Great advice. Can’t believe I’m just learning this at 76 🤨. So 10 pages a night it is! Maybe I’ll cancel my newspaper and read books instead 😊 I’ve only just come across your channel - thank you so much ☺️
or read first in the morning, top of your concentration, with your coffee, to replace the newspaper, or worst, the tv news. The craziness of the world can wait, Eileen reads his bokks! 😉
When I was young I would stay up all night reading. Now I’m 50 and went to audiobooks, but oh I miss a comfy chair, a blanket and a coffee with a good book!
As I've grown older, I've realized that this is the best way to read, savoring the words, conversations, characters. In fact, the whole experience is richer. Bravo for expressing this so well!
You are so right, Anna. I think school trains us to view books in the wrong way. When a child discovers books, they simply love getting lost in the story. At school, they are given books to 'get through' for a test. I think this has a damaging effect.
At so many art exhibitions people walk up to a painting, whip out their mobile phone, take a quick snap and completely ignore what’s hanging in front of them. They then move on to the next one, as if each work photographed is a conquest. It’s extraordinary, though it’s mainly younger people who do it. Perhaps many people take the same approach to reading.
Also, many of the books you mention (Such as Dickens, Thackery, Dumas, etc.) were issued in serial fashion, so the original readers were forced to stop between chapters and wait a week to get the next installment (like an episodic TV show nowadays). This gave the people time to talk to other readers and to think about what might happen next and to reflect on what they had already read (or perhaps to go back a reread something they particularly enjoyed or had trouble understanding; or something they got a new angle on by talking to someone). By all means, take your time reading these great books. Heavens knows the writers took time to produce them. The words were placed there for you to read, not to speed through as fast as you can (Imagine what Dickens would think about that!). He liked to perform his books, which means that they would be delivered at talking speed).
Agreed. Taken in monthly or weekly installments allows you to step away and come back often when reading large books. I find myself screaming at the author to just get on with the story. Michener used to write great stories but he would go off on a tangent story for 10-20 pages and then return to the main plot which, while interesting, was infuriating as well. I resolve some of this by having about 10 books going at the same time and I have very good retention so I am usually back in the story within a page.
He GETS IT. This video was like a psychedelic trip for me because I'm watching a complete stranger on the screen reading my mind. I've been on a reading slump for 4 years, whoring from genre to genre, making reading lists, goals, projects and deflating shortly after. The problems he described are exactly what has been happening to me; I've been a reader all my life so I don't understand why the reason behind this never dying slump. Thank you, Tristan. Know that your video made me feel immensely better.
A few years ago, I re-discovered my love for reading fantasy novels and started to follow BookTubers for recommendations. Because they seemed to fly through so many books in a year, I pressured myself immensely because of my slow reading speed. How could some people read 50, 60, ..., 100 or even more books in a single year while I only manage to read 10? Now that I thought about what you were saying, my mind compared speed reading with reading a summary. You might learn what the book is about but you will never get near the level of satisfaction you reach when you really immersed yourself in the story. You get to know the characters like your family, you suffer with them during their struggles, you get annoyed by their bad decisions, you celebrate with them when they reach their goals, ... building a connection like this takes a lot of time. Thank you so much for this video. I will embrace being a slow reader and enjoy the journey much more!
I recall that John Steinbeck was a slow reader by his own admission. In the back of one of his books, he published some letters with an editor and said this much: "I literally move my lips. Elaine [Steinbeck's wife] can read four books while I mumble through one. But I guess this isn't going to change."
This is exactly what I needed to hear! Goodreads can be toxic, especially when you're trying to hit a certain target of books per year and you just blast through things to get them off of your list. I'm looking forward to savoring my 10 pages a night!
I'm re-listening while I work today. If there were book tube oscars, this would get best video of the year. I cannot express how much I needed to hear all of this. Thank you, Tristan !
