Let me summarize the ideas included in the video in my own way of thinking: - “Demolish” the book and its pages by notes, highlights, marks - to make it feel like a convo between you and the author - Mark the book pages based on chapters and sections so that you can systemize what you’re reading - Summarize what you read with your own words (like what I’m doing now lol). FORCE your brain to do that! - Convert that summary into a digital version so that you can carry it around (notion, drive, phone notes, etc)
I'd add that you can do this with fiction too. I think there's a tendency to see reading fiction as pure enjoyment, something you immerse yourself in without taking notes, but then when you're done you hardly recall anything. For me, adding notes and underlining passages makes me more attentive to not just what the author is doing with her prose, but also how, and this only adds to the pleasure. Plus, noting certain phrases and descriptions won't hurt your own writing, either.
Hey! I have a question. While reading fiction, what exactly should I make notes about (unless it's for a school assignment). Like, I underline a lot in my books, my favourite passages and quotes, but I can't figure out what people exactly write in there. Please enlighten me Have a great day:)
He’s done videos on this and doesn’t just say ‘her’ for some reason when referring to any author, as he isn’t coming at the audience with a political agenda.
@@chrysanthemum5594 I just write what it makes me think, what I like what I don’t, my favorite lines and what I think they mean, maybe predictions. After I finish reading for a while and am gonna stop I grab a sticky note and write my stream of consciousness thoughts, not necessarily about everything that happened but what it made me ponder on and put it in that part of the book that I’m stopping on.
As a writer, I agree. I do that to learn how other people structure there stories, but to be honest in for exemple philosophy books I don't mind using my pen, but in fiction books I only use stickey notes, or a pencil.
there are two options for a reader to get into the books: 1. anotate it with pen or highlighter 2. choose to write the point you want to remember in another book or journal book (if the reader want to keeping the book clean from a mess)
My exact thoughts. I follow more with number 2. Get a journal or a section of a notebook for that book alone, jot down chapters, more specifically page numbers and write down your thoughts on the particular idea/concept on that particular page. Even write down the passages you would underline. I feel it gets you thinking about it more than just underlining. It’s not necessary to mark up your books. But hey, it’s your book, if that’s what you wanna do, go for it.
@@OsvaldoBayerista And a 3rd option: There are clear sticky notes that you can use to highlight, underline, make notes, etc. you can take them out if you hate what you wrote or if you are ganna sell the book or something
@@walterwhite003 Glad you've finally encountered this insight! Game-changing one, especially when reading difficult works. It's from Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren's How to Read a Book. I highly recommend reading the book, but if you want to sample a bit more content before reading it, look no further than Robin's earlier videos-it's the most-cited book on his channel!
I LOVE marking up my books - funnily I learnt it from Sal Khan of Khan Academy. I thought I was reimagining his tutoring style of writing on a digital board by marking up a book as I grappled with the ideas, but How to Read a Book introduced me to the bookmarkers of the world!
When i was younger i underlyined a book (a very beautiful edition of the picture of dorian gray sadly) with a highlighter. the result was, as expected, horrible. I now annotate my books with pencils so if i don't like it i can alway clean everything up easily, try it! Plus, the more you annotate the more you understand the style you like and the less you'll erase.
my thing with writing in books is that when I re-read those books time later, I'm not the same person. It's very interesting to see how my understanding and ideas have evolved, if that makes sense. great video btw
It's true that you are not the same person when you re-read a book. You are certainly matured. Here's a tip. When you read a book additional times, use a different color pen than before. And then afterward, you can compare you now with how you were before. Ideally, your notes would grow as you've grown yourself.
People are confused with me and don't understand when I say I only read one book this year. Not because I was bored of reading or I'm a slow reader but because I really took my time highlighting, taking notes, and understanding almost every line that was in the book. But, I would rather read a book a year and really understand it then reading 1,000 books a year and just getting the simple text out of it.
Glad to see young people in this day and age taking their learning seriously and understanding that learning does not end with school, but is only the beginning. I wish I could have had a decent education. I began my self-education not until I was 29! I lived almost my entire life dealing with hardships, anger, depression, and many other things I will not mention. If only I knew that learning was the answer I could have saved myself a lot of heartaches. A good education is the most important thing in life in my opinion. Truly brings a sense of understanding and fulfillment. I can say I am a truly happy person every day no matter how bad life seems. Good for you man and I appreciate your efforts to share this wisdom with others. It helps me out quite a bit in my self-education. Stay safe and keep doing the good work. Oh, I really enjoyed your article "Only Read What You Enjoy". It really helped me to stop putting books aside thinking "I am not ready for that yet". I always felt I had to understand this and that to be able to tackle certain works. Letting that go will send me on journies that are absolutely life-changing in some cases. Truly opens you up. Thank you.
@@unluckyokinawan I can only speak to my experience and recommend speaking with a professional before taking anything I have to say into account since we are all different. What worked for me was finding something to learn that gave me a sense of meaning in my life. Something that will allow me to change myself to become a better person which will raise my confidence and eventually my perception of myself and my situation. For me, philosophy was the big one. It can teach us to become more ethical, think well, understand our minds, and guide us through life if we let it. I will say at first it will be hard and you will not want to do it (we resist change) but you must force yourself and eventually it is all you will want to do. It changes you eventually to give you a good habit that gives you meaning and self-development but it is tough. Still easier than dealing with depression though. I am sorry I am not good at giving advice but I hope this helps a little. Good luck and I hope you can find your thing.
I absolutely love annotating books which is exactly why i don't borrow from others or from the library cuz I know I am gonna make a mess. Infact I don't even use a pencil, it's mostly a black pen which i use to underline or write. It's so much fun and your books look so loved and used. Also I am able to recall the things I read more efficiently thanks to these note taking. The book reviews i write also have improved quite a bit. It's a habit I began just a few months ago and by the way thanks for the tip of using those blank pages at the end. Gonna try it from now.
