Reading Tips

If only I could read faster and retain more.

The following reading tips come from Adler's How to Read a Book and Kump's Break-through Rapid Reading.

Levels of reading
Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book helps you maximize your engagement with a book.
  1. Elementary: just sit down and read.
  2. Skimming: do I even want to read this book?
    1. Title Page and Preface
    2. Table of Contents: see the structure
    3. Index: focus topies
    4. Read the back cover and dust jacket
    5. Read summary paragraphs of any pivotal chapters
    6. Flip through, and read a periodic paragraph or two here never more.
    7. Read the last two or three pages.
  3. Superficial reading: Read fast. Pay attention to what you can understand immediately, skip the rest. For example, when reading Shakespeare, one should not stop to look up archaic words. Get sucked in!
  4. Analytical reading:
    • Determine what type of book you have. Read it accordingly.
    • Summarize the book with as few sentences as possible.
    • Outline each chapter.
    • Find out what the author's problems were.
    • Summarize non-trivial points in the margin.
    • Determine the author's message.
Before you start
  • Read with a pencil and mark up the book. It helps you come back to the info faster. Write questions in the margin. Use yellow stickie note if your summery needs space.
  • Ask yourself, "What do I need get out of this?"
  • If you aren't understanding it when you read it you are wasting time: slow down, concentrate more, get comfortable, or remove distractions.
  • Get absorbed, involved, and immersed in the subject at hand. Visualize.
  • Be agressive, plan to read fast--you will!
Physical Hicups

Fixations: Whenever your eye's stop. You want to minimize the number of times your eye's have to stop (Specifically on each line.) Just remember speed at the cost of comprehension is worthless.

Clustering: Learning to take in groups of words at once. Practice staring at the white spaces between groups of words as your eye races across the line. Take the words in in chunks.

Regression: BACKTRACKING! Sometimes it is important to reread a paragraph in difficult textbooks, but most of the time this signals a lack of concentration. Concentrate on visualizing the material so your mind doesn't get sidetracked as easily.

Ask Questions
  • What do I need to take from this?
  • What type of reading is it? Textbooks, magazine, novel . . .
  • How long do I need to remember this?
Types of Reading Material
Science books
  • Read with pens and highlighters make rereading easier.
  • Pre-read the book to gain an overview ahead of time.
  • Introductions are the best for an overview.
  • Start from the beginning. If the text is at your level it will start covering important material and convensions at the beginning. Even if there is a review chapter, one should never estimate the importance of learning the fundamentals.
  • Try rewording important concepts outloud in your own words. Write it down if it is really important.
  • Understand (don't memorize) concepts on your first time through.
Social Science Texts
  • Read the first sentence of each paragraph.
  • Outline the main point, once found--move on!
Non-science book
  • Trace an outline of the main theme.
  • List primary facts and secondary (nonessential) facts.
  • Read the pictures and look at the captions.
Journalism
  • The author is arguing a point--find it!
  • Concentrate on reading FAST.
  • Just the first sentences of each paragraph.
  • Look for both opinion and fact and BIAS!
  • Sort out usless stuff from gold--you are the judge.
  • Once you get the main idea of a paragraph go to the next one.
Tellegramming
  • Sumerize the book as if you had to pay for each word. Become a minimalist. The thought that goes into this helps reinforce the ideas.
  • The fastest readers telegraph each paragraph.
Widen your vocabulary