The Reader's Alchemy: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Read

Embarking on a journey of reading books changed my life big time. Driven by a real love for knowledge, I dove headfirst into the world of books, seeking both solace and wisdom within the pages. But let me tell you, getting good at reading wasn't a cakewalk – distractions and tough concepts to grasp got in the way. Still, I stuck with it, determined to get better.

I went all out, checking out books and videos on how to improve my reading skills. Furthermore, working at Amazon, where reading and interpreting business case documents is essential for decision-making, further underscored the importance of refining my reading skill. Alongside many other sources, I greatly profited from reading "How to Read a Book" by Charles van Doren.

This article isn't about showing off my reading skills – it's about sharing the tools and tricks that boosted my reading abilities. This article will primarily focus on how to read books. However, once you've mastered reading books, tackling articles and blogs should come naturally. Come along, and let's dig into the methods that turned reading into my secret weapon for understanding the world. Are you in?

Types of Reading

There are basically three types of reading:

1. Reading for Entertainment: You are reading something to entertain yourself. You don't necessarily have a goal of deeper understanding. It's the easiest form of reading. If you know how to read for information or understanding, you can read for entertainment as well. No special training is required.
2. Reading for Information: Imagine you are reading a history book and trying to gather all the relevant historical facts, figures, numbers, and dates. This kind of reading doesn't necessarily give you a deeper understanding of the event, but you get all the information.
3. Reading for Understanding: Imagine you are reading the same book to better understand what happened, why, and how. This kind of reading gives you a deeper understanding and a transformative experience. To put it bluntly, reading for information is about remembering something; on the other hand, reading for understanding is to be able to explain it. Interestingly, if you know how to read for understanding, it takes care of reading for information as well. Hence, In this article, I will focus on how to read for understanding.

If you really want to read for understanding, make sure you have a clear head so that you can observe, access your memory, use your imagination, and most importantly, analyze and reflect to create connections for a better understanding. But Let's talk about reading speed before discussing how to read for understanding.

Reading Speed

We often ponder, "Am I reading fast enough?" or "Should I improve my reading speed?" You may have come across many tips or videos on how to read faster, but let me tell you a very different story. I Believe, there is no hard and fast rule regarding how fast you should read.

Certainly, there are techniques that help you improve your reading speed, and I will point out two them here. Before I tell you what are those two tips are, you need to remember not every book deserves the same reading speed, NO!

You need to read a few books slowly to grasp it's intricate concepts. These kinds of books are worth reading and re-reading for better comprehension. Take it slow for those books. On the other hand, there are books that deserve hardly to be skimmed through or to be read very quickly. Reading these kinds of books slowly would be a genuine waste of time.

Also, think about this situation: We often read books that are very tough to understand due to tough concepts or difficult vocabulary. Stopping multiple times to check the dictionary and footnotes to understand what it means doesn't help. In most cases, it will take a long time, and you will forget the beginning of the book when you arrive at the end. Understanding every word of the book at the first go is not important. If you try to do that, you will lose the understanding of the book for the understanding of the words. Instead, read it at a go, establish a general understanding by paying attention to what you can understand, and if the book is worthwhile, then come back and re-read. It will significantly improve your understanding. As Sir Francis Bacon rightfully pointed out,

Therefore, when it comes to reading speed, it doesn't mean you have to read faster but rather be able to read at different paces. When or which book you should read at what speed, I will discuss in the next section. But before going there, let me give you two quick tips that will improve your reading speed in general:

1. Minimize Subvocalization: Subvocalization is the habit of pronouncing words in your head as you read. While it's a natural part of early reading, it can slow you down. Try to minimize subvocalization by consciously focusing on reading words rather than saying them silently. This may take some practice, but it can significantly increase reading speed.
2. Expand Peripheral Vision: Train your peripheral vision to capture more words in each glance. Instead of reading word by word, try to take in groups of words at a time. Use your finger or a pointer to guide your eyes along the lines, helping you move smoothly and avoid regression (going back to re-read). Peripheral vision training can enhance your ability to process information quickly.

What Should Be the Reading Speed for a Particular Book?

In this section I will try to answer two major questions that you may have faced in one way or another, and those questions are.

1. How do I know if I should read this book?
2. At what speed I should read the book?

In order to answer these question I will try to introduce you to a new method of reading- Skimming.

