What You Get From a Book (Is Your Own Fault)
The Literate Hippie Lectures:
What You Get From a Book (Is Your Own Fault)
Instructions that get us into trouble when it comes to reading: Finish what you start. If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. The early bird gets the worm.
First, finishing what you start is a great idea when it comes to, oh, cleaning your room or graduating college. Not always a great idea when it comes to books.
How do you know if a book is worth your time? You don’t, no matter how highly recommended it is, how many accolades it has received, or who said you would just love it. Not all books are worth your time, and if you can’t realize that when one isn’t within the first 20 pages and put it down, what you will get from it is the pain of knowing you have a finished a job that wasn’t even worth starting.
Some books should be read and must be read, but need not be read with great attention or care.
Skim. It’s okay. Read the index and skip to the parts that interest you. Find the summarizing paragraphs. Learn to glean the information you are looking for without wasting your time on the information that you don’t need, that isn’t relevant, or that you already know. If you fail to adjust your standard for thoroughness (“doing the job well”) as fits each book, what you will get from it is a waste of time and a store of useless information.
Some books should be read and treated with great care, but not now.
Today may not be the day. People change, and books seem different at different times. Do not force yourself (unless it’s a class assignment) to read something that holds no application or interest for you. Put it on the shelf. Save it for a different time. Wait until you can treat it with the attention it does deserve. Don’t force yourself to be an early bird, because what you will get from it is the bitter aftertaste that comes from forcing down worms.
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