I would add from personal experience, never apologize for the speed you read at, or the books you enjoy. Reading should be pleasurable. I'm the kind of reader who reads every word and stops to re-read passages of particular beauty or meaning. I also tend to get thoughtful when reading and drift away thinking about a passage and its larger meaning or application to life. I allowed myself to be intimidated by people who somehow read books in 2-3 days, or who would say "Are you STILL reading that book?" I have not read nearly as many books as I would have wanted to in my life, but I've loved almost every one that I have read.
I usually listen to music (drone, especially) whilst reading. Some good 'reading albums' I've encountered are: The Sperm - Shh! Pekka Airaksinen - One Point Music Pekka Airaksinen - Buddhas Of Golden Light Ramleh - Hole In The Heart Family Underground - Demon Parade F/i - Paradise Out There Sun City Girls - Torch Of The Mystics Throbbing Gristle - "Soundtrack To After Cease To Exist" AMM - AMMmusic Tod Dockstader - 8 Electronic Pieces The Gerogerigegege - 燃えない灰 (Moenai Hai) Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity ...and some others I'm forgetting
I'll check some of these out, I'm not that much into drone but I see no reason why that can't change. I too almost always listen to music while reading :)
Another interesting video. I always carry a book with me to fill in the 'waiting' moments. (Paperback, secondhand and less than 400 pages). I tend to read whilst I am walking and given I walk a lot, it means I read about an extra ten books a year! (I have been doing this all my life!) I tend to have four books on the go at any one time. A couple of non fiction books and a thick fiction book that I read a small number of pages a day and a quick read which usually takes 2 - 3 days to read. This tends to cover most of my moods for reading during the course of a week. I found out long ago that if I focus on say "War and Peace" only then I will not pick up the book all the time during the week and over a given year, will not read many books.
The problem with reading a number of books a year is it discourages reading anything long, and it discourages reading anything more than once. It encourages reading fast and not thoroughly understanding the text, this is also true of the pages-per-day goal. So that you can read at your own pace and re-read sections that are confusing or difficult, I would suggest setting a minimum minutes-per-day goal, with the option to read more. I personally set a minimum of 30 minutes a day. A low time commitment to get you started, and sometimes I literally read all day after the initial 30 minutes. If you set your time minimum too high, then you are discouraged to start reading in the first place. To keep track of time, I usually play an album of 30 minutes or more (most albums are more), usually something I feel fits the book in someway, like a soundtrack and just finish reading when the album is over. If I feel like continuing, I put on another album and continue reading. This has helped me to be more consistent with my reading habits.
Totally agree that a time minimum is much more sensible than a goal like "read 50 books a year." I've always been a bit skeptical about both approaches, but in some cases - like when you're tackling very long or very difficult texts - your way of going at it makes total sense.
Hahah, Im totally loving this - debating with myself whether I should read my book or watch a video on how to read more :P Needless to say what happened........ O.o Great video! :)
I tend to make daily quotas for difficult books, or else I'll take too much time inbetween readings, and forget where I was at in the book, and eventually give up. I'll set a rule, something like one hour a day, no matter what. An hour is small enough in time to do consistently, and long enough to chip away at that book. If I'm lucky, I'll hit a groove in the book where I'll go a few hours straight, but generally, it's one hour a day of slow and steady progress. Easy books don't really need help. You start it, and the day and/or night passes you by. Or it ends.
I like what you said about goal-setting adding a level of anxiety that takes away from the reading experience, and also how finding your own taste and your own comfort zone/comfort genre is something to fall back on. Do you read more than one book at a time? If so, how many books do you read at a time, maximum? One reading tip a particularly fast reader told me was to read different books at different places--so she had a book she read only in bed, another she read at work (on the sly), and a different one she read on the commute.
+lles ballesteros Yeah some people do that and find it very convenient... I usually stick to one fiction book at a time and just go on with it! I read academic texts and essays in parallel because that's stuff I must read, but there to I stick to the one-at-a-time rule.
Thanks Mattia! I liked your tips on the topic. Another pov (which would interest me more) would be how do you discover books, what to read next? Which are your sources? (beyond the usual suspects)
Great tips...that I'm too bad to follow. Except for the last one. "Know your taste as a reader", bless. I've spent years of my life trying to read as many books as possible but it wasn't the right move because it's not how much do you read but how much do you recall (emotionally) of what you've read.
+Ilenia Zodiaco I often struggle with the thought that I cannot recall much more than a few plot details of a book I read just a couple of months ago, but I think its important to keep in mind this quote: "I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Miguel Restrepo Great quote, so true. Infact I meant "emotionally" recall because it has more to do with the things you have learned and settled in your mind (even if you weren't perfectly conscious at the time you were reading). My favourite moments are the ones in which I suddenly remember something I've read a long time ago and I didn't even think about it when I finished the book. Most things about books and beauty are inside of us, ready to appear in the oddest occasions.
I'm not sure I'm understanding completely by emotional recall, but maybe, since it's sometimes encoded unconsciously, it can be recalled unconsciously. WIthout being aware of it, the book you read 3 years ago can affect how you think and perceive the world around you. Going back to the Emerson quote a little, the books you read make up who you are, how you think, how you feel, and (to me, the most important) how you understand your own feelings.
