Re:My Favorite Books 2020
by screye on Thursday December 31, 2020 @04:43PM
(#25597490)
I usually read fiction. It feels like the difference between a photograph and a painting.
My biggest complaint with non-fiction is that it often starts with a person with a story, who may not be the best writer. Thus, despite the content of the material, the prose can be rather drab. Additionally, no - fiction also falls into the trappings of 'why not just read the synopsis?'.
The non-fiction I love tends to often just be compellingly written textbooks. Eg: DesignOfDesign or Indian after Gandhi OR Blogs (Derek Lowe, Sinocism, SSC)
Fiction simply has a LOT more freedom to experiment with ideas and lets the author disto ideas in a way that non-fiction never can, due to its constraints.
I am good at suspending disbelief, so the emotional attachment for both mediums is pretty equal for me. I know many friends who can't read fiction, because they simply can't get invested in a 'not-real' story.
My biggest complaint with non-fiction is that it often starts with a person with a story, who may not be the best writer. Thus, despite the content of the material, the prose can be rather drab. Additionally, no - fiction also falls into the trappings of 'why not just read the synopsis?'.
The non-fiction I love tends to often just be compellingly written textbooks. Eg: DesignOfDesign or Indian after Gandhi OR Blogs (Derek Lowe, Sinocism, SSC)
Fiction simply has a LOT more freedom to experiment with ideas and lets the author disto ideas in a way that non-fiction never can, due to its constraints.
I am good at suspending disbelief, so the emotional attachment for both mediums is pretty equal for me. I know many friends who can't read fiction, because they simply can't get invested in a 'not-real' story.