Excellent video! One more tip. Re-read. If you have liked the book, re-read it immediately. You will pick up more immediately because you are already familiar with the plot, the characters, the setting and the structure. This is especially true of books with complex structures (such as Nabokov's _Pale Fire_), and even ones with twists. As you know what is coming, you can see how the author lead you along, and sprung that twist on you. You get a better appreciation of the author's skill, and how books are structured. Corollary: If you have read the book in translation, when you re-read it, read it by another translator. Not everything can be translated, but sometimes the untranslatable comes across when you read the nuances/variance between different translators.
Great additional recommendations, Kurt. Thank you. I love how we can all help each other along in our reading. I particularly like the advice for reading different translators.
Well guys, I was an avid reader when I was young but life stepped in and I got old. I'm 70 and just got started reading again. I got several books (hard to get in the country I live in) AND my first Kindle. I read 15 books in the first month. Joined in the book community and this channel is one of my favorites. I'm reading diverse material and hope to continue my journey. I may not get all the books read but I'm going to have a good time😅. Thanks for this great video, such great tips! (And I made a book review journal too)
I like that you urge us to not skip ahead. I’ve found that my attention span has dwindled over the years, much to the detriment of my reading, and that reminder to consciously slow down is one that I can certainly extend to my books. There are so many things in the modern world that are constantly vying for our attention, that deteriorate our ability to just sit with a single thing, to read deliberately and without distraction.
I’ve recently started annotating more deeply when I read. I used to write with a pencil in the margins sometimes but now I use tabs, a highlighter, and a pen and take notes at the end of each chapter. I cannot stress enough how much this has increased my enjoyment of the book I’m reading, and my memory! I usually watch a video about the book after I’ve read it, but now I’m gonna start adding more of your tips to my annotating. Thank you!
I've begun annotating Moby Dick, and now I find myself thinking about it all day long, long after I've closed the book for the day. Wonderful advice! My son had a classical home education steeped in literature, the Bible, the arts. He married a young woman who had a lackluster public school education, and reading for fun was foreign. Since they married, he began to read aloud to her, and two years later she's fallen in love with the Brontes and Austen. I'm so happy for her -- for them both. We loved reading aloud to our kids, and now it will be a part of their family life as well.
Sometimes I like forgetting books, but always remember an impression they made on me. Love to reread from those in the perspective of different ages of life.
This is Brilliant! I love these ideas so much!!! I always say, "I cannot read without a pen," and it's true! Every time I sit down to read I need 3 things: my book, eyeglasses, and a red pen. Its got to be red. Last night I finished Gissing's "The Odd Women" around midnight or so and then went to sleep. This morning when I woke up, I lay in bed for awhile thinking about it, allowing the story to rummage about, and some really interesting thoughts came to the surface. How I love literature! 🥰
I have fine copies and working copies of all my classic books. I love Everyman's Library editions for the shelf in the living room, and have secondhand paperbacks kept in the spare bedroom for annotations. I will add another tip. In your reading journal, draw a character map that shows the connections between characters. These can be very absorbing to design and create.
I almost always annotate and write about the nonfiction books I read, but not the fiction books. I am going to start doing that! Love your videos! Thank you! 😊
Fabulous! Annotating novels is a delight. You realise that a great deal can be learned from good stories, sometimes more than nonfiction. Let me know your experience.😀🙏
i've been keeping a book diary for the last 5 years. i'm very hit-and-miss on the books i write about, but those books i take the time with are BY FAR the best remembered books of the last 5 years! i really want to be more diligent about the good books i read in the years to come
To be frank....i was about to skip from point to point 😅 but i trusted on your claim of finding the source of gold...and to my surprise i found the very source ❤ thank you sir.
Writing 3 key things about characters sounds like such a good idea! I always struggle to associate character to name, even if I’ve had a wonderful introduction to them on the same page. I’ve tried annotation but hate to carry a pencil on me enough to really commit to doing so, and find I have insecurity in the literary ‘quality’ of my annotations. I’ll look forward to your annotation video, and perhaps be convinced the pencil would be worth it!
Pleased you like the three words idea. I will try and get my annotation video done soon. I think you will benefit from it if you worry about the literary qualities of your notations. 😀❤️👍
Sometimes I read to my cat. He doesn't interrupt, mind or even care but I remember more what I read. I am a fan of annotating and copying passages, words to look up, etc. Every little bit helps. Thanks for this great video.❤📚
Another wonderful video Tristan. Thank you for inspiring me. Lately, I have been reading a book with a highlighter and pen. If I am having difficulty concentrating, I listen to the audio book and follow along in the physical book. I have also adopted the practice of writing book titles and listing quotes and unfamiliar words and their definitions in a notebook. Thank you for that suggestion Tristan. I love looking back at my notes. It also helps me remember more of what I read. I’m so glad I found your channel. I’m having so much fun reading!
Thank you for another inspiring video! I am very much looking forward to hearing about how you annotate, as - while I do see its merits - it seems like a chore to me. Also, when reading fiction I disappear into the story and let my tea grow cold. Is there room for a pencil?
i used to be a prolific reader. when i was 13 my teacher made us do monthly book reports that included chapter summaries. the mandatory reports/summaries were such a slog, i hated it. i slowed down my reading and didn't even read most of the assigned books in high school. the forced analysis destroyed my love of reading and i never recovered until recently... 20 years later. ironically, while i likely won't do chapter summaries, i'm very interested in doing a lot of the things you've recommended including writing about what i'm reading ! funny how things change sometimes.
