Torn about what to read

[Anonymous No.19780690]

>read The Divine Comedy
>get 80 pages in
>don't understand some descriptions of hell and references
>ordered Aristotle's Rhetorics
>now I want to read this instead of The Divine Comedy
>don't want to quit another book
>plan to start from page one when I finished Rhetorics
No, I don't read several books at once. How do you deal with this dilemma?

[Anonymous No.19780703]

>>19780690
Divine comedy is like a 3 day read, max, and I have adhd too.

[Anonymous No.19780720]

Didn't mommy tell you that you should finish what you start?

[Anonymous No.19780790]

>>19780703
You cannot process it when you read it this fast.

>>19780720
No.

[Anonymous No.19780887]

>>19780690
you give yourself perhaps 30 pages to decide whether you want to commit to a book, and then, if at a later point you still feel like giving up, you don't do the "I'll finish it later, then ;)"-routine but re-commit to not finishing it, which is to say, you put it on a special shelf from which you won't remove it at least for the next five years. this should change the incentive structure sufficiently to force you to finish what you start unless you actually have good reason to think that a book is wasting your time.

[Anonymous No.19780937]

>>19780887
I'll move to another country in ~1 month and there is a limited amount of books I'll take with me. I try to read as many as I can that ground me in my spiritual and Catholic understanding. Due to The Divine Comedy's writing style and references it is harder to grasp and it takes a longer time to read than any novel. For now, I see Rhetorics, then City of God by St. Augustine would benefit me better for the moment. I read 80+ pages of Dante in 10 days and it feels too stretched out to make a coherent sense of it. I'd prefer to read it from the beginning. In addition, I have the routine of reading 20 pages in the Bible everyday.

[Anonymous No.19780959]

>>19780937
>I'll move to another country in ~1 month
Where to and from?

[Anonymous No.19780962]

>>19780959
This is classified.

[Anonymous No.19781004]

>>19780690
I have a spreadsheet in which I allow myself to read at most three books at a time. Three basically to allow for variety. The books I'm not immediately reading I write down on a larger "book waiting list" sheet. I often find that the craving to read a new book diminishes significantly whenever I write it down on that list. If it surges again, I move the book to an upper position on the list, and it subsides once more.

[Anonymous No.19781029]

>>19781004
Do people really not just have a to read pile?

[Anonymous No.19781070]

>>19781004
This is good advice, thank you.

[Anonymous No.19781134]

>>19781029
This. What type of autist uses a spread sheet?

[Anonymous No.19781140]

>>19781134
Me.

[Anonymous No.19781183]

>>19781140
ok given your selection that's kind of based actually

[Anonymous No.19781189]

>>19780690
oh it me

[Anonymous No.19781214]

>>19781140
maybe read some stuff that isn't literal mindshit and you'll enjoy it enough to want to finish it

[Anonymous No.19781220]

>>19781214
Fight me.

[Anonymous No.19781236]

I find that "active" reading really helps. Instead of passively consooming words, make notes on passages you find interesting and ideas and connections to other works that spring up in your mind, investigate references you don't understand, etc

t. also have ADHD

[Anonymous No.19781254]

>>19781236
Thank you, anon. There are beautiful verses that I should write out that can be used for **farewell** letters. Would take little time, enough to contemplate what I read and continue.

[Anonymous No.19781266]

>>19781140
Discipline, and order are beautiful things.

[Anonymous No.19781275]

>>19781266
Checked. You are right. Organization is one thing, discipline is another. I want to make the Führer proud.

[Anonymous No.19781292]

>>19781236
Yep, I now force myself to do a similar thing. I have also imposed a maximum of one chapter a day/week (depending on size and complexity of the chapters). Once I finish reading, I then re-read with a more 'active' approach, taking notes, trying to digest the material and synthesize some original ideas from it. Yes, this takes ages to read a book, but I know my ADHD brain too well now to know that if I allow myself to read as much as I can in an hour, I will passively consume, or lose focus, or find something else to read. Reading is not much different to running, or weightlifting. You genuinely need to have discipline and to pace yourself if you want to really get something out of it.

[Anonymous No.19781302]

>>19781275
Unfathomably based.

[Anonymous No.19781553]

>>19780703
you read a shitty prose translation didn't you?

[Anonymous No.19782595]

>>19780690
Why did you post a mirror

[Anonymous No.19782882]

>>19780703
Ain't no fuckin way bruh

[Anonymous No.19782936]

>>19780937
>>19780690
You sound alot like me a couple of years ago. I would read the synopsis or some analysis of some legendary book, order it online, get maybe 1/3 of the way through, and then realize that entire third was way over my head and I've actually only been pretending to read it because it was something I felt like I should be reading.

Take a step back and maybe pick up some anthologies, commentaries, or lighter works. I'd highly recommend The Great Conversation as a starting point. NIV study bibles are also great.

[Anonymous No.19784217]

>>19782936
Thank you for your advice. It is not that I am not used to difficult literature, it is that I am not used to reading poetry.

[Anonymous No.19784714]

>>19780690
Is caffeine really that bad? I drink like 12-15 imperial cups of black coffee per day.