Honestly, I love coming across a second-hand book with annotations from the previous reader. It just elevates the reading experience to see what the previous reader found interesting, important, their commentary, questions or opinions in the margins, etc. Like book club, without the added frustration of the social aspects.
I agree, I got a secondhand Frankenstein novel from OfferUp and it was annotated by a high school teacher. It was very interesting reading what they thought about the book. Apparently she never finished reading because the notes ended abruptly halfway through the book. Made me a little sad ngl
As a bookworm, I appreciate this video especially now that it's summer and I have even more time to read. On top of that, I'm going to start reading "Ecce Homo" by Nietzsche. Perfect timing. Thanks Robin 🤟🏼
@@chiiko7090 Yes, it did! I found myself asking if what he was writing could be accurate or make sense! That´s crucial for a believer (In my opinion)...taking serious other people's input on a religious matter is a humbling and rich experience... I didn´t agree with him for the most part but I could see his point. This was a book I was warned not to read for several reasons but it only strengthened my faith if I´m honest!! Plus I gained a new habit (critical sense).
oh! for those who don't want to totally write on your books (if you hate your handwriting like me sometimes), there's these see-through/transparent plastic sticky noted available for buying online. it takes most inks but i personally prefer using dry ball point pens better since they smudge less and dry faster, or just plain pencils on raw paper
@@amarisjoseph Libraries-makes sense, since the books are shared. But in such cases it's still helpful to have a portal for writing your thoughts as you read or after you read.
@@xtwinni how do you resell books? 🤨 for me, if I don’t want a book anymore I just give it to a second-hand shop, which they don’t pay you for your charity (at least in my experience idk)
One reason why I don’t annotate is it’s so SOOOOOOO time consuming. It takes away the time you could be spending finishing the book, u can always actively engage with the book in ur head. The most I do is highlighting in my books, highlight everything that’s important or stands out, etc. I read as a hobby and enjoyment, this video would be more useful in a school setting if ur trying to understand everything as much as possible.
Coincidentally, I have recently finished a biography about John Adams. He was a ferocious annotator. He argued or rejoiced with the author via annotations and comments. I looked it up in the Massachusetts Historical Society's archives which holds most of his journals and notes and I found them to be very inspiring.
I used to worry about marking in my books and then I picked up a book from a used book sale with all sorts of annotations in it and fell in love with it. Seeing the past owner's history on the pages made me unable to do anything but love the book even more. Now, I always leave at least a small mark in my books for the next reader when I cycle them back into the book sale
Amazing content! I used to line, write, signalize books that I am reading. From now I will include the “marker” to follow each line and the notes the book’s end
I've long seen reading as a dialog with the author - a magical one 💙 It warms my heart to see others spreading such message. Thank you 🙏 & yes yes yes to Life-changing Notion!
i really enjoy those shorter videos of yours! much easier to fit into my busy schedule. i bought bonjour tristesse the other day to revive my french vocab so this comes in real handy
Bonjour Tristesse is such a wonderful little novel. I read L'étranger in French again for a uni class and I think if you like BT, you'd also love Camus in French. :)
I'm not a writer but I love your channel. It's a breath of fresh air from the rest of RUclips, honestly. I like a nice calm, real talk about reading and thinking and just... living. I really want to get back into reading, although these days I'm more interested in the books of my religion. I'm dying to start a commonplace book too! Thanks for all your advice- it's very neat.
You can start with writing on sticky notes if you're not comfortable writing in a book. Or you can write very lightly in pencil and then flag it. If you end up hating it, you can easily erase it. I'm exactly backwards. I used to mark up/highlight/underline in books all the time. And now I don't. I think it's because I used to do a lot of highlighting and didn't realize that highlighting can fade, especially in cheap paperbacks! I had worked so hard to highlight favorite portions of Lord of the Rings. On my next reread, I realized it was all gone. Plus, I cannot write or underline straight to save my life. I'm too much of a perfectionist and it drives me nuts. Like I said, I am going backwards. I need to get over all this nonsense and start highlighting/underlining/marking again. It really does help you think through and remember things. Summarizing chapters is such a good idea!
I use my bookmark to draw straight lines, and sticky notes are a brilliant idea! I’ve never thought of that, I’ll have to use that for library books from now on. Ty!
Yes, as a man on the street I am learning so much from you. And the subtle touching even not so much, of your elbow on the table is really is integral, as I enjoy the vid ... to me it accentuates my experience. Don't let anyone complain about that to you.
In an academic sense sure but I have issues with the whole “every aspect of our lives needs to be hyper efficient and min maxed” sometimes you can just read a book
hehe I have a kuru toga and Zebra pencils for outline my books being doing it as natural habit since started reading. Also pro-tip use different stick colors and use them consistently and in order. Blue for ideas, orange for new words, green for topics to discuss with other people, etc... That way if you come across a philosophy book you will know which sections are important to read again.
I sometimes even write LOL, WTF or any idea that comes up in my mind when I read a particular chapter. I express my feelings about the writing right on the page. It helps me to have a dialogue with an author. And when I revise the book it makes it easier to get back in that state of mind when I was reading the book for first time making me remember the chapter as I had read it.
Your handwriting is beautiful. Also I really don't get the no-marking-in-the-book religion. Books are owned by us and are there to serve us, not the other way around. They are physical objects, only glorified by the great thoughts and brilliant words on their pages, and to grasp those is what matters most. To me, to truly claim the ownership is the process of marking a book as much as you wish to help you enjoy/ understand it, not the moment you pay for it in a bookshop.
This video is something really amazing that i couldn't even paused it for a moment! Probably the best content so far on RUclips I must say and I'll definitely give a watch to all your videos. Thanks a ton for your priceless efforts! ❤
To summarize the chapter in your own words, i find being the most effective way to learn. But in order to do that, u must try to find the most essential parts in the text for you to refer to. Awesome video Rc!
