These blog posts are short, daily ideas on reading deeply, taking notes, and applying the ideas. Each post is written by Eddy Hood with the goal of encouraging readers to pick up a book in favor of technology.
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?
To all my readers who are mothers, Happy Mother’s Day! We’re busy at the Hood Household getting ready for three different celebrations. My wife (a mother of four), then a lunch at my mom’s, and finally a dinner at my mother-in-laws. It’s a big day, but one I’m looking forward to living. Even though IContinue reading Reading on Mother’s Day
When you sit down to read your book today, start by deciding to read well. Hold the book in your hands, consider why you chose to read this specific work, and what you hope to gain from it. Then, make the decision that you will read well. Turn off your phone and turn on yourContinue reading Decide to Read Well
Some days feel monotonous. Today is one of those days. I wake up, eat the same food, work at the same desk, talk to the same people, and go to bed at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to be alive, but sometimes it’s maddeningly boring. While I risk sounding melodramatic, I’mContinue reading Today is bleh.
I came across a wonderful thought puzzle for people interested in reading philosophy. Let’s close our eyes and envision a Greek hero named Theseus, a man known for sailing around the Mediterranean Sea doing hero-like things. He slays evil creatures, saves villages from destruction, on so on. While on one of his many adventures, heContinue reading The Ship of Theseus (A Puzzle)
Last night, I had the privilege of exploring The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky with a group of curious, intelligent, and fascinating members of The Read Well Book Club. I walked into that meeting, like I always do each Tuesday, excited about the prospect of layers. What do I mean by layers? Well, a good bookContinue reading It’s an Honor to Read with You
Have you ever read a book more than once and thought, “That’s not how I remembered it!”? Literature changes every time you read it because each time you open a book, you’re a different person. I first read Treasure Island when I was nine years old. If I were to read it now, the bookContinue reading Literature Changes You