tl;dr: If you can't remember story details because it takes you a long time to get through a book, it might be helpful to take some key notes and keep them with the book as you read. Longer version: I'm actually a pretty fast reader (actually too fast sometimes, and I find myself needing to slow down to experience all those lovely nuances) BUT I also have an extremely busy life and sometimes don't have time to read as much as I'd like. I also love long books, so it often happens that I'll read, say, 150 or 200 pages over a couple days then get super busy and not be able to read for a week. When that happens, I often forget who characters are or what their relationships are or other useful details, and it's annoying. So I've developed a habit that might also be helpful for slower readers: I pop a sticky note inside the front cover (usually a pretty large one, and plain, non-sticky paper works fine too) and use it to note down things like character names, place names, family trees, certain dates, and other details that feel like they're important enough that I'll want to remember them for sure. (Side note, this is especially useful with novels that have been translated into English, as the names and places are often unfamiliar to me and therefore hard to remember.) Keeping all this information right IN the book ensures that it's always there for reference when I need it. It's important, I think, to note that I do NOT take extensive notes here AT ALL! I only write information for the most important or recurring characters, I only do family trees when it's both important to the story AND hard to keep track of or remember, I write in words and short phrases rather than sentences and paragraphs, etc. There's certainly a time and place for longer notes, but this isn't it. Just keep it simple, stick to the most important stuff, and I hope you'll find it as helpful as I do.
It’s the journey, not the destination. This true for probably everything in life. When we rush in order to have accomplished something, we not only deprive ourselves of the pleasure of experiencing the journey, but we may even find ourselves unable to reach the sought-after destination. If I don’t take the time to really learn a difficult section of a piano piece, I will never be able to play it well. If I don’t work through a lot of problems, I will never truly understand the science or math subject I am studying. When we are too focused on reaching our goals, we tend to approach the process too superficially, and so we never achieve mastery.
Recently I have found myself reading each word as if I were reading out loud to a child. I got greatly annoyed at myself and tried to speed up. I put this new experience up to aging (I’m 67). But after listening to your video, I realized that I was really slowing down because I was enjoying the book (Middlemarch). I subconsciously wanted to put myself into the story that I was enjoying so much. Thank you for helping to give myself permission to slow down and enjoy. Great video, as usual!
This is a beautiful experience you have shared, Meg. Sometimes, my reading slows down because my mind can not focus or is distracted. This is a real nuisance. But, if I'm slow because I'm hearing a character speak, or I'm trying to visualise in detail, or marvelling at the words, then I have learned to be happy. In truth, even though I took courses to read faster, I still spend most of my time reading with the narrators voice audible in my mind. My aim, I eventually learned, was not to be the most extensively read, but the most appreciatively read. And it is a lesson I cherish above most others.
I sew as a hobby and a long time ago I read a quote from a fellow seamstress that said, "it's your hobby, what's your hurry?" This has always stuck with me. I can be slow at sewing and I'm also a slower reader. I've been working to get back into reading more faithfully and appreciate your videos which have been very encouraging to me.
I also sew as a hobby, I love to read but I’m a slow reader too. The last few years I decided to try audio books so I can sew and read simultaneously. It has given me so much joy doing the two things I love very effectively. This video is so helpful and reminds me to enjoy the process and not worry about finishing it quickly.
Wow, what great insight and advice! You are spot on about this issue. I never realized why I have such difficulty appreciating art, until I listened to your talk. I have, personally, experienced this impatience and discouragement and let them turn me away from both books and even more so from appreciating a painting. I also love what you say about reading Dickens. This is a truly BRILLIANT talk!!!!
"Reading is about the journey." Exactly. I am extremely well read. But that's because I started early and I'm now 54. I am a "slow" reader. I.e. I read at a normal/natural pace. I even reread particularly great prose. I rarely DNF a book, even if I dislike it. Sometimes, I even take notes. My niece reads and logs her words per hour. She has always admired my library. She once asked if I could share my average words/hour, and I told her I have no clue and didn't really understand her question. I told her that I read at the pace the book demands. I think I greatly disappointed her. ;)
I'm a slow-reader, yet I don't let that hinder my reading aspirations. I read War and Peace, I read Middlemarch. I'm currently reading Infinite Jest (and loving it). I don't have the attention span to sit and read for hours, so, as with Middlemarch, since it was serialized, I read 2 pages a day and took 170 pages of notes. With War and Peace I read about 25 pages a day. I figured, to read Infinite Jest in 1 year, I will read 6 pages a day. I don't trouble myself with needing to read a pile of books every year. I just enjoy what I'm reading. If I get antsy, I put the book down. I also read 3 to 5 books at a time. It takes me longer than most people, but I'm not racing. Reading several books at one time is like watching different TV shows in the same day.
