The 10 Most Helpful Tips for How to Read a Book

Reading books the right way isn't always as easy as it seems.

Glasses for Reading in Bed | Flickr Commons

If you want to really understand a book like Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason or Julia Childs’ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, you need to approach the text in the right way.

Below, you’ll find my tips for getting the most out of any book you read.

1. Read in bed. The best time to read is when you’re least alert, tired, and right on the verge of REM sleep. You need to crack open that book you’ve been waiting to read right at the moment your eyes begin to involuntarily tear up because you’re so ridiculously spent that you could sleep for 100 years. Crawl underneath your covers, lay on your back, open your book, and then simply rest it on your face. I find this to be the best posture for getting to the bottom of whatever an author is saying. I call it “learning by osmosis.” You literally absorb the book into your face. Think of your book like a warm towel. It is very soothing. It is the best lifehack I’ve learned within the last three years of my incredibly productive life. And trust me, I watch a lot of productivity videos on the Internet.

2. Ignore the table of contents and index. These are totally useless parts of a book. The best books omit them altogether. Don’t waste your time trying to get a sense of how the author structured his/her argument or the primary terms that the author uses repeatedly throughout the text.

3. NEVER, EVER WRITE IN YOUR BOOK. I can’t believe I even have to say this. What are you, crazy? I’m shocked by the amount of people that think circling, underlining, writing in the margins, etc. is going to help you comprehend a book. No. The only way to truly understand a book is to telegraph exactly what the author is saying without marking up your book. You need to keep your books in excellent condition so that you can sell them one day. Do you really want a library of well-loved books in your home? No. Neither do I. What I want is a small shelf of books I only hope to read some day that I can still list on Amazon under the condition “Like New.” If I get into financial trouble, I’ll be glad I have a bunch of unread “Like New” books that I can use to pay my mortgage.

4. Disagree with the author before understanding his/her argument. This is a big one for me, and it is not always easy. What you really want to do is close your eyes before you start to read and let all your prejudices rush to the forefront of your mind. Imagine you’re trying to squeeze a grape out of the top of your head. Or, better yet, imagine you’re a grape being squeezed out of the top of somebody else’s head. Let the pressure of all your opinions fog your brain up so that when you do start reading, there’s not the slightest chance that you’ll be convinced by what the author has to say. If you find yourself slowly being convinced by an author, this is a bad sign. Repeat the grape exercise above and try again. Remember that agreeing with an author—especially one you might otherwise disagree with based upon their political affiliation, creed, or group identity—is a major sign of weakness.

5. Alternatively, agree with everything the author says. The best reader is a passive reader, one who consumes and believes in whatever an author says just because an author says it. If it is in a book, it must be true.

6. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT AGREE WITH SOME OF WHAT AN AUTHOR SAYS AND DISAGREE WITH OTHER ASPECTS OF HIS/HER ARGUMENT. This would be very bad, for it would signify nuanced (a pretentious word) understanding and discerning judgment (a noble but unattainable ideal). It is much easier to simply reject everything the author says or accept everything the author says. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

7. Pause for every unfamiliar word, take out your dictionary that weighs 300 pounds, browse to the word, write it on a notecard, and do not commence reading until you’ve memorized the meaning of the word—whether that word is “sarcophagus,” “esophageal,” “congeal,” or “autophagy.” As an added bonus to aid comprehension, I recommend pronouncing every unfamiliar word softly to yourself in the voice of James Earl Jones.

8. Read and reread the boring parts even if you already understand them. It is a bad sign if you’re enjoying the book you’re reading. A very bad sign. You want to focus most of your attention on what doesn’t interest you. All learning, as we know, is best approached in the spirit of drudgery—not play.

9. Avoid confusion at all costs. Whatever you do, you’re not allowed to be confused by a portion of the text. All writers, simply by being writers, are masters of their craft. If you misunderstand a portion of a text, it is safe to assume that you’re the one to blame, and the author has not done you wrong. For an example of lucid prose that you’d be an idiot for not understanding, see the work of Jacques Derrida. 

10. If you do misunderstand something, just say, “I don’t get it.” Don’t try to figure out what in particular you don’t understand. If you’re having a hard time grasping what the author is trying to say, it is best to simply throw in the whole towel. Throw the baby out with the bathwater. Toss the book out your window. Burn it in a plastic trashcan in your living room. Pound your hands on the table and froth at the mouth for not understanding, and then say, “I don’t get it.” It is not worth the time or effort to get to the bottom of your misunderstanding. Just blame yourself (be really hard on yourself), and then try to start reading a different book—but an easier one this time.

That’s it. If you follow just these ten tips, you’ll read thousands more books each year, and what’s more important, you’ll despise each one.