I really love reading books. I read and annotate my study Bible and study it. I underline parts that resonate with me a lot, or lessons, or key things I need to now, and devotionals. It all just goes hand in hand with my faith and love for reading. Outside of my Bible I enjoy reading research papers, Philosophy, Theology, and Non-Fiction and Action Fiction books, mainly dense books about government, CIA, FBI, Wars, and more.
Until you mentioned research papers, I thought this might be my sisters youtube account. Ofc many people enjoy doing it but still^^ Something about the way you wrote it as well, something made me feel like I´m reading something my sister wrote^^
I'm a visual artist, and a graphic designer. I read books mostly for fun (and also to practice my English, as it is not my first language). Maybe it's the artist in me, but I never liked altering my books in any way, as I like to read them over and over again. I mostly read fiction, which helps inspiring most of my work, so maybe that plays a part. Also, it's never the same experience every time I get to enjoy a book. Recently I went through the entirety of my small library, as I challenged myself to read a book a week and I ended up going all the way; and I was amazed on how much I changed as a person emotionally and intellectually in just a matter of months, as I got completely new experiences from books I've been reading since I was in middle school. Your perspective really made me appreciate how this is all just loving ideas and feelings, that people get to paint with words. It's not matter of what, but how.
Holy cow - I’ve never considered reading nonfic to be a conversation with the author. Just the concept alone opens up my frame of understanding significantly.
I am so grateful to you for sharing your overall educational journey complete with techniques and explanations. I am on a personal quest to educate myself in HOW to learn. I don’t ever recall being taught how to truly read and digest information and I feel quite ignorant for this lack in my education. So thank you for helping me along my journey by recording yours. I’m also enjoying your videos on how to read poetry.
"Excellent video I found on the internet! Now, it really makes sense to me to mark at least after a quick read. I tried reading and marking at the same time with my first-ever reading book, which was Atomic Habits. Trust me, it was horrible. Now I will surely try these tips in my third book, which is 'The Art and Business of Online Writing.'"
I don’t recommend hard copies of books in this day and age. Get a tablet, preferably an ipad, why? 1- you will be able to get a sample of the book before full purchase, which, by the way, takes a few seconds 2- you can highlight and add quick notes anywhere on the book 3- look up words really quickly with your favourite dictionary 4- get further info, including video clips, on people and places mentioned in the book 5- have multiple libraries with books arranged and organised the way you like 6- carry all your books with you all the time 7- and most importantly, read about the author, mark their other books into your wish lists etc. the pros are endless, almost no cons!
Just for the sake of people in a hurry: -Read the headings, sub headings or the title of the chapter to get the main idea -Read the chapter -Once you know what is in the chapter, just started making markings and notes -Review them using spaced repetition -Summarize
I am so happy that i have been doing since past 2years i guess. the first reason why i started doing it was because of this book called the screwtape letters and it was difficult for me to comprehend what the author was trying to say, it was a mess in my head until i started summarising each ch after reading it and underlining sentences and writing what they meant, according to my comprehension skills. One tip: for all multilinguals or bilinguals write notes in your native language, it helps a lot in comprehending chapters of a book you are finding difficult😊 Btw great video, thanks for sharing.
THANK YOU❤❤❤❤❤ As growing up I was always a slow reader (due to some learning disabilities and autism) yet as an adult now…I ❤❤❤❤❤ to read at my own pace and very much just gently soaking in all of the words and descriptions of what a character is doing…
I love this video. Short, precise and he gets straight to the point. This is my first time watching one of your videos and it makes want to get up and become a lifelong student
Thanks for the tips. I have one for you in return. Try putting hi pass filter or shelf eq on your channel strip for the microphone. It will eliminate the deep rumbles from when you tap a book or table. Cheers!
I do this a lot but for you people that are doubting it, just buy the pdf and the book itself demolish the copy and put the original hardback on your shell
One thing I’d like to add. When I read I often think, this is like (author’s name) idea in (book name). So I write in the margin : Cf (author name) (book name). And flag the page with a tag or a post it for action later. When I get home and have the other book, I find the page and write a reference to the first book with a page number and then add a page number in the first book for the reference. Basically I am making a record of the hyperlinks in my head.
I love buying a book and writing in it. I take notes and put the date and time I read the book. I keep the book in my library at work which we have a huge warehouse. I enjoy going back and see what the book showed me.. It’s like a time line .. Downey Ca.
Tried writing in one of of my denser books, and it was a whole different experience, like I was arguing with the author. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading this much, and I buy books all the time. Thanks!!
I read the first 4 chapters of a book and learned somethings, then I reread the 4 chapters taking the advice and let me tell you I missed so much helpful information and know I understand so much more. It does take a lot more time, but I understand rather than wasting time not knowing what I just read
Writing in books is a absolute must for me. I even do it in pen. Don’t be scared to do it. Mark that sucker up. However, I’ll add that if you’re really into a section and it feels like a drag to write something, don't. Keep reading. Don’t pressure yourself to do so many comments or whatever. Have fun with it and use it as a way to get your thoughts out when you want to.
I like to borrow my books out to my friends and family, so I am always hesitant to mark my books with any sort of notes. What I have done instead is keep a notebook in which I have written down passages that stood out or seemed important and then wrote the page number and paragraph number next to it.
R.C Worth listening to this video - your audio booms (new mic?) everytime you put something on the table - a book, your elbow - it's mildly distracting, but doesn't take that much away from the content - for which, thank you. I find it incredibly difficult to mark any book but will try.
I'm still playing around with a new audio-system because the shotgun mic is too far away from me when I'm recording in the living room. Thanks for the feedback. :)
Just discovered you. I appreciate short and to the point videos. It breaks it down easier for me. Sitting through educational videos that are long is daunting for me and discouraging. I think it’s my adhd.
You know exams are coming up when you dive deep into one of your interests that have nothing to do with your studies at university. I´ve been watching literature related videos for hours, even looked at where you can study literature and what are the requirements. During A-levels I used to watch violin and ballet masterclasses non stop...