This is just what I needed to hear, Tristan! I am, indeed, a slow reader *and* I am also guilty of being impatient while I'm reading. 🤓 Sometimes, it's just because I want to _know_ the ending, but sometimes it's because I want to get on to the next book! 🙄 I really want to learn to savor what I'm reading and the _ten pages in bed_ suggestion sounds like a good place to start. 📚 Thanks so much!
It's a common issue, Lu. The Impatient Nut is a tough one to crack. When you do, though, it opens a bright new world of experience. Let me know how you get on with the 10 pages a day.
Hi Tristan, I am a very slow reader and moderately dyslexic. Recently, I learned to aim for 25 pages a day, this is working really well for me. I am also a deep reader so find myself stopping to think about a passage and perhaps adding a few notes before I go on. Thanks you for all the recommendations I particularly appreciate the advice of short classics that I can read alongside a longer novel. As I use my IPad for reading. At first I used to give myself a 10 minute reading goal every night but found that it was interfering with my enjoyment of the book and often I would fail the task. Since I have dropped the reading goal to 2 minutes I find that I have often read for 30 minutes or more.
This guy is the most educated person I've seen in my entire life. He could well author a book himself. When you do, notify us. I will definitely read them.
I've been doing this for years lol. My friends make fun of me for setting a regimented schedule, but I'm a slow reader and it allows me to get through books.
Clearly some of the best advice (philosophy) on reading. Being a reformed 7 book a weekend reader who has discovered that audio books can be cranked up to double speed, I am taking a deep breath. Yes, life is too short not to enjoy chocolate!
I am 60 and have always been dissatisfied with the speed I read. It's my aim to read much more this year. I have always loved books, even being in the presence of books but never read a classic. I have started with a classic and your advice is so helpful. I have missed out on this wonderful world of books and now cannot get enough. Book tube is also new to me. I am recently retired and look forward to many books or not too many perhaps ; ))
Totally agree. Though I've learned to enjoy meandering through a book, that imp of impatience is ever lurking in some crevice of my mind, waiting to pounce.
Great Advice! I need to slow down and enjoy the journey instead of wanting to rush the process. When I read I am distracted by the pile of books waiting for me. Time is my taskmaster robbing me of the enjoyment of the book. Your video inspired me to really think about "time" and I hope this is helpful: Instead of focusing on my urgency to finish a book, I thought of the author, the time spent writing, researching, and their labor of love that is gifted to me and in turn I need to slow down, savor, and honor their gift.
You are brilliant Tristan!! Just what a slow reader like me needed to hear; that there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s actually a good thing when it comes to the classics! Thank you so much!!
You're so welcome, Sumathi! I'm just delighted that it struck a chord with you. Enjoy the Classics. By all means study the classics. Never ever rush the classics.
Love your 'reading in bed before going to sleep' tip - I have done it for years and love it! And yes, I am a slow reader and I do get impatient when reading books over 400 pages, so I will try to enjoy the process more... wolud be nice!
It does wonders doesn't it? As for overcoming impatience in reading, once I learned to just enjoy a book without needing to rush, I began getting so much more from reading.
Listening to the audiobook as I read along has been incredibly helpful to get me to slow down and really fall into the universe of the book rather than rush through it! 😊
Great advice. I’ve discovered the art of slow reading this year on an online reading group where we read one chapter a day and post our thoughts afterwards. The beauty is you can read a few books at a time 👍
I hit like before the video even started 😅 I am actually a fast reader. I read too fast then forget the whole book shortly after finishing. My goal is to slow myself down. I've read War and Peace twice but don't feel like I really read it. Next year I plan on taking the whole year to read it...one chapter a day. My husband is a slow reader but he remembers every detail of every book..I wish to be more like that. GREAT video as always. So much still applied to me.....that impatience with big books hit home💖
Hey Christina! Great to hear from you as always. Its nice to be able to read quickly, in many ways. However, as you say, sometimes details or atmospheres can get out or become blurry. It took me a long time to be content to be slower. Once I decided that I was going to become a citizen of the pages and sojourn in the story, I started to relish my newfound surroundings. I still get impatient and discontented from time to time, but it passes. The 10 pages in bed has been the greatest reading discovery of my life. It is remarkable how much one can accomplish with that tip alone.
This is so true, I think I am a slow reader ( like 10-20 pages an hour ), I recently completed The Alchemist in a week or maybe 2 more days, when I got to the end, I was shocked that it was a story written in just 130 or so pages, and yet felt like reading a really long emotional and curious journey. It felt very good.