Yes! Always have a book with you. Pocket books fit in pockets!! Then you might end up being the only one reading a book in a waiting room full of people checking their phone..
I do 40 mins cardio everyday on the stationary bicycle at the gym. I read a book as I bike. As a result: I read more (as a matter of fact, 40 mins a day more than what I usually used to) AND I also do better cardio, because the book keeps distracted me from the pain at the legs and the fatigue. Mens sana in corpore sano!
First time I read your comment I understood you read books while you ride your bike between the station and the gym and I was like "woo, that's dangerous, don't do that." Lol! Kudos for your commitment man :)
The_Bookchemist I know this video is 2 years old, but do you think listening to an audiobook is the same as reading a book? I ask because When reading a book you use more of your mental strength because you’re reading and trying to understand at the same time, while in audiobooks you’re just using your mind to understand.
Your best pro tip was buried within Tip #1, and this has taken me many years to understand: When I start reading a book I don't like, I throw it away. There aren't enough hours in my life to read everything I want to read. You have to be decisive and strong!
Nice tips, I agree reading goals can give you a level of anxiety but sometimes it is hard to avoid on goodreads. Know your taste is important, I'm still learning that but I think I'm slowly understanding it more. Thanks for the video.
Anyway you could do a video on writing a dissertation, suggested tips and why you chose the literary title for your own dissertation (also how you managed time and work on the dissertation itself). Thanks in advance!
Question: I would be interested to see a video taking about different ways to approach reading from casual light reading and at the other end more critical thinking and analysis. And maybe a breakdown of how to get more from a text with various critical thinking skills for the average reader. Thanks!
It does sound like a very fun video to film and think about. It sounds like something that could be easily misunderstood (I wouldn't want to suggest, say, that there is anything inherently wrong with reading superficially, for the simplest pleasure), but I do believe that there are different ways to read books and that it is well worth cultivating one's reading skills, no matter their profession or interests. I'll think about it ;)!
@@TheBookchemist haha I appreciate your honesty. There is nothing wrong with light or more breezy reading! It's just with denser texts I often feel like there are elements I'm missing out on because maybe I just don't know how to approach understanding it more deeply. I appreciate the reply and all the fun and thoughtful videos you have, have a great day!
I don't really see much of a problem with messengers, people could still phone or text you anyway. The key would just be to silence your phone for a period that you have layed out for reading. I wouldn't really say to stop watching TV series altogether either but to avoid binge watching them, being more selective and limited. I think it is important to see what other art forms have to offer. I know so many people that just watch TV for hours every day and don't get much out of it or really enjoy it that much but yet are just so addicted. That same sort of thing could be applied to reading but like you said its all just a matter of knowing what your tastes are and not wasting time indulging in something you can't engage in. You mentioned Ibooks so you can always carry one around with you. Thats a great idea and if you read on a kindle device you can read on a kindle phone app so your always synched up.
+thatwalkingfish Yes, but when they text you they'll have to spend 5 to 10 cents, so I suppose they'll be doing it to tell you something vaguely meaningful, whereas with apps like WhatsApp you can go on rapping all day about nothing at all (not that there's anything wrong with that, course ;) )
Great video! You are not alone, my friend. I do not have WhatsApp either. I had it on my phone for a week when I was in Spain, because it was cheaper than normal text messaging. Deleted when I got back to the States. So there are at least 2 of us in the world who live without it!
Interesting video. Thanks for the tips. Question: How do you think having a RUclips channel about books has influenced the frequency of your reading? Does it make you read faster or slower? More or less than you think you normally would? Thanks.
+Minute Book Reports It is quite a time-consuming hobby indeed, but I don't think it has changed my reading habits at all. Before my channel I used to write very lenghty book reviews on aNobii, so those too took some time actually. I think reviewing in general (whether on RUclips or whatever) made me wanna read more, but only because it expanded the pleasure I got out of reading books.
Here is a reading system I want to try, since I read up to 9 books at the same time: Use a 30 minute timer on your phone. When the timer goes off, finish the page. reset the timer and pick up the next book. This system should keep your mind fresh. One could even go to the kitchen for a snack or iced coffee between books. What do you think of this idea? Thanks for your tips and all your videos!
I feel like your comment about being in the middle of a 700 pg book and not knowing if you want to continue was precisely for me because I'm reading Gravity's Rainbow. I bought the book because I wanted to read something really dark and nihilistic (which it is) but I'm finding two things as I'm reading. Firstly, I'm able to glean very little that I actually enjoy or understand in the book. Pynchon is ofcourse an incredible writer and some of his descriptions/phrases/sentences are breathtaking but I don't feel very invested in the experience of reading it. Secondly, I'm starting to view it as a chore to read and I find myself looking forward to reading something else when I finish it. Should I continue reading it? I know you've read it and I'd really appreciate your feedback. Love your channel, great job.
+Christian Limon That's a complicated question and it's of course up to you. Pynchon might very well be my favorite author and I love many of his books, including in a way GR... but I'm not sure I'll ever re-read it. I think once is plenty for more than a lifetime, for a book like that. You should know that 1), I think the genius of the book only becomes fully evident once you've finished it, and that its last two pages are among the very best in all of literature; 2) I too felt reading it was kind of a chore at times; 3) I know professors and PhDs of contemporary American Literature (great ones too!) who either haven't read the book or disliked it immensely. So I'd say that no one "has" to read it, far from it. My humble suggestion would be, especially if you're not reading it for academic purposes but only out of personal interest, to skip some of the most random and incomprehensible passages (plenty of those in the last 200 pages), but really, it's up to you!
