The Nexus ArchiveRead difficult books better.
Seven habits for reading with attention, understanding, and judgment.
Before you read
Choose a book that is a little too hard.
Expect the opening pages to resist you. Find one clear claim, scene, or question, then continue from there.
Figure out the book's main job.
Name its purpose in one sentence. Is it arguing a case, explaining a world, telling a story, or shaping an experience?
While you read
Keep a pen and notebook beside you.
Mark decisive lines. Write down unfamiliar words and questions before you move on.
Pause after each chapter and say it back.
In your own words, explain what just happened or what the author argued.
Track the author's important words.
When words such as justice, freedom, courage, or duty repeat, ask what this author means by them.
After you read
Explain the book fairly before judging it.
Understand what the author is saying, then decide whether it is true, false, incomplete, or worth arguing with.
Finish by naming what changed.
Write one sentence about what the book changed, clarified, or left unresolved in your thinking.