Holy Moly! These tips are terrific and life changing. I was a reading teacher for 20 years. I've taught ages 4 to adults. I've been retired for a year and have seriously missed teaching reading. Your tips are the exact same ones I incorporated into my teaching in order for my students to be better readers. I did not read as a child or even a young adult. I only started reading when I was in college much later in life and I then realized why I didn't like reading. It was because I thought I was a bad reader. In college, I learned how to become a better reader and became a reading teacher for that reason. Your tips are right on!! I hope people will take your advice because these are truly incredible tips that will increase the readers' purpose, skills, memory, and enjoyment. Their lives will be deeply enriched as well. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Tristan - I recently came across your channel and it is fantastic ! I have gone through most all of your postings…many numerous times. I especially appreciate your discussions on Shakespeare. With your teaching, I am finally beginning to understand. I will be joining your Patreon today. Please know that you are touching many peoples lives with your knowledge. Many people are hesitant to leave comments. Thank you again and looking forward to the journey ahead. Kathy in Arizona.
Thanks a lot Tristan for those great tips ! And as a French person I have to say that hearing your british accent in such a great topic (I'm an avid reader and for almost two years, I've been reading almost exclusively in english as I had decided that I didn't want to read english literature through translation !) is a pure delight 😊
I always make sure to take notes on what I'm reading on my phone. My handwriting is too shaky to write it down in the pages of the book I'm reading. I also take my time to really savor every line of what the story is trying to tell me. An example would be the beast in the cave by Lovecraft; I never heard of the words sojourn or salubrious after I finished reading that short story. I looked up the definitions in a dictionary and I was surprised at what those words meant. Furthermore I also took your advice of slowly enjoying something like a layered piece of chocolate; it's really surprising what a person can remember from a book if they just take it slow and steady. I really notice this a lot when I read Stephen Kings The Shining for the first time. For some reason, I still remember to this day the Mark Anthony Torrence kitchen scene; not only was it shocking, but just really well layered with detail with just being a flash back of Jack Torrences father. Great video as always! 🙂❤📚
I'm here to be an intellectual geologist of gold, and I thank you for helping me to find it, Tristan! I'm looking forward to employing some of these tips as I venture to read more classics next year. (On that note, I've sent an email to you about connecting for a readalong. I can't tell you how exciting that sounds! I look forward to connecting soon to plan further.) Like you, I leave reading the introduction until after I've finished a book, as I find they tend to spoil too much. The same goes for annotations. It was an annotation that spoiled the twist of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on my very first read, and I will spend the rest of my life wondering how surprised I might have been if I could have read that book without it having been spoiled. I now wait until I've read a book fully to explore any annotations. Pertaining to tip #5, I recently finished reading A Christmas Carol, then watched the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas. It was such fun discovering all the little ways that lines from Dickens' book were woven throughout the movie. All of that nuance would have gone right over my head if I hadn't first read the book. What a delightful pairing. Thanks for another great video. Cheers!
Thanks for the email, I'll get on it straight away! Loved Tenant of Wildfell Hall. How disappointing that you had a spoiler. 😔 Look forward to speaking soon.
I don't write in books because i may read them again and read them differently and i want it to be clear of any writing in the book other than that of the Author. After years of reading Academically I just want to READ the book not overthink it. had 6 years of that.
I understand where you're coming from on this. I would like to keep my prized editions of books for casual reading clear of any annotations so they are not marred and so I can enjoy them again on a reread without distraction. That's why I'm going to try Tristan's suggestion and obtain a tattered, inexpensive copy of a book when it's one I want to read closely and make annotations in. Fortunately, there are lots of great secondhand shops in my area, so I'm sure to find several classics on the cheap. 🥳
I did the same after two literature degrees. I was completely burned out. Sad. A draining job didn't help. I read nothing but popular novels for years and years, and I never wrote in any of them. I have only recently returned to self study, and I am happier than ever. I hope you will as well one day!
I can understand that. I've heard many people say university burned them out completely and it took time for them to want to read anything at all. I think it's normal to go through various seasons.
I have found that I remember the novels I read pretty well if I READ them rather than listen to them on audiobooks. When I read, I also underline various passages and quotes; however, I rarely listen to audio books as I will listen to the whole book and then forget everything within a few years. This was the case for me with 100 Years of Solitude (which I must reread the novel), Middlesex (which I loved but can no longer recall), and Absalom! Absalom!. However, if I read a novel, I can still remember a great deal of it, in part due to annotations and also the cognitive process that occurs when you read text. I am behind on adding the passages/quotes I underline while reading to my list of quotes, but I will catch up soon. Also, people remember more when they TEACH what they have read (which is why some teachers have lessons where children teach a subject to the class). For this reason, I can still recall passages from Wuthering Heights, Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
My issue with annotating is that I love really juicy, thick books but hate reading them in paperback. Since I prefer hardbound copies, which are usually more expensive and might even be illustrated, I just purchased some annotating supplies that won't ruin the pages (tabs, lined sticky notes, etc.). I'm going to need to get hard copies of some of my Kindle classics (and reserve Kindle henceforth for light reading), as annotating on an e-reader is arduous at best. Oh look, an excuse to buy more books! Hehehe...
Thank you Tristan, such a help. I do always annotate but I’ve not tried the other tips before. I’ll watch this again and write them down then use that list as my bookmark! Love your work. Merry Christmas
Good advice! I've never been good at annotation. Coming back to the book, I rarely get the point of my annotations. I really like point five. It boggles my mind how people finish a book and put it back on the shelf without further thought. Granted, life is short, but some books have a thousand years of further commentary to interact with. Anywho, rant over. 🙄
Excellent tips! Thank you, Tristan. As always, your content is gold. I already apply some of these pointers. And they’ve helped me so much in relishing and retaining what I read. For good quality book reviews, your channel is a must for me. Am looking forward to your video on annotation as I often struggle between breezing through a book for pleasure and squeezing every bit out of it like a scholar. 😅.
