Pro tip: I was rereading the same chapter 3 times and thought I was being thorough

When my book club called me out for missing the point completely during a debate on The Road, I realized I was just scanning for facts instead of actually engaging with the story - has anyone else caught themselves doing this and found a better way to read?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahm3912d ago

Used to have the exact same problem with non-fiction especially. I'd read a chapter and remember every date and name but couldn't tell you what the author was actually trying to say. Then I started forcing myself to put the book down after each section and summarize it out loud to my cat. Sounds stupid but it works because you can't fake your way through a summary, you either understood it or you didn't. Also started keeping a post-it note as a bookmark and writing down one question I had about what I just read. That made me actually pay attention to the plot and the subtext instead of just collecting facts like baseball cards. Still catch myself zoning out when I'm tired but it's way better than it used to be.

the_paul12d ago

Wait you read to your cat too? I thought I was the only one who had to explain a whole chapter on ancient Rome to a cat named Muffin. @susan130 I swear the cat judges my comprehension more than any teacher ever did.

susan13012d agoTop Commenter

Huh, does summarizing out loud actually stick better than writing it down?