Just by skimming, you can determine whether or not you should start reading a book in the first place. If the answer is yes, then at what speed should you read the book? Trust me; this simple technique will save you a lot of time by filtering out books that are not a good fit for your taste or need. This technique is easy to master, yet overwhelmingly underrated. Let me tell you how to do that;

1. Quickly read the Title and Preface page of the book. It will give you an indication of the topic and scope of the book, as well as the author's aim. Within a few minutes, you will be able to place this book in one of your mental categories.
2. Read the publisher's words, as in most cases, this section is written by the author himself, and he tries his best to summarize the entire book on that page.
3. Browse through the table of contents to see the outline of how the author is trying to present his ideas. Maybe you will find something interesting already.
4. Read the index to know the kinds of books the author is referring to.
5. Go through one or two chapters you think are most important and try to get an idea of the depth of the argument of the author.
6. Randomly turn pages here and there, read a paragraph or two. If possible (not possible on Kindle samples), read the last 2-3 pages, as most writers try to make a compelling argument about what's so unique and compelling about their work.

Within 10-15 minutes of touching the book and going through these steps, you will already get an idea of what kind of book this is and, most importantly, whether or not you want to read the book. Now, you should have a clear idea of whether you want to dive deep or get rid of this book altogether. If you have ever done this, you must have noticed it's a very active kind of reading, and you are saving yourself a lot of time. It will increase your understanding, and you will stop buying books that you don't want to read. Above all, you will know what kind of book it is and how you want to read it. You will know if you want to read it fast, put it back on the shelf, or if you want to read it slowly, digest it, and reflect on the learning. You will win either way.

How to make the most of your reading?

When you are reading a book, and if you are rational, you want to profit from it. You expect the book to expand your horizon or to bring you spiritual awakening or you may have a completely personal reason. I this section section I will try to outline how could you make sure you are making most of your reading?

1. The more you read, the better reader you become. Hence, read regularly. Set aside a specific time for reading—whether it's 30 minutes after waking up, 30 minutes before bed, or during your commute to the office. Reading can have a transformative impact on you. Start reading today, and you will become a completely different person in the near future.
2. Try to avoid distractions during your reading time, such as your smartphone or social media, as notifications can be very distracting and tempting. In case you think, 'Just one notification, I will check and come back,' remember that these distractions often overstay their welcome. You're in a flow when you are reading uninterruptedly. Once distracted, it takes a lot of time and effort for your brain to get back in rhythm. You want to avoid that at all costs – you know it, right?
3. Treat reading as a conversation. Ask those 4 simple questions outlined below. However, the writer isn't there to answer your questions. So you must answer the your questions yourself. You should be able to answer those questions. That's the art of reading. If someone says I know what I think but can't really explain it, then he actually doesn't know what he thinks.
   1. What is the the book about as a whole? (Explain the theme of the book)
   2. What is being said in detail and how? (Main Ideas, and arguments)
   3. Is the book true, in whole or part? (Why do you feel what you feel)
   4. Why this book is important to you? (How this book has enlightened you)
4. Highlight important lines or passages, take notes, and write your thoughts/questions on the top/side margins. Come back to those notes in the future for quick revision.

Knowing the rules of the game will not make you a player. You won't become a footballer just by memorizing the rules. While understanding the rules is important, do you know what's more crucial? Practice! It may feel awkward, frustrating, and slow at the beginning, but if you consistently practice consciously, sooner or later, it will become ingrained in your subconscious nature. From a list of scattered rules, you will form a transformative habit.

How do I read?

When I left Bangladesh and moved to Luxembourg, I had to leave behind my entire collection of books. I was heartbroken. Since then, I've transitioned to e-books and hardly read physical books unless I receive them as gifts. When I was leaving my previous company, my team gave me a Kindle as a farewell gift. I consider this the best material gift I have ever received. Henceforth, I mostly read on my Kindle.

A few things I love about Kindle:

• I can carry an unlimited number of books with me without leaving anything behind anymore.
• I can directly buy books on Kindle with just a few clicks.
• I can highlight lines or passages, take notes, and browse the dictionary, which makes reading more comfortable than I imagined.
• With its look and feel and eye-friendly lighting, it gives me the comfort of a physical book (although I still miss the addictive smell of a new book).
• Most importantly, there are no notifications, no distractions. I am immersed in reading.

Furthermore, I have started using the Goodreads app to keep track of the books I've read, am currently reading, and plan to read in the future. I rate books, read reviews, and see what my friends and others are reading. I also participate in reading challenges to keep track of my progress. What I value most is the ability to connect my Kindle account with the app. This allows me to directly read the lines and paragraphs I highlighted on my Kindle using my phone or laptop.

To summarize, reading is a deeply rewarding and transformative experience for me. It has helped me understand myself and the world around me. I hope this article will inspire you to read so that you can also enjoy the goodness of reading. Happy Reading!