I saw this video a week or so ago and was inspired to start putting these tips into practice. So I started a new notebook and did some writing about the book I had just finished, Cloud Cuckoo Land. I did the three points about the various characters, then a few paragraphs on the major themes. Now, because my thoughts are oranised. the book is anchored in my brain. Thank you!!😊
I strongly suggest a close reading of Virginia Woolf's 'How Should One Read a Book'. Changed the way I approach reading and how I think about what I read.
I was so impressed with this video that I immediately subscribed to your channel. I want to add something I found helpful to your chapter on Thinking about what you're reading, although it's only practical after you've finished the book. Namely, read what the professionals say about the book by looking at Cliff Notes, SparkNotes, etc. I've only done this once (I found the Notes online for free), but it doubled or tripled my understanding of the book I'd just read. The additional insights you get might inspire you to write or talk to someone, making all of your tips more powerful.
Exactly. Before I even heard this now, this morning I was trying to remember characters in Dorothy Whipple' s wonderful 1939 novel, The Priory I recently finished. What a great read! And relatable, as you've suggested
Another excellent video. Your presentations are a joy to watch! I'm learning so much from you and appreciate you sharing your depth of reading knowledge. I'm especially looking forward to your upcoming video on how to annotate. The idea is new to me; I want to annotate but feel intimidated about the how-to. Thank you, Tristan, for all you do to improve our reading lives and encourage our intellectual and emotional growth. As one of your Patrons, I look forward to your content going forward. May you have a productive and fabulous 2024!
Just found your channel and really want to thank you for this eye (re-) opener! Several of your advices were a habit when reading books and novels in school. We used to both annotate, summarize and discuss the books and while watching your video, a lot of details about those books came up to my mind. 😊 I will really try to reanimate these habits to get out more of my reading 🤓 It is really enjoyable to watch and listen to you, so I was not tempted at all to skip and I even hit the subscribe button. 😉
I love your ideas. I never like to borrow my friends' books because I write and underline, in other words I "use" my books. Also I always tell what I read to my friend who rather listens to me that take the time to read😂. Thanks for the excellent video.😊
Such great advice! I'm so glad I found your channel, you have been incredibly helpful! Also, I am glad I'm not the only person in the world who thinks so deeply about the pens I use 😂 I'm going to have to give that one a look!
One more brilliant video! Thank you. I often “complain” that I remember the feeling about a book but not so much specific details. I read most of my books on kindle since I live in Cyprus and we don’t have so many options in buying foreign literature books. I can still take notes on kindle but I am sure the benefits of writing rather that typing are way more.
You get the same benefits if you type out what you're writing. The point is to DO something using your HANDS, not just to learn by seeing or hearing. I love to write with a pen, and I also love to write by typing on a computer.
That was a great video, thank you! Very well explained and those are some pretty useful tips! Definitely will look to start applying them on my next reads.
If you're serious about remembering something, you can even do what I did in college to study for the final exam. After highlighting what I wanted to remember, I studied what I had highlighted by typing it all out. Typing it made it stick in my memory a lot more than if I had just reread my notes. (I don't recommend this generally, because it's more work and less fun than Tristan's 5 tips.
Excellent video! My personal issue is forgetting character names so I’ll definitely try a couple of these tips to help with that. I find it particularly difficult when reading ebooks. Only ever annotated in books i read for school but will definitely go back to this. Thank you for sharing and I wish a very happy festive season!
I don't particulary agree with the notion that you should grab a cheap book so you can freely annotate in it. I love interacting with a nice hardcover editions while I'm reading it, not just to stare at it on the shelf. It works somewhat similar to a nice pen you got for writing, I feel like the aesthetics of the book itself may enhance reading experience. Also, the nice, hardcover editions are usually better to annotate, as there is more space and better quality of paper. You need to get over the discomfort of "runining" the nice book, but after that it feels amazing. It may become a bit pricey, but as long as you only buy books you're actually reading it's not that bad.
Thanks so much for this. I’ve watched it twice now 😊. I would love to hear suggestions for annotating audiobooks and library books. I have bought an exceptional journal that’s so exceptional I’m afraid to write in it😂😂😂. So my first book to tackle with your suggestions is The Count Of Monte Cristo. With all those French names, I can’t keep anyone straight so I stopped at chapter 10 until I can figure out how to go about taking notes on this book. Go big or go home I guess!
I totally enjoyed this video and definitely learnt a few things that I will try..and I so want that pen..might buy it..thank you and Merry Christmas from America.... YAHOOOOOOOO
I'd instead do what that lovely English gentleman John Campbell does and try an actual fountain pen. Hard to imagine a time before they invented the ballpoint.
Excellent advice as always! I would add a good reading light and chair when you're reading a challenging book, with a pen of course, conversing with the author, characters, etc in the margins. I think it's important to approach challenging texts differently than we do popular books, which I enjoy reading when I just need a fun read. I also want to advocate well made films of novels and especially plays. I may be in the minority but I do think some films are delightful, the actors just bring the character to life. Conversely...when they get it wrong...😮 I hope you and your family have a good holiday. Thank you for advocating high quality reading. ❤
and there's the rub... you don't know if it it "well made" or not until after you have watched it. In addition to the problem of well made, you might have the problem of the scriptwriter / director is not True to the original story. That, I think, is worse. My primary example is people who watch the 1931 Universal movie _Frankenstein_ and are so disappointed when they read the book. Another is _Starship Troopers_... virtually unrecognizable from movie to book.
