It's not about dark matter rivaling "classics" (which we established are shit enough most of the times anyway). And if you're US American, your classics are most probably not my classics.
> an older book is a much safer bet if you want to maximize the value of your limited time
I 100% disagree with that. Value is highly subjective. I've read a lot of the books that are considered as "the most important books from the western hemisphere" and let me tell you, most of it is garbage. It's just a classic because back in the day it was novel and exciting, nothing else like it. You can have a good time with both, modern and old books. It's about your selection process, not the age of the book.
Reading has multiple purposes. Entertainment and education, most importantly. So I read books depending on the goal I want to achieve.
PS: if you read the commercial garbage from reading lists and what's new, you'll have a bad time, granted. As everybody can write a book nowadays, quality is harder to find tho.
> an older book is a much safer bet if you want to maximize the value of your limited time
I 100% disagree with that. Value is highly subjective. I've read a lot of the books that are considered as "the most important books from the western hemisphere" and let me tell you, most of it is garbage. It's just a classic because back in the day it was novel and exciting, nothing else like it. You can have a good time with both, modern and old books. It's about your selection process, not the age of the book.
Reading has multiple purposes. Entertainment and education, most importantly. So I read books depending on the goal I want to achieve.
PS: if you read the commercial garbage from reading lists and what's new, you'll have a bad time, granted. As everybody can write a book nowadays, quality is harder to find tho.