I wanted to ask if you could make a video on comfortable reading positions and good lighting for reading as I struggle with finding good unobstructed lighting and sitting reading for prolonged periods any advice would bee greatly appreciated thanks
Great video! If you have time, it would be awesome if you could explain your reading process. Do you take notes? Do you do deep contextual research first? Do you write about the book? Are there any other processes that you perform to deeply understand the book and increase its chances of it having an impact on you other than just reading it? Thanks!
+Alexandra Eftimie Will consider that! Quick answer - I do take notes and I do write (or talk!) about the book; I first started reviewing books (and I've been doing it for so long) after I've discovered how reviewing a book really helps me understand how I felt about it, and what I got from it.
Hey, I don't use WhatsApp either--I felt so liberated when I deleted that thing. Also, the Against The Day thing cracked me up, hahahaha. I've been reading some Carl Jung and then V., because apparently he influenced Pynchon's writing a bit (he's actually also directly referred to in Gravity's Rainbow or something). And people say that even the Kabbalah mythology has quite an influence on him.
+The_Bookchemist I should read more Frost and Yeats :) Hopkins was way ahead of his time; Wallace Stevens in particular I love. A man, a woman and a blackbird walk into a bar. "A table for one, please" they say.
I can only read when there is complete silence, which means not very often. The trouble is I'm reading Gravity's Rainbow, so I've been reading it for months.
Me neither! (I do like Gravity's Rainbow, but only because I really, really like Pynchon's later novels - and find a bit of the later genius here and there in GR too). By the way I tend to read one book at a time :)
+Delato Truth be told, Against the Day is gonna end up minimally in my postgraduate dissertation, and potentially a lot in my PhD, so it's not like I'm reading it only and entirely for pleasure... otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it either!
How fast do you read? If I read aloud it's slow, but if I read faster silently I often lose the track of what's happening and get lost in my thoughts. Then I have to backtrack and it's frustrating. Does this happen to you? Tips?
+Mika Björklund Not very fast, I was much faster once. With Against the Day it usually took me a bit more than one and a half hours to read 50-60 pages, although of course that changes from book to book. I used to read aloud when I was studying for exams, and I had to get information stuck to my head! I see what you mean anyway, it happens to me sometimes too to get lost in my thoughts - I usually listen to music while I'm reading and that helps, somehow, especially instrumental stuff helps me focus on the book. Otherwise you can try to read for short spans of time, like fifteen or twenty minutes, and train yourself to get focused on the pages - I know it can be tough, especially with difficult books!
Well, I wish the first point was relevant to these times, but it is not! The pandemic has made WhatsApp an indispensable mode of communication between professors, teachers, and tutors with students.
11860th subbie here! 😹 your videos are great! Keep up the great work! But yeah... Deleting WhatsApp takes a lot of balls man!😂😂 I deactivated Facebook though. 😋
Can you give any tips about bringing books outside of your house when it’s raining? This always scares and annoys me considering that I fear wet and damaged books.
@The_Bookchemist, how do you keep your books in such good condition? It seems that no matter how careful I am when holding my paperbacks they still become beat up and rugged by the time I've finished reading them......also, in your opinion what do books have to offer that can't be found in films or video games?
They take you inside the mind of another person and show you the mechanics of their feelings, thoughts and experiences in ways that can be approximated, but not paralleled, by any other media. (Not that those other media don't have things going on for them too!)
What is your opinion on reading multiple books simultaneously? There are some very strong opinions on this topic and was interested in seeing where you stand.
Not a fan! It depends on what kind of reader you are and there are several exceptions to this rule (I myself for instance read academic stuff and fiction in parallel, and see them as two different things), but as for reading multiple fiction books simultaneously, I think it messes up the reading experience, and makes it harder for you to tune in to the minutiae of a work of fiction (I'm talking about style, plot details, references, etc).
The_Bookchemist Fair enough. I'm trying to branch out of my reader comfort zone and started reading a series which I've never been a fan of. I was trying to decide whether I wanted to try to read two simultaneously--one in the series and another book--or to alternate between books. I've never liked reading series in the past because frankly, I get bored and need to mix things up and that requires a level of commitment my girlfriend would be jeoulous of. I'll stick with one at a time for now and see what happens.
I read more than one book at time frequently. It's just like watching more than one tv show at the same time. Sometimes I get bored and just have to give the book a break. But then I have to come back to it eventually in order to find out what happens.
I completely disagree with the first tip. You can have a social life and read books it doesn't have to be one or the other. Just put your phone on silent and set time during the day to read.
I only have 4 people in my Whatsapp, parents and grandparents. They don’t really use tech though. My “friends” can reach me through email, which I’m intentionally to be slow respond.
