The Art of Book Maxxing
Self improvement has been a big thing for decades, and reading a lot of books is an easy way to improve your life. Reading real books gets you off the screens and engages your brain in ways that most other activities can’t. While there’a a small subset of young men who are obsessed with a new trend called looksmaxxing, where they do everything possible-including cosmetic surgery- to improve their appearances, I’m more obsessed with what is occasionally referred to as book maxxing.
To me, book maxxing is way better than looksmaxxing. I’m at the age where nobody cares what I look like anyway. All I have to do is not be disgusting and not smell bad. Basically, I just make sure to shower and groom myself everyday, and I’m good. It takes the pressure off.
Because women prefer men with strong jaws (probably always have, probably always will), some men today are going so far as to have cosmetic surgery done. All I did (back in the 1980s and beyond) to hide my weak chin was to grow a short beard. Men with weak chins are at a disadvantage because everybody assumes we’re… weak, and since I’m a skinny guy with a weak chin and a quiet voice, I had to find other ways to compensate.
I’m not complaining. Everybody has to compensate for their weak areas… except really attractive people… and really rich people. That’s okay. Looks fade, and rich people can go broke too. At least I’m tall. Tall lasts a lifetime, even when I’ve been broke. I think today that’s called ‘cope.’ In my day, it was called ‘coping.’
Anyway, I’m too old to looksmax, and even if I were young enough, it probably wouldn’t quite be my thing. At my age, I prefer to book max. I want to read as much as I can and learn as much as I can in the time that I have left. I don’t mean that in a morbid way. Nobody really knows how much time they have left, but as we get older, we become more aware that our time is limited. I want to stay healthy and keep my brain sharp. Reading by itself isn’t enough, but synthesizing new information and applying it in useful ways is a huge step in the right direction, and that’s where book maxxing comes into play.
My approach to book maxxing is to read as many books that I want to read as I can. You know, the books that I’m actually interested in. Book maxxing isn’t about putting a bunch of attractive noteworthy books on your shelves as conversation starters. That’s what a coffee table is for. Just be sure nobody uses the books as coasters for their drinks… unless the books were written by James Patterson.
If you’re a reader, and you’re interested in book maxxing, here are four easy suggestions:
SAMPLE LOTS OF BOOKS
With so many books available online for free (some even legally free), it’s easy to sample books without committing to them. Online book sellers often provide a free sample before purchasing a book, and since new books tend to be expensive, we almost have a responsibility to carefully preview these books before throwing down money on them. It’s especially useful to preview nonfiction books about current issues. Not only are these types of new books expensive, but their information will probably be outdated in a few months.
Plus, most informational books about current issues get to the point in the first section before getting into the minute details that only experts would find useful. For example, my brain doesn’t connect with science (despite me reading science fiction), but I understand the fundamentals, so the most useful section of any current non fiction book about a specialized field will be the first section.
Once the author really gets going, I often get mentally lost anyway, so there’s no reason for me to read any further. Every reader will have different specialties, so when you book max, just apply that sampling strategy to the genres of your choosing.
FINISH ONLY THE BOOKS YOU’RE INTERESTED IN
Some readers think they need to finish every book they start reading. Maybe that theoretically applies to assigned school reading, but most of us aren’t in school anymore. If you choose to finish every book that you start reading, I’m not going to tell you not to, but you’re not book maxxing, and that means you’re not one of the cool readers.
Instead, you’re one of THOSE readers. Cough, cough.
GO TO THE LIBRARY
You can check out a bunch of books from the public library. What’s better than access to free books? Yeah, the selection might not always be the greatest, especially with the new books. So what? Just grab a few books that you’ve never heard of before, and maybe you’ll be surprised. You don’t have to finish every book that you start. Just read enough to get the idea and move on. Finish only the books that you really get into. And quickly return the books you know that you won’t finish so that the books don’t languish uselessly in your home for weeks on end. Other people want to read those books too, you know!
READ CLASSIC COMIC BOOKS
Old classic comic books (comics that retell illustrated versions of classic novels) are a great way to get decent summaries of difficult (for me) to read novels. These are easy to find/purchase online, and they’re inexpensive because most current comic collectors aren’t interested in them. The illustrations in these 1940s and 1950s comics might seem crude by today’s comic book standards, but the stories are easier (in my opinion) to follow than those in some of the more current versions. Plus, you can get a bunch of these really cheap. Have I mentioned that already?
I’m not saying that reading a classic comic book is a replacement for reading the real thing. It just makes it easy for me to decide if I’m interested enough in the story to put the time and effort into reading the real book. Remember, we’re talking about book maxxing here.
As far as maxxing trends go, book maxxing is probably the one most guaranteed to be successful. Too many other maxxing trends require validation from others for the participant to feel like the maxxing has been worth the time, effort, and money. If some dude spends months at the gym and a fortune on surgery (that will probably cause problems in the future), and nobody notices, then the maxxing has been a waste of time. With books, no validation is required except your own.
But enough about what I think! What about you? What are some of the ways that you book max? Leave a comment below. If you don’t, then you’re one of THOSE book readers. Cough. Cough.
For more Dysfunctional Literacy, read…
G.O.A.T. vs. Goat: The Battle of Generational Slang
The Golden Hawk by Frank Yerby- Uh,… isn’t that rape?
Is This Self-Help Book Still Relevant? How To Win Friends And Influence People
Dysfunctional Literacy 