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 don’t have time to write today’s post, but I’m doing it anyway. I’m an accountant, and with the tax deadline looming, my industry is slammed. I don’t do taxes personally, but I am a partner in the firm and that’s enough madness for one day. Anyway, I’m writing this at 7:45 p.m. after havingContinue reading There’s Always Time
The great German writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832), summarized the mantra of our reading community when he said, “We must plunge into experience and then reflect on the meaning of it. All reflection and no plunging drives us mad; all plunging and no reflection, and we are brutes” (Becker 199). The mantraContinue reading Madness and Brutes
At 9:00 a.m., the Mayor for our little town blew the foghorn and a mass of children ran onto baseball fields to collect thousands of Easter eggs dumped in the grass. I thought it would take quite a while to pick them up, but those kids swarmed the field and stripped it clean in lessContinue reading The Swarm of Children
My alarm goes off every morning at 6:30 a.m., and my first thought is always the same thing: What am I reading today? I’m so excited to get up, find my books, and get lost in my thoughts. I have no predilection toward drugs or other distraction because reading fills every gap in my life.Continue reading The Drug of Reading Books
I love personality tests. I’m always curious to know which type of “human” I am. That’s why, when I came across The Four Types of Readers by Samuel Coleridge, my curiosity spiked. Coleridge was an 19th century English poet, critic, and philosopher which helped the Romantic Movement, and was a member of the Lake Poets,Continue reading The Four Types of Readers
On August 31, 1837, a speech was delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard University that would become famous. The address was titled, The American Scholar, and it was given by Ralph Waldo Emerson. He challenged the students of Harvard, along with all future thinkers (which include you and I), to realize thatContinue reading Dear Reader, What Do You Think?
Since the pandemic, the comfortable “Hoodie” has become my clothing of choice. That changed a few weeks ago when my wife and I started a new Apple TV series titled The New Look. It’s the story of Christian Dior, the French fashion designer. I love the series, but I also love that he goes toContinue reading Wear a Tie When Reading
I was a terrible student until I entered college, and even then, the first two semesters were a disaster. I believed I wasn’t smart because I couldn’t keep up, especially in math class. I loved learning, but what I didn’t understand was that learning is a skill. It’s not about having a high IQ orContinue reading The Deliberate Practice of Learning
I feel guilty when I read. My “dad-sense” kicks in, whispering that I should spend more time with my kids. Part of me thinks that one day, when everyone grows up, the guilty feelings will vanish and I’ll be able to sit in my reading chair without remorse. But I know that’s not true. MyContinue reading The UnSelfish Act of Reading