[Anonymous No.19784817]

>>19784714
Coffee is evil. It destroys my memory, hormonal balance and control of emotions. Tried to quit many times. If you drink this much you'd be dead by now.

[Anonymous No.19784827]

>>19784817
Well I definitely do drink about that much every day. It's so tasty.

[Anonymous No.19784849]

>>19780690
Take Selegeline.

[Anonymous No.19784863]

>>19784714
Caffeine is actually pretty beneficial. It constricts your blood vessels so it brings your blood pressure up though. Just don't be a fatass and you should be ok.

It's also a mild psychotic or something. I stopped drinking for a while and noticed I got less agitated with shit. Now I try to drink just once a day.

[Anonymous No.19784872]

>>19784863
>Caffeine is actually pretty beneficial
This is the narrative I've always heard, but recently I've seen people claiming it's damaging to the brain, which scares me a lot. I've tried to drink less but I don't feel complete unless I've had at least 3 mug-fulls. It's too damn tasty. Warm and smokey, pleasantly bitter. It almost feels like medicine. I'm not even that tired in the morning, I just love the taste!

[Anonymous No.19784984]

>>19780690
>trust his own judgement
wait, what's wrong with it?

[Anonymous No.19785028]

>>19784984
Well all of the other points indicate that perhaps he shouldn't trust his own judgment.

[Anonymous No.19785043]

>>19780690
>spends weeks to prepare for a 15 minute task

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU ITS NOT FUCKING FAIR I'M LIKE THIS

[Anonymous No.19785051]

>>19784714

Caffeine is a stimulant. Guess what else are stimulants? Ritalin and Adderall i.e. the drugs used to treat ADHD.
ADHD is a condition where the brain can't get enough dopamine which is something stimulants help it do.
It's not exactly that simple and the research on caffeine's effectiveness with ADHD is not very robust but either way I think this is likely why people become so dependent on caffeine. Sure caffeine suppresses feelings of tiredness but I believe this is not the real reason it is so widely used (after all people drink coffee most commonly in the morning after having slept) and instead it's ADHD symptoms people don't realize they have.

[Anonymous No.19785133]

>>19784714
>>19784827
>>19784872
Faggot.

[Anonymous No.19785148]

>>19785133

[Anonymous No.19785667]

>>19780937
Read Imitation of Christ as well, it's a good little straightforward book of Catholic spirituality.

[Anonymous No.19785818]

>>19785667
I haven't heard of this before. Thank you. Do you recommend the imitation leather edition? It has 432 pages.

[Anonymous No.19785906]

>>19785818
Can't give proper comment on that version as I have a fairly budget edition right now, I got the $40 My Confraternity Library which contains a number of small editions of Catholic spiritual texts, in that edition the main text is about 450 pages long and there are some little extra bits at the beginning and end (foreword, reading guide, recommended sections for certain troubles/times, etc...).
Regardless, the book is great and has had a profound impact on my spiritual outlook.
There's a free audiobook version (among other readings including an audiobook of the Knox version Gospels, Acts, and Revelation) read by Fr. Hugh Thwaites: https://www.proecc.com/frthwaites-talks
>>19785818

[Anonymous No.19785912]

>>19780703
No it’s not a three day read lmao

[Anonymous No.19785935]

>>19785906
Is your version in Old English? I looked up the imitation leather but it is a modern translation.

[Anonymous No.19785952]

>>19785906
And can you show a picture of the font-size? Thank you.

[Anonymous No.19785975]

>>19785935
>>19785952
Old-ish, yes. The foreword mentions removing some archaic language but it certainly retains a traditional reverent tone with "-eth"s and thees/thous intact.
Book is small, but font is comfortably readable IMO, plus it comes with some nice art.
Also, worth noting that the "My Way of Life" in the Confraternity Library is a simplified/summarized Summa Theologica, so if you have any interest in reading Aquinas that can be a good starting point too.

[Anonymous No.19786007]

>>19785975
Thanks a lot, anon, also for the recommendation.
Have you read Way of The Ascetics by Tito Colliander and Laurus by Evgeni Volodazkin?

[Anonymous No.19786030]

>>19786007
I haven't, should I?
And you're welcome, brother. Always happy to help.

[Anonymous No.19786082]

>>19786030
Way of The Ascetics is a short guidebook (100 pages) how to live like a Christian. It summarizes the teachings of the Early Church and Desert Fathers in one neat little book.

Laurus is, besides the works of Dostoevsky, the best Christian novel I read, and it was published in 2012. It is set in 15th century Russia about the man Arseni, a doctor, who starts life of redemption for his lost loved one. It encaptures the mystical nature of Christianity, a life of complete self-denial and the perception of cyclical time. The concept of cyclical time is highly emphasized in this work and gave me a proper understanding how mankind from ancient to Midieval times perceived life in general.

Both books are a product of Russian Orthodoxy, but are not contrary to Catholic teaching. So yes, I highly recommend both.

[Anonymous No.19786137]

>>19786082
Thank you very much for the recommendations, both books you wrote of have piqued my interest. I'll be sure to check them out sometime soon, they're both in a good strike-zone of times and topics that intrigue me.

