Writing on reading

Reading closely, and keeping what you found

Essays on how reading actually sticks: what the research says about forgetting, which note-taking habits repay the effort, and why the number of books you finish is the least interesting thing about a reading year.

• Attention

  How can I focus when I read?

  Give the next passage a clear purpose and check that you can explain it. When attention drifts, return to the point where you lost the meaning.

• Memory

  Why we forget what we read, and what actually helps

  Most of a book is gone within the week. The reason is well documented, and so is the small set of things that change it.

• Evidence

  Does highlighting work? An honest look at the evidence

  Highlighting is the most common study habit there is, and one of the least effective. The research explains both halves.

• Method

  How to take notes while reading a book

  Note-taking advice is mostly written for lectures. Books are a different problem, and they reward a different method.

• Definitions

  Commonplace book, reading journal, marginalia: what is the difference?

  Three old practices, routinely confused, each suited to a different kind of reader and a different kind of book.

• Habit

  How many books should you read in a year?

  The count is the easiest thing to measure and the least informative. There are better targets, and they are not harder.