Reading books is an attractive concept that nobody teaches, but everybody somehow knows how to do it. I started reading books at the university around 2010. It’s been more than ten years. During this whole time, I read whatever people or online algorithms and bookstores recommended. After getting into the habit and embedding reading into my life, I always struggled to drop the book if I didn’t like it.
In some cases, it also had a huge impact on my reading habit. When I didn’t like the book, I forced myself to continue reading it. I don’t know who put this idea in my mind that “you have to read every book you started, cover to cover,” but I became miserable and even stopped reading for a while to accept that I was not going to return to the book. I’m not counting the psychological burden it had on me: not completing a task and regretting every day, blaming myself that I couldn’t finish a thing.
After having these struggles, I learned a method that solved this fundamental problem: cross-reading—reading multiple books simultaneously. I usually read 3-6 books; picking up whatever I’m in the mood for helps me read more and keep the habit. I put these books in different places in the apartment to have a book at reach at any time. Keeping this strategy for a while boosted my reading habit, and suddenly, I started picking up books more than ever. Yet, this habit also created its own problem.
After some time, I formed another pile of books: currently reading. Three books became fifteen. When I didn’t like the book, I simply switched to another, and the boring book stayed in “currently reading” mode in one corner of the apartment. I was back where I started, with an additional toll because I was still not “finishing” what I had started.
During this whole time, I learned the obvious—I cannot read every book. I buy more books than I can read. I’m not counting my wish list even. I have enough books to keep me reading for the next five years.
This comes with a drawback of psychological burden. I want to read the books I buy, and I’m overwhelmed by the number of books I want to read. To overcome this, I decided to learn how to read books properly, as it’s something that nobody taught me. When I realized that school only teaches reading, but not reading books, I looked for where I could learn it.
I found the famous “How to Read A Book” by Mortimer Adler. In one section of the book, the authors talk about Inspectional reading, which I want to emphasize here and leave out other parts of that book (although they are equally helpful) because Inspectional Reading is what helps me most to get the idea of a book, to decide if I need to spend hours reading the book cover to cover, to clean up my to-read pile, and to abandon books that don’t need cross-reading.
Inspectional Reading
Inspectional reading is the high-level reading before giving the book a full read. Understanding the book as a whole and digesting its ideas is not the aim. The goal is to understand what the book is about, its argument, and if it is worth reading or not.
Inspectional reading consists of Systematic Skimming and Superficial Reading.
Systematic Skimming
Systematic skimming is the part where you look closer at the book in multiple steps. In my previous struggle with not finishing books, I skipped this step and dove into the book that I regretted quickly and, as a result, wasted a lot of time trying to finish it or abandon it with shame. Once I learned systematic skimming, I was relieved. The stages of systematic skimming below help me understand if I want to read a book with my full attention and spend my time on it or not.
How do I do Systematic Skimming:
- Read the title page, preface, and foreword: Try understanding the book’s goal. What problem does it solve, and what is its value?
- Study the table of contents: Try understanding how the book solves that problem. Does it use an inductive or deductive approach? What are the sections that present the book’s core arguments? Which chapters look more interesting than others?
- Check the index: Look for the most used words, phrases, and terminology to understand how the book can connect various terminology with the titles in the table of contents.
- Read the publisher’s blurb: It’s often pure marketing but sometimes gives some insights from others. It also gives some information on how to relate to others’ opinions.
- Read the introduction: It’s the part where the author actually introduces the book and its arguments. Try understanding the author’s writing style and high-level arguments. Look for clues indicating something new for you or contradictory to your knowledge. Can the book bring value to your life?
- Look at the chapters that seem pivotal to the book’s argument: Turn the pages slowly. Read here and there, a paragraph or two, a page or two, not more than that. Look for understanding arguments and how the author supports them.
- Read the conclusion (or the last 2-3 pages): Almost authors summarize the book in a conclusion chapter or the last few pages. They recap what they have talked about and mention the most important parts so the ideas will stick with the reader. Read to close the loop in the arguments.