Thanks for this video! Can't believe this video popped up on my feed right as i was reading a book and wondering the exact time thing as the title of this video.
I’ve been watching a lot of annotation/critical engagement/getting most out of books videos and this is by far the best one I’ve seen - I am looking forward to deep diving into the rest of your content for more literature value! Ps I hope the postgrad is going well!
1. “Demolish” the pages with notes, marks, highlights, etc, try to have a conversation with the author. 2. It’s a good practice to peruse chapters to get an overview of the structure, then rereading, highlighting, and marking the pages with core ideas/ arguments.
Hello Robin, I vouch 💯 percent on what you are stating in this Vlog. I have been following similar technique for Reading the Non Fiction....due to my Health issues I had been away from Reading Books for almost 10 yrs.😊
Thank you for the video, your channel is very useful and relaxing at the same time. I wanted to ask, what do you think about making a video on how to grade books or to write reviews? I would be interested to know how you determine if a book is good or not.
Lovely topic suggestion! Just wanted to mention that Robin did cover this tangentially in his earlier videos. It's called "You Don't Need to Read All the Classics". Also How To Read a Book DOES cover how to judge a book as accurately as you can. There's many rubrics, though, and the book doesn't cover book-reviewing per se even as it offers invaluable advice on it.
A little bit of underlining and annotations ok with help of ruler and lightest pencil but if you got more you can simply add a white elegant thin page in between book Still got more than make a mini complimantary notebook
Informative and enlightening as this video is, few minutes watching this worked even more particularly for me in a sense that I got to hear ideas that I already practice on daily basis but being told in a very different and pleasant way that it's tenderly amusing. Thank you neh ♡ Hope your day will be filled with a lot of really interesting conversations that a bit of demolishes done to the carrying material is just sign of how engaging the exchange was.
i used to do this with my philosophy books, it allows me to remember some concepts and ideas issued by the authors, but also it helps me to have my own opinion about these ideas. I write them down on my pages and then compare it with what the author said. Interesting video by the way, thanks for sharing your tips ! :)
For those having trouble "ruining" a book by taking notes in it, try "Wreck This Journal" by Keri Smith. It's only about $10, so no huge investment, and it perversely compels you to _utterly_ destroy it through a series of tasks to perform with the book. If you're still not desensitised after going through the entire thing, I believe you're beyond help. 😉 ps: I used to be that guy that took such good care of his books, that after reading them they still looked new. No creases in the spine of my paperbacks, no folded cover, not even a bow to the spine. I had to literally _force_ myself to stop being so fussy, and just bend the spine or fold the cover along the folding line, so I could open it properly. Wasn't as much an issue with the larger books. Which is how I picked up the habit in the first place, as those were all I read when I was a teen. But some books are only available as pocket books (think Terry Pratchett), and those are not a fun read if you refuse to open them properly out of fear of creasing the spine.
"absolutely demolished", he says as he shows me the cleanest page i've seen in my whole academic life.
Gatekeep
XXDDD
Maybe the book isn't as dense
I’ve seen people annotate romance novels more lololol
@@ateacherexplains it’s me, i’m people
Let me summarize the ideas included in the video in my own way of thinking:
- “Demolish” the book and its pages by notes, highlights, marks - to make it feel like a convo between you and the author
- Mark the book pages based on chapters and sections so that you can systemize what you’re reading
- Summarize what you read with your own words (like what I’m doing now lol). FORCE your brain to do that!
- Convert that summary into a digital version so that you can carry it around (notion, drive, phone notes, etc)
Thank you. Life savior
Tks sis. Sis pr0 vcl
Why not carry it around in your memory?
@@Kitiwake Because that needs time and spaced repetition and connecting it with a lot more to understand it perfectly.
@@Kitiwake bc memorizing is disgusting
I'd add that you can do this with fiction too. I think there's a tendency to see reading fiction as pure enjoyment, something you immerse yourself in without taking notes, but then when you're done you hardly recall anything. For me, adding notes and underlining passages makes me more attentive to not just what the author is doing with her prose, but also how, and this only adds to the pleasure. Plus, noting certain phrases and descriptions won't hurt your own writing, either.
i agree with this! annotating non-fiction helps me analyze the text, but annotating fiction captures my reaction to the story i’m reading :)
Hey! I have a question. While reading fiction, what exactly should I make notes about (unless it's for a school assignment). Like, I underline a lot in my books, my favourite passages and quotes, but I can't figure out what people exactly write in there. Please enlighten me
Have a great day:)
He’s done videos on this and doesn’t just say ‘her’ for some reason when referring to any author, as he isn’t coming at the audience with a political agenda.
@@chrysanthemum5594 I just write what it makes me think, what I like what I don’t, my favorite lines and what I think they mean, maybe predictions. After I finish reading for a while and am gonna stop I grab a sticky note and write my stream of consciousness thoughts, not necessarily about everything that happened but what it made me ponder on and put it in that part of the book that I’m stopping on.
As a writer, I agree. I do that to learn how other people structure there stories, but to be honest in for exemple philosophy books I don't mind using my pen, but in fiction books I only use stickey notes, or a pencil.
there are two options for a reader to get into the books:
1. anotate it with pen or highlighter
2. choose to write the point you want to remember in another book or journal book (if the reader want to keeping the book clean from a mess)
My exact thoughts. I follow more with number 2. Get a journal or a section of a notebook for that book alone, jot down chapters, more specifically page numbers and write down your thoughts on the particular idea/concept on that particular page. Even write down the passages you would underline. I feel it gets you thinking about it more than just underlining. It’s not necessary to mark up your books. But hey, it’s your book, if that’s what you wanna do, go for it.
Yup. I can have a conversation with the author in another notebook tyvm.
@@rustyshackelford934 Yes i do this. I share my books with many friends so i don't like to mark them.
