I am 30 and can't hold a relatively smart conversation, I think i'm dumb as bricks and hated reading...

can be tiring at some points and since its psychology it repeats stuff but really based to learn how mentally ill some famous people were and how it could be fixed

really interesting. Added! thanks

I think the only way to overcome this is to read more and possibly even more importantly get of social media/Any Forums etc. These teach your brain to mostly discard what you just saw in preparation for the next meme/thread/whatever. My ability to read got far worse when I spent heaps of time on my phone/computer and got far better after a few months of not using them nearly as much

Good luck friend

The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti

Stalking the Wild Pendulum by Itzhak Bentov

i appreciate the tip! I actually deleted all apps social apps except twitter which i dont check regularly. life is so much better without those apps and the addiction to them. i lurk on Any Forums every once in a while, and thought this place would have the best variety of suggestions i could ever get

That's not a bad book, but if you're just starting out, I would recommend reading through the absolute classics. Think Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, Cervantes, Rousseau. Etc. Just force yourself to read, read slowly, read every word. And don't stop reading.

Smart is relative to whoever you're talking with. What do you think is a "smart" conversation?

I have added these names to my list and will search for their literature!

I like reading if it’s short, I have trouble finishing most books. Non fiction is slightly easier because you can usually pick it back up after only teadong some of it, but fiction is a no go because I don’t finish them and it’s hard to get back into the story after only reading some of it ages ago.

I have a lot of surface level knowledge but zero expertise in any area.

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.

True, i guess i mean reaching any actual topic beyond small talk and telling of personal experiences.

How about you pick something you're actually interested in.

Maybe, you could become an expert at that thing. You'll still be a dumbass, but not at this specific thing.

You can't know everything OP, it's a waste of time anyway

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For me it was Thich Nhat Hanh who really opened my eyes. I was going through some rough years when I found him. Hope it helps you too user.
amazon.com/Love-Mindfulness-Essentials-Thich-Nhat/dp/1937006883

Also because it's Any Forums a lot of books that will be suggested will only make you look smart in front of nutcases or racists.

Assuming you talk to relatively normal people I recommend looking elsewhere for suggestions.

If you want easy to read but still non fiction books something like Bill Brysons complete history of nearly everything or whatever it's called can give you just a little insight to world's of science you might have no idea about

Oh, I totally have more. Tolstoy, Joyce, Orwell, Dostoyevsky, Alighieri, Dickens, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Kafka, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Borges, Melville, T. S. Eliot, Milton, Blake, Andersen, Sophocles, Carroll, Dickinson, Flaubert, Homer, Austen, Faulkner, Twain, Hemingway, Tolkien, Camus, Proust, Hesse, Hugo, Wilde, Steinbeck, Rabelais, Woolf, Márquez, Balzac, Dumas, Poe, Asimov, Lovecraft, Nabokov, Gogol, Goethe.

If you pick randomly off this list, you won't fail, they're all very good.

Also, know that reading is sometimes supposed to be hard, and you gotta persevere. Some books might be easy, but that doesn't mean they are better, they simply are different. Some authors are good at prose and some works contain so much amazing stuff even if the writing is harder to grasp with, and it's honestly those books that will make you into a smarter and more learned person. :)

honestly the list so far is all gold. will try to read all. your recommendation has been added to my list as well thank you!

jordanbpeterson.com/books/book-list/
Genuinely read worthy books that change your view of the world.
Bad place to start because they are tough but keep them in mind when you want something with a lot of substance

Learn to probe. A good conversation relies on the person knowing and having an interest in what you're talking about. Bringing random shit up like psychology, humanity, philosophy is a great way to get weird looks. Find out their interests and go from there.

a lot of classic names here! will copy paste the list of names into my list and pick randomly like you said, appreciate you taking the time to name so many!

If you want a short action heavy fiction book try hell island by Matthew Reilly. Designed for getting people into reading. His writing is sort of like an a action movie

American Gods by Neil Gain an

I read it as a teen and was enthralled. Then I read it again in my late twenties and found so much more to enjoy.

I am actually listening to a podcast with jordan peterson, his knowledge is so extensive. Didn't know he had a book list thats awesome that you mentioned that. I like him and also ben shapiro (the latter more for entertainment i think, at least thats what i tell myself)

*Gaiman
Fucking autocorrect I hate smartphones

haha was about to ask! thanks, and i have added it to my list!