/lit/ - Literature

Do you think reading has effected your critical thinking? I'm not talking philosophy I mean reading in general. I don't read that often but I read regularly now (primarily fiction), and I feel like the arguments I make or opinions I hold are a lot stronger than they used to be. They're either nuanced (and then people a bunch of people misunderstand them) or bold but with a solid foundation (like I understand everything behind it completely). I feel like I can tell when someone is making an argument or holding an opinion that was told to them rather than something they came to believe or thought through. It's often like:
>topic
>someone has stupid simple opinion on topic
>oh that actually has a pretty big contradiction (obvious example)
>so you DISAGREE WITH ME?! other idea (completely different idea that was not what I said at all) is bad!
>...no...I didn't say that...i'm talking about (what you said, issue with your original statement) i agree with the sentiment but i think (more nuanced thing along the same lines)
>(person repeats same idea without addressing my concerns, also the opposing idea is bad)
Makes me want to pull my hair out. I feel like I'm communicating as clearly as I can but they're not even listening. I notice this all the time, like if I question the majority of people's beliefs it's like they literally only know the statement.

I'm not saying I'm perfect here, I just feel like this has something to do with reading and vocabulary too. Like being able to put myself in other characters and having to learn different values and beliefs has basically built up these skills in myself. So now I understand my own ideas and beliefs and all that better, but also talking with most other people is like nails on a chalkboard, because they don't really think shit through. And half of the time it becomes me walking them through their own belief system rather than an actual dialogue between us. Have any of you experienced this? Do you think reading has strengthened your critical thinking skills?

What books have you finished in one sitting? I notice I can read a lot of pages now, but I tend to pick bigger books (300+ pages) so I never get that satisfaction anymore. So I'd like some recommendations/experiences for one sitting reads.

>>15212595
i'm reading My Bestfriend's Exorcism because I'm trying to get back into fiction and I wanted something easy but it's kinda boring.

i was reading neverwhere, which was better, but just never picked it back up

Growing up I always scored high on the reading exams. I loved the library but didn't read much. Growing up I literally never read things like Harry Potter or lemony snicket, I read maybe 2-3 Goosebumps books and Coraline. In high school I did not read. In college I picked it up again but mostly read nonfiction, and I read a LOT of nonfiction. I love reading nonfiction and can burn through those books in a marathon pace.

Now I really want to get into fiction now, but a lot of the advice out there for "getting into reading" is for people looking to get into nonfiction specifically. I'm the opposite. There's so many books I want to read, but I struggle with getting immersed and finding the time or space to read. I don't have an established reading habit but if you guys have any tips on setting that up it'd be helpful. I want to wake up early to read or to go to bed early to read but it's been hard either reading that early or disconnecting at night. I've gotten into the habit of watching stuff when I eat so reading on my lunch break is probably not going to really be comfortable. I've had the experience of getting really into a book and wanting to constantly read it, it's so much fun. And once I get there and do that with a book or two then I know I'll be able to get back into it. Does anyone have any tips for this, or has anyone gone through this sort of experience before? Any book recommendations for this?

How do you go about studying literature to improve your own prose? Should I just read a lot and leave it to intuition?

Hi, /lit/. I want to get back into reading. Recommend me 5 of your favorite books.