Books

I'm almost always reading at least one of both, but usually two nonfiction and one fiction. Basically: have two topics for learning to avoid monotony; and have a fiction around for pure diversion.

Currently I'm working on:

Fiction:

• House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (rereading)

Nonfiction:

• Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter by Chris Brenner and Manuel Pastor
• Democracy and Economic Planning by Pat Devine

EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm also listening to Wool by Hugh Howey (first book in the series the show Silo is based on)

I try to read a healthy mix of both. At any given time, I am usually reading at least one non-fiction and one fiction book simultaneously. These days I have been reading a lot of history and fantasy/science fiction.

I almost always choose fiction because I like getting lost in imaginary worlds.

Fiction before bed, non-fiction in the morning.

Just losing yourself into another reality was how I fell in love with reading. As I've grown up I've found that harder to do. I tilt more towards non fiction nowadays. Which is weird because I'm less happier with reality than I was back when I liked to escape it.

I consider reading a cultivating activity to enrich one's knowledge on certain topics. This is why I, like you, find myself reading predominantly nonfiction.

Fiction, however, can be utilized to disclose valuable information as much as to offer leisure. One novel I have in mind is The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, which quite explicitly tackles philosophical and social questions via the protagonists' journal entries.

I read purely nonfiction. I like escaping to an interesting place, so obviously fantasy is my go-to. Maybe I should try out some nonfiction though, I've never really given it a shot 🤔

Over the past 5-6 years I've been more into non-fiction that's written as if it's prose, and one of my favorite books that reads like a novel is Catherine the Great by Robert Massie.

Here's an excerpt from page six (worth noting that Catherine's birth name is Sophia):

"The bitterness only hints at Sophia's enormous resentment against her mother. The harm done to this small daughter by Johanna's open display of preference [to her brother] marked Sophia's character profoundly. Her rejection as a child helps to explain her constant search as a woman for what she had missed. Even as Empress Catherine, at the height of her autocratic power, she wished not only to be admired for extraordinary mind and obeyed as an empress, but also to find the elemental creature warmth that her brother--but not she--had been given by her mother."

Mostly fiction. Studying or working full time means I read to escape, unless it's a textbook. There are many non-fiction books I'd like to try, but I never have the energy.

I read non-fiction on my phone at work or on the go and fiction mostly with physical books. I enjoy both and would have a hard time to decide if I could only have one.

Fiction has always been my preference: I started reading to find my own world to take refuge in, when I was young, and fantasy, specifically, really fulfilled that need. Escapism is the main reason I still read books. I never really got into historical biographies, however I do love a good philosophy or neurolinguistics book if I am in the mood to learn something new.