A Reading Habit

Searching for a way to foster sustainable reading and recall habits.

Around the 2017–2018 transition, I wanted to improve how well I remembered the things I read. Up until that point, I’d go through bursts of reading all genres of books, but couldn’t retain much— often struggling to recall even the highlights after a week or two.

Like Jack, I was leaning on some kind of osmosis to hold onto anything valuable:

"While scrolling through the Books I’ve Read, I realized that I don't remember the first thing about most of them. There are a few standouts, of course, but for the most part reading feels like temporary entertainment. I hope some of it is absorbed and becomes a useful part of my brain, but it doesn't seem like that's happening."

Not satisfied with fully enjoying the process of reading, and retaining the content of much of the books I was picking up, I wanted something more to take away from the experience. I wanted to share thoughtful summaries of great books, avoid wasting time on forgettable ones, and capture how each book resonated with me in that moment of my life.

While I admire those who keep up with intense reading and note-taking routines, I realized that wasn’t realistic for me unless I had a specific goal, like finishing graduate school. So, I went for a simpler method— writing short, one-to-two paragraph reviews of every book I finish.

I call this practice A Reading Habit.

Usually, within a week of finishing a book, I review any marginalia I’ve left and then write a stream-of-consciousness reflection. After a quick edit, I tag and archive these notes for future reference. I've begun sharing more recent reviews on this blog under #Book Reviews, but my full reading list (dating back to 2011) and reviews (since 2018) are hosted on my personal archive site, here.

I’m not always prompt with writing these reviews, especially when I’m reading a lot, but I usually circle back to fill in the gaps. Their real value shows when someone asks for book recommendations or for a list on a particular topic— it’s effortless to open my text editor of choice and find exactly what I need.