[redelbee]

I would opt in to this. I read 100+ books a year, not all digitally however. If this was real my reading would probably look like this:

1. Buy ebooks and read them at the same rate as I do now 2. Use the proceeds from reading to buy physical copies of the “best” books I want to have a hard copy of for rereading, reference, or gifting

In looking at my read books from 2020 I probably would have purchased hard copies of about 40 out of the 131 books I finished.

So using the example in the post I would get $131 for my reading (assuming I finish 100% of the books I buy). The post doesn’t say anything about the cost of physical books but I could see them priced at 2x the cost of the digital version for $10. That price would put me at $400 for the physical copies, for a net of $269 for the publisher.

That’s obviously less than the publisher would get if I bought all the books outright. However my current book buying strategy is to wait until digital books go on sale to buy, and the physical copies I purchase are 95% second hand from local book shops. So the publisher might actually stand to make more from me with the Kevin Kelly method.

It’s definitely interesting to think about even though I think this scenario is highly unlikely to become a reality.

[Brajeshwar]

Thank God there are enough people who easily read 100+ books a year. Once you establish a pattern, the muscle memory kicks in, and one can easily read lots of books.

However, I have promised myself to slow down this year and dive deep into few topics and read a lot less.

Goodreads reported 14 books so far (via Kindle), which means I might have crossed 20+ books. 1 in 5 of my reading is usually physical books. This year, I will read more physical books. I still love physical books more.

[BossingAround]

> Thank God there are enough people who easily read 100+ books a year

In my anecdotal experience, a lot of such people don't really read 100+ books; they go over the letters of 100+ books.

I'm not here to judge though, do whatever floats your boat. Personally, I feel a lot of the "100+ books a year" appeal is in the social aspect of "look at me, I am smart."

[Brajeshwar]

Hey, opinion read and accepted. I did check up and see that you mostly post bitter comments. I hope and wish that your actual life is way better, experienced with ups and downs, and have exciting things happening.

Well, I might have done a lot more other things than boasting around on social media about the number of books I read. We were discussing books here, and I was just delighted that I stumble on others reading more than me.

[Redacted] Sigh!

[ajfjrbfbf]

This is totally unrelated to the discussion. What's the point to boast whatever volunteering you do to counter the fact that someone said you were boasting in the first place?

[BossingAround]

I wanted to respond, but between listing personal accomplishments and personal attacks, there wasn't much to respond to.

Maybe just that what you consider bitter I consider quite matter of fact. This is a cultural difference; if you work with Europeans, you'll encounter it a lot more.

[Brajeshwar]

Ah! Thanks for the cultural heads up. This will help us when hiring and working with everyone from everywhere including the Europeans.

[estaseuropano]

With all due respect, I don't think your comment adds much informarion or discussion value, just a bitter aftertaste. You might want to consider deleting it.

[BossingAround]

I'm honestly not sure why you perceive the comment as bitter. In my mind, it's a simple and dry observation; nothing more, nothing less.

What it adds to the discussion is raising the question "why would you want to read 1000+ books a year?"

Finally, I'm not sure why I would delete the comment. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'm afraid that's on you...

[dbz]

I aim to read 30+ books a year. Do you have a list of recommendations (for any reason) or favorites?

[redelbee]

I check back on Derick Sivers recommendations often at https://sive.rs/book

See below for some recommendations based on my 2020 reading.

Fiction recommendations:

- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. This book absolutely wrecked me emotionally (in a good way) for weeks after reading it

- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. I enjoyed this even more than the Underground Railroad, which was also great. Both also won a Pulitzer for what it’s worth.

- The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. This book gave me a glimpse into what it’s like for Mexicans who immigrate to the US, and the storytelling was just wonderful.

Non-fiction recommendations:

- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Mix together equal parts science, indigenous knowledge and myth, botany, and wonderful writing and you get this book. I love Kimmerer’s voice (both in terms of her writing and her performance of the audiobook) and I read Gathering Moss by her this year as well because she’s just that good.

- American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. In my opinion is the definitive book about the atomic bomb and Oppenheimer. I also read The Dead Hand by David E. Hoffman and I think that was a pretty good follow up about the arms race and Cold War that came after.

- Barbarian Days by William Finnegan. I knew nothing and cared little about surfing before this book. I couldn’t put it down after I picked it up though. I’ve heard the audiobook is great so I might just read it again in that format because it was that good.

Good luck with your reading!

[Brajeshwar]

Not OP but I crossed 100+ books last year (thanks to the Pandemic). I've highlighted some interesting books that I have suggested on Hackernews earlier.

The article is long-ish but you can skim real fast https://brajeshwar.com/2020/books-of-2020/