[Anonymous No.19786200]

>>19781275
so Marcuse was right?

[Anonymous No.19786436]

You lads ever thought that maybe you should go easy on information?

[Anonymous No.19786637]

OP with an update: I started reading again from the first page and now I understand The Divine Comedy way better. The problem was that I have read three books simultanously (Holy Bible, Corpus Hermeticum and D. C.), which made it hard to follow. In addition it is the first "collection" of poetry I'm reading, so I have to get used to read poetry over the span of several dozens and hundreds of pages. The notes in my edition are superb.

Thank you all for your advice. I'm a retard, and I should only read one book at a time. Special thanks to Catholicanon who recommended me Imitation of Christ. I hope to see you in Purgatory or Paradise.

All others who shitposted, I'll visit you in Hell.

[Anonymous No.19786682]

Reminder that everyone, but especialyl those with ADHD, should regulate their internet usage.

[Anonymous No.19786949]

>>19786637
>Special thanks to Catholicanon who recommended me Imitation of Christ. I hope to see you in Purgatory or Paradise.
Aye, be it in Purgatory or Paradise, we shall meet under the rule of the King of Kings someday.
>>19786682
With regulated net usage comes easier resistance to temptations, both as you lessen exposure to sinful content and as you gain willpower and better command over yourself.

[Anonymous No.19787051]

>>19781140
This list reads like a retarded midwit.

Evola is too deep and profound for you keep your filthy hands off of him.

[Anonymous No.19787069]

Is it really that bad to read a prose translation of The Divine Comedy? Is Cardi's translation unacceptable?

[Anonymous No.19787092]

>>19786682
Is he quoting The Shallows by Nicholas Carr?

[Anonymous No.19787103]

>>19780690
>Not posting the fixed version

[Anonymous No.19787125]

>>19781140
>No Jan Assmann
>No Frank Herbert
>No Karl Kerenyi

[Anonymous No.19787155]

>>19780690
>mfw had a dream last night where I heard "unstoppable force and an immovable object"

[Anonymous No.19787696]

>>19787051
>evola
>"deep"
>PROFOUND
i sincerely hope youre in university at the latest, or unfortunately you must be some untouchable lost soul

[Anonymous No.19787703]

>>19787125
Im more of a boob man.

[Anonymous No.19787720]

I have a version of The Divine Comedy that has a notes section at the end that explains all the references.
When I read it I just read the notes for a section before reading it and turned back if there was one I didn't remember.

[Anonymous No.19787722]

Why not read several books at once? I mostly solve this dilemma by spending a lot of time reading.

[Anonymous No.19787735]

>>19780690
>chugs coffee by the gallon
And they do it to themselves.
https://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2007/08/how_to_take_ritalin_correctly.html

[Anonymous No.19788001]

>>19787735
I have ADHD and coffee just knocks me out. The only reason some people with ADHD drink it is because it calms some people down. A lot of my coworkers drink 3+ cups of coffee daily and they don't have anything like ADHD; most people are just junkies.

[Anonymous No.19788169]

>>19781275
lol just kill yourself like he did. don't you want to be just like daddy...i mean the furhrer :^)

[Anonymous No.19788687]

>>19787103
>spends minutes explaining his order at the drive thru just to say he doesn't want dairy products on his burger

[Anonymous No.19789971]

>>19780690
I used to be like this. The only thing that worked was:

1) Quit internet (literally uninstall it from your home). If you HAVE TO use it for school/work, only use their internet AT school/work.
2) Meditate.
3) Whenever you get bored, go outside. (You will spend like 5 hrs doing this the first few days)

[Anonymous No.19790108]

>>19780690
>>19787103
These are terrifyingly relatable, but I already went to a psychologist and I don't have ADHD or autism. Maybe I truly am just a lazy retard.

[Anonymous No.19790272]

I have ADHD and take dexies but if that isn't an option for you right now then I recommend reading Digital Minimalism. Self-help gets shit on relentlessly (and deservedly so) but it honestly changed an aspect of my life in that it took my whole outlook/philosophy on technology use and flipped it on its head. I'm sure it goes without saying but of course your mileage may vary

Then again I'm a brainlet normie who's been crucified countless times in stack threads lmao so most likely won't do anything for the average "highbrow" /lit/ poster

tl;dr: delete social media and limit/minimise* non-essential* internet usage

*the definition of these terms are for you to decide. just don't be lax

[Anonymous No.19790304]

>>19787103
Holy shit this fucking hurts me

[Anonymous No.19790315]

>>19790108
ADHD is basically autism-lite.

[Anonymous No.19790320]

>>19790108
You sure you aren't depressed?

[Anonymous No.19790332]

>>19781292
Why don’t you just get meds

[Anonymous No.19790339]

test

[Anonymous No.19790346]

ktim

[Anonymous No.19790907]

>>19786436
All into the centre I pour it, the grinder begins to twirl as I consume the tale of doom, prevention by sanitation, I cleanse my gut, my hands will rot but I shall remain, for all life doth seethe, and crawl amongst the deep

(No.)