It only takes one book to change your life. Maybe you’re in a funk, trying to lose weight, start a business, or get your head on straight about the girlfriend that just dumped you. I don’t know. We all have problems. The beauty is that there are countless books with good advice in them. They’reContinue reading It Only Takes One
Let’s create a syllogism for why you should read today. Premise 1: All experiences that challenge our thinking are thought-provoking and valuable. Premise 2: Reading books challenge our thinking. Conclusion: Therefore, reading books is thought-provoking and valuable. Now, you might argue that many books are poorly written and not thought-provoking. But I would argue thatContinue reading An Argument for Reading
The eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher David Hume said that when we think about art, we should take care not to confuse the question, “Do I like it?” with the question, “Is it good?” This idea is worth considering when you judge the next book that you read. After all, what makes a book good? How doContinue reading Is Your Book Any Good?
I just timed myself. I read 180 words a minute. The average adult reads 200 to 300 words a minute, and speed-readers clock up to 1000 words a minute. I do this on purpose. By slowing down, I give the words on the page room to breathe. Every word has meaning. Consider the word “educated.”Continue reading Proof That I’m a Slow Reader
I’ve always argued that we should read for our own self-edification, opening a book because it brings us joy. If we’re reading out of obligation, then all we’re really doing is checking off a box. But my opinion has shifted. Being a member of a book club has forced me to keep up with myContinue reading Should You Force Yourself to Read?
Yes, you’re a biased reader. You can’t help it. “Often, the factors that make someone biased about a topic are also the factors that make them knowledgeable about it” (Huemer p.37). The more you know about something, the more you tend to defend it. And if you’re emotional about it, your bias compounds. Let’s analyzeContinue reading Are You a Biased Reader?
What if you decided to read a book today without an agenda? Instead of trying to accomplish a reading goal, tackle the classics, or make progress on your bucket list, you read simply for enjoyment. What if you read a book just for the happiness it brings you? Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notesContinue reading Read Without an Agenda
I heard it again yesterday. I hear it several times a week. People tell me, “I want to read books, but I can’t focus for more than a few minutes.” There’s a reason for this, and it’s an easy/hard fix. Do you want to know how to become a great reader quickly? I’ll tell you. Continue reading You’re Not a “Broken” Reader
You know when you’re in the hands of a great author. You can feel it in the words, how he or she weaves conflict into all the crevices. Yesterday, I read a short story by Joyce Carol Oates that exhausted me in a good way. In ten short pages, Oates had her way with me.Continue reading You’ll Love This Short Story by Joyce Carol Oates
There are a lot of ways to “get through” a book. You can buy the Cliff Notes, watch the movie, get a summary from A.I., listen to it 2X on Audible so that the narrator sounds like a chipmunk – but there’s only one way to absorb a book, and that’s by sitting with it,Continue reading Are You “Getting Through” Books?