@@kurtfox4944 On the other hand, sometimes the books and the movies are so deliciously made that it's well worth consuming them both, even if they're very different. E.g., Gone with the Wind. They add to each other like a magical math where 1 + 1 = 3.
I am not good about writing reviews, I will be better about it. I like to journal when I am done about what I got out of the book. I will also start talking about the books I read. Thank you for your advice, you really help me enjoy literature more and more.... I am just dazzled by that pen (I like to write poetry).
I have recently been working on #5. Watching commentary afterwards has really help retainment and comprehension. Also, you recently recommended A Virgin in the Ice. I’m just finishing it. Excellent midwinter read. I always think I have a broad grasp on literature and then you throw in books I have never heard of. Where do you find all the books you enjoy?
I agree with all the tips, especially the writing part. I myself have made it a habit with printing some review pages with basic questions, one page per book, and filling it out and numbering them, both the reviews and the books themselves for reference. I'm planning to have a small collection by the end of next year in a binder, and then rereading some of them to see if I can add to those reviews.
Come to think of it, perhaps the works of thousands of years ago that we hold dear now were considered average or even sub average to others living in those days, perhaps it is vanity, but I'm planning on publishing my works one day and hold on to the binder for the future readers, who knows if my sub average work may be counted among the greats simply because it has survived many wars and famines, and perhaps a plague or two. Perhaps it'll be the reference work that archeologists uncover that links all the surviving books they've found from this period and it would solve the mysterious gap of knowledge of the days back in the 21st century, because the internet wouldn't be a thing anymore in that age and we've regressed to using hand tools once again. Just perhaps.
@@Farmynator Or if you become famous someday, then long after you're gone, biographers will eagerly dig through your notes, hoping to learn more about who you are.
If its a book I'm not going to re-read for a while and ive forgotten some details i will go on Wikipedia and read the plot synopsis otherwise i will reread it.
Right now I’m trying to read Dubliners by James Joyce. I seem to get hung up in the often involved, polemic and ponderous and sometimes onerous Introductions that invariably precede classical works. In the case of the Dubliners the Introduction is 48 pages and fully annotated. I kind of want to dig right in to the work but feel that I need to at least read some of the introductory stuff. It is not a problem with a normal novel. How do you treat Introductions and any suggestions? Thanks.
What is your opinion of reading on a Kindle? Do you think that a Kindle takes away something from the experience of Reading? Or do you think that they are going to revolutionize Reading in future? Love your work❤️ Good luck.
The thing about buying cheaper editions is that often the typography is either too small or just terrible. I like the idea of marginalia, but then I’ll have to write on my pretty books… no 😅 I end up writing on notebooks.
I think the intertextual elements of contemporary novels, so dependent on allusions to earlier texts, is a real struggle. It seems as though if you haven't read every other piece of literature in existence, there is nothing to extract. I'm reading 'Beloved' now, and I'm not a scholar of the Bible, it's a completely wasted experience. Once Tolstoy said "all modern literature is trash. Just read the classics. All regular people can understand and enjoy them." Might as well just move into a cave and take the ancients.
I generally read on my Kindle. I can see better, I always have good lighting and I can change the text size. This is how my rabbi says you should read the Torah. He said if you are reading it alone, you should be arguing with yourself. I live in a relatively small apartment and I have limited space for more books.
"Take the time to think". Aaaaaaaaaarg. I've been doing that. It's killing me. I read a passage or page or 3, close the book and think. And then fall asleep. And wake up hours later. (Well,usually 15 to 30 minutes later, but, whatever.) This one's BAD ADVICE!!! (Just joking: it's important to think about what you are reading: I'd express it more as "active reading", or "involved reading". But, whatever.)
Get to the point already. Good ideas, but stop trying to sell a promise, or a fact, before actually getting on with it. That's some advice on video-making.
I did find the panning for hold analogy a bit off putting, a simple please don't skip between points on this one, I have some great tips for you! Or something like that.
Excellent video!
One more tip. Re-read. If you have liked the book, re-read it immediately. You will pick up more immediately because you are already familiar with the plot, the characters, the setting and the structure. This is especially true of books with complex structures (such as Nabokov's _Pale Fire_), and even ones with twists. As you know what is coming, you can see how the author lead you along, and sprung that twist on you. You get a better appreciation of the author's skill, and how books are structured.
Corollary: If you have read the book in translation, when you re-read it, read it by another translator. Not everything can be translated, but sometimes the untranslatable comes across when you read the nuances/variance between different translators.
Great additional recommendations, Kurt. Thank you. I love how we can all help each other along in our reading. I particularly like the advice for reading different translators.
Well guys, I was an avid reader when I was young but life stepped in and I got old. I'm 70 and just got started reading again. I got several books (hard to get in the country I live in) AND my first Kindle. I read 15 books in the first month. Joined in the book community and this channel is one of my favorites. I'm reading diverse material and hope to continue my journey. I may not get all the books read but I'm going to have a good time😅. Thanks for this great video, such great tips! (And I made a book review journal too)
I like that you urge us to not skip ahead. I’ve found that my attention span has dwindled over the years, much to the detriment of my reading, and that reminder to consciously slow down is one that I can certainly extend to my books. There are so many things in the modern world that are constantly vying for our attention, that deteriorate our ability to just sit with a single thing, to read deliberately and without distraction.
he has a vested interest in increasing viewer retention for revenue
@@brykunt What a revelation you’ve come upon sir
I’ve recently started annotating more deeply when I read. I used to write with a pencil in the margins sometimes but now I use tabs, a highlighter, and a pen and take notes at the end of each chapter. I cannot stress enough how much this has increased my enjoyment of the book I’m reading, and my memory! I usually watch a video about the book after I’ve read it, but now I’m gonna start adding more of your tips to my annotating. Thank you!
