Should we read books that everyone else around is reading? (Mainstream people read)

[Rasheed]

Basically, here the story goes like this: My father gave me advise to read the book, (which he did not even read ), some book which I know everyone reads. Then I told him this: Do you know dad what books to read? You should read books which most people don’t read. His reaction? Dad was like: What? No, No, No. my mum was there too, she had same reaction.
I did not continue anything afterwards, because they have stage Blue center, that was the story. 
so my question is: What do you think? What books you read? Niche books, which are amazing, or just what everyone else reads..

P.S. most people don’t even read basic self help books. 
+ Books Leo advises to read, is anything but mainstream, 

[LordFall]

I think it's good to do both. Get good insights from good books on Leo's list but don't get disconnected from the mainstream perspective. 

[UnbornTao]

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
― Haruki Murakami

[Thewritersunion]

@Rasheed Go read yur’ bible 

[Mada_]

My dad bought a book on the gut the other day, also a book called "atomic habits". They are both really common books but I've flicked through them and they sound dope.

If the book explains a concept really well, inspires you, or gives you a system to improve your life then go for it. 

Also, Leo's booklist has multiple "very short introductions" (I think published by Oxford or Harvard), Napoleon Hill. Some really popular books on there. 

[Matt23]

@Thewritersunion 

20 minutes ago, Thewritersunion said:

@Rasheed Go read yur’ bible 

I always thought about reading it... just for kicks.  Seems like a popular book haha.

...

Would anyone actually recommend reading the bible?

[Matt23]

Another way to go about finding what books to read is to research books that people you admire have read.  You can then see if there any common books that most people you admire have read.

I've been trying to read other books than on Leo's list.  I really enjoyed Bessel van der Kolk's book "The Body Keeps The Score."

I find it's hard to balance reading random books vs. highly recommended books.  

Cons/Benefits of reading random books

- Explore new territory.  

- Be more unique in yourself/knowledge-base

-Waste time reading useless crap.

Cons/Benefits of reading highly recommended books

- Higher chance that the book will be high-quality.

- Might lose some niche-information or information that is uniquely meaningful to you personally.

 

Balance

 

[Godhead]

1 hour ago, Rasheed said:

+ Books Leo advises to read, is anything but mainstream, 

I'd say like 30-40% of the books on his list are "mainstream" (my definition of mainstream would be: can be found in a normal bookstore)

58 minutes ago, Matt23 said:

Would anyone actually recommend reading the bible?

if you have an average reading speed it's about 100 hours. You be the judge whether that's worth your time  

 

[DefinitelyNotARobot]

Why do you have to choose one over the other? Why dismiss a perspective just because it's "mainstream"? Going against the stream still means that you are orienting yourself using the stream. If you truly want to be independent from the mainstream you have to stop using it to orient yourself in life. That means that you have to stop caring whether something is popular or not. Go read a popular book. Go read a book nobody knows of. Do you realize how many good books you might miss out on just because of that one criteria?

It doesn't matter whether the books is mainstream or not, it can still be a good book. Sure, they will cater to a broader audience, but that doesn't mean that they will be bad or that they won't contain a gem here and there.

It really depends on how far you are on your journey. But if you still care about the mainstream status of a book you haven't really transcended the mainstream. Take a look at Eckhart Tolle or Alan Watts. They have good books that cater towards broader audiences. That doesn't mean that you won't get any cool insights from reading them.

I've read a few popular books I liked and I read a few more unknown books that I didn't like and vice versa. There are more factors than just the popularity of a book.

Edited October 3, 2020 by DefinitelyNotARobot