Revisited: How I Read a Book

REVISITED: I figured that, after last week's massive book post, it wouldn't be out of line to re-hash this post from July 2009. Some content has been adapted to make it more relevant. So, if you've already read it, it might be worth checking it out, again.

Several people have commented about the amount of reading that I do. So, I thought I would give you a little bit of insight into my process of reading a book. I'm currently "processing" a book that I just finished reading The Thank You Economy, so the concept is fresh on my mind. (It should be noted that this only really applies to non-fiction books.)

I start by simply reading through the book at my leisure with a hilighter or pen in hand - I prefer the Bic Brite Liner. I highlight or underline anything that really captures my attention as I read, but don't spend too much time dwelling on it. Once I've finished reading the book, I go back to the beginning, taking my learning journal with me. (A learning journal is a small journal that I keep with notes about books I've read, quotes I've heard, ideas, or random thoughts.)

I go back through the book page-by-page reading the highlighted passages. Anything that stands out this time, I re-write in my journal. This is good because, for me, the act of writing down further cements it in my mind. I usually am able to boil down a 200 page book to about 5-6 pages of written quotes. (I know that this is a great disservice to the author.)

This makes it super easy when I want to cite a quote or review the content of a book. About every 6 months I'll go back through my learning journal and compile the best out of the 5 or 6 books that I've read and boil that down to several pages of key ideas that I want to reflect on.

I know that this may not be for everyone. In fact, it's probably not for most. But, if you want to be able to retain more from what you read, it might be worth a try.

Anything work better for you?

(photo by liveandrock)