I've begun annotating Moby Dick, and now I find myself thinking about it all day long, long after I've closed the book for the day. Wonderful advice! My son had a classical home education steeped in literature, the Bible, the arts. He married a young woman who had a lackluster public school education, and reading for fun was foreign. Since they married, he began to read aloud to her, and two years later she's fallen in love with the Brontes and Austen. I'm so happy for her -- for them both. We loved reading aloud to our kids, and now it will be a part of their family life as well.
It is a book that captures you if you let it. So pleased that you are conversing with it.
I'm curious. How do you stitch nutmegs?
@@kurtfox4944 with very tiny needles 😉
Sometimes I like forgetting books, but always remember an impression they made on me.
Love to reread from those in the perspective of different ages of life.
This is Brilliant! I love these ideas so much!!! I always say, "I cannot read without a pen," and it's true! Every time I sit down to read I need 3 things: my book, eyeglasses, and a red pen. Its got to be red. Last night I finished Gissing's "The Odd Women" around midnight or so and then went to sleep. This morning when I woke up, I lay in bed for awhile thinking about it, allowing the story to rummage about, and some really interesting thoughts came to the surface. How I love literature! 🥰
You are very good with analogies.
I have fine copies and working copies of all my classic books. I love Everyman's Library editions for the shelf in the living room, and have secondhand paperbacks kept in the spare bedroom for annotations. I will add another tip. In your reading journal, draw a character map that shows the connections between characters. These can be very absorbing to design and create.
What if there are over 100 characters in a Novel?
This was one of the most valuable videos on reading I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much 😊
Thank you, Lenka. You are so kind. 😀❤️
I find mind maps extremely valuable - it creates a visual image that helps me understand and remember the relationship between concepts.
That was my father's favourite method.
I almost always annotate and write about the nonfiction books I read, but not the fiction books. I am going to start doing that! Love your videos! Thank you! 😊
Fabulous! Annotating novels is a delight. You realise that a great deal can be learned from good stories, sometimes more than nonfiction. Let me know your experience.😀🙏
I would never skip through your videos! Even if I have to pause and come back to watch later I always watch them all. I learn so much!
I agree with you. I would never skip through the videos either. I frequently listen to the videos multiple times!
i've been keeping a book diary for the last 5 years. i'm very hit-and-miss on the books i write about, but those books i take the time with are BY FAR the best remembered books of the last 5 years! i really want to be more diligent about the good books i read in the years to come
To be frank....i was about to skip from point to point 😅 but i trusted on your claim of finding the source of gold...and to my surprise i found the very source ❤ thank you sir.
this videos should receive more support. Because give learnings very valuable.
i say in my case, this video i opened the door in my mind
My first reaction to the title was “read better books” 😄. Great video though, I’ve been enjoying a lot of your content recently.
Writing 3 key things about characters sounds like such a good idea! I always struggle to associate character to name, even if I’ve had a wonderful introduction to them on the same page.
I’ve tried annotation but hate to carry a pencil on me enough to really commit to doing so, and find I have insecurity in the literary ‘quality’ of my annotations. I’ll look forward to your annotation video, and perhaps be convinced the pencil would be worth it!
Pleased you like the three words idea. I will try and get my annotation video done soon. I think you will benefit from it if you worry about the literary qualities of your notations. 😀❤️👍
Sometimes I read to my cat. He doesn't interrupt, mind or even care but I remember more what I read. I am a fan of annotating and copying passages, words to look up, etc. Every little bit helps. Thanks for this great video.❤📚
Oh goodness me! I used to tell my students to read aloud to their pets if there was no one else. This is a great way to increase fluency.
Another wonderful video Tristan. Thank you for inspiring me. Lately, I have been reading a book with a highlighter and pen. If I am having difficulty concentrating, I listen to the audio book and follow along in the physical book. I have also adopted the practice of writing book titles and listing quotes and unfamiliar words and their definitions in a notebook. Thank you for that suggestion Tristan. I love looking back at my notes. It also helps me remember more of what I read. I’m so glad I found your channel. I’m having so much fun reading!
Thank you for another inspiring video! I am very much looking forward to hearing about how you annotate, as - while I do see its merits - it seems like a chore to me. Also, when reading fiction I disappear into the story and let my tea grow cold. Is there room for a pencil?
Very helpful advice for readers new to challenging books.
i used to be a prolific reader. when i was 13 my teacher made us do monthly book reports that included chapter summaries. the mandatory reports/summaries were such a slog, i hated it. i slowed down my reading and didn't even read most of the assigned books in high school. the forced analysis destroyed my love of reading and i never recovered until recently... 20 years later. ironically, while i likely won't do chapter summaries, i'm very interested in doing a lot of the things you've recommended including writing about what i'm reading ! funny how things change sometimes.
Listened to the end. All good!
Holy Moly! These tips are terrific and life changing. I was a reading teacher for 20 years. I've taught ages 4 to adults. I've been retired for a year and have seriously missed teaching reading. Your tips are the exact same ones I incorporated into my teaching in order for my students to be better readers. I did not read as a child or even a young adult. I only started reading when I was in college much later in life and I then realized why I didn't like reading. It was because I thought I was a bad reader. In college, I learned how to become a better reader and became a reading teacher for that reason. Your tips are right on!! I hope people will take your advice because these are truly incredible tips that will increase the readers' purpose, skills, memory, and enjoyment. Their lives will be deeply enriched as well. Thanks for sharing!
I actually enjoy reading or watching a review before reading a book. I find it gives things to look forward to or pay attention to throughout.