@@OsvaldoBayerista And a 3rd option: There are clear sticky notes that you can use to highlight, underline, make notes, etc. you can take them out if you hate what you wrote or if you are ganna sell the book or something
Jesus loves you and wants a relationship with you. He wants you to live for him. If you don't already, you should read the Bible ✝️❤️
I've always been kind of afraid to write anything in my books but this changed my mind. Awesome and helpful video as usual!
Same here! I never heard the analogy of having a conversation with the content and author before !
@@walterwhite003 Glad you've finally encountered this insight! Game-changing one, especially when reading difficult works. It's from Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren's How to Read a Book. I highly recommend reading the book, but if you want to sample a bit more content before reading it, look no further than Robin's earlier videos-it's the most-cited book on his channel!
I LOVE marking up my books - funnily I learnt it from Sal Khan of Khan Academy. I thought I was reimagining his tutoring style of writing on a digital board by marking up a book as I grappled with the ideas, but How to Read a Book introduced me to the bookmarkers of the world!
@@G-Tarun oh! I've heard of this book before. I'll have to check it out!
When i was younger i underlyined a book (a very beautiful edition of the picture of dorian gray sadly) with a highlighter. the result was, as expected, horrible. I now annotate my books with pencils so if i don't like it i can alway clean everything up easily, try it! Plus, the more you annotate the more you understand the style you like and the less you'll erase.
my thing with writing in books is that when I re-read those books time later, I'm not the same person. It's very interesting to see how my understanding and ideas have evolved, if that makes sense. great video btw
It's true that you are not the same person when you re-read a book. You are certainly matured. Here's a tip. When you read a book additional times, use a different color pen than before. And then afterward, you can compare you now with how you were before. Ideally, your notes would grow as you've grown yourself.
@@bill_jennings I love that tip!
@@dahliaherrod4301 Thanks. I'm working hard to improve, a little bit more every day.
@@bill_jennings Same. As my therapist says, small steps
People are confused with me and don't understand when I say I only read one book this year. Not because I was bored of reading or I'm a slow reader but because I really took my time highlighting, taking notes, and understanding almost every line that was in the book. But, I would rather read a book a year and really understand it then reading 1,000 books a year and just getting the simple text out of it.
Glad to see young people in this day and age taking their learning seriously and understanding that learning does not end with school, but is only the beginning. I wish I could have had a decent education. I began my self-education not until I was 29! I lived almost my entire life dealing with hardships, anger, depression, and many other things I will not mention. If only I knew that learning was the answer I could have saved myself a lot of heartaches. A good education is the most important thing in life in my opinion. Truly brings a sense of understanding and fulfillment. I can say I am a truly happy person every day no matter how bad life seems. Good for you man and I appreciate your efforts to share this wisdom with others. It helps me out quite a bit in my self-education. Stay safe and keep doing the good work. Oh, I really enjoyed your article "Only Read What You Enjoy". It really helped me to stop putting books aside thinking "I am not ready for that yet". I always felt I had to understand this and that to be able to tackle certain works. Letting that go will send me on journies that are absolutely life-changing in some cases. Truly opens you up. Thank you.
Do you have advice for pursuing learning while suffering from severe long term depression?
@@unluckyokinawan I can only speak to my experience and recommend speaking with a professional before taking anything I have to say into account since we are all different. What worked for me was finding something to learn that gave me a sense of meaning in my life. Something that will allow me to change myself to become a better person which will raise my confidence and eventually my perception of myself and my situation. For me, philosophy was the big one. It can teach us to become more ethical, think well, understand our minds, and guide us through life if we let it. I will say at first it will be hard and you will not want to do it (we resist change) but you must force yourself and eventually it is all you will want to do. It changes you eventually to give you a good habit that gives you meaning and self-development but it is tough. Still easier than dealing with depression though. I am sorry I am not good at giving advice but I hope this helps a little. Good luck and I hope you can find your thing.
@@JDG602 actually this was very helpful, and I could tell it was genuine, thank you very much , you kinda opened my eyes a little :)
I absolutely love annotating books which is exactly why i don't borrow from others or from the library cuz I know I am gonna make a mess. Infact I don't even use a pencil, it's mostly a black pen which i use to underline or write. It's so much fun and your books look so loved and used. Also I am able to recall the things I read more efficiently thanks to these note taking. The book reviews i write also have improved quite a bit. It's a habit I began just a few months ago and by the way thanks for the tip of using those blank pages at the end. Gonna try it from now.
The purpose of library books is to be the audition for books you may wish to buy.
Honestly, I love coming across a second-hand book with annotations from the previous reader. It just elevates the reading experience to see what the previous reader found interesting, important, their commentary, questions or opinions in the margins, etc.
Like book club, without the added frustration of the social aspects.
Agree! And this becomes a whole other, parallel conversation - at times, even passionate debate - that the subsequent reader can enjoy.
I agree, I got a secondhand Frankenstein novel from OfferUp and it was annotated by a high school teacher. It was very interesting reading what they thought about the book. Apparently she never finished reading because the notes ended abruptly halfway through the book. Made me a little sad ngl
As a bookworm, I appreciate this video especially now that it's summer and I have even more time to read. On top of that, I'm going to start reading "Ecce Homo" by Nietzsche. Perfect timing. Thanks Robin 🤟🏼
you'll mark almost every sentece that it is written, be prepared. this book changes the perspective about everything...
Ecce Homo was one of the best books I´ve read... And I´m Christian!
@@marvelous5334 Did the book change your perspective on religion? how so?
@@chiiko7090 Yes, it did! I found myself asking if what he was writing could be accurate or make sense! That´s crucial for a believer (In my opinion)...taking serious other people's input on a religious matter is a humbling and rich experience... I didn´t agree with him for the most part but I could see his point. This was a book I was warned not to read for several reasons but it only strengthened my faith if I´m honest!! Plus I gained a new habit (critical sense).