+lars moreira leonardo It was a combination of giving myself very tough reading goals (120 pages a day, 200 a day during weekends), having a second-hand bookstore close to home, reading every single spare minute I had (I think I didn't watch a single movie for a whole year), and somehow being exhilarated by the whole process instead of getting terribly tired! It was my 'golden age of reading', I guess everyone's got one sooner or later :)
+The_Bookchemist that is a impressive scheme, and shows incredible dedication. But isn't that like a bit counterproductive in the sense that you read so many, that the value of the unique experience that every book offers you is a bit repressed?
+lars moreira leonardo Most definitely! It's not necessarily the case, but it surely takes something off the experience - also because, I'll be honest, when you read so much all the time it's impossible to always be 100% attentive and focused on what you read. I'm glad I'm much more of a close reader nowadays, although I'm not too strict on such things - everyone's got their rhythm and it takes time to find out your own :)
My very personal opinion (no beef with audiobooks fans) is the same I have toward books in translation: if you have no other option, by all means do go ahead, but otherwise stick to the real thing. If you commute by car two hours a day and want to do something with that time, they're a great option; otherwise...
Nice tips. I too have deleted my facebook account and don't use watsapp anymore, I don't particularly like the idea of giving others the freedom to interrupt me as they wish, my time is more valuable that that. I have been stuck on V by Pynchon for soo many weeks. I love reading pynchon, although I have never tried Against the Day as it is not available in my country. But V is really being a bitch to me. I am just not enjoying it and I hate myself self for not being able to read and relish it. So i feel i should move on, and just let it be. The_BookChemist, Did you like V ?
+boyturned2man I have never read it! But I do not love Crying and Gravity's and perhaps not enen Vinland nearly as much as I love 21st century Pynchon, so I totally see how his first books can be very tough to read. If you don't get any kicks out of it, I fully suggest you drop V - it's what I'd do too!
Between 0 and 5 depending on time and commitments, but this includes academic texts and essays - when it comes to reading for pleasure, it's never more than 2 hours, and rarely more than 1.
In my case it depends on the book, sometimes I get stuck reading something difficult for 3 hours a day trying to decipher it, but it's usually 2 hours per day for me too. I've recently started reading The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, and as was the case with Ulysses, I found the vocabulary frustrating, since I try to be quite meticulous when reading. I'm an English language graduate but I still need the dictionary, thanks God there are smartphones nowadays.
It was a terrible reading experience (although some chapters were utterly beautiful) but I enjoyed it as an experience as a whole a lot; however, several years after reading it, I can say it's not the book for me. I believe most of my enjoyment of it came from the idea that "wow I'm reading Ulysses," which is a daft reason to enjoy a book. I have read other 'unpleasant' books that I eventually ended up loving to pieces, but Ulysses was not one on them. But do keep in mind that I read it without particularly serious commitment and that I only occasionally used a guide: not the right way to go about it at all!
I was able to get a lot of reading done while waiting for a commuter train or bus to work. Also while ON the bus or train. Having taken the same route there was nothing new to see or be distracted by. I carried the book in a smooth plastic shopping bag that was just a bit larger than the book = easy to take out/replace quickly. There was nothing else in the bag to fumble with and slow me up. Son of a Grifter was one book I read on my commute. Loved it! Doubleplusgood!
yeah, opening the book and turning the pages as I read them is my favorite way to read. :)
I watch the moving images. Er, sometimes with subtitles so it counts.
(I also read books on occasion.)
I would add from personal experience, never apologize for the speed you read at, or the books you enjoy. Reading should be pleasurable. I'm the kind of reader who reads every word and stops to re-read passages of particular beauty or meaning. I also tend to get thoughtful when reading and drift away thinking about a passage and its larger meaning or application to life. I allowed myself to be intimidated by people who somehow read books in 2-3 days, or who would say "Are you STILL reading that book?" I have not read nearly as many books as I would have wanted to in my life, but I've loved almost every one that I have read.
I usually listen to music (drone, especially) whilst reading. Some good 'reading albums' I've encountered are:
The Sperm - Shh!
Pekka Airaksinen - One Point Music
Pekka Airaksinen - Buddhas Of Golden Light
Ramleh - Hole In The Heart
Family Underground - Demon Parade
F/i - Paradise Out There
Sun City Girls - Torch Of The Mystics
Throbbing Gristle - "Soundtrack To After Cease To Exist"
AMM - AMMmusic
Tod Dockstader - 8 Electronic Pieces
The Gerogerigegege - 燃えない灰 (Moenai Hai)
Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity
...and some others I'm forgetting
I'll check some of these out, I'm not that much into drone but I see no reason why that can't change. I too almost always listen to music while reading :)
I don't know how you can listen to Ramleh while reading lol.
"Product Of Fear
" by Ramleh is one of my favorite songs ever.
Another interesting video. I always carry a book with me to fill in the 'waiting' moments. (Paperback, secondhand and less than 400 pages). I tend to read whilst I am walking and given I walk a lot, it means I read about an extra ten books a year! (I have been doing this all my life!) I tend to have four books on the go at any one time. A couple of non fiction books and a thick fiction book that I read a small number of pages a day and a quick read which usually takes 2 - 3 days to read. This tends to cover most of my moods for reading during the course of a week. I found out long ago that if I focus on say "War and Peace" only then I will not pick up the book all the time during the week and over a given year, will not read many books.
