• 𝕽𝖚𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍@midwest.social
    9·
    19 days ago

    I appreciate this, and honestly, I’m not being contrarian (in this instance), but among the books I’m really glad to have once read are some that I didn’t want to, and was forced to because of school. So I think the list is incomplete.

    There are also books I’ve forced myself to read, and which I thought were a slog at the time, which in retrospect I’m glad I made myself read. Almost all of the “classics” fall in this category. So technically, I “wanted” to read them, but not because I wanted to read them, if that makes sense.

    • Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org
      3·
      3 days ago

      Yes, but unless you are in school no one is making you. You can be convinced to read one of those, but your life could be perfectly happy without reading one of them.

      Then again an unexpected book could definitely change your life. Stranger things have happened.

      • 𝕽𝖚𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍@midwest.social
        2·
        3 days ago

        The course of my life has undeniably been dramatically altered several times by books. My political beliefs, my ethics and morals, many of the friends I’ve had, my career, and even my wife I can trace back in some way to influence from a book.

        I’m sure there are many people who haven’t been so influenced, but I certainly have.

    • TootSweet@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      19 days ago

      Came here to say basically the same thing. There are books I want to have read even if I don’t necessarily want to have to slog through them. And for at least some of those books, the “want to have read” wins out over the “don’t want to slog”.

    • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
      2·
      19 days ago

      Yeah just like with movies. I’m not really a movie person, but there are certain pieces of media that I watch just so I can take part in the broader culture.

  • CheeryLBottom@lemmy.world
    4·
    19 days ago

    I’ve finally started reading what I want and not worry about the number of books. I mean, I can’t read/listen to300 books a year like some people on reading sites. I also have games to play :)

  • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
    3·
    19 days ago

    In a similar vein, I always set my Bookwyrm “reading goal” to 1, so that I hit it immediately.

    • Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org
      2·
      3 days ago

      No “stress to finish”. Perfect! Although you probably don’t have to bother unless you like the thrill of hitting your goal. Just change your goal before you finish every book.

      • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
        21·
        3 days ago

        Rofl that’s too funny. But I’m not that hard up for gamified validation. :p