Become Well Read
September 14, 2006 by Greg
There are books so alive that you’re always afraid that while you weren’t reading, the book has gone and changed, has shifted like a river; while you went on living, it went on living too, and like a river moved on and moved away. No one has stepped twice into the same river. But did anyone ever step twice into the same book?
Marina Tsvetaeva
Being well read is a lifelong process in the continual pursuit of understanding the surrounding world. Regularly reading increases vocabulary and information processing abilities as well as providing entertainment and stress relief. To get into reading, I’ve compiled a list of benefits, tips, and resources.
Benefits of Reading Books
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
Dr. Suess
- Increase vocabulary through exposure to new words
- Enhance reading abilities by reading regularly
- Develop compassion through understanding
- Process information quicker
- Explore interests
- Relax and unwind
- Escape from common daily activities
- Relieve Stress
- Exercise imagination and stimulate the mind
- Entertainment
- Understand social references to famous novels
Strategies for Reading More
Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.
Arthur Schopenhauer
- Keep your novel handy, when you find yourself in unexpected wait times it’s key to have a book
- Setup a reading area in your home with a comfortable chair, good lighting, and a blanket
- Enjoy a cup of tea or glass of wine while reading
- Take public transportation and read while commuting
- Take novels with you when you travel
- Find a novel you are excited about and the reading is much easier
- Visit a library, cafe, or park to read
- Join or start a book club with assigned readings (Find book clubs at Readers Circle)
- Have books on queue, so when you finish one, you can jump into the next
- Attend author events (book readings, talks, and signings) at local book stores
- Read a novel at work on breaks and at lunch
- Read before bed
Strategies for Reading Comprehension
A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good.
Samuel Johnson
- Discuss what you are reading
- Download study guides to understand the main points
- Discuss novels with friends to increase retention
- Underline or write down unknown words to look up later
- Take notes on setting, characters, and plot
- Learn to speed read
Classic Book Lists
When you read a classic you do not see in the book more than you did before. You see more in you than there was before.
Clifton Fadiman
“Enjoy a cup of tea or glass of wine while reading
Take public transportation and read while commuting ”
I like the wine idea and look forward to the opening of the light rail this fall, which should help me go through books faster.
Right now I typically read sitting @ my desk during lunch, which is good, but having an extra hour and half or so a day will really make a difference.
One thing I noticed from our own book club is how much of a difference being ‘interested’ in a book really makes in my motivation to read it. It seems obvious, and it is. Reading should be a pleasure, not a chore.
If you’re starting or joining a book club, make sure the selections are ones you’re honestly interested in, otherwise you’ll feel like you’re treading water trying to keep up.
I have read a lot of books this year, I was just making a list the other day. I find I often start reading a book and put my entire life on hold until I can finish it. I don’t know if there is a qualification to see if you have an addictive personality but I think I have one.
Great article, Greg. Some terrific suggestions. I’d also add that you have to give yourself permission not to finish a book, in the same way you don’t have to finish a meal that turned out not to be as great as you thought. It takes the pressure off. We’re all allowed to like what we like, no matter what the book lists say. So find what you love and indulge.
Cash and J,
Interest is definitely a huge factor. I too have been so wrapped up in a book that I feel that I have to complete it before I can do anything else. With the book club in mind, it came to a point where I had to stop reading not to get ahead of the group.
The other side of interest is that sometimes books suprise you. Making my way through the modern library’s top 100 list, some books I’ve struggled with up till the last 50 pages. However, when the book wrapped up, it was well worth it.
Robin,
Good point. If I have a book that I’m not making good progress on it, it retards all of my reading. Sometimes I need to just close it, and come back when I’m ready for it.
Greg, thanks for stopping by and commenting at my blog.
Samuel Johnson’s quote is meaningful to me and I like to read books based on inclination. I enjoyed reading this post and also agree with the point that you make about book clubs: having to slow down to the speed of the others.
I love the first quote by Marina Tsvetaeva! I have always felt that reading forces you to slow down to take in life and all that’s going on around you. It allows you to savor life… to remember how something tastes, smells, looks, etc. It allows me to associate the senses with the words being read (and I don’t know if anyone else does that)!
This was a wonderful post!
[...] Read more: Urban Monarch has tips on how to Become Well Read and they look like decent ideas. As someone who was awful about reading this summer (writing kind of got in the way), I’m not really the one to dispense out advice. But the one tidbit I’ve been using for the past few years that has definitely increased my book consumption is this: don’t force yourself to read books you’re not into. [...]