Hello Tristan - I recently came across your channel and it is fantastic ! I have gone through most all of your postings…many numerous times. I especially appreciate your discussions on Shakespeare. With your teaching, I am finally beginning to understand. I will be joining your Patreon today. Please know that you are touching many peoples lives with your knowledge. Many people are hesitant to leave comments. Thank you again and looking forward to the journey ahead. Kathy in Arizona.
This video is indeed a gold vein ! Thank you for sharing those highly useful tips !
Thanks a lot Tristan for those great tips ! And as a French person I have to say that hearing your british accent in such a great topic (I'm an avid reader and for almost two years, I've been reading almost exclusively in english as I had decided that I didn't want to read english literature through translation !) is a pure delight 😊
I always make sure to take notes on what I'm reading on my phone. My handwriting is too shaky to write it down in the pages of the book I'm reading.
I also take my time to really savor every line of what the story is trying to tell me. An example would be the beast in the cave by Lovecraft;
I never heard of the words sojourn or salubrious after I finished reading that short story. I looked up the definitions in a dictionary and I was surprised at what those words meant.
Furthermore I also took your advice of slowly enjoying something like a layered piece of chocolate; it's really surprising what a person can remember from a book if they just take it slow and steady. I really notice this a lot when I read Stephen Kings The Shining for the first time.
For some reason, I still remember to this day the Mark Anthony Torrence kitchen scene; not only was it shocking, but just really well layered with detail with just being a flash back of Jack Torrences father.
Great video as always! 🙂❤📚
I really enjoy your videos. All very good points!
New subscriber here, this is great advice, thank you!
Nice to meet you. Thanks for supporting me.😀❤️
I'm here to be an intellectual geologist of gold, and I thank you for helping me to find it, Tristan! I'm looking forward to employing some of these tips as I venture to read more classics next year. (On that note, I've sent an email to you about connecting for a readalong. I can't tell you how exciting that sounds! I look forward to connecting soon to plan further.)
Like you, I leave reading the introduction until after I've finished a book, as I find they tend to spoil too much. The same goes for annotations. It was an annotation that spoiled the twist of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on my very first read, and I will spend the rest of my life wondering how surprised I might have been if I could have read that book without it having been spoiled. I now wait until I've read a book fully to explore any annotations.
Pertaining to tip #5, I recently finished reading A Christmas Carol, then watched the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas. It was such fun discovering all the little ways that lines from Dickens' book were woven throughout the movie. All of that nuance would have gone right over my head if I hadn't first read the book. What a delightful pairing.
Thanks for another great video. Cheers!
Thanks for the email, I'll get on it straight away!
Loved Tenant of Wildfell Hall. How disappointing that you had a spoiler. 😔
Look forward to speaking soon.
I don't write in books because i may read them again and read them differently and i want it to be clear of any writing in the book other than that of the Author. After years of reading Academically I just want to READ the book not overthink it. had 6 years of that.
I understand where you're coming from on this. I would like to keep my prized editions of books for casual reading clear of any annotations so they are not marred and so I can enjoy them again on a reread without distraction. That's why I'm going to try Tristan's suggestion and obtain a tattered, inexpensive copy of a book when it's one I want to read closely and make annotations in. Fortunately, there are lots of great secondhand shops in my area, so I'm sure to find several classics on the cheap. 🥳
I did the same after two literature degrees. I was completely burned out. Sad. A draining job didn't help. I read nothing but popular novels for years and years, and I never wrote in any of them. I have only recently returned to self study, and I am happier than ever. I hope you will as well one day!
I can understand that. I've heard many people say university burned them out completely and it took time for them to want to read anything at all. I think it's normal to go through various seasons.
I have found that I remember the novels I read pretty well if I READ them rather than listen to them on audiobooks. When I read, I also underline various passages and quotes; however, I rarely listen to audio books as I will listen to the whole book and then forget everything within a few years. This was the case for me with 100 Years of Solitude (which I must reread the novel), Middlesex (which I loved but can no longer recall), and Absalom! Absalom!. However, if I read a novel, I can still remember a great deal of it, in part due to annotations and also the cognitive process that occurs when you read text. I am behind on adding the passages/quotes I underline while reading to my list of quotes, but I will catch up soon. Also, people remember more when they TEACH what they have read (which is why some teachers have lessons where children teach a subject to the class). For this reason, I can still recall passages from Wuthering Heights, Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
Thanks Tristan! Another good and useful video regarding reading techniques 👌📚
Thank you. I'm really pleased you enjoyed it. 😀
Excellent. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm pleased that you found it helpful 😀
My issue with annotating is that I love really juicy, thick books but hate reading them in paperback. Since I prefer hardbound copies, which are usually more expensive and might even be illustrated, I just purchased some annotating supplies that won't ruin the pages (tabs, lined sticky notes, etc.). I'm going to need to get hard copies of some of my Kindle classics (and reserve Kindle henceforth for light reading), as annotating on an e-reader is arduous at best. Oh look, an excuse to buy more books! Hehehe...
Thank you Tristan, such a help. I do always annotate but I’ve not tried the other tips before. I’ll watch this again and write them down then use that list as my bookmark! Love your work. Merry Christmas
Good advice! I've never been good at annotation. Coming back to the book, I rarely get the point of my annotations. I really like point five. It boggles my mind how people finish a book and put it back on the shelf without further thought. Granted, life is short, but some books have a thousand years of further commentary to interact with. Anywho, rant over. 🙄
Thank you sir
You are welcome. 😀
Excellent thoughts, thank you once more
Excellent tips! Thank you, Tristan. As always, your content is gold. I already apply some of these pointers. And they’ve helped me so much in relishing and retaining what I read. For good quality book reviews, your channel is a must for me. Am looking forward to your video on annotation as I often struggle between breezing through a book for pleasure and squeezing every bit out of it like a scholar. 😅.