@@marvelous5334 W
Concise and STRAIGHT TO THE POINT! Thank you for that and understanding the value of time!
oh! for those who don't want to totally write on your books (if you hate your handwriting like me sometimes), there's these see-through/transparent plastic sticky noted available for buying online. it takes most inks but i personally prefer using dry ball point pens better since they smudge less and dry faster, or just plain pencils on raw paper
I can totally agree with you I’m not sure why a lot of people are so scared to write or to annotate in their books, honestly it’s kinda fun.
I think it's because schools and libraries taught us not to at a young age
@@amarisjoseph Libraries-makes sense, since the books are shared. But in such cases it's still helpful to have a portal for writing your thoughts as you read or after you read.
A lot of us are poor and need to resell our books so we can buy more books
@@xtwinni I second this!!
@@xtwinni how do you resell books? 🤨 for me, if I don’t want a book anymore I just give it to a second-hand shop, which they don’t pay you for your charity (at least in my experience idk)
One reason why I don’t annotate is it’s so SOOOOOOO time consuming. It takes away the time you could be spending finishing the book, u can always actively engage with the book in ur head. The most I do is highlighting in my books, highlight everything that’s important or stands out, etc. I read as a hobby and enjoyment, this video would be more useful in a school setting if ur trying to understand everything as much as possible.
Coincidentally, I have recently finished a biography about John Adams. He was a ferocious annotator. He argued or rejoiced with the author via annotations and comments. I looked it up in the Massachusetts Historical Society's archives which holds most of his journals and notes and I found them to be very inspiring.
I used to worry about marking in my books and then I picked up a book from a used book sale with all sorts of annotations in it and fell in love with it. Seeing the past owner's history on the pages made me unable to do anything but love the book even more. Now, I always leave at least a small mark in my books for the next reader when I cycle them back into the book sale
Amazing content! I used to line, write, signalize books that I am reading. From now I will include the “marker” to follow each line and the notes the book’s end
I've long seen reading as a dialog with the author - a magical one 💙 It warms my heart to see others spreading such message. Thank you 🙏
& yes yes yes to Life-changing Notion!
Man, you're such a good speaker. I didn't realize the video ended that quickly.
Maybe you should give us tips on how to speak like you.
Thanks
i really enjoy those shorter videos of yours! much easier to fit into my busy schedule. i bought bonjour tristesse the other day to revive my french vocab so this comes in real handy
Bonjour Tristesse is such a wonderful little novel. I read L'étranger in French again for a uni class and I think if you like BT, you'd also love Camus in French. :)
@@RCWaldun thank you so much for the recommendation! I'll check it out as soon as I finish BT :)
I'm not a writer but I love your channel. It's a breath of fresh air from the rest of RUclips, honestly. I like a nice calm, real talk about reading and thinking and just... living. I really want to get back into reading, although these days I'm more interested in the books of my religion. I'm dying to start a commonplace book too!
Thanks for all your advice- it's very neat.
You can start with writing on sticky notes if you're not comfortable writing in a book. Or you can write very lightly in pencil and then flag it. If you end up hating it, you can easily erase it.
I'm exactly backwards. I used to mark up/highlight/underline in books all the time. And now I don't. I think it's because I used to do a lot of highlighting and didn't realize that highlighting can fade, especially in cheap paperbacks! I had worked so hard to highlight favorite portions of Lord of the Rings. On my next reread, I realized it was all gone. Plus, I cannot write or underline straight to save my life. I'm too much of a perfectionist and it drives me nuts.
Like I said, I am going backwards. I need to get over all this nonsense and start highlighting/underlining/marking again. It really does help you think through and remember things. Summarizing chapters is such a good idea!
I use my bookmark to draw straight lines, and sticky notes are a brilliant idea! I’ve never thought of that, I’ll have to use that for library books from now on. Ty!
RUclips notifies me of comments sometimes and sometimes not, so I'm just seeing this. I hope things have worked out for you.
A timely video, I was just needing something like this!
You are enjoyable to listen to. Bright, speedy, insightful, funny, and affable. And your suggestions are very very good!
Thank you kindly! :)
Yes, as a man on the street I am learning so much from you. And the subtle touching even not so much, of your elbow on the table is really is integral, as I enjoy the vid ... to me it accentuates my experience. Don't let anyone complain about that to you.
Keep it up ...more...more...more!
You sound like me when you said that your book bag is broken because you carry around so many books. Awful but great! 🥰
You are coolest in between person ever. You completely understand the concept of annotation as being in deep bond with the author over his book.
You sound 🧐🎩📺
In an academic sense sure but I have issues with the whole “every aspect of our lives needs to be hyper efficient and min maxed” sometimes you can just read a book
hehe I have a kuru toga and Zebra pencils for outline my books being doing it as natural habit since started reading. Also pro-tip use different stick colors and use them consistently and in order. Blue for ideas, orange for new words, green for topics to discuss with other people, etc... That way if you come across a philosophy book you will know which sections are important to read again.
I sometimes even write LOL, WTF or any idea that comes up in my mind when I read a particular chapter. I express my feelings about the writing right on the page. It helps me to have a dialogue with an author. And when I revise the book it makes it easier to get back in that state of mind when I was reading the book for first time making me remember the chapter as I had read it.
That was basically the previous owner of my used Secret Life of Plants. Someone was NOT buying the part about plants being reliable witnesses.
me too help
Your handwriting is beautiful. Also I really don't get the no-marking-in-the-book religion. Books are owned by us and are there to serve us, not the other way around. They are physical objects, only glorified by the great thoughts and brilliant words on their pages, and to grasp those is what matters most. To me, to truly claim the ownership is the process of marking a book as much as you wish to help you enjoy/ understand it, not the moment you pay for it in a bookshop.
This video is something really amazing that i couldn't even paused it for a moment! Probably the best content so far on RUclips I must say and I'll definitely give a watch to all your videos. Thanks a ton for your priceless efforts! ❤
Finally someone else who marks up their books! I love taking notes, tabs, and highlights while reading my favorite books
To summarize the chapter in your own words, i find being the most effective way to learn. But in order to do that, u must try to find the most essential parts in the text for you to refer to. Awesome video Rc!
