How I Read Books 📚

When the material is thorough, it deserves thorough treatment. We discuss a neat system that works for me and will hopefully work for you.

Two things happened simultaneously. I was thinking about "Lindy" books in tech — those that have stood the test of time, and, someone posted this query in a tech community:

I need help making the most of my reading sessions, especially for technical books like DDIA.

It's a simple question, but you could fill books trying to answer it 😄. What follows is a neat system that's worked well for me, especially for compelling material.

First off, some confessions ☝️

1. I don't finish every book I start. I feel no obligation to finish. I give up if I don't like it or if the book fails to retain my attention after repeated attempts.

2. I re-read books all the time. Yes, there's enough material in the world, but some of that material is worth reading again and again.

3. "Reading" is an inadequate term. I work through books.

4. I immensely enjoy audiobooks; nowadays, I read and listen to the book together. It boosts cognition.

5. I read multiple books at the same time. This isn't a monogamous relationship.

6. The following may not apply to every book you read. But most books worth reading deserve a thorough treatment. Are you telling me you just read SICP just and are done? No way.

Before Reading 👓

• Skim through, check contents, read preface or introduction

• Read reviews, summaries, online chatter, author bio, etc.

• Reach a point where I am excited, interested, or committed enough to the topic

• For complex topics, I read and reference multiple books at the same time

Read Chapter by Chapter 📖

i.e. Only move to the next chapter when the current one is cemented in the brain. Most books build up chapters, and material from previous chapters is often referenced and used in the following ones. Authors go to great lengths to craft a narrative and bake reading comfort into their material. I want to take advantage of that. So, commit to completing a chapter before moving on.

Each Chapter Twice. At Least. 🔁

If you're the kind who understands everything in one go, count yourself lucky! I don't always. So, twice. The repetition helps cement concepts.

No notes or highlights in the first reading 🎨

I mark up my books a lot, but never on first reading. I read a chapter, and then, on the second reading, I will highlight and add notes.

The advantage is that you don't get too attached to first impressions, as you've had time to deliberate.

Write a summary in your own words. 🎙️

Your. Own. Words. If you keep repeating the words and lines used by the author, you will only retain the information, not understand it. To avoid this trap, write a summary at the end of the chapter. All printed books have enough whitespace, empty pages and margins for this. When they don't, I use paper clips to attach pages from my notebook.

Read your summaries at the end of each section. ⏮️

When a section ends, and you have a logical stopping point, read your summaries of all chapters from that section. Chapter by chapter, section by section.

Pace things out 🐌

I am not a fan of reading books too fast. I am a fan of immersing myself and understanding the material. Reading 6 books in parallel and finishing them all in 6 months is better than reading 1 book per month. Human brains are incredible; they can handle all this complexity. And no pressure; you can do only three in parallel of you want. You do you. There is a lot of value in immersing and marinating in a topic. Reading fast robs you of those moments. You get fewer connect-the-dots moments if you blaze through a book. Give yourself time.

Pursue supplementary reading 🔭

Sometimes, when the material offers plenty new insights and concepts, I pursue additional reading, such as blog posts and conference talks. When reading Clojure Programming by Chas Emeric, I used to watch Rich Hickey's relevant talks.

The advantage of having learned friends is that someone always has something profound or insightful to offer. If not, there is always Twitter and Reddit. For example, if you're reading the section on primary keys in Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Shopify Engineering's post on composite primary keys offers excellent parallels from the practical side of things.

Discuss, Recommend, Refer 🎯

Someone referred you a book, shared cool things as you were reading. Now it's your turn. Finally, you've completed a significant read and gained an insight or two. You even had fun! Do your bit to amplify the voice. Threads, posts, discussions, and recommendations are all great ways to help other readers and even authors. There is immense value in giving back.

Fin.

What do you think? Did I miss your favourite trick? Let me know in the comments below or respond by email. Happy hacking!