The problem with reading a number of books a year is it discourages reading anything long, and it discourages reading anything more than once. It encourages reading fast and not thoroughly understanding the text, this is also true of the pages-per-day goal. So that you can read at your own pace and re-read sections that are confusing or difficult, I would suggest setting a minimum minutes-per-day goal, with the option to read more. I personally set a minimum of 30 minutes a day. A low time commitment to get you started, and sometimes I literally read all day after the initial 30 minutes. If you set your time minimum too high, then you are discouraged to start reading in the first place. To keep track of time, I usually play an album of 30 minutes or more (most albums are more), usually something I feel fits the book in someway, like a soundtrack and just finish reading when the album is over. If I feel like continuing, I put on another album and continue reading. This has helped me to be more consistent with my reading habits.
Totally agree that a time minimum is much more sensible than a goal like "read 50 books a year." I've always been a bit skeptical about both approaches, but in some cases - like when you're tackling very long or very difficult texts - your way of going at it makes total sense.
Hahah, Im totally loving this - debating with myself whether I should read my book or watch a video on how to read more :P Needless to say what happened........ O.o Great video! :)
I tend to make daily quotas for difficult books, or else I'll take too much time inbetween readings, and forget where I was at in the book, and eventually give up. I'll set a rule, something like one hour a day, no matter what. An hour is small enough in time to do consistently, and long enough to chip away at that book. If I'm lucky, I'll hit a groove in the book where I'll go a few hours straight, but generally, it's one hour a day of slow and steady progress.
Easy books don't really need help. You start it, and the day and/or night passes you by. Or it ends.
I like what you said about goal-setting adding a level of anxiety that takes away from the reading experience, and also how finding your own taste and your own comfort zone/comfort genre is something to fall back on. Do you read more than one book at a time? If so, how many books do you read at a time, maximum? One reading tip a particularly fast reader told me was to read different books at different places--so she had a book she read only in bed, another she read at work (on the sly), and a different one she read on the commute.
+lles ballesteros Yeah some people do that and find it very convenient... I usually stick to one fiction book at a time and just go on with it! I read academic texts and essays in parallel because that's stuff I must read, but there to I stick to the one-at-a-time rule.
Great tips for reading more. For me it comes down to just prioritizing reading over other leisure activities but it is always a struggle. 😀
Haha you have a great sense of humour! I choose books over people every time. Thanks for the advice !
Thanks Mattia! I liked your tips on the topic. Another pov (which would interest me more) would be how do you discover books, what to read next? Which are your sources? (beyond the usual suspects)
Great tips...that I'm too bad to follow. Except for the last one. "Know your taste as a reader", bless. I've spent years of my life trying to read as many books as possible but it wasn't the right move because it's not how much do you read but how much do you recall (emotionally) of what you've read.
+Ilenia Zodiaco I often struggle with the thought that I cannot recall much more than a few plot details of a book I read just a couple of months ago, but I think its important to keep in mind this quote:
"I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Miguel Restrepo Great quote, so true. Infact I meant "emotionally" recall because it has more to do with the things you have learned and settled in your mind (even if you weren't perfectly conscious at the time you were reading). My favourite moments are the ones in which I suddenly remember something I've read a long time ago and I didn't even think about it when I finished the book. Most things about books and beauty are inside of us, ready to appear in the oddest occasions.
I'm not sure I'm understanding completely by emotional recall, but maybe, since it's sometimes encoded unconsciously, it can be recalled unconsciously. WIthout being aware of it, the book you read 3 years ago can affect how you think and perceive the world around you. Going back to the Emerson quote a little, the books you read make up who you are, how you think, how you feel, and (to me, the most important) how you understand your own feelings.
I have watched a handful of your videos now and thought that they were well made; subscribed.
Yes! Always have a book with you.
Pocket books fit in pockets!!
Then you might end up being the only one reading a book in a waiting room full of people checking their phone..
I do 40 mins cardio everyday on the stationary bicycle at the gym. I read a book as I bike. As a result: I read more (as a matter of fact, 40 mins a day more than what I usually used to) AND I also do better cardio, because the book keeps distracted me from the pain at the legs and the fatigue. Mens sana in corpore sano!
First time I read your comment I understood you read books while you ride your bike between the station and the gym and I was like "woo, that's dangerous, don't do that." Lol! Kudos for your commitment man :)
The_Bookchemist I know this video is 2 years old, but do you think listening to an audiobook is the same as reading a book? I ask because When reading a book you use more of your mental strength because you’re reading and trying to understand at the same time, while in audiobooks you’re just using your mind to understand.
Your best pro tip was buried within Tip #1, and this has taken me many years to understand: When I start reading a book I don't like, I throw it away. There aren't enough hours in my life to read everything I want to read. You have to be decisive and strong!
Nice tips, I agree reading goals can give you a level of anxiety but sometimes it is hard to avoid on goodreads. Know your taste is important, I'm still learning that but I think I'm slowly understanding it more. Thanks for the video.
Anyway you could do a video on writing a dissertation, suggested tips and why you chose the literary title for your own dissertation (also how you managed time and work on the dissertation itself). Thanks in advance!
why not! Thanks for the suggestion ;)
I read Infinite Jest this year. It took me some months, but I enjoyed it. Just because a book is long, doesn't mean you shouldn't read it.
