The concept of "reading better books" allures many people. But...

12 views Oct 03, 2026 ~3 min read

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The concept of "reading better books" allures many people. But reading Classic Works/Great Books often draws out insecurities. Some get intimidated. Some read one to check it off a list or tell others but have no clue what they read.

Here are two ways to read better books:

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1) Swim Upstream - h/t Alan Jacobs

Let's say you love the James Reece novels by Jack Carr. Find out the writers, fiction or non-fiction, that influenced Carr. Then read one of those authors. If you like that one, swim upstream again. You're apt to hit upon a classic.

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Doing this makes the classic work more approachable. You notice the influences in the stories/characters/ideas you love. 

Carr mentions Tolstoy's War & Peace. That book intimidates many. But if you love Carr and swim upstream to it, you can grasp it and enjoy it.

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Take your time with the "classic" book. No one is rushing you through it. Also, you don't solely need to keep swimming upstream. Some classic works are like a heavy workout. Do it, take your time, but afterward, you will need to rest. Read something lighter. 

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2) Rabbit Holes.

I'll use an example from my life. 

A few years ago I started looking at my Conservative political worldview. 

I started with, "who is considered the greatest Conservative thinker?" or the godfather, etc. 

All roads lead to Edmund Burke. 

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I read Burke's famous tract Reflections on The Revolution in France. That lead me to Jesse Norman's biography on Burke. Jesse Norman led me to Yuval Levin, and so on. 

I then looked up, the most "Burkean President." I saw Calvin Coolidge mentioned...

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I noticed Amity Shlaes wrote a biography. And I heard from Amity Shlaes from Yuval Levin. That opened the door to not only Coolidge but to Amity Shlaes and other thinkers like Charles Cooke. 

My best friend sent me Victor Davis Hanson articles. VDH opened a ton of doors...

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VDH led to my intellectual hero Thomas Sowell. And VDH led me to Niall Ferguson, which led to more classic literature and philosophy. 

And it wasn't even politics per se. My doors opened to philosophy, fiction, writing methods, personal worldviews, and more. 

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This rabbit hole, made classic works come to life. E.G., I noticed the philosophy of David Hume in some fictional works. 

And I got Sowell-pilled. Which is now opening all types of doors, like Adam Smith, Shelby Steele, classic historical works, philosophy, and classic fiction.

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In sum: take an author or philosophy you're curious about. See the roads, modern and past, leading to it, and then let your curiosity take over. 

Again, take your time reading the books. No need to "check off a list."

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These two ways also provide methods to create your own lists of books or find some lists you never thought to check out. 

But in sum, both ways will help you "read better" and "read better books."

You'll recognize what you know and love, and it makes a Classic easier to enjoy.

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@getpaidwrite how fast until, “what book should I start with first?”

The concept of "reading better books" allures many people. But...

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