I’ve recently tried a new way of reading. When i pick up a book i read around 20% of it’s content, stop even if it’s good, mark it as read and pick up another book. Then after i’ve read 10 or so more books like that i listen to my feelings and if some of the unfinished books haunts me still and begs me to read it further then i read 20% more of it and so on.
Why though?
1. In many nonfiction books the first 20% usually contains the most value of the book. It’s just less valuable to continue reading the same book than to start reading another book
2. It’s a lot of fun! Ideas, authors, topics, characters quickly change with each book and i feel like i’m on a tour around the world of experiences
3. It reduces fear of big and challenging books. Since reading 20% of almost any book is doable rather quickly then i feel like i can safely take any book on and get to the point where i can mark it as read (20%). That way i don’t have to choose only books that i’m sure i’ll finish or enjoy completely. In practice it leads me to picking more adventerously which feels more fun and valuable
4. It allows me to explore topic through multiple authors. Usually when i want to research a topic i try to pick the best book and read only it. But if i don’t have to finish books then i can pick 5 books on that topic. And the value i get will be more than from 1 book
5. It doesn’t feel like i’m abandoning books. No guilt. No unclosed gestalt. Since i aimed at 20% and done it then i don’t feel like something is wrong when i put down the book there
6. It allows me to form a warmer connection with the books i decide to finish still. Since i mark the book as read at 20% and don’t count anything if i read further then if i decide to read on then it’s because i really enjoy it – there is no secondary stimulus, just my interest. It feels good, like i have an honest connection with the book
I’d like to ask your feedback on this. How does this way of reading look to you? Am i missing something important here? Do you believe that you can’t really read this way? Why? Have you tried something similar? What is your way of reading?
I feel like there is something not right with finishing books by default and it’s not discussed enough. I want to get to the bottom of it.
by gazingor