Question: I would be interested to see a video taking about different ways to approach reading from casual light reading and at the other end more critical thinking and analysis. And maybe a breakdown of how to get more from a text with various critical thinking skills for the average reader. Thanks!
It does sound like a very fun video to film and think about. It sounds like something that could be easily misunderstood (I wouldn't want to suggest, say, that there is anything inherently wrong with reading superficially, for the simplest pleasure), but I do believe that there are different ways to read books and that it is well worth cultivating one's reading skills, no matter their profession or interests. I'll think about it ;)!
@@TheBookchemist haha I appreciate your honesty. There is nothing wrong with light or more breezy reading! It's just with denser texts I often feel like there are elements I'm missing out on because maybe I just don't know how to approach understanding it more deeply. I appreciate the reply and all the fun and thoughtful videos you have, have a great day!
thanks man! Great tips! Consider doing one on tips of reading in a foreign language.
I am gonna read War and Peace 50 times this year and not a page of any other book
I don't really see much of a problem with messengers, people could still phone or text you anyway. The key would just be to silence your phone for a period that you have layed out for reading.
I wouldn't really say to stop watching TV series altogether either but to avoid binge watching them, being more selective and limited. I think it is important to see what other art forms have to offer. I know so many people that just watch TV for hours every day and don't get much out of it or really enjoy it that much but yet are just so addicted. That same sort of thing could be applied to reading but like you said its all just a matter of knowing what your tastes are and not wasting time indulging in something you can't engage in.
You mentioned Ibooks so you can always carry one around with you. Thats a great idea and if you read on a kindle device you can read on a kindle phone app so your always synched up.
+thatwalkingfish Yes, but when they text you they'll have to spend 5 to 10 cents, so I suppose they'll be doing it to tell you something vaguely meaningful, whereas with apps like WhatsApp you can go on rapping all day about nothing at all (not that there's anything wrong with that, course ;) )
The_Bookchemist That is a very good point haha
Great video! You are not alone, my friend. I do not have WhatsApp either. I had it on my phone for a week when I was in Spain, because it was cheaper than normal text messaging. Deleted when I got back to the States. So there are at least 2 of us in the world who live without it!
Interesting video. Thanks for the tips. Question: How do you think having a RUclips channel about books has influenced the frequency of your reading? Does it make you read faster or slower? More or less than you think you normally would? Thanks.
+Minute Book Reports It is quite a time-consuming hobby indeed, but I don't think it has changed my reading habits at all. Before my channel I used to write very lenghty book reviews on aNobii, so those too took some time actually. I think reviewing in general (whether on RUclips or whatever) made me wanna read more, but only because it expanded the pleasure I got out of reading books.
Here is a reading system I want to try, since I read up to 9 books at the same time: Use a 30 minute timer on your phone. When the timer goes off, finish the page. reset the timer and pick up the next book. This system should keep your mind fresh. One could even go to the kitchen for a snack or iced coffee between books. What do you think of this idea? Thanks for your tips and all your videos!
0:50 whatsapp is actually very popular in the US because its mostly used for international communication
I feel like your comment about being in the middle of a 700 pg book and not knowing if you want to continue was precisely for me because I'm reading Gravity's Rainbow. I bought the book because I wanted to read something really dark and nihilistic (which it is) but I'm finding two things as I'm reading. Firstly, I'm able to glean very little that I actually enjoy or understand in the book. Pynchon is ofcourse an incredible writer and some of his descriptions/phrases/sentences are breathtaking but I don't feel very invested in the experience of reading it. Secondly, I'm starting to view it as a chore to read and I find myself looking forward to reading something else when I finish it. Should I continue reading it? I know you've read it and I'd really appreciate your feedback. Love your channel, great job.
+Christian Limon That's a complicated question and it's of course up to you. Pynchon might very well be my favorite author and I love many of his books, including in a way GR... but I'm not sure I'll ever re-read it. I think once is plenty for more than a lifetime, for a book like that.
You should know that 1), I think the genius of the book only becomes fully evident once you've finished it, and that its last two pages are among the very best in all of literature; 2) I too felt reading it was kind of a chore at times; 3) I know professors and PhDs of contemporary American Literature (great ones too!) who either haven't read the book or disliked it immensely. So I'd say that no one "has" to read it, far from it. My humble suggestion would be, especially if you're not reading it for academic purposes but only out of personal interest, to skip some of the most random and incomprehensible passages (plenty of those in the last 200 pages), but really, it's up to you!
+The_Bookchemist thanks for that I appreciate it!
I wanted to ask if you could make a video on comfortable reading positions and good lighting for reading as I struggle with finding good unobstructed lighting and sitting reading for prolonged periods any advice would bee greatly appreciated thanks
Hahaha “Do NOT read Against The Day” hilarious
American lit grad here,you are not alone. I don't have whatsapp😀
Madeline, me too.😀
Great video! If you have time, it would be awesome if you could explain your reading process. Do you take notes? Do you do deep contextual research first? Do you write about the book? Are there any other processes that you perform to deeply understand the book and increase its chances of it having an impact on you other than just reading it? Thanks!
+Alexandra Eftimie Will consider that! Quick answer - I do take notes and I do write (or talk!) about the book; I first started reviewing books (and I've been doing it for so long) after I've discovered how reviewing a book really helps me understand how I felt about it, and what I got from it.
