Comments on: How to Absorb a Book into Your Bloodstream

By: How to Get a Mentor (Free of Charge) | The Copybot

How to Get a Mentor (Free of Charge) | The Copybot — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:05:37 +0000

[...] Absorbing books and blogs. Barreling through a hundred a year. Both old and new. Knowing when to blow through a book in 2 hours … or abandon it. Developing a wicked vocabulary. The rebellious bent that will elevate you above the noise. [...]

By: Visibility Marketing, Inc. | Are You a Remarkable Writer Part 3 | Be More Visible | Cleveland, Ohio | Public Relations and Marketing

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:01:03 +0000

[...] writers absorb their books. For long stretches of time. Clueless to the rest of the world. Of course, writers can’t exactly [...]

By: Visibility Marketing, Inc. | Are You A Remarkable Writer? Part2 | Be More Visible | Cleveland, Ohio | Public Relations and Marketing

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:26:41 +0000

[...] writers absorb their books. For long stretches of time. Clueless to the rest of the world. Of course, writers can’t exactly [...]

By: Justin McCullough

Justin McCullough — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:31:03 +0000

No way. Never dog ear.

By: Demian Farnworth

Demian Farnworth — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:35:15 +0000

You mean you don’t dog ear the page to note a page that was awesome (your number 6 tip)?

By: Justin McCullough

Justin McCullough — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:23:35 +0000

I have a few methods I always use.
1. Underline anything with substance, weight, authority or thought provoking.
2. Put an asterisks by it when it’s high importance, or must come back too
3. Circle sources when named inline
4. Write “EX” in margin when its an example to support concept, use, topic (this way I don’t have a bunch of underlines just to support main ideas).
5. Arrows and notes to key concepts often with my own paraphrase in margin or tangent thoughts and questions.
6. Circle page number if that page was awesome to me for some reason

In some of your other posts you talked about skimming, superficial reading, and when to abandon books. I personally sit inside my books using those methods above. I dont skim a lot unless its clearly rehash of something I’ve already read.

I hate notes on the kindle and that’s the one thing that makes me cringe with my Kindle reader. And I have a lot of books on the kindle, but my paperback books always take top spot when I read. I just haven’t found a way to take kindle books into my bloodstream!

Nice post Demien – glad to see I’m “normal” and validated by your list (plus my own quirks lol).

Cheers!
@mccJustin

By: Demian Farnworth

Demian Farnworth — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:44:44 +0000

Thanks for the great reply and the link. I’ll have to look into that book. Very interesting.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:39:36 +0000

Really enjoyed this!

I purchased an old book a while back (for only 90 cents) by David Pryde. It’s a book that’s been edited, and re-edited several times over. The copy I purchased is so old, it doesn’t even have a copyright date! Here’s how the title is written: “The Highways of Literaute; or, What to Read and How to Read It.” Seriously, it’s got the semicolon, the comma, and the period. But it’s contents are so wonderful!!!

Here’s a link to my blog that I’ve shared a few exerpts from the book: http://saharaseasonsofchange.blogspot.com/2012/03/highways-of-literature.html

By: Demian Farnworth

Demian Farnworth — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:57:32 +0000

So with you on this one: Good books should be shared.

By: efsun

efsun — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:35:08 +0000

i used to always write in my books. i love that when i look through them years later i can see what i was thinking at that time, kind of like a journal. the downside is that when i lend my books to friends, it’s like giving them my journal… far more personal information than i’d like to share (this is where the kindle sounds so attractive).

i’ve since switched to keeping a notebook to record nteresting quotes or thoughts. i suppose i could just refuse my friends’ requests to borrow my books, but that runs counter to my belief that a good read should be shared.