I have a great problem to find the essential parts in the texts.
just getting back into reading,i really like the sigh posting idea for organization.
Please make this into a series, wold help a lot specially for social science students
I really love reading books. I read and annotate my study Bible and study it. I underline parts that resonate with me a lot, or lessons, or key things I need to now, and devotionals. It all just goes hand in hand with my faith and love for reading. Outside of my Bible I enjoy reading research papers, Philosophy, Theology, and Non-Fiction and Action Fiction books, mainly dense books about government, CIA, FBI, Wars, and more.
Until you mentioned research papers, I thought this might be my sisters youtube account. Ofc many people enjoy doing it but still^^ Something about the way you wrote it as well, something made me feel like I´m reading something my sister wrote^^
@@EE-iw3fy Haha that's cool
I'm a visual artist, and a graphic designer. I read books mostly for fun (and also to practice my English, as it is not my first language). Maybe it's the artist in me, but I never liked altering my books in any way, as I like to read them over and over again. I mostly read fiction, which helps inspiring most of my work, so maybe that plays a part. Also, it's never the same experience every time I get to enjoy a book. Recently I went through the entirety of my small library, as I challenged myself to read a book a week and I ended up going all the way; and I was amazed on how much I changed as a person emotionally and intellectually in just a matter of months, as I got completely new experiences from books I've been reading since I was in middle school.
Your perspective really made me appreciate how this is all just loving ideas and feelings, that people get to paint with words. It's not matter of what, but how.
bro, why cant i be as intelligent as this dude?
Why can't you
Same tbh
You sound like a 1960's newscaster
Holy cow - I’ve never considered reading nonfic to be a conversation with the author. Just the concept alone opens up my frame of understanding significantly.
I am so grateful to you for sharing your overall educational journey complete with techniques and explanations. I am on a personal quest to educate myself in HOW to learn. I don’t ever recall being taught how to truly read and digest information and I feel quite ignorant for this lack in my education. So thank you for helping me along my journey by recording yours. I’m also enjoying your videos on how to read poetry.
I love how consise this is!! It's rly baffling to me that we're not all taught how to be more efficient readers in school
"Excellent video I found on the internet! Now, it really makes sense to me to mark at least after a quick read. I tried reading and marking at the same time with my first-ever reading book, which was Atomic Habits. Trust me, it was horrible. Now I will surely try these tips in my third book, which is 'The Art and Business of Online Writing.'"
I don’t recommend hard copies of books in this day and age. Get a tablet, preferably an ipad, why?
1- you will be able to get a sample of the book before full purchase, which, by the way, takes a few seconds
2- you can highlight and add quick notes anywhere on the book
3- look up words really quickly with your favourite dictionary
4- get further info, including video clips, on people and places mentioned in the book
5- have multiple libraries with books arranged and organised the way you like
6- carry all your books with you all the time
7- and most importantly, read about the author, mark their other books into your wish lists etc.
the pros are endless, almost no cons!
bro just discovered your channel. you touched my life man i love you
Just for the sake of people in a hurry:
-Read the headings, sub headings or the title of the chapter to get the main idea
-Read the chapter
-Once you know what is in the chapter, just started making markings and notes
-Review them using spaced repetition
-Summarize
“People tend to freak out…” I don’t see why. A book that has been properly engaged with is a beautiful thing.
I am so happy that i have been doing since past 2years i guess. the first reason why i started doing it was because of this book called the screwtape letters and it was difficult for me to comprehend what the author was trying to say, it was a mess in my head until i started summarising each ch after reading it and underlining sentences and writing what they meant, according to my comprehension skills.
One tip: for all multilinguals or bilinguals write notes in your native language, it helps a lot in comprehending chapters of a book you are finding difficult😊
Btw great video, thanks for sharing.
THANK YOU❤❤❤❤❤ As growing up I was always a slow reader (due to some learning disabilities and autism) yet as an adult now…I ❤❤❤❤❤ to read at my own pace and very much just gently soaking in all of the words and descriptions of what a character is doing…
I love this video. Short, precise and he gets straight to the point. This is my first time watching one of your videos and it makes want to get up and become a lifelong student
Thanks for the tips. I have one for you in return. Try putting hi pass filter or shelf eq on your channel strip for the microphone. It will eliminate the deep rumbles from when you tap a book or table. Cheers!
Noted, thank you. :)
Would love to see a walkthrough of your Notion archive!!!
Me too!
love it! when i write on the book, everything gets more clearily n stick on the brain. thanks for de video.
robin is my youtube crush: every time he uploads a new video, i get butterflies :)
Me to >_
Coming from a guy, that seems pretty understandable. Robin is a cool dude
His voice :)
@@asusminor umm... Robin is the guy talking in this video
@@asusminor thank God ...I thought u really did not know
PS: Smart way of covering up :)
I do this a lot but for you people that are doubting it, just buy the pdf and the book itself demolish the copy and put the original hardback on your shell
One thing I’d like to add. When I read I often think, this is like (author’s name) idea in (book name). So I write in the margin :
Cf (author name) (book name). And flag the page with a tag or a post it for action later.
When I get home and have the other book, I find the page and write a reference to the first book with a page number and then add a page number in the first book for the reference.
Basically I am making a record of the hyperlinks in my head.
I love buying a book and writing in it. I take notes and put the date and time I read the book. I keep the book in my library at work which we have a huge warehouse. I enjoy going back and see what the book showed me.. It’s like a time line .. Downey Ca.
Tried writing in one of of my denser books, and it was a whole different experience, like I was arguing with the author. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading this much, and I buy books all the time. Thanks!!