+The_Bookchemist Thanks, that would be great! I had a hunch that you took notes; your book reviews are refreshingly honest and comprehensive.
#8 Ditch your car and move to a major city with good public transportation. Read on the subway.
Good video....useful tips ..... and enlightening too...
Hey, I don't use WhatsApp either--I felt so liberated when I deleted that thing. Also, the Against The Day thing cracked me up, hahahaha. I've been reading some Carl Jung and then V., because apparently he influenced Pynchon's writing a bit (he's actually also directly referred to in Gravity's Rainbow or something). And people say that even the Kabbalah mythology has quite an influence on him.
+The_Bookchemist Wow. Fuck. I can only imagine what correcting him must feel like, hahaha. Also, DeLillo's got a novel coming out this year in May. :D
+The_Bookchemist Wow. Fuck. I can only imagine what correcting him must feel like, hahaha. Also, DeLillo's got a novel coming out this year in May. :D
***** I have his The French Lieutenant's Woman on my bookshelf; I will get to him. :)
Great man will you please give the list of greatest 25 books which you have read in your life.?
I'll try leaning on my elbows 😉😀
Who are your favourite poets? :D
+Abigail Meyer My all-stars favorite are Yeats, Frost, Browning, Hopkins, and Stevens, with Frost and Yeats struggling for number 1!
+The_Bookchemist I should read more Frost and Yeats :) Hopkins was way ahead of his time; Wallace Stevens in particular I love.
A man, a woman and a blackbird walk into a bar. "A table for one, please" they say.
I can only read when there is complete silence, which means not very often. The trouble is I'm reading Gravity's Rainbow, so I've been reading it for months.
Same here lol
So do you read multiple books at once? I don't see how anybody could read Gravity's rainbow and only that for 2+ months and not hate it
Me neither! (I do like Gravity's Rainbow, but only because I really, really like Pynchon's later novels - and find a bit of the later genius here and there in GR too). By the way I tend to read one book at a time :)
I find it hard to read for pleasure when I need to read for school. But if you can manage, I suppose I have no excuse :P
+Delato Truth be told, Against the Day is gonna end up minimally in my postgraduate dissertation, and potentially a lot in my PhD, so it's not like I'm reading it only and entirely for pleasure... otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it either!
Crap I’m already almost one hundred pages into Against the Day and now I’m told I mustn’t read it 😂😂😂
How fast do you read? If I read aloud it's slow, but if I read faster silently I often lose the track of what's happening and get lost in my thoughts. Then I have to backtrack and it's frustrating. Does this happen to you? Tips?
+Mika Björklund Not very fast, I was much faster once. With Against the Day it usually took me a bit more than one and a half hours to read 50-60 pages, although of course that changes from book to book. I used to read aloud when I was studying for exams, and I had to get information stuck to my head!
I see what you mean anyway, it happens to me sometimes too to get lost in my thoughts - I usually listen to music while I'm reading and that helps, somehow, especially instrumental stuff helps me focus on the book. Otherwise you can try to read for short spans of time, like fifteen or twenty minutes, and train yourself to get focused on the pages - I know it can be tough, especially with difficult books!
Well, I wish the first point was relevant to these times, but it is not! The pandemic has made WhatsApp an indispensable mode of communication between professors, teachers, and tutors with students.
i dont even have a smartphone. I want to buy a tablet for reading but even for that I am afraid. Even the labtop I work on uses too much attention.
11860th subbie here! 😹 your videos are great! Keep up the great work! But yeah... Deleting WhatsApp takes a lot of balls man!😂😂 I deactivated Facebook though. 😋
Can you give any tips about bringing books outside of your house when it’s raining? This always scares and annoys me considering that I fear wet and damaged books.
Not really - I've ruined a couple of books myself that way! Try stuffing them deep inside your backpack, maybe around a sweater or something ;)
@@TheBookchemist Thank you for your advice. I highly appreciate it.
@The_Bookchemist, how do you keep your books in such good condition? It seems that no matter how careful I am when holding my paperbacks they still become beat up and rugged by the time I've finished reading them......also, in your opinion what do books have to offer that can't be found in films or video games?
They take you inside the mind of another person and show you the mechanics of their feelings, thoughts and experiences in ways that can be approximated, but not paralleled, by any other media. (Not that those other media don't have things going on for them too!)
Thank you for that thoughtful answer! I'm constantly trying to think of new reasons for why I should read as opposed to watch films or play games.
What is your opinion on reading multiple books simultaneously? There are some very strong opinions on this topic and was interested in seeing where you stand.
Not a fan! It depends on what kind of reader you are and there are several exceptions to this rule (I myself for instance read academic stuff and fiction in parallel, and see them as two different things), but as for reading multiple fiction books simultaneously, I think it messes up the reading experience, and makes it harder for you to tune in to the minutiae of a work of fiction (I'm talking about style, plot details, references, etc).
The_Bookchemist Fair enough. I'm trying to branch out of my reader comfort zone and started reading a series which I've never been a fan of. I was trying to decide whether I wanted to try to read two simultaneously--one in the series and another book--or to alternate between books. I've never liked reading series in the past because frankly, I get bored and need to mix things up and that requires a level of commitment my girlfriend would be jeoulous of. I'll stick with one at a time for now and see what happens.
