It is so surreal to see so many attack books. It’s like we are regressing into the dark ages again.

This is something I have been thinking about for a little while now. I think it depends on why you are reading. If you are reading purely for the story or to gain information, then sure; but as someone who reads largely for the benefits that come with reading, i think it not only takes the fun out of it but you also lose the benefits and the gratification of finishing a book in the traditional sense. I’m interested in what other fellow bookish people think.

This is just a freestyle thought, but I think it may be in part to where the fantasy elements are drawn. For example, things like elves and hobbits are humanoids, portraying mainly humanoid traits – just exaggerated like living a thousand years or having short height with massive feet. Or things that are purely imagination like dragons. Narnia, on the other hand, seems to make real life things betray what we know about them; like a talking lion. We have lions in reality and they don’t talk. We don’t have hobbits and dragons and elves in reality so we don;t have hard, preconceived notions about how these species should behave like we do with lions which makes us tend toward “realistic but alternate reality” vs “fantasy”. This is just a rudimentary thought though.

Well, I am intrigued! I’ll give it a look; thank you!

That is pretty amazing – do you continue reading a book you don’t particularly like? It is hard for me to continue something that doesn’t captivate me; especially with fiction. Are you more of a fiction or non-fiction reader? Or both?

I can’t even bring myself to do that – I feel like it would be time wasted and get mad at myself for not having better and faster judgement lol. Better than me for at least giving it a try instead of researching and deciding based on that alone!

This is totally valid and understandable. Do you find yourself feeling this way in media as well; like TV shows or movies? BoJack Horseman comes to mind when you mentioned unlikable characters you are supposed to root for. I can’t say that I’ve had that experience within a book but I do find myself in certain shows rooting for some characters that are assholes or unlikable.

I can’t say that I have found much humorous works – though I haven’t particularly looked for it. The best I can think of is Christopher Hitchens’ “Hitch 22” memoir having some funny moment in there. Do you have any recommendations?

I am the same way with not reading more. It is why I choose super thick books to try to make the experience last longer if I like it. I end up rereading the same things until I might stumble upon something else. Is there a book or some books you find yourself rereading for comfort or extended enjoyment? I imagine this might be more difficult with fiction.

That is interesting, you don’t find that world building further engulfs you in the setting; or is it that when world building is overdone? I see this complaint a lot with The Lord of the Rings, and agree that it can be overdone – however I do feel that verbose world building done right can be extremely immersive. What do you think? Do you prefer simple settings and descriptions? We might differ on vocabulary usage, I find that learning new words in fiction can be a bit fun, though distracting, to your point; but I find overusing normal words can be a dull and banal experience. Do you like sprinkles of strange words in small dosages or do you prefer just normal words with as little honeyed words as possible?

I can agree with you there – I am not a big fan of Peterson myself, even before becoming a fan of Destiny and Dawkins; but I do find myself more engaged when reading things I disagree with to strengthen my arguments and worldview. Have you ever had this experience?

I agree – especially after a particularly good book, it can be hard to find something to follow up with!

I’m not a fan of fiction in general; but especially YA fiction; did you ever like YA fiction when you were younger, and have outgrown the genre or has it never really been your thing?

Ah I see, I sort of like reading things I disagree with; even in fiction. (I am extremely picky with fiction.) I find it more interesting to argue with characters in my head or in journals and sometimes they might poke holes in my belief system that I have to think about in order to patch it up – if it can be. It seems to be more rewarding to read unlikable characters; do you agree?

Very true, but I figured it can’t be that much more difficult than reading Robert Burton’s compendium “The Anatomy of Melancholy.” And that is true, I read that in the introduction of the copy I have, which is interesting. How do you feel about it? Apparently it is a very polarizing work.

What a massive win; information should be free to consume.

Hello, new to the fediverse and to attempting to become a writer! I am mainly interested in philosophical writing and am interested in both philosophical short stories as well as axiomatic and essay writing as well. I hope to one day write my own compendium; inspired by Robert Burton’s “The Anatomy of Melancholy.” Any tips or resources would be greatly appreciated; and if not, I’d still love to connect!