Some tips on reading - marking post #3,000 on Elliot's Reading

This is post #3,000 on Elliot's Reading, marking 3,000 consecutive days of posts on this blog. To mark the occasion, a few thoughts on how to enjoy and engaged w/ your reading:

Expand your horizons. Be on the lookout for books that not everyone else is reading. Look beyond the current best sellers, in fact look beyond newly released books. Look for great books from past years, past decades, past centuries. Look for novels in translation - only the best works tend to get translated. Keep track of publishers who publish books you've liked - chances are they'll publish more.

Read book reviews, but beware the hype: Book reviews today are rarely negative, but reading between the lines (often, the next-to-last paragraph of a review) will give you a sense of what the reviewer really thinks about the book.

Beware of blurbs as well. Most blurbs on book jackets or covers are written by friends of the author. In fact, many authors who teach writing (i.e., most authors) have a policy of blurbing only books by their students - kind of self-serving, if you think about it.

Why not revisit great books you've read before? With other great works of art - a painting, a symphony, a poem, a play - we don't pass it by because we've already seen/heard it. Don't be afraid to re-read: Reading a novel that you enjoyed in high school, college, or even a few years ago may be a completely different experience when you come back to it once more, with fresh eyes and more experience in reading and life.

Give every book a chance. Especially if the writing is inventive, difficult, or challenging, it may take some time to get into the world of a novel. I will always give a novel at least two days of reading, and will always try to read about 10 percent of the book at least before turning it aside.

On the other hand, you don't have to finish every book you start. Reading is a pleasure, not an obligation. Again, I have a few checkpoints - 10 percent, 100 pp., half-way through - at which I'll pause and decide whether I really want to continue reading this book. If not, stop and find something else: There are thousands of great books waiting to be read.

Engage with your reading. I always have a pen in hand when reading published book (and I use notes face/highlights when reading an ibook). I write brief marginal notes and I underline - but, no, I don't write in library books, although I do copy-edit when I see an obvious typo (every single book has them), which tends to keep me focused on the language.

Reflect. Keeping this blog has made me a better and more attentive reader, and I encourage everyone to take some time in reflection - whether by writing, blogging, discussing (esp in a book group), or just thinking - about what you're reading.



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