Thank you so much for your advice...as a slow reader I feel much more relaxed and happy! Actually i needed to rediscover the joy of reading without the stress of having to read this or that many books!❤
I’m only eight minutes in, but I have to come in and say this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much. I’ve been focusing way too much on quantity over quality when the only thing I should really be focused on is getting lost in the story.
I am commenting on every video I watch. You are so good at teaching, and explaining, and demonstrating your passion for literature. Honestly, I am learning so much. At 48 I would go back to school again if I had teachers like you. Thank you Tristan.
No comment I could leave would do you justice. You are the personification of contagious enthusiasm, have infectious appreciation and are superlative in general. Thank you.
What a great video, and extremely timely for me. Over the last few months I had realized that I have allowed social media and apps like Goodreads which both quantify and dictate the "it" books to read to impact me negatively, and made me perceive that I was an "inadequate" reader. Ironically enough, I had always been a prolific, diverse reader but that feeling of not reading "fast" enough had made reading less pleasurable lately, than it had been for decades of my life. This video reinforces what I have reminded myself of over the last few months : reading is the journey not the destination.
Beautifully expressed, Eva! Reading should always be personal, enjoyable, and enriching. None of these things are related to speed or quantity. That there are particular books which have endured and appealed to multitudes is a good indicator of what may be worthy of reading. On the other hand, it is often well to follow one's instincts and take the road less travelled. Thank you for sharing your comment, Eva, it is very valuable. 😀
This was a wonderful video, Tristan. I’m a slow, but greedy, reader. My slow reading pace has never bothered me - in fact I’m not even really aware of it. However, since signing up to Goodreads, I’ve found myself constantly checking page numbers. - what page I’m on, and how many I’ve got left. It’s a really annoying and counterproductive habit, one I’m doing my best to break. I’m currently reading Pickwick, Edwin Drood, and at bedtime, Swann’s Way, which I’m reading at around 4 pages a night, because it’s so rich. Why would anyone want to gallop through Dickens or Proust?! Thank you for the tips, you have a beautiful way of putting things. I particularly love the sightseeing analogy! (And now I want a chocolate…)
Thank you, Chrissy. It's wonderful that you are a contented reader. It adorns the reading experience so well. As for Goodreads and the like, I know what you mean. For some reason, these platforms (and I include youtube, for me) can make reading become a competition, or at least a comparative exercise. Keep wandering among the pages of your books, Chrissy. I'd rather live in the shadow of one wonder for months than have just 30 seconds in front of 100 wonders.
I’ve found that the Reading Challenge for Goodreads can be really intimidating & I end up read in g to fulfill that number. I haven’t really made a reading goal the last few years because I never met it & got in a big reading slump lol
I am so happy I have found your videos. This year I am getting into the classics for the first time. (By the way I am 76). I love your enthusiasm and in describing how to read by savouring the story, experiencing everything rather than reading it to say you have read it. Thank you for your videos I am loving and learning from all of them.
This video is so amazing and inspiring!😅👏. You're so right. This is exactly my problem. I am so impatient!! You deserve so much more recognition. Love your content. You're incredible!👏 🎉😊
Thanks Tristan! I’m a very slow reader and to protect myself from the uncomfortable comments like “Are you still reading that book?” I answer “I like to savor my books” I read Anna Karenina this year. 🎉 I just set one chapter every day or so. I’m so glad I read this book. It’s just amazing! I think I could reread it. Next is David Copperfield. Thanks for your channel. Take care.
That's a great way to answer.😀 Anna K is just divine and I want to reread it soon. Let me know how you get on with Copperfield. Dickens characters are like no other.
My sister actually got on me about reading slowly when I was proofreading a 4-page story for my friend, and it took me some time to not get offended and to say “so what”.
Man, I loved listening to you. While watching it I have realized that I have also fallen into this trap of trying to read faster than necessary, just to finish the book and not enjoying it enough. At the samt time I have also realized the beauty of slowing down in this fast paced world nowadays. It calms, it gives your mind space to create this beautiful story in your mind and live in it. Thank you for reminding!
I can't even enjoy reading because it's too exhausting going that slow, but the brains won't give a sh**. So no, I'm just slow and trying to find a way.
Thanks for posting. I’m a painfully slow reader. However, one advantage I find is that during a slow read, the book becomes part of my life. I’m currently doing a slow re read of Great Expectations I now notice various aspects of the characters I hadn’t seen before. So for me, slow reading has huge benefits
Thank you for sharing not only your helpful tips for us "slow" readers but also your contagious and earnest enthusiasm for great literature! I absolutely love your channel.
