Reading book itself vs Reading book summary

[Andrew Azmi]

Hello Everyone,

I am new here, my name is Andrew from Egypt, I found this forum by mistake and I found it very useful ... I have a question and I want to know your opinions about it.

Situation: I'm a busy fellow wearing many hats everyday .. I'm a part time student ... part time employer ... and finally a part time tech-entrepreneur.

I love reading books very much .. but lately I can't find time to read ... last week a question get through my mind and since then I can't get it out ... hopefully I will find someone here who will guide me.

The Question: Is reading a book summary considered like reading the book itself ?

I know some folks will say reading the book itself is better and you will learn more from reading the actual book instead reading a book summary .. as some summaries writers will miss some points which may be very interesting for you .. but as I mentioned above I have a busy life so does this means I can break the rule and consider reading the books summaries as reading the book itself.

P.S : I'm also thinking about a start-up which will be a website including books summaries .. so if this website was available today would you use it? ... also do you know similar services provide book summaries for free ?


Thanks

 

[Sparhawk]

I think it is up to you. Just ask yourself what is better for you; and if summaries work for you and you don't feel like you are missing something important then go for it.

As for the website for book summaries? I wouldn't use it, but others might.

 

[Meadow337]

Well does a summary of a movie, a story, a text book, an article give you more than the essential facts? I don't think a summary is ever meant to replace actually experiencing the full experience of the work with all the information. As for a site with summaries I can't really see the point. There are summaries on Wikipedia, Amazon, and any publishers or booksellers site. You would need to create a need for summaries in order to interest people but I suspect such a need does not exist. I can also foresee copyright issues with the concept.

 

[Conscious Bob]

Summaries are for books you really don't want to read.

 

[canuck]

I like to look at the outline in the dust cover to see if the plot line is something that would interest me - it's certainly not a summary but it gives a little bit of information about the book without spilling the beans.

 

[Robert]

I would rather read the actual book.

 

[pontalba]

I like to look at the outline in the dust cover to see if the plot line is something that would interest me - it's certainly not a summary but it gives a little bit of information about the book without spilling the beans.

Agreed, plus what meadow brought out regarding copyright issues is certainly pertinent.
I can usually tell if I'll like the book by the synopsis/outline on the book itself if I'll like it or not. A summary vs an actual reading just couldn't cut it. IMO

 

[canuck]

Hi Robert: Have you never bought a book and when you get around to reading it you find you don't really care for it? Or do you get a book that someone has recommended and have a fair idea that it's something you might like? I always want some idea of the genre or the plot if it's an author I haven't read before. If it's a book from the library and you take it home with no knowledge of the content then you're not out of pocket if you don't like it - it's a bit different if you buy it and find out you don't care for it. One of the things I like when buying a book for my Kindle from Amazon is that you can get a preview of the first couple of pages. There are a lot of writers out there who can hold you spellbound and then there are others.

 

[Nathan King]

A young violinist who I had been accompanying on the piano asked me why I bother reading so many books when summaries are so readily available. The notion struck me so hard that all I could do for the first second was stare blankly back, aghast at the idea that people do this. After collecting my thoughts I responded by asking if she would rather get tickets to hear Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto live or read a gushing editorial in the Arts section of the following day's newspaper.

Not to mention that using summaries not to elucidate the content of a book, but to replace reading it entirely, is very inconsiderate to the author.

 

[gonewiththewind]

I find the idea ghastly! I read books for the pleasure of discovering new worlds, for the beauty of the way some authors can actually paint images with words while others use words sparingly so that your imagination is stirred by the pleasure of imagining the characters, location, etc... One of my favorite book quotes is, "Whoever said they have only one life to live must not know how to read". ALL of these pleasures are missed when you read a synopsis. Non fiction is another matter. I can see a busy entrepreneur reading summaries of the many business books on the market to see which ones he/she will read fully... but fiction - don't do it! If I find the very occasional book that I think is a real stinker, I generally (95%) of the time finish it because I try to finish what I start and there is learning in most everything if you hang in...