After completing these seven steps, I usually have a broad understanding of the book and its arguments. It helps me decide if I want to read the book. You may think it destroys the narrative author tried so hard to put into the book. To me, it doesn’t; it simply helps me decide if I want to spend many hours studying the ideas and arguments in the book. Tell you what, many books can’t pass this stage, and that’s okay. There are millions of books, and nobody can read them all. You have to choose what you read carefully. And this is the major test any book has to pass. If a book doesn’t pass this test, it goes to my bookshelf and becomes either a reference book or just part of my small library.
One thing I’m currently trying is writing down my notes after each stage. Reading with a pen in hand is the habit I’m trying to build. It’s challenging, but I will update here once I get the habit up and running. My goal is to ask myself four questions after systematic skimming: 1) What is this book about as a whole? 2) What’s being said (as much detail as possible)? 3) Is the book true, in whole or part? 4) What of it? (Why does the author think it is important to know these things?)
For example, Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team book didn’t pass this test. Not that the book is bad. The framework in the book is great, but I grasped its message and ideas within thirty minutes without reading the whole book. It didn’t make sense to spend hours on it and study the book. Even though the book is short, I didn’t need to read every word. I counted it as read and moved on. I got its value out.
As most books cannot pass the systematic skimming test, I count them as read and move them from my to-read to done list.
Another advantage of systematic skimming is that I can do it in a bookstore even before buying the book. Many bookstores have seats or chairs to dig into the book, and this technique usually takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Once I’m done, I don’t need to read the book anymore.
Systematic skimming made the whole difference. Suddenly, I stopped feeling guilty that I didn’t finish a book. It was about perspective: I counted the book as read and moved on.
Superficial Reading
If the book passes the systematic skimming test, it is worth spending some time on it. That’s where superficial reading comes into play: reading the book without going back and pondering the arguments. This is the first read to understand the holistic picture, the book’s structure, and its arguments.
I’m learning the book. In the first reading, I don’t stop to look up things I don’t understand. I keep going. I know I will have time to think about the arguments when I return. You can think about it like watching a movie: if you see the movie for the first time, you never stop in the middle of it and think about it; you watch it from the beginning to the end. Once you see the messages it gives you and the feelings it transfers, you want to watch it again (or not).
There is much to say about reading speed in detail, but I don’t want to clutter this post. In superficial reading, your reading speed should vary depending on the book and chapter. Some books require reading fast while others demand slow reading. Also, within the same book, some chapters demand slowing down, and some can be read quickly. You should be able to adjust your speed according to the text. There is only one rule: don’t look back. If you don’t understand an argument, keep going. You will probably read the book again. This reading is just the get the idea and structure of the book. Without seeing the book holistically, it’s not possible to understand it.
Although Adler recommends superficial reading a bit differently, I adapted it to myself and now use it as a second test. I read books with superficial reading and take chapter notes as much as what’s left on my mind. I still don’t look back while reading or taking a note; I don’t quote but use my own words while taking notes (that’s why Kindle never works for me, highlighting is great, but note-taking is painful).
In the end, I have a few pages of notes that help me understand what the book is about. After that, I can make up my mind to give a more thoughtful and careful read. Many books can’t pass this stage and don’t require another read. Their ideas and arguments are not very deep and don’t demand pondering.
Inspectional reading (systematic skimming and superficial reading) helps me reduce my to-read pile. Not all books need to be read thoroughly. The majority deserve little time, and the minority demand reading them with complete understanding and pondering on their arguments. Having multiple stages of reading and eliminating books in each stage to get the most out of them in my limited time has worked for me so far.
Reading non-fictional books is an interesting concept that nobody teaches. Much like any other process, the ideal way of reading is still far away, and my current process needs improvements. Yet, it’s enough for most books and helps me figure out how I want to spend my time on books.
Thanks to this process, I finally learned to make peace with a book when I got everything I wanted from it. It helped me to mark books as “finished” or “read” after skimming them systematically and not reading them cover to cover and word by word.
I will probably keep using this process and improve it at any chance.
Preview: