Arsene Hodali has written an article on books to read, and just responding (as I did) with my own suggestions seemed not good enough to me. There is quite a few things to be said about reading books, namely classic literature.

I have read quite a lot of books. Fictional and non-fictional alike, and let me say this: I have never read a self-development book that came even close to what some of the classic literature have done for me. Sure, in the short term I might have gotten a rush out of it, and felt all pumped up; but that’s nothing in comparison to the long term understanding I’ve gotten out of for instance Anna Karénin.

Here’s advice for you if you’re new to classical literature and don’t know where to begin.

1. Beginning titles. If you haven’t really opened what is considered a classic book since 5th grade, then here are some titles to start out with:
   • Demian (Hermann Hesse) — Good for youngsters and adults alike. Very straight forward exploration of critical thought.
   • Watership Down (Richard Adams) — I personally like it for its understanding of what leadership means; but as with Animal Farm (by Orwell) it’s a fantastic caricature of our society.
   • The Unbearable Lightness of Being — Exploration into the heavy (= eternal return, sincerity, etc,) and light (= only live once, make the most of it, etc.) life. My personal favorite book.
2. Make time for it. Reading books takes time, but not more time than you have. Take out and hour, or even half an hour, to read. Carry the book you’re currently reading around with you, and open it whenever there’s some sort of waiting time.
3. Read about what you are reading. Since what you’re reading is classic literature, someone somewhere will have written something about it. Spend 15 minutes on reading it, so you have some sort of an introduction to the book. You won’t (shouldn’t) always agree wit the “introduction” (or the book itself for that matter), which is fine. It’s just to make sure that you get something out of reading it. That said…
4. Quit the book if you don’t like it. You read for you. It might be the biggest master piece ever written; but if you’re not getting anything out of reading it, give it back to the library and pick something else up.
5. Libraries are your friend. Libraries have classical books in abundance. Use them, or lose them. Lots of classic books can be found online though.
6. Read quality. That’s why you are (or should be) reading classic literature.
7. Don’t evaluate right away. Some of the best books I have read, I didn’t like when I closed the last page. But I find myself returning to some of its ideas or comparing my own life to that of the protagonists over and over again.