how I read

It was Mark Driscoll of all people who showed me that it was not only possible to read a book a day, it’s also necessary. Rick Warren suggested something similar, that leaders in ministry should aim to browse a book a day. Thankfully that idea was planted in my mind early and, for the most part, I’ve stuck to it. I choose a book a day to “read”, though I most certainly don’t actually read every word. Here’s what has worked for me:

Glance through the table of contents

Go to the first thing in the table that grabs my attention

Read that section until I lose interest (this takes anywhere between 5 seconds and 2 hours)

Go to something else in the book, again, looking for something to grab my attention.

During this time, I’m holding a pen and marking stuff. I’ll write all over the margins of a book, as if interacting with the author, which is what you’re supposed to be doing when you read. “Writing back” helps me stay engaged, plus, I can go back and find certain parts I need for later.

After the “what am I interested in” phase, I actually survey the entire book, reading the first and last paragraphs of each chapter. Authors tend to write toward word counts, and, if high school English taught me anything, it’s that writing can wander on for days until you hit the magic number. Real writers do this, too, which means that there is much repetition in most books.

If something seems especially handy for later reference, I will try to remember to put a note in the front cover, something like “10 Commandments & Faith, p 291″, which will make it easier 3 years from now when I’m trying to remember that one thing about…

After the general quick read, I try to toss it on the shelf. Sometimes, though, I tend to set it on my desk and come back to it again in a week or two, just to reinforce what I’ve learned. I often find that the book is more interesting the second time around, kind of like when you go back to a restaurant you’ve only been to once, thinking “oh yeah, that one thing they attached to the wall…that’s cool”.

This isn’t all I do in reading. I have around 5 books I’m reading right now, from commentaries to novels. One book is so massive that I need to read about two chapters per week; otherwise, I glaze over. Mmm.. glaze.