How to read a book | Hacker News Reader

How to read a book

freestylemind.com

16 pointsmfalcon12 comments

Of course, this article is worth it just for the author's solution to his common problem of "I can't remember when the hell I read this book or what was in it" with an ingenious technique -- he puts a Post-It on the book saying "2003/04."

But if you stopped reading in a rush to put Post-It notes on all of your books before you forget about them, click back quick -- the best is yet to come! Have you ever thought, "I want to put all my books in numerical order," but the books don't have readily accessible numbers on them? Just rank them all from 1-10 and mark it on the spine! Nothing could be easier!

I'll have to give these techniques a shot. They sure sound a lot easier than actually fucking thinking about the book as I read it, which I have been naïvely wasting a great deal of my time on.

hahaha, exactly

you think about what the author says, you try to apply it to different situations, you aspire to examine its rigor. and by doing so you create multiple "reference points" for your memory

So this suggests..."read it more than once, writing down which parts were tough to understand?"

That's...it?

There's a lot to it.

By writing your thoughts down, asking the book questions, and sorting the author's points you are keeping yourself focused and cementing the thoughts into your memory.

You'll get better at coming up with mnemonics on the fly, sorting out bad books, and referencing books later down the road.

It's a skill that takes dedication and time to learn, don't discount it.

I think the commenter was pointing out the lack of depth in the article, the author more-or-less just skimmed the subject.

I completely agree with what you've said, it's a process I came to on my own over the course of my self education. Mnemonics, closed-eye review of material, note taking, and spaced repetition of important memorizable information (which takes a discerning eye to determine) are the key skills and habits that make my readings more efficient and effective.

I suggest reading the classic "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren

http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Touchstone-book/dp/06712...

I don't know how!

Ah, everyone's favorite book to be a smartass about.

Great suggestion antpicnic. I consider this book to be the foundation of my higher education. Seriously, by not using the methods of this book, you'll always be a tier lower than your potential.

I used to revere books, but after buying one too many that would have been better at article length (and often started out as such), I've become more guarded with the time I'm willing to invest in a book. Some books are worth a re-read, but an increasing fraction that I encounter now aren't worth a first.

"The 48 Laws of Power" is an example. I originally read this as a magazine article, which was great. I excitedly bought the 452 page book of the same title when it came out, but unfortunately it didn't cover much more than the magazine article I had already read; it was just book length.

as an aside, when i was a bit younger i bought "the art of seduction" with the naive aim of studiously applying its techniques towards my own romantic goal.

Evidently it worked for the author. He got you to buy his book.

you can always win by playing to people's egos, or fundamental reinforcers (food/sex/sleep/drinking)

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