[deadghost]

I've been reading two hours a day consistently for the past half year. I generally read with purpose and settled into a daily routine of reading a book on business, a book on programming, and a book for fun. It works for me.

I also found that non-fiction is more interesting than fiction. Fiction needs to be believable, non-fiction doesn't. Non-fiction captures a complex, layered reality with characters that are often at odds with others and even themselves. Sometimes they randomly died off, sometimes they show up again in unexpected places. A fiction author would have to be an absolute master to create such a complex world.

[keiferski]

A fiction author would have to be an absolute master to create such a complex world.

I suggest looking into some better-known fiction writers from the past, as my experience has been entirely the opposite to yours. I find good fiction to be infinitely better at creating complex realities, whereas nonfiction tends to all operate from the same contemporary pseudo-omniscient viewpoint.

I happened to be listening to this podcast this morning, which is actually about the exact topic of fiction and history:

https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/fiction-history

It's about Joseph Conrad, whom I definitely recommend as a writer worth reading.

[jacurtis]

I was going to say the same thing. This is why I like Fantasy and Science Fiction genres. They both stretch your mind with new ideas by combining what is known and possible today with what could be possible or might just be fun conceptually to explore.

I find that good fiction stretches the mind to explore new ideas that non fiction can’t do since it is rooted in reality and known facts.

I find that i try to juggle one fiction book and one non-fiction book at a time. There are times when my mind wants to be rooted in reality, fact, and true history. But then sometimes (even within the same reading session) I may switch to fiction to let my mind wander in new ways which sometimes results in ideas and conceptualization in my real life brought by the fiction exploration.

[broscillator]

Non-fiction can't sincerely deal with the one of the realest substances of individual reality: thoughts and their movement. The most substantial fiction in my experience is the one that knows how to deal with internal life.

[matwood]

I also read multiple books at once, with almost the same mix as you. Business, history, and fun (usually science fiction). It works well for me, because no matter how good a book is, you sometimes need a break.