What is Hard Book for you ?

I tend to read political theories, feminist case studies or philosophy in silence or at least when I can have silence. If I’m tired I tend to put my earbuds on so I could cut the real world out

Reading academic papers is hard sometimes, some authors don’t have a good writing style (looking at you Deleuze). So in this case I read a little and alternate with an easier book

I found that reading hard book are like a muscle, it get easier

I read pretty much only fiction, but I’ll pick up nonfiction occasionally if it’s a topic that really interests me, usually insects or spiders 😁

I sit too much already, so I’ve been reading on my feet more. I’ll usually walk a path around my living room table or through a couple of rooms. It’s made it easier for me to read more that way because I’m not slumped over and hurting my back. I don’t walk fast, just a slow casual stroll on a set path where I know I won’t trip. Sometimes I’ll pause at a corner and lean against the wall for a few minutes before I start walking again.

• bonus question: what was a recent hard book that you enjoyed (and made you reframe stuff) and would recommend?

A book I would recommend that made me reframe thoughts on autonomy was The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley. There were parts that were pretty brutal and difficult to read, but I think it’s a great thought experiment. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer is also great in this area.

Do you actually want to read them, firstly? I can read “hard” books just fine when they’re on a topic I’m genuinely interested in and I actually want to read the book. But if I force myself to read a “hard” book on something I don’t care about, it’ll be painful.

I always highlight and annotate non-fiction with any thoughts/comments/etc, and if it’s a work I expect to find particularly valuable, I also take separate notes. Usually these are digital notes in the note-taking app of my choice (currently Notesnook), but for some books I get a physical notebook. It also helps motivate me if I get some nice highlighters and pens and take pretty notes.

One word at a time.

I dont, I get audiobooks and listen to them on my commute.

My answer is different depending on if it’s fiction or non.

Also context I’m in academia which means I read constantly for work. This sadly means though that I don’t read much fiction or for fun. I do try and mediate that by reading poetry since they’re short !

But when I do read for fun I tend to read before going to bed so I’m laying down in bed.

For non fiction I will read lots of places. And I pretty much can’t digest the information unless I’m able to highlight and annotate what I’m reading. I try to read non fiction that is relevant to my research not before bed so as to retain the information a bit better.

Reading while taking a bath is nice !

I don’t. One thing that makes it harder is I have bifocals now. I was near sighted my whole life but man far sighted is a bitch.

In the words of the great Kirk Lazarus: what do you mean, you people?

I mostly read lounged on the couch, long ways. Sometimes in bed with pillows to prop me up.

I mostly read ebooks and highlight passages in them. For physical books sometimes I’ll take a picture of an important page I want to reference later.

Not sure what you mean by “hard books”. I do have a bad habit of reading too quickly and not fully retaining everything. The last book I (re)read was House of Leaves. A classic. Highly recommend.

Like so many others, I read constantly as a kid. Then I got older and had more to do, and then I got the internet on my phone and that was that.

Then I got a Kobo a few years back, because I really wanted to pick it back up again. It’s easily favourite device. Literally all it does is show me books. No distractions.

I tried cracking in to some longer, tougher reads, but found myself really struggling, so I decided to read a few young adult books instead, which helped enormously. Turns out that reasonably short books with relatively light plots are perfect for dialing the brain back in.

If you are turning into a hunchback try holding the book at eye level instead of where you have to look down. I like those stick on stands, usually the ring ones, on my devices so I can do it one handed

• I usually sit on the couch sideways with two pillows in my back. I have a reading light now that I face towards the book. That made a big difference since I no longer have to stretch my neck to see the page.
  Back in university I had to read two books a week, that was tough. To stay concentrated I would sit at a desk or table with bright lights on.
• I mostly read at night now, after my boyfriend has gone to sleep. He’s sweet and all, but can be very loud and distracting, so reading is practically impossible if he’s around. It sucks, but hey.
• I rarely take notes, but if I do it’s in my note app on my phone. Which is kinda annoying, and might be why I don’t take many notes…
• I don’t have a recommendation, but what I noticed myself about reading difficult material is that I sometimes lack some prerequisite knowledge. The book itself usually doesn’t make this explicit of course, but it can help to read a summary of the book first or a Wikipedia page about the topic before going in.

Reading fiction and non-fiction (I assume this is what you mean by 'hard) are effectively different activities.

Reading fiction is about getting caught up in an imagined world. The stakes are lower and the expectations are lower. This makes it easier. If you miss the paragraph where a character is described as having a beard, you won’t feel the need to go back to reread when you find out they do four chapters later when they scratch said beard.

Reading non-fiction is about building new conceptual structures in your mind. It requires more attention. If you fail to understand Nietzsche’s ressentiment in ‘Geneology of Morals,’ you are unlikely to be able to understand the later concept of the ‘priestly’ morality. You will not be able to fully construct the conceptual structures the book attempts to generate.

Because of this, reading non-fiction is a process of doing whatever is necessary to get all the parts and relations into one’s mind in order to produce a mental tool and then, hopefully, learn to use it. If notes help, write them. Rubber ducking can help. Simple repetition can help. Slowing down can help. Talking to other readers (as in a study group (shoutout to @DGQC on YT)) can help. Concept mapping can help. Sleeping on it can help. Highlighting can help. Cross referencing can help.

It’s study. What helped you learn in school? Do that.

Not sure what you mean by “hard” books…

I read pretty much anywhere I have time to, usually while laying in bed or out hammocking. I’d say my favorite spot is a nearby state park hammocking in one specific area that gets sun through the canopy but not so much it’s overbearing on a warm day. It’s just a great scene to occasionally pause and look around.

It’s a lot easier to read in a cushioned chair if I’m reading a physical book, but I mostly read on my kobo as well, so I don’t have to worry about weight making my arms uncomfortable to hold a book in reclined positions.