When reading always read with purpose, weather it just to improve your general educated or to learn something more about subject your interest in. One of the goals when reading a book is to just get one idea that it if you look at the concept of 1% better every day.
After book always add to list with genre, if you so wish you can have journal with name of the book with three things you learn from the book. Sometimes you will not learn anything book if so write although this if very rare this will only happen with 0.01% of books. This will be cover more in the reading Journal section.
Read books on what you want to learn more of for example.
If you want learn more about investing have goal of reading a least three best books about investing you have.
If you have goal of learn about your nationality three read three books from famous writer of that country or books about that country. This best three book for any topic you our interest in such as fitness, Psychology, Economics really anything your interest in learning.
Even if read book that you feel is trashy. By trashy I mean book that you think have no literary value if you enjoy the book, you are getting something out of it namely enjoyment. So have goal of reading 12 books a year, three of these books could be trashy. This is good because you will you enjoy the book and this also good reading goal to have because read book you will enjoy will improve your reading skills make reading more enjoyable which means you can read more books. Trashy books for some people may mean comic books.
Speak of comic books some comic books such as Graphic Novels have great literary value such as Maus: A Survivors Tale historical memoir It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor it also anthropomorphic drawing to make story feel less real. This is not just my opinion first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize. Persepolis is another historical memoir depicts the live Marjane Satrapi that depicts her childhood up to her early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. Alan Moore works such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta ask some very uncomfortable questions about society using the superhero genre which can be sum up with this quote who watches the watchmen. Reason I am saying this is lot of different type of books that people think have no literary value. Most of time they may be right but if still getting enjoyment out of this fine as talk about but even with genres with no literary value if you go under surface you can find many books of great literary value on nearly every genre of book.
I think it very good idea not read same genre over and over. Now while if your profession like you are scientist of course read about science or your goal is to improve understanding of that field go right ahead. But always have plan of reading outside genre. As reading outside genre can make you look at things differently which will help you to improve your thinking process Einstein’s read like this while of course he read many books about science, he had huge love of fictions books and read many books on philosophy by writers such as Immanuel Kant, Gotthold Lessing, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer. That why I talk about reading and learning with broad education and using reading list like well-educated mind book list. For example Igor Sikorsky, inventor of the modern helicopter was inspired by the book Clipper of the Clouds by Jules Verne which feature the clipper ship with propellers on its masts instead of sails. Clipper ship is pretty much what you think of when you think of pirate ship. This ship ignite his imagination. If he had of only stuck to learning of one subject he woudnt have the idea of the helicopter. He often said using the quote of the writer of Clipper of the Clouds “Anything that one man can imagine, another man can make real.” The inventor of the modern submarine was also inspired by Jules Verne book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea which feature a type of submarine. Rocketry innovators Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, and Hermann Oberth were all inspiration from Verne’s book From the Earth to the Moon. Frank Borman commander of first mission to fly around the Moon said “In a very real sense, Jules Verne is one of the pioneers of the space age”. This was just one writer who help ignite thousands of people imaginations. By reading different types of genres or book learning we ignite imaginations and see thousands of possibilities and make ideas a reality.
There lots of reading list. You can google Harvard/oxford reading list and do more specifically by google for example oxford recommend reading list.
It your look for specific area google specific area this case philosophy. Google top 10 books of philosophy. Also look at Goodreads and amazon at the reviews of the book. Before read the book
If you want to read whole reading list if goal, I recommend that you. Add book to reading list as normal. However, in your read folder copy and pastes the reading list to word/excel/google docs whatever you prefer method and each time you read book but strikethrough the book (mark off the book) so you clearly see what book you have read on the booklist. There are even apps that do this now.
I also believe reading for broad education so using reading list like well-educated mind will great give you a broad education. Broad education gives better picture of the world and makes you see things that others can’t.
For example, someone who is engineer maybe very good in his sphere of influence. But if only learn within his sphere of influence narrow view of the world. But if he has broad viewer of the world, he can achieve great things like learning about business and how to market, how to teach others, how to interact with people. Can achieve great things like Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
For example, read 3 books a year 6 genres such as Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama, Poetry, Sociology/Psychology and Science/Philosophy.
How to find the best books to read at first start with the most recommended of each category look at book review at reading list and also when start reading more books you will notice authors will also give recommendations.
It ok to read abridged or listen abridged audiobook. If the book is long in fact I would sometimes recommend for older books as at time many writers such as Alexandre Dumas the write got pay by the word and Charles Dickens paid per instalment which means the book is longer and more draw out than it should be to some people this is blasphemy you should read every one of these great writers but for me it better to read book getting the essence of the book than not read these books. However, you are going to have to use your own judgement on this as some abridged versions cut out far too much of the book where you’re missing out on too much of the story. You can do your own research by googling what was left out of the book. For myself out books read it one be less than 5% of the books I read that are Abridged maybe even to closer to 1% but I do sometimes as way of getting the essence book and enjoy read instead of read book that is to draw out and long. However, at times books a part can feel bit too long and draw out as some certain sections if case you can speedread or if audiobook increase the speed of book. Until you get to part of the book that interest you. This way you’re still getting some of the information but also it reduces boredom which bad long term for numbers of reasons but most important of all it will stop you reading. You can use this mention for reading this book as some parts won’t be for you at this current point of your life.
Reading book plan
- Read book have plan
- When read book don’t make notes unless you really feel to compelled as this will make reading a
- When finish reading book Add book to yearly list
- Refection on the book (think of one idea or three ideas you got from the book. You can write this down or do this mentally)
- If choose write out three ideas you learnt from book in journal
- If choose listen to read summary of book this will increase your understanding of book and sometimes you will hear some of the bits of the book (after read book II sometimes do this)
- If don’t like the book stop reading and go on to new book life is too short.
- With book feel free to bookmark parts you would like to come back to after read the book. This is easy to do on eBooks.
Reading Goals
Here are view examples of reading goals. If you are new to reading or just recently return to reading for next year don’t worry too much about how much book you are reading. Just have a plan amount of reading time you are going to do each week and stick to it.
- 12 books a in a year
- One book a week
- Two book a week
- General rule never read for more than 1/3 of the day.
- Read a least five times week for 45 mins
- Once read add these books to your reading journal
Reading Schedule
- level 1 beginners: Read three times week 30-45
- level 2 intermediate: Read five times week 45 mins
- level 3 advanced: Read 90 mins two (45 mins sessions) five times week
- level 4 elite: read by your own intuition or schedule but have plan for number of books you are going to read in year. For example, reading 12 books in a year
- level 0 Rookie this only for someone who is really nervous about reading Read three times week 20 mons
Reading Schedule Alternative
- Read 90 mins three time a week
- Read for total time week like in the Mark Cuban example
- As you become better reader you can read by intuition which easy to do once you have reading goals for the year such as reading 12 books in a year.