One of the most helpful videos on reading academic books or any books at that! Massive thanks
I read the first 4 chapters of a book and learned somethings, then I reread the 4 chapters taking the advice and let me tell you I missed so much helpful information and know I understand so much more. It does take a lot more time, but I understand rather than wasting time not knowing what I just read
Writing in books is a absolute must for me. I even do it in pen. Don’t be scared to do it. Mark that sucker up. However, I’ll add that if you’re really into a section and it feels like a drag to write something, don't. Keep reading. Don’t pressure yourself to do so many comments or whatever. Have fun with it and use it as a way to get your thoughts out when you want to.
I speak french and your french pronunciation is top-notch
I like to borrow my books out to my friends and family, so I am always hesitant to mark my books with any sort of notes. What I have done instead is keep a notebook in which I have written down passages that stood out or seemed important and then wrote the page number and paragraph number next to it.
R.C Worth listening to this video - your audio booms (new mic?) everytime you put something on the table - a book, your elbow - it's mildly distracting, but doesn't take that much away from the content - for which, thank you. I find it incredibly difficult to mark any book but will try.
I'm still playing around with a new audio-system because the shotgun mic is too far away from me when I'm recording in the living room. Thanks for the feedback. :)
That's right. i noticed this
Your videos are phenomenal. So good to watch man.
Just discovered you. I appreciate short and to the point videos. It breaks it down easier for me. Sitting through educational videos that are long is daunting for me and discouraging. I think it’s my adhd.
once you buy a book, its your book !!! dont be afraid to mark it, it belongs to you.
[UK, May 2023]
I'm loving the logical rationalisation of filling a book with written notes, based on the philosophical foundation of discourse.
You know exams are coming up when you dive deep into one of your interests that have nothing to do with your studies at university.
I´ve been watching literature related videos for hours, even looked at where you can study literature and what are the requirements. During A-levels I used to watch violin and ballet masterclasses non stop...
Thanks for this video! Can't believe this video popped up on my feed right as i was reading a book and wondering the exact time thing as the title of this video.
I’ve been watching a lot of annotation/critical engagement/getting most out of books videos and this is by far the best one I’ve seen - I am looking forward to deep diving into the rest of your content for more literature value! Ps I hope the postgrad is going well!
That microphone is so sensitive I feel like it’s gonna pick up the sound of the Earth rotating
1. “Demolish” the pages with notes, marks, highlights, etc, try to have a conversation with the author.
2. It’s a good practice to peruse chapters to get an overview of the structure, then rereading, highlighting, and marking the pages with core ideas/ arguments.
Loved your video.
Thank you so much this is the first video on this subject that I have found that went over the process and no just the supplies...
Hello Robin, I vouch 💯 percent on what you are stating in this Vlog. I have been following similar technique for Reading the Non Fiction....due to my Health issues I had been away from Reading Books for almost 10 yrs.😊
I love this video. I have been wondering about that for a while! Looking forward to other reading tips!
Dear Robin, thank you for this video, this is so helpful.
It would be really helpful if you could share your notion templates, maybe make a video explaining your system
Highlight to anker ur reading in the future. Use signposts. Summarize chapter very briefly
~Another great video ... You NEVER disapoint! ~Always a joy to watch your videos.
Love the way that you presented this critical part of academic reading. Keep it up! Thanks!
Thank you for the video, your channel is very useful and relaxing at the same time. I wanted to ask, what do you think about making a video on how to grade books or to write reviews? I would be interested to know how you determine if a book is good or not.
Lovely topic suggestion! Just wanted to mention that Robin did cover this tangentially in his earlier videos. It's called "You Don't Need to Read All the Classics". Also How To Read a Book DOES cover how to judge a book as accurately as you can. There's many rubrics, though, and the book doesn't cover book-reviewing per se even as it offers invaluable advice on it.
I just want to say, thank you! I just came across one of your videos in my recommendations. And this video right here helped a lot.
A little bit of underlining and annotations ok with help of ruler and lightest pencil but if you got more you can simply add a white elegant thin page in between book
Still got more than make a mini complimantary notebook
5:51 ...harvest quotes and citations..... I like this expression!
This may be my favorite video on this whole website, so valuable
Informative and enlightening as this video is, few minutes watching this worked even more particularly for me in a sense that I got to hear ideas that I already practice on daily basis but being told in a very different and pleasant way that it's tenderly amusing. Thank you neh ♡ Hope your day will be filled with a lot of really interesting conversations that a bit of demolishes done to the carrying material is just sign of how engaging the exchange was.
i used to do this with my philosophy books, it allows me to remember some concepts and ideas issued by the authors, but also it helps me to have my own opinion about these ideas. I write them down on my pages and then compare it with what the author said. Interesting video by the way, thanks for sharing your tips ! :)
Personal notes :
*Own the book.
*Try to summarize the chapters in the back of the book.
*Device your own system to carry around the summaries.
❤❤
this video is so good... i have seen this kind of topic being discussed but so rarely thet talk about doing an archive
Highlights and make notes in your book. Its your book, feel free to decorate it according to you.
i could listen to a podcast of yours for hours
For those having trouble "ruining" a book by taking notes in it, try "Wreck This Journal" by Keri Smith. It's only about $10, so no huge investment, and it perversely compels you to _utterly_ destroy it through a series of tasks to perform with the book. If you're still not desensitised after going through the entire thing, I believe you're beyond help. 😉
ps: I used to be that guy that took such good care of his books, that after reading them they still looked new. No creases in the spine of my paperbacks, no folded cover, not even a bow to the spine. I had to literally _force_ myself to stop being so fussy, and just bend the spine or fold the cover along the folding line, so I could open it properly. Wasn't as much an issue with the larger books. Which is how I picked up the habit in the first place, as those were all I read when I was a teen. But some books are only available as pocket books (think Terry Pratchett), and those are not a fun read if you refuse to open them properly out of fear of creasing the spine.
I just have little break from my essay but not know somehow your vide so soothing its being here for while
I guess I also treat notes on books as the third person in the conversation, which are comments of your past self talking to your present self.
I'm very happy I've been using the same method to get the most out of the books I read. It really gives you excellent rates of content absorption.
i recommend using obsidian note taking app