely agree with your broader point. The whole let's read X books a year thing is dumb. I could read 200 dark romance books a year (if I liked them) but no way is anyone reading 200 worthwhile books in 12 months unless they are very unemployed. Sometimes a great book can take you a long while, these stupid challenges shouldn't define your relationship with reading, imagine trying to read and process like the Anti Oedipus or The Origins of Totalitarianism in a few days.

by Rodrigohessel 2 days ago

This is exactly my point and I wish I put it as well as you did from the start

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago

Totally understand. It's more important to make what you read meaningful to you.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

On the other hand, I skip to the ending or read a synopsis online. ADHD I guess.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

No more books. No more books. No more books! No more books. -awkwardly grins at the camera-

by Anonymous 2 days ago

OP is your hand tired yet?

by jazmin75 2 days ago

bye Felicia

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I like listening to fiction audiobooks but I don't retain as much info as I want to trying to listen to nonfictions

by Longjumping_Owl_791 2 days ago