I saw this video a week or so ago and was inspired to start putting these tips into practice. So I started a new notebook and did some writing about the book I had just finished, Cloud Cuckoo Land. I did the three points about the various characters, then a few paragraphs on the major themes. Now, because my thoughts are oranised. the book is anchored in my brain. Thank you!!😊
This video is so good i'm gonna watch it again.
Oh, thank you. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it ☺️
You are awesome, Tristan!
I strongly suggest a close reading of Virginia Woolf's 'How Should One Read a Book'. Changed the way I approach reading and how I think about what I read.
Can’t wait to try these ideas!! I often read library books, so will buy some lined post it notes!! Any other suggestions? Thx
Enjoyed your video because I learned something that I will use.
I was so impressed with this video that I immediately subscribed to your channel. I want to add something I found helpful to your chapter on Thinking about what you're reading, although it's only practical after you've finished the book. Namely, read what the professionals say about the book by looking at Cliff Notes, SparkNotes, etc. I've only done this once (I found the Notes online for free), but it doubled or tripled my understanding of the book I'd just read. The additional insights you get might inspire you to write or talk to someone, making all of your tips more powerful.
Exactly. Before I even heard this now, this morning I was trying to remember characters in Dorothy Whipple' s wonderful 1939 novel, The Priory I recently finished. What a great read! And relatable, as you've suggested
Another excellent video. Your presentations are a joy to watch! I'm learning so much from you and appreciate you sharing your depth of reading knowledge. I'm especially looking forward to your upcoming video on how to annotate. The idea is new to me; I want to annotate but feel intimidated about the how-to. Thank you, Tristan, for all you do to improve our reading lives and encourage our intellectual and emotional growth. As one of your Patrons, I look forward to your content going forward. May you have a productive and fabulous 2024!
Just found your channel and really want to thank you for this eye (re-) opener! Several of your advices were a habit when reading books and novels in school. We used to both annotate, summarize and discuss the books and while watching your video, a lot of details about those books came up to my mind. 😊 I will really try to reanimate these habits to get out more of my reading 🤓 It is really enjoyable to watch and listen to you, so I was not tempted at all to skip and I even hit the subscribe button. 😉
Thanks for being the inspiration (I hope) for me writing in my books.
Brilliant video as always 👏
Thank you!
I love your ideas. I never like to borrow my friends' books because I write and underline, in other words I "use" my books.
Also I always tell what I read to my friend who rather listens to me that take the time to read😂.
Thanks for the excellent video.😊
Such great advice! I'm so glad I found your channel, you have been incredibly helpful!
Also, I am glad I'm not the only person in the world who thinks so deeply about the pens I use 😂 I'm going to have to give that one a look!
I don’t enjoy thinking about books. I just like a passive story.
Thanks Tristan.
I downloaded this video Great tips. I definitely need help developing this skill.
Excellent tips! Thank you 😊
One more brilliant video! Thank you. I often “complain” that I remember the feeling about a book but not so much specific details. I read most of my books on kindle since I live in Cyprus and we don’t have so many options in buying foreign literature books. I can still take notes on kindle but I am sure the benefits of writing rather that typing are way more.
You get the same benefits if you type out what you're writing. The point is to DO something using your HANDS, not just to learn by seeing or hearing. I love to write with a pen, and I also love to write by typing on a computer.
That was a great video, thank you! Very well explained and those are some pretty useful tips! Definitely will look to start applying them on my next reads.
If you're serious about remembering something, you can even do what I did in college to study for the final exam. After highlighting what I wanted to remember, I studied what I had highlighted by typing it all out. Typing it made it stick in my memory a lot more than if I had just reread my notes. (I don't recommend this generally, because it's more work and less fun than Tristan's 5 tips.
Excellent video! My personal issue is forgetting character names so I’ll definitely try a couple of these tips to help with that. I find it particularly difficult when reading ebooks. Only ever annotated in books i read for school but will definitely go back to this. Thank you for sharing and I wish a very happy festive season!
I don't particulary agree with the notion that you should grab a cheap book so you can freely annotate in it. I love interacting with a nice hardcover editions while I'm reading it, not just to stare at it on the shelf. It works somewhat similar to a nice pen you got for writing, I feel like the aesthetics of the book itself may enhance reading experience.
Also, the nice, hardcover editions are usually better to annotate, as there is more space and better quality of paper. You need to get over the discomfort of "runining" the nice book, but after that it feels amazing.
It may become a bit pricey, but as long as you only buy books you're actually reading it's not that bad.
Thanks so much for this. I’ve watched it twice now 😊. I would love to hear suggestions for annotating audiobooks and library books. I have bought an exceptional journal that’s so exceptional I’m afraid to write in it😂😂😂. So my first book to tackle with your suggestions is The Count Of Monte Cristo. With all those French names, I can’t keep anyone straight so I stopped at chapter 10 until I can figure out how to go about taking notes on this book. Go big or go home I guess!
Hullo Tristan I just finished the lady in white. I liked the count he was a vived character. Hope you and your family have a fun Christmas.
I totally enjoyed this video and definitely learnt a few things that I will try..and I so want that pen..might buy it..thank you and Merry Christmas from America.... YAHOOOOOOOO
I'd instead do what that lovely English gentleman John Campbell does and try an actual fountain pen. Hard to imagine a time before they invented the ballpoint.
