/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.5923390]

Hi /lit/ .. I am new here and I need help

I have had some great success on /fit/ where in the past two years they have helped me get my shit together when it comes to working out and eating right

I really need help getting into reading. I understand that it is one of the most essential things that a person can do toward self improvement.

Let's see if you can help me.. my problem is that I don't feel like picking up a book for pleasure .. while I have to constantly read research articles and such for grad school and research, I don't have any appetite for reading for pleasure.

How do I change this? I have picked up the following books to try and stimulate my interests but nothing has worked:
-Infinite Jest (I lurked here)
-The Book of Basketball (I figured maybe something light and that I know about might get me to read)
-Getting to Yes and How to Make Friends and Influence People (I figured self help books might get me to start reading)
-When You Reach Me (a children's books with great reviews might get me started on the right foot)

None of these books have worked out for me over the last year of purchasing them. So what am I to do now?

[Anonymous No.5923495]

If you want to get into something as a self improvement activity, you have to make it easy for yourself to work at it.

In other words, generate desire to work at it.
There are several strategies to generate this desire:
-contemplate the positive results of the action
-contemplate potential negative results of inaction
-make yourself comfortable and ENJOY YOURSELF while performing the action

The latter is the most important one. If you can't enjoy yourself while reading, then you need to learn how.

Tips I could suggest:
-Read a book because it sounds interesting, not because someone tells you it's patrician.
-curl up with a nice tea and a blanket and said interesting book.
-Take it slow, you don't have to absorb the entire book at once. Many good books have great amounts of meaning on every page. Don't feel bad if you want to slow down to use your imagination or really ponder something.
-on that note, use your imagination! Try to picture things in your head, if that makes your experience more enjoyable.

The real key here is making your reading experience a comfortable and fun thing rather than a chore. Think of how you do this with lifting and apply that reasoning here.

[Anonymous No.5923516]

>>5923390
describe yourself

[Anonymous No.5923529]

>>5923516
I am:
-25 year old male
-Used to like playing video games when younger
-Values include loyalty
-Easy going
-Not a fan of history
-Interested in science
-Currently in graduate school for public health
-Would like to learn things to improve myself in both skill and decision making and approaching others
-Would also like to read fun stories that may inspire me

[Anonymous No.5923736]

>>5923529
if you like science, try science fiction.
Isaac Asimov for start, for start.
As for improving yourself and making decisions philosophy, avoid self-help books.
I dont know how to approach people, most of the time im a loner but when im around friends we just have an ebin time together.

[Anonymous No.5923921]

>>5923529

>Interested in science

Try 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson and 'Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!' by Richard Feynman.

Very simple yet interesting books that are well-suited to beginners, and if Feynman can't get you interested in something then no one can.

[ultimashoras !trap0OylHY No.5924010]

>>5923529
It's sort of hard to notice but we have a sticky with a link to a ton of rec lists. CHeck the starter pack, most of the books there are under 300 pages and pretty catchy, check the synopsis to see if it's your cup of tea.
If you like science fiction, want to be better and still don't understand the importance of history you should check Dune. At least the first one, at most the first three.

By your age and gender I would recommend the beats. Check Kerouac's On The Road and inmediately after Big Sur; if you don't you'll walk out with the idea of him being a dumb party man who couldn't take decent decisions, Big Sur gives some depth to his character and lets you catch some of the thinking underneath OTR that isn't in the paper. Bukowsky is big among young males, you'll probably at least get a laugh. Hunter Thompson is a thrill ride, try to consider election trail or some of his more focused works instead of the wakcy funny FaLiLV or the subpar Hell Angels and Rum Diaries.
yes, I'm considering all of those beats, got a problem?

[Anonymous No.5924044]

>>5923529
Oh, so you are a souless peasant that wants self-help idiocy. Sorry mate, reading won't be for you. Try Machiaveli and The Prince, since that's like an erudite self-book. If you don't feel something from it, then you are lost for both non-fiction and fiction.

[Anonymous No.5924639]

>>5924044
OP here. More about me:
-I really don't want to end up like this guy.