#but that extractive process doesn’t require reading the whole text like 99.9% of the time
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I don’t like when people ask how many books you plan to read/have read this year one because I think that’s a weird relationship to have to books and two because I think even reading a chapter or a portion of something is valuable. this is especially true with non-fiction but even with fiction I think any amount you read, even if you don’t read the entire thing, is not a failure or ‘incomplete’
#I read basically exclusively non fiction and every page I read is beneficial like I’m always learning something#like my relationship to reading is often extractive and utilitarian because of school and research#but that extractive process doesn’t require reading the whole text like 99.9% of the time#I’ve only read a third of Orientalism for example but like I have a good grasp of Said’s core arguments and concepts#and like part of how I finished authoritarian personality (a 1000 page book) was by skipping & skimming sections#like the whole is not always more valuable than its components#and also like ‘I read this book to complete it’ is not an insincere way to engage with a text but I feel like it’s limiting#if that’s your primary approach to reading. Like you read a book just to say you read it#& also more petty but I think that if your argument or thesis only works if people read 100% of your book then you’re doing a poor job#of getting your point across#again obviously it’s valuable to read and process whole complete texts not dismissing that but like#I don’t find a lot of inherent value in reading a book just to complete it u know
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