I read more than one book at time frequently. It's just like watching more than one tv show at the same time. Sometimes I get bored and just have to give the book a break. But then I have to come back to it eventually in order to find out what happens.
7 tips on how to
*Read More*
I fell for that
Good one
Came here for tips on finishing Against the day... One of the tips: Dont read Against the day.
-...
"I open the book and read the pages" … I'm confused, how does that work? (-: Yes, in short … FIND THE DAMN TIME AND DO IT !! (-:
I'm watching you at 1am
I completely disagree with the first tip. You can have a social life and read books it doesn't have to be one or the other. Just put your phone on silent and set time during the day to read.
It’s satire..
So you don't use an ebook reader? That's surprising. I can't do paper anymore.
I only have 4 people in my Whatsapp, parents and grandparents. They don’t really use tech though.
My “friends” can reach me through email, which I’m intentionally to be slow respond.
#8 Be Harold Bloom and be able to read 400 fucking pages an hour.
RUclips is my biggest reading-time drain!
personally, i am interested in how you managed to read 4-5 books a week!!
Give me 7 tips abouts this and i will be very pleased!
+lars moreira leonardo It was a combination of giving myself very tough reading goals (120 pages a day, 200 a day during weekends), having a second-hand bookstore close to home, reading every single spare minute I had (I think I didn't watch a single movie for a whole year), and somehow being exhilarated by the whole process instead of getting terribly tired! It was my 'golden age of reading', I guess everyone's got one sooner or later :)
+The_Bookchemist that is a impressive scheme, and shows incredible dedication. But isn't that like a bit counterproductive in the sense that you read so many, that the value of the unique experience that every book offers you is a bit repressed?
+lars moreira leonardo Most definitely! It's not necessarily the case, but it surely takes something off the experience - also because, I'll be honest, when you read so much all the time it's impossible to always be 100% attentive and focused on what you read. I'm glad I'm much more of a close reader nowadays, although I'm not too strict on such things - everyone's got their rhythm and it takes time to find out your own :)
What's your thoughts on audiobooks?
My very personal opinion (no beef with audiobooks fans) is the same I have toward books in translation: if you have no other option, by all means do go ahead, but otherwise stick to the real thing. If you commute by car two hours a day and want to do something with that time, they're a great option; otherwise...
Your the only booktuber wid brain
Do you have a favorite italo calvino book(s)?
There's a top 5 Calvino books somewhere on my channel :D but in a nutshell: Baron in the Trees by far.
So, do you have WhatsApp now? Great video by the way 😊
Nice tips. I too have deleted my facebook account and don't use watsapp anymore, I don't particularly like the idea of giving others the freedom to interrupt me as they wish, my time is more valuable that that.
I have been stuck on V by Pynchon for soo many weeks. I love reading pynchon, although I have never tried Against the Day as it is not available in my country. But V is really being a bitch to me. I am just not enjoying it and I hate myself self for not being able to read and relish it. So i feel i should move on, and just let it be.
The_BookChemist, Did you like V ?
+boyturned2man I have never read it! But I do not love Crying and Gravity's and perhaps not enen Vinland nearly as much as I love 21st century Pynchon, so I totally see how his first books can be very tough to read. If you don't get any kicks out of it, I fully suggest you drop V - it's what I'd do too!
How many hours a day do you spend reading?
Between 0 and 5 depending on time and commitments, but this includes academic texts and essays - when it comes to reading for pleasure, it's never more than 2 hours, and rarely more than 1.
In my case it depends on the book, sometimes I get stuck reading something difficult for 3 hours a day trying to decipher it, but it's usually 2 hours per day for me too. I've recently started reading The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, and as was the case with Ulysses, I found the vocabulary frustrating, since I try to be quite meticulous when reading. I'm an English language graduate but I still need the dictionary, thanks God there are smartphones nowadays.
i read upside down.
deleting whatsapp is a dream. But impossible when you live abroad and all your family is back home
Same problem here ;)
"My generation and the next are fucked." Jajaj
Do you still not use WhatsApp?
I succumbed! But I'm constantly planning to remove it ;)
Americans don't use whatsapp...
Did you personally like our dislike Ulysses?
It was a terrible reading experience (although some chapters were utterly beautiful) but I enjoyed it as an experience as a whole a lot; however, several years after reading it, I can say it's not the book for me. I believe most of my enjoyment of it came from the idea that "wow I'm reading Ulysses," which is a daft reason to enjoy a book. I have read other 'unpleasant' books that I eventually ended up loving to pieces, but Ulysses was not one on them. But do keep in mind that I read it without particularly serious commitment and that I only occasionally used a guide: not the right way to go about it at all!
I was able to get a lot of reading done while waiting for a commuter train or bus to work. Also while ON the bus or train. Having taken the same route there was nothing new to see or be distracted by. I carried the book in a smooth plastic shopping bag that was just a bit larger than the book = easy to take out/replace quickly. There was nothing else in the bag to fumble with and slow me up. Son of a Grifter was one book I read on my commute. Loved it! Doubleplusgood!
He is a lazy and chill person. But he is not going to succeed well.