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.
Join a book club if you want to become a better reader. It doesn’t have to be mine, but it should focus on books you find interesting, and it should support open and equal conversation. It must be easy to access, meetings should be recorded for later viewing, and the group should have good ratings.Continue reading The #1 Best Way to Become a Better Reader (In My Opinion)
I often wonder why Sunday lends itself so well to reading books. Sure, I’m not at work and they day is softer, less frenetic, and simple. But there’s something else about Sundays. I think it has to do with questions. Monday to Friday, I ask work related questions in my head. What’s on the to-doContinue reading Sunday Reading
We have a “no shoes” rule in our house. We also have four kids who think this rule is ridiculous. My oldest, who’s living at home while going to college, tip-toed up the stairs on his way to work a few days ago, and yes he had his shoes on. When we caught him, aContinue reading We Caught Him in the Act
Over the last month, I’ve rebuilt my note-taking system into a digital garden. I love notes because, with each new entry, the whole system gets more valuable. They’re connected to each other, making a web of thought that I can rely on for my work. But my system has always lacked a particular feature, theContinue reading Make Notes in a Digital Garden
Have you read the other book? I’m not talking about the one you just finished that’s got you all fired up on a sensitive topic like abortion, gun control, or the validity of vaccines. I’m talking about the other book. Let me explain. Let’s pretend you just finished a book on how social media isContinue reading Have YOu Read The Other Book?
I feel like most days are similar, and that’s the problem. I get out of bed at the same time everyday, shower, and then commute to work. From there, I sit at a desk and stare at a computer for eight hours until I commute home and make dinner for my family. I spend aboutContinue reading A Love Letter to Books
Because I spend all my time in the reading community, I hear the same proclamation weekly – someone has set a goal to read a certain number of books this year. I often wonder how they decided on 50 or 100 books. Are they basing their goal off an arbitrary internet list? Or did theyContinue reading The Problem with Reading Goals
I finished my notes for A Discourse on the Method by René Descartes and found a 4-step method to thinking critically, a skill I’d like to improve (17). Let’s see how it works: (1) Never blindly accept something as true – How does this rule apply to what I learn on social media? What aboutContinue reading The 4 Steps of Critical Thinking
Most of what you learn is surface-level drivel. You never get into the meat of something because you’re trying to learn too quickly. You can’t learn well if you’re in a rush. I start all books the same – casually. I give them a read, and if I’m interested, I highlight passages along the way.Continue reading Some Books MUST Be Read Twice
I talk about reading slowly, but why does it matter? You can watch YouTube summaries, purchase cliff notes, and conspire with ChatGPT to say that you’ve “read the novel.” In high school, we were assigned Hemingway’s beautiful book, The Old Man and the Sea. Most of the students cheated and rented the movie. I’m workingContinue reading It’s Not Enough to Possess a Good Mind