I think before the internet I must have read a couple of hundred books a year. Now maybe a couple of dozen. Reading books is just so slow.
Conversation
But numbers back up since I resumed reading genre fiction a few years ago. I think 1997-2015 or so I read nonfiction almost exclusively.
I can’t read literary fiction anymore. Way too much work. I think I don’t care enough about people to enjoy literary fiction now.
2
2
16
Books are like assembly language. If you’re above 40 your brain is mainly programmed in assembly.
2
1
17
Limiting factor now is eye strain. And also I can’t read on paper anymore. Too lazily addicted to reading on light kindle in the dark in bed. Paper is horrible technology.
2
8
Genre fiction is great! Learn the tropes and conventions and you can zip through. It’s like runtime library linking. Within a single universe is even better. Reusable world and characters.
2
6
Literary fiction has to REALLY deliver a lot. Single use works and characters. And some have such poor payoff it pisses you off.
Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy was the first big fat book I remember being actively mad at. Huge waste of time I trudged through.
3
5
Hmm. Literary fiction is waterfall. Genre fiction is agile. Release early, release often.

