Books & Learning
Best Way to Read a Book
How I turn reading into a conversation.
For me, a book is complete when I can remember its ideas, discuss them in my own words, and find a place for them in my daily life. Reaching the last page is one part of that process.
The best way I have found to read a book has three steps. I read with curiosity and a pen. I return to the passages I have marked. Then I explain what I have learned, either by writing about it or discussing it with other people.
Begin with curiosity. Read with a pen.
Before I start reading, I look at the title and the table of contents. This is a simple habit, but it makes a difference. It gives me a sense of where the book is going and helps me discover what I want to understand.
Curiosity is central to how I learn. When I see an interesting topic near the end of a book, I want to reach it. That anticipation helps me stay focused through the earlier chapters. I have something to look forward to and a reason to keep going.
Then I begin reading with a pen beside me. Some readers use different colors to distinguish important ideas, disagreements, and passages they want to remember. I understand the appeal, but I find that system a little impractical for myself. One pen is enough.
I underline a sentence, circle a word, or put a mark beside a paragraph. If an idea comes to mind, I write it in the margin while it is still fresh. Sometimes it is a question. Sometimes it is a disagreement. Sometimes a passage connects with something I have experienced.
I try to understand the author’s argument on its own terms while keeping my own judgment active. Why does the author believe this? Do I agree? What might be missing? Those questions make me a participant in the reading. The marks on the page become a record of the conversation.
Return to the passages that made you think.
Once I finish the book, I return to the beginning. On this second reading, I focus on the passages I have already marked and the notes I have written beside them.
There are fewer words to read this time, but I give them real attention. I stop and think. Why did this sentence matter to me? Does it mean something different now that I have read the whole book? Do I still agree with the note I made in the margin?
The first reading introduces me to the ideas. The second gives me time to examine them. A sentence that passed quickly the first time may deserve several minutes of thought when I return to it.
This is why I find marking a book so useful. It creates a path back to the ideas I want to spend more time with.
Explain what you learned. Bring it into your life.
My third step is to explain the book. I might write a review or an article, prepare a short talk, or discuss it with a few people. The format matters less than making the effort to express the ideas in my own words.
When I explain something, I discover how well I understand it. An idea can feel clear while I am reading the author’s explanation. Putting it into my own sentences asks more of me. I have to decide what matters, how the argument works, and what I actually think about it.
Discussion also gives the book another life. Other people ask questions I did not ask. They may disagree with a point I accepted or see something I overlooked. The conversation continues beyond the page.
Finally, I consider how I can use what I have learned. Does an idea help me understand a situation? Could it change a habit, a decision, or the way I approach another person? I want to see what these ideas can contribute to ordinary life.
By the time I have completed these three steps, I have read the book, thought through it, and discussed it with myself and others. That is what helps me remember it.
For me, reading is a conversation with the author. The pen starts it. Reflection deepens it. What I do with the ideas keeps it going.
Attorney, author and entrepreneur. Writing about life, books, and the ideas worth thinking through.