Ask HN: How Do You Read?

Article summary

The article discusses how people read and retain information from books, with the author wondering if there's a better way to read and get the most out of each book. The author mentions taking notes in the margins as a way to feel more engaged with the content. The author reads a book a week and feels like the value of the previous book starts to fade once they move on to the next one. The author is looking for other people's takes on reading and how they retain information.

Main themes

• reading habits
• information retention
• note-taking
• book consumption
• focus and concentration

What commenters say

• Taking notes and reviewing them regularly can help retain information from books.
• Some people find that listening to content, rather than reading it, helps them retain information better.
• Speed reading is not effective for retaining information and can lead to missing important details.
• Reading slowly and taking the time to think about and process the information can be beneficial for understanding and retention.
• Using tools like Anki and spaced repetition can help reinforce learning and retention.
• The format of the content, such as physical books versus digital, can affect reading habits and retention.
• Rereading books at a later time can provide new insights and perspectives.
• Different books require different reading strategies, with non-fiction books often requiring a more iterative and active approach.