Excellent advice as always! I would add a good reading light and chair when you're reading a challenging book, with a pen of course, conversing with the author, characters, etc in the margins. I think it's important to approach challenging texts differently than we do popular books, which I enjoy reading when I just need a fun read. I also want to advocate well made films of novels and especially plays. I may be in the minority but I do think some films are delightful, the actors just bring the character to life. Conversely...when they get it wrong...😮 I hope you and your family have a good holiday. Thank you for advocating high quality reading. ❤
and there's the rub... you don't know if it it "well made" or not until after you have watched it.
In addition to the problem of well made, you might have the problem of the scriptwriter / director is not True to the original story. That, I think, is worse. My primary example is people who watch the 1931 Universal movie _Frankenstein_ and are so disappointed when they read the book. Another is _Starship Troopers_... virtually unrecognizable from movie to book.
@@kurtfox4944 On the other hand, sometimes the books and the movies are so deliciously made that it's well worth consuming them both, even if they're very different. E.g., Gone with the Wind. They add to each other like a magical math where 1 + 1 = 3.
Annotate, think write, speak, review (watch, listen to others)...
I am not good about writing reviews, I will be better about it. I like to journal when I am done about what I got out of the book. I will also start talking about the books I read. Thank you for your advice, you really help me enjoy literature more and more.... I am just dazzled by that pen (I like to write poetry).
I have recently been working on #5. Watching commentary afterwards has really help retainment and comprehension.
Also, you recently recommended A Virgin in the Ice. I’m just finishing it. Excellent midwinter read. I always think I have a broad grasp on literature and then you throw in books I have never heard of. Where do you find all the books you enjoy?
Oh I am pleased that you're enjoying Cadfael. I'm sure you know as many books that I've not heard of, Kimberly. 😀❤️
I agree with all the tips, especially the writing part. I myself have made it a habit with printing some review pages with basic questions, one page per book, and filling it out and numbering them, both the reviews and the books themselves for reference. I'm planning to have a small collection by the end of next year in a binder, and then rereading some of them to see if I can add to those reviews.
Come to think of it, perhaps the works of thousands of years ago that we hold dear now were considered average or even sub average to others living in those days, perhaps it is vanity, but I'm planning on publishing my works one day and hold on to the binder for the future readers, who knows if my sub average work may be counted among the greats simply because it has survived many wars and famines, and perhaps a plague or two. Perhaps it'll be the reference work that archeologists uncover that links all the surviving books they've found from this period and it would solve the mysterious gap of knowledge of the days back in the 21st century, because the internet wouldn't be a thing anymore in that age and we've regressed to using hand tools once again. Just perhaps.
@@Farmynator Or if you become famous someday, then long after you're gone, biographers will eagerly dig through your notes, hoping to learn more about who you are.
What if all your Bks are from the library. How to anotate?
If its a book I'm not going to re-read for a while and ive forgotten some details i will go on Wikipedia and read the plot synopsis otherwise i will reread it.
Perfect ❤
One could also find a copy of the book online, printitout, and annotate that.
Right now I’m trying to read Dubliners by James Joyce. I seem to get hung up in the often involved, polemic and ponderous and sometimes onerous Introductions that invariably precede classical works. In the case of the Dubliners the Introduction is 48 pages and fully annotated. I kind of want to dig right in to the work but feel that I need to at least read some of the introductory stuff. It is not a problem with a normal novel. How do you treat Introductions and any suggestions? Thanks.
Great ideas 🎉🎉
Brilliant))
Great tips, but I must say that I hate to mark up my books. Maybe I could put notes in a notebook.
What is your opinion of reading on a Kindle? Do you think that a Kindle takes away something from the experience of Reading? Or do you think that they are going to revolutionize Reading in future?
Love your work❤️
Good luck.
Thanks forc
The thing about buying cheaper editions is that often the typography is either too small or just terrible. I like the idea of marginalia, but then I’ll have to write on my pretty books… no 😅 I end up writing on notebooks.
Link to annotating video?
Watched it about 3 times
I think the intertextual elements of contemporary novels, so dependent on allusions to earlier texts, is a real struggle. It seems as though if you haven't read every other piece of literature in existence, there is nothing to extract. I'm reading 'Beloved' now, and I'm not a scholar of the Bible, it's a completely wasted experience. Once Tolstoy said "all modern literature is trash. Just read the classics. All regular people can understand and enjoy them." Might as well just move into a cave and take the ancients.
I generally read on my Kindle. I can see better, I always have good lighting and I can change the text size.
This is how my rabbi says you should read the Torah. He said if you are reading it alone, you should be arguing with yourself. I live in a relatively small apartment and I have limited space for more books.
It was grimmer snd grimmer until you hit middlemarche. All is forgiven
🔥🔥🔥
"Take the time to think". Aaaaaaaaaarg. I've been doing that. It's killing me. I read a passage or page or 3, close the book and think. And then fall asleep. And wake up hours later. (Well,usually 15 to 30 minutes later, but, whatever.)
This one's BAD ADVICE!!!
(Just joking: it's important to think about what you are reading: I'd express it more as "active reading", or "involved reading". But, whatever.)
Tristan Shandy???
👏👏👏
You’re slightly wrong about this, mate. But it’s a good channel.
Imagine being so paranoid that you read books to have a conversation with the author.
Get to the point already. Good ideas, but stop trying to sell a promise, or a fact, before actually getting on with it. That's some advice on video-making.
Thank you for the advice.😀👍
I did find the panning for hold analogy a bit off putting, a simple please don't skip between points on this one, I have some great tips for you! Or something like that.
@@carlatate7678 Thank you, I appreciate the feedback 🙏
Uh oh. You can see that we skip ahead? 🫣 Have a very Merry Christmas!
Yes! Google sees everything 😀