HOW TO READ BOOKS
You can do it.
You probably don’t know how to read a book.
It’s a skill you possess but not something you’ve mastered. In an era of sound bites and video, reading an entire book seems like an impossible task or an incredible accomplishment worth bragging about, doesn’t it? That’s no way to go through life.
The present education system has trained people out of reading. In modern academia, the most time-consuming assignments are the reading ones. Why read two chapters in a history textbook when you can easily find the pertinent information by skimming? Reading is presented as a gratuitous chore and most people carry this mentality with them for the rest of their lives.
Reading a book isn’t something you do on a regular basis because you’ve been tricked into becoming functionally illiterate. It’s kind of sad once you understand what’s happened. Knowing how to read but not applying it to a book is like knowing how to walk and never doing it, or knowing how to fly a plane but choosing to bike instead because flying is a chore. Without utilization of the skill, you’re still basically inept.
Ask somebody if they read and they’ll often say (in an ashamed tone), “Yeah, but I never finish an entire book” or “Whenever I try to read, my mind wanders and I lose my place or fall asleep, or forget what I just read,” revealing an inability to retain attention or concentrate. Like a child that bases everything on ease and desire; a totally Infantile mentality, and this mindset is ubiquitous.
Focusing Your Attention
In order to focus attention, it helps to be physically tired. Being physically tired helps mental focus.
If I don’t work out or exercise and eat shitty food, do you think I’d be able to lie down and concentrate on the chapter I’m reading? The answer is no. I won’t be able to sit still to digest the pages without being distracted. Your physiological state is important to the ability to really read.
Personally, my reading rhythm is either in the morning or in the evening. In the morning one is mentally fresh; in the evening, physically tired. A tired body and a rested mind are the best combination for a reader. I like mornings or evenings for reading when my brain and body are calm and ready to concentrate and absorb new information. This is my reading zone or reading rhythm. Personally, I like to read while lying down. Finding your preferred position will take trial and error you’ll have to figure out for yourself. I don’t encourage sitting down or lying down for an extended period of time while reading. Break it up with small sets of exercise.
I rarely read books in one sitting, but I will read a chapter or two at a time with intermediate exercise between chapters: a set of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, pacing, and stretching to refresh my concentration. The longer you stay in your reading position, the more likely you’ll lose focus. Even going to the bathroom or getting a refreshment can help regain focus. It’s about allowing your body and mind to exhale before inhaling more words.
Can’t concentrate? Put the book down. My concentration only lasts for so long, and eventually I get tired of lying down or just want to do something else.
Actively Read
I went to two high schools. The first was a public school where we were given textbooks for the year, it being expected that we’d return the textbook in the same condition we received it so another student could have it the following year. Highlighting or making notes in the text was viewed as an act of vandalism. This trained us not to actively read.
When I switched to an independent school, I had culture shock. I was encouraged to highlight, underline, make notes in the margins. Why? Because it was my book. This totally changed my mentality toward reading and encouraged me to actively read and engage. Pencils, pens, writing sticky notes or notes in the margins—engage.
I use a highlighter. When a sentence or paragraph really speaks to me, I highlight it. I always have a highlighter with me when reading. This also makes it easier to go back and reference anything. When you cease to feel free to mark, you cease to read actively. Get as much value out of your book as you can by marking it up.
Losing Your Place
I don’t have a unique attention span. I’m easily distracted, my thoughts jumping from place to place. When people tell me their issues with reading or tell me they never read books, I get it. I’ve been there. You keep scanning the text and two pages later realize you haven’t actually comprehended any of the words you just read in the last 10 or 15 minutes. You say to yourself, “Shit, I need to go back a few pages, I was thinking about something else.” I know exactly what that’s like.
Don’t be afraid to re-read. I do it all the time. If you find yourself re-reading frequently. It’s time to get some exercise to increase your attention span.
Reading Environment
I’m not one of those people who can read on the beach, nor in the car, nor in public, nor where I can hear television or music, nor anywhere with a multitude of distractions. I read in silence, isolated, and my mission to find solitude and peace and quiet is often a difficult one. Work schedules, home life, and things beyond our control present challenges.
If it’s possible to find a quiet, tranquil, environment while you are physically tired, reading books will be easy and enjoyable, especially if you’re genuinely interested in the topic and the book has been recommended to you by a valid source. A good book is one of life’s greatest joys.
How to Pick a Book
Read the books you’re not supposed to. Read the books you’ve been warned about. “Evil” historical figures? Read their books. Conspiracy theories and maniacal plots to take over the world? Read those. I refuse to believe there aren’t topics or people you’re curious about.
I have to hear good things about a book or the author from sources I consider valid. The book or author has to have a reputation that reverberates within the online communities I’m involved in or recommended to me directly or indirectly.
Sometimes, an author will go on a podcast I normally listen to. If they seem knowledgeable, interesting, and have good content, I buy their book, especially if it’s new and interesting. Certain guys have credibility with me, and I’ve bought and enjoyed books they’ve recommended. I listen to their recommendations. When people recommend shitty books, I never listen to their recommendations again.
Books to Avoid
Books are much like music: consume the wrong kind and you become the wrong kind of person. Books from the New York Times book reviews are trash. Avoid those, plus the recommendations of people who consume these types of mainstream books. Barnes & Noble’s online store is good, but their brick-and-mortar locations selection and vibe are terrible. There are many different book cultures and the mainstream one is lame.
Amazon has the best selection and infrastructure in place to get you your book ASAP. Sometimes they jack up the price on interesting books—a soft form of censorship that also lets you know which books are really good (including banned books). Sometimes I go to private seller websites if the book is rare or banned.
Downsides of Book Cultures
Throwing books at people is not cool. “Have you read this? Oh, I’ve read that. Well, maybe if you read this,” etc. This book culture habit is the equivalent of a pretentious journalist using vocabulary words they know are not part of the common vernacular. It’s not about you or your interest but about signaling intellectual status.
It’s cool to mention a book you really like, but laying on one esoteric title after another turns people off. Even worse is the guy who reads one or two books and mentions them continuously for years.
People who can’t help but share what they’re reading on social media and how much they’re reading also come under social signaling of intellectual one-upmanship. If your goal is to socially signal that you’re reading a book, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
There is a consumerist element to buying books, especially if somebody is just collecting them and not reading them.
A Book is a Luxury Item
Let’s be clear about one thing, a book is a luxury item. It doesn’t matter what it costs. Reading takes time, and this is the true luxury. It’s not about the money you spend, it’s about the time. For a small monetary fee, you can improve your perspective and become a more interesting, knowledgeable person.
Everybody has at least an hour or two during the week to do some reading rather than watching television or a movie and having your brain enter a hypnotic zombie-like state. Leave our downtrodden, imbecile culture that worships television like mongoloid retards. Wake up to the direct correlation between the amount of television you watch and how uninteresting you are as a person.
Instead of “binging” a show on a streaming service, you can become a reader.
It’s still your choice at the end of the day. You can choose to live the life of an aristocrat if you choose.
Get the Most Value from a Book
The best way to get the most value out of your book is to socialize with other people who read the same book. Two people talking about the same book is a book club. This is a very powerful process.
Retaining value and retaining information are not the same thing. Your job is not to memorize. If something resonates, it’s because it vibrates TRUTH. You instinctively retain valuable information.
Your Reading List
You probably weren’t that interested in the reading list given to you in school. What would your own reading list look like now? Don't be the guy that reads one book and talks forever about how it "changed your life" or "had a profound impact.” Reading books isn't about being a pretentious phag in a coffee shop; it's about exercising your intellectual curiosity. Now you have no excuses.