I love to read. I’m learning to be a better reader. Several years ago, I summarized some of Keith Drury’s work on reading. I thot I’d add these posts to mycommonplace.com–since it’s a blog about what I read and like…and now how I’m learning to read.

Before you read, get ready to read. Your ability to read well depends in part upon how you prepare. Keith Drury suggests that you:

FIRST: ELIMINATE ALL DISTRACTIONS

Get rid of anything your mind could think about besides the reading material. Is there conversation? Activity? TV? An uncomfortable seat? Music in the background? Anything which might occupy your mind waters down your concentration — even occupying your “mind-in-background.” Fool yourself if you wish — but if you really are serious about reading faster with more understanding, eliminate distractions.

SECOND: Ask–What is my purpose?

You’ll be amazed at how answering this question will guide your approach to the reading task. Before you open the book, take a minute to state your purpose to yourself. It will largely determine how you read the book from then on.

Is it fiction–something you’re reading for pleasure? Well, then, why hurry? Savor each word as a delicious meal. Is it related to your work or a special project? Well, that’s a different purpose. You need that information. You need to consume that info quickly while still retaining it. So, you’ll want to approach that reading more strategically.

THIRD: Do a 10 minute PRE-READ.

Take ten minutes or less and pre-read the entire book. Treat a book like a jigsaw puzzle. Dump it out, then organize all the pieces first before putting it together.

1. Read the dust cover and any cover reviews. Then look through the author blurb. Read a review if you’ve got one.
2. Move to the Table of Contents and see if you can figure out the whole book from this page. See the logic behind it.
3. Page through the entire book, page by page. Glance through all summaries, tables, pull-out quotes, indexes, diagrams, and scan through all the section titles as you go.
4. Find the KEY CHAPTER while you are doing this. Some publishers say “A book is simply one great chapter with a dozen other filler chapters.”

FOURTH: Read the KEY CHAPTER.

You are not obligated to wait until you have read all the chapters before this one, as if you must eat your green beans before the ice cream. The book is yours — go ahead and get the central idea before you start! Once you’ve read the key chapter you are ready to read the rest.