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Books and reading

Reading more, reading faster, remembering what you read, choosing formats (Kindle, paper, audiobook), and his summaries and lists of books. A book used only as the source of a productivity or money lesson goes to that lesson's domain; this domain is for reading itself and book recommendations.

The main topic of 4 sources; one of the topics of 2 more.

Videos

date video format
2018-02-14 Monthly Favourites #1 - Ali Abdaal Long video (solo, talking head or whiteboard)
2018-04-16 Monthly Favourites #3 - Ali Abdaal Long video (solo, talking head or whiteboard)
2020-06-14 Is Reading Fiction Books Good for You? Long video (solo, talking head or whiteboard)
2024-05-21 Here's how you can read more books this year 📚 Short

Also touch on it

Often together

People: Alain de Botton

Works: Harry Potter · Game of Thrones

Places: St Albans

Products: Kindle · Audible

How do you read more books? · Ali starts a monthly series in which he shares the favourite things he discovered that month: books, blog posts, articles, podcasts and products. · How do you exercise consistently and get in shape? · Ali says he will talk about Derren Brown's book Happy in another video because he absolutely loves it. · How do you sleep better? · How do you remember what you read? · Should you read on a Kindle, on paper or by audiobook? · Is reading fiction worthwhile?

Key statements

The most important statements (★★★) in the parts on this topic, at most 3 from one source: 13.

  • 2018-02-14 · Monthly Favourites #1 - Ali Abdaal — recommendation: Ali recommends Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, which he discovered at the end of 2017 and devoured; a friend recommended it to about ten of his friends, who all loved it. — 00:06:40
  • 2018-02-14 · Monthly Favourites #1 - Ali Abdaal — Ali thought the Mistborn trilogy might replace Harry Potter as the best series he has read; Harry Potter stays on top for its childhood place in his heart, with Mistborn a very close second. — 00:08:10
  • 2018-02-14 · Monthly Favourites #1 - Ali Abdaal — recommendation: Ali says that even if you read only 20 minutes a day before bed, you will love the Mistborn trilogy. — 00:08:10
  • 2018-03-07 · Monthly Favourites #2 - Ali Abdaal — Ali lets himself listen to the Kingkiller Chronicles audiobook only at the gym, which makes him look forward to going and so go more often. — 00:04:44
  • 2018-03-07 · Monthly Favourites #2 - Ali Abdaal — recommendation: Ali recommends The Kingkiller Chronicles to fantasy fans, though as a famous series they have probably read it already. — 00:04:44
  • 2018-04-16 · Monthly Favourites #3 - Ali Abdaal — Ali: What Ali loves most about the Psy-Changeling series is that each book is its own love story ending when the couple gets together, so every new book brings back the exciting opening stages. — 00:02:21
  • 2018-04-16 · Monthly Favourites #3 - Ali Abdaal — recommendation: Ali recommends the Psy-Changeling series for its meshwork of relationships, alliances and combat between the races. — 00:05:15
  • 2018-04-16 · Monthly Favourites #3 - Ali Abdaal — recommendation: Ali recommends Eric Barker's blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree; its newsletter is one of the few he actually opens and reads, for the value of its writing. — 00:05:15
  • 2018-05-14 · Monthly Favourites #4 - Ali Abdaal — Ali: Without his Kindle Ali found falling asleep a waste of time, lying in bed for half an hour thinking; with it back he sleeps much better, reading until his eyes start to close. — 00:08:59
  • 2018-05-14 · Monthly Favourites #4 - Ali Abdaal — Ali says the Kindle changed his relationship with life: he can get almost any book within seconds of hearing about it, so a book a friend recommends is bought on Amazon at once and read within the week. — 00:09:28
  • 2020-06-14 · Is Reading Fiction Books Good for You? — Ali: A 2018 meta-analysis of 14 studies found that, compared with non-fiction reading or no reading, reading fiction leads to a small, statistically significant improvement in social cognitive performance. — 00:01:21
  • 2020-06-14 · Is Reading Fiction Books Good for You? — Ali thinks the key is balance: reading only fiction would leave nothing else done, but fiction and fantasy audiobooks on Audible help him wind down and relax, so he can be productive the rest of the time. — 00:05:07
  • 2024-05-21 · Here's how you can read more books this year 📚 — recommendation: Ali: To read more books, Ali keeps the Kindle and Audible apps on the first page of his iPhone home screen with no social media apps there, so opening Kindle becomes his default. — 00:00:00