I can absolutely confirm impatience was ruining my reading experience. I had a year where I read 50 books (mostly thrillers) and thought that I should be able to keep that pace with everything I read. Then, when I looked back at those 50 books later I couldn’t remember any details and in some cases forgot the stories completely. I actually like long novels because I get to know the characters and remember details much longer. I read The Count of Monte Cristo this year and am shocked at how much I still remember, because the book was longer. I made a decision earlier in the year to lower my reading goal on Goodreads and enjoy the books as I was reading them. I just finished Villette and loved it - Gorgeous writing, but the whole book feels like you are meandering around the main character, Lucy Snowe’s, life and thoughts. I would NOT have enjoyed it if I read it with the intention of just finding out what happens. Really appreciate your video and thoughts on this!
Thanks for sharing this experience, Tuesday. You defined so well the pressure that we seem to put upon ourselves. More, more, more, is too often the motto we live by. When, in fact, it should be, Slower, Better, Happier. This media doesn't help either. We instinctively compare ourselves with others and become disgruntled with our own efforts. But once contentment is found, the rewards are so much the better.
I have considered myself a “somewhat fast reader” but have gotten in books and savored so I do know what it is like but now after this I want to “experience more” and will slow down. Sometimes I read a book and then a few months later I struggle to remember things. Thanks for the reminder and the tip on enjoying a chocolate.
A great analogy with viewing paintings in a gallery. The average time looking at a notable work of art ranges between 17-27 seconds. Interestingly a Louvre study concluded that, on average, attendees viewed the Mona Lisa for 15 seconds. This may partially be attributed to the large number of people queuing up to see the painting of course. However , you made a decent point Tristan!
Whether you are a natural teacher or developed in such a way that you became one, the bottom line is that a person, unless not paying any attention at all, learns and acquires valuable help from your videos. Your spirit for reading, your reading experience, and understanding from reading and enjoying it have you as effective as any human being could be in leading listeners to advance in their desire to become more able, involved, and evolved as richer readers.
Great insight and advice. A side note here: everything Tristan is saying about reading can be equally applied to how one lives his or her life. The impatience and "dissatisfaction" distracts from understanding that the journey through the book, not the arrival at the end and finishing of it, is the purpose. Relax and enjoy the writer's art, style, method, and story, etc. rather that arriving at, as Tristan says, the "having read" the book.
Perfect! I love reading, the joy of being inside a good story. In fact, there is a sense of loss when I turn the last page and have to leave that world, so sometimes I wish to be a slower reader.
Very inspirational and motivating for a slow and frustrated reader such as myself. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is midway between my office and home. After work, I would spend an hour in a single room quietly studying each of the paintings; a different room each day. Your video inspires me to apply the same practice to my readings.
This is good news indeed, Anders. So pleased that thus resonated with you. Much of the time, we are frustrated because we feel that we should be somewhere other than where we currently are. Nearly always, those expectations are false. Funnily enough, the book Great Expectations has this as a constant idea. Love that you spend such thoughtful time in the Museum. You have a mind that yearns to appreciate and wonder. What a golden gift!!!
I would say that this is Best Advice for Fast Readers too!! You have inspired me to just...slow...down. I just started reading Rosamond Lehmann's the Weather in the Streets, slowly, and I'm already noticing and appreciating things I probably would have missed before. Thank you so much for this!! (I may eat my next chocolate a little more slowly too!😅)
This was so nice to hear, Kristen. Thank you. Reading at an intentionally slower pace; ambling through the pages at leisure, is a very satisfying experience. Trying to eat chocolate more slowly, on the other hand, is a much harder task 😅
Great video! Two months ago, I started reading Great Expectations (I am not a native English reader) and then I had a lot on my plate and couldn´t go on at my usual reading speed but now I´ve returned to the book. I felt a bit guilty but I can´t and won´t finish it faster than usual. I like the novel a lot, only two fragment where difficult because of a lack of background knowledge.
Brilliant, Sabine! Well done for not hurrying to finish. Dickens is especially worth taking time over. Learn to love his characters. Pay attention to their little habits of speech or behaviour, like Wemmick and his almost deaf father, living in their house, which they've tried to make look like a castle. Spend time in the dining room at Miss Havisham's, where the wedding cake and spiders are. It's a splendid world which should be enjoyed.
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Thank you Tristan. I actually do like the Aged Parent a lot, and Wemmick of course. So delightful. Looking forward to your next video!
What you point out, in any and all videos of yours, is always insightful and helpful for whatever aspect of reading you want to speak to viewers about. Always especially worthwhile and helpful.
First, this man has been looking over my shoulder as I have attempted large books in the past. Thank you for the great advice. Tristan is a wonderful spokesman for reading the classics..
Tristanandtheclassics, I must have read this and copied it on the front page of The Count of Monte Christo a few years ago. It is from Samuel Johnson's Miscellaneous Essays, but I believe it is appropriate for slow readers: " The true art of memory is the art of attention . No man will read with much advantage, who is not able, at pleasure, to evacuate his mind, or who brings not to his author an intellect defecated and pure, neither turbid with care not agitated by pleasure ? If the mind is employed in the past or future, the book will held before the eyes in vain ". This is so true for those who try to hurry their reading, too. Anxiety to finish a book to get to the next one (eg: a TBR list) will not remember much of what he has read !
I’ve been SLOWLY working my way through Middlemarch for the past couple of months. I still have a long way to go as I have put a few shorter books in there too… but I’m really focusing on savoring my first time through MM. Great video as usual!
You got this, Jill! Middlemarch is worth the endeavour. It can feel disjointed at times, but reading it slowly and observing the many characters and attitudes, is surprisingly revealing. It's a book that keeps growing - especially if you ever read it again in the future.
Such great advice! You just saved me, because I just joined a classic literature Patreon book club, and I’m so excited to do it, since I just retired, but I haven’t read a novel in 50 years. I was ready to give it up until I listened to you in this video. Thank you for helping me to see what I need to do. I will shift my thinking to your suggestion of living IN the novel, and not worry about my slow reading speed. I want to delve deep into this great classical literature. I am very grateful for your advice . thank you
Such good advice...not just for reading, but for life! Wizzing through life and trying to reach an end goal instead of savoring the present ruins the experience! Thanks, Tristan, for your thoughtful insight.
I LOVED IT! I posted on Fb.
Thank you SO much. I really appreciate it 😊 🙏
@tristanandtheclassics,
I sincerely apologize.
Kind regards.
Great advice. Can’t believe I’m just learning this at 76 🤨. So 10 pages a night it is! Maybe I’ll cancel my newspaper and read books instead 😊 I’ve only just come across your channel - thank you so much ☺️
or read first in the morning, top of your concentration, with your coffee, to replace the newspaper, or worst, the tv news. The craziness of the world can wait, Eileen reads his bokks! 😉
When I was young I would stay up all night reading. Now I’m 50 and went to audiobooks, but oh I miss a comfy chair, a blanket and a coffee with a good book!
“Treat a work of art like a prince: let it speak to you first.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer
Wow! Great quote.
Treat an aphorism by Schopenhauer like Prince. Let it do what it wants in an elevator.
As I've grown older, I've realized that this is the best way to read, savoring the words, conversations, characters. In fact, the whole experience is richer. Bravo for expressing this so well!
You are so right, Anna. I think school trains us to view books in the wrong way. When a child discovers books, they simply love getting lost in the story. At school, they are given books to 'get through' for a test. I think this has a damaging effect.
I completely agree with you. It is one of the lessons which I've learnt in my journey of classics to "RELISH EVERY WORD"
At so many art exhibitions people walk up to a painting, whip out their mobile phone, take a quick snap and completely ignore what’s hanging in front of them. They then move on to the next one, as if each work photographed is a conquest. It’s extraordinary, though it’s mainly younger people who do it. Perhaps many people take the same approach to reading.
What a wonderful analogy, thank you!
Slow reader here and this definitely inspired me to be more mindful about what I'm reading and be more immersed in the experience so thank you :)
Hi, Sayona. I'm so pleased that you found this helpful. I wish you great enjoyment in your reading this year.
29:47
Also, many of the books you mention (Such as Dickens, Thackery, Dumas, etc.) were issued in serial fashion, so the original readers were forced to stop between chapters and wait a week to get the next installment (like an episodic TV show nowadays). This gave the people time to talk to other readers and to think about what might happen next and to reflect on what they had already read (or perhaps to go back a reread something they particularly enjoyed or had trouble understanding; or something they got a new angle on by talking to someone). By all means, take your time reading these great books. Heavens knows the writers took time to produce them. The words were placed there for you to read, not to speed through as fast as you can (Imagine what Dickens would think about that!). He liked to perform his books, which means that they would be delivered at talking speed).
😅
Agreed. Taken in monthly or weekly installments allows you to step away and come back often when reading large books. I find myself screaming at the author to just get on with the story. Michener used to write great stories but he would go off on a tangent story for 10-20 pages and then return to the main plot which, while interesting, was infuriating as well. I resolve some of this by having about 10 books going at the same time and I have very good retention so I am usually back in the story within a page.
Your channel is a gift. Keep doing what you're doing, Tristan!
Thank you, that is so kind!
He GETS IT. This video was like a psychedelic trip for me because I'm watching a complete stranger on the screen reading my mind. I've been on a reading slump for 4 years, whoring from genre to genre, making reading lists, goals, projects and deflating shortly after. The problems he described are exactly what has been happening to me; I've been a reader all my life so I don't understand why the reason behind this never dying slump.
Thank you, Tristan. Know that your video made me feel immensely better.
A few years ago, I re-discovered my love for reading fantasy novels and started to follow BookTubers for recommendations. Because they seemed to fly through so many books in a year, I pressured myself immensely because of my slow reading speed. How could some people read 50, 60, ..., 100 or even more books in a single year while I only manage to read 10?
Now that I thought about what you were saying, my mind compared speed reading with reading a summary. You might learn what the book is about but you will never get near the level of satisfaction you reach when you really immersed yourself in the story. You get to know the characters like your family, you suffer with them during their struggles, you get annoyed by their bad decisions, you celebrate with them when they reach their goals, ... building a connection like this takes a lot of time.
Thank you so much for this video. I will embrace being a slow reader and enjoy the journey much more!
What matters is discipline. Just do it! Educate yourself. Never trust others to educate...
I recall that John Steinbeck was a slow reader by his own admission. In the back of one of his books, he published some letters with an editor and said this much: "I literally move my lips. Elaine [Steinbeck's wife] can read four books while I mumble through one. But I guess this isn't going to change."
That's fascinating. Thank you. Really interesting. 😀👍
This is exactly what I needed to hear! Goodreads can be toxic, especially when you're trying to hit a certain target of books per year and you just blast through things to get them off of your list. I'm looking forward to savoring my 10 pages a night!
Good for you, Eric. Hope you enjoy your reading even more 😊
I'm re-listening while I work today.
If there were book tube oscars, this would get best video of the year.
I cannot express how much I needed to hear all of this.
Thank you, Tristan !
You are wonderful, Christina. I hope that you discover some gold bullion in your backyard.😀
'What matters is you keep reading, and enjoy the story'. Excellent advice. Thank you Tristan.
tl;dr: If you can't remember story details because it takes you a long time to get through a book, it might be helpful to take some key notes and keep them with the book as you read.
Longer version: I'm actually a pretty fast reader (actually too fast sometimes, and I find myself needing to slow down to experience all those lovely nuances) BUT I also have an extremely busy life and sometimes don't have time to read as much as I'd like. I also love long books, so it often happens that I'll read, say, 150 or 200 pages over a couple days then get super busy and not be able to read for a week. When that happens, I often forget who characters are or what their relationships are or other useful details, and it's annoying.
So I've developed a habit that might also be helpful for slower readers: I pop a sticky note inside the front cover (usually a pretty large one, and plain, non-sticky paper works fine too) and use it to note down things like character names, place names, family trees, certain dates, and other details that feel like they're important enough that I'll want to remember them for sure. (Side note, this is especially useful with novels that have been translated into English, as the names and places are often unfamiliar to me and therefore hard to remember.) Keeping all this information right IN the book ensures that it's always there for reference when I need it.
It's important, I think, to note that I do NOT take extensive notes here AT ALL! I only write information for the most important or recurring characters, I only do family trees when it's both important to the story AND hard to keep track of or remember, I write in words and short phrases rather than sentences and paragraphs, etc. There's certainly a time and place for longer notes, but this isn't it. Just keep it simple, stick to the most important stuff, and I hope you'll find it as helpful as I do.
It’s the journey, not the destination. This true for probably everything in life. When we rush in order to have accomplished something, we not only deprive ourselves of the pleasure of experiencing the journey, but we may even find ourselves unable to reach the sought-after destination. If I don’t take the time to