My daughter plays the saxophone every day for more than five hours. Marching band is a big deal around here, and it’s her first year in the show, so she’s working hard to earn her spot. The problem is that this year’s music selection clocks in at 168 beats a minute, and she has toContinue reading The Phrenetic Saxophone
I recently got a new espresso machine for my reading room, which motivated me to tidy up and organize my bookshelves. In the chaos of pulling all my books off the shelves and reorganizing them (an activity any good book nerd would embrace), I realized something: I had little piles of books all over theContinue reading The Joy of a Messy Bookshelf
It’s a big day at The Read Well Podcast! Some of my favorite authors are noticing the community and coming to the show as guests! Here’s the fun part: If you’re a member of the book club ($9 a month), you’ll get access to all the live events, interviews with authors, etc. The first eventContinue reading Meet Famous Authors
Whoops, I did it again. I write about deep reading daily and why we should work hard to slow down and learn from our books. But that doesn’t mean I always get it right. In the words of the great William Zinsser in his book, On Writing Well, “You are writing primarily to please yourself,Continue reading I’m a Hypocritical Reader (And It’s OK)
Occasionally, I receive a message from someone who’s angry with me. This happened again yesterday. There’s no need to share her identity, although you can find her and others in the comments. I’ll let you read her words for yourself: “All white. All men. All western. Read well? Yeh. No.” She’s attacking me on severalContinue reading My Response to a Reader’s Judgement
The etymology of the word “productive” is rooted in the idea of “serving to produce.” Originating from the French in the 17th century, it describes an action that generates meaningful results. Often, we equate productivity with being busy, but that’s bananas. How many times have you been busy without actually producing anything valuable? To becomeContinue reading How to be a Productive Reader
Wealth is not happiness. Power is not happiness. Food is not happiness. Sex is not happiness. Nature is not happiness. Travel is not happiness. Freedom is not happiness. And no, reading books is not happiness. Happiness is happiness. Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – and apply the ideas. -Eddy
I make a book recommendation every week in my newsletter. Yesterday, I thought I should post them in aggregate somewhere on my website. If the book is on the list, I’ve read it and feel it’s worth the time and consideration of reading well. Each week, a new recommendation will make the list. Bookmark thisContinue reading A List of My Book Recommendations
A quick thought on how to finish a book. When we reach the final pages, it’s normal to feel different. Perhaps you feel the urge to “get through it,” speeding up and skipping content. This happens in real life, too. Do you ever find yourself in the last 10% of a project at work, takingContinue reading How to Finish Reading a Book
Two people are involved whenever you sit down to read a book. You’re the first. You set aside time in your busy day to learn something new: a philosophical idea, a strategy for launching a business, or even a viewpoint on social change. You opened yourself up as a student, and that takes courage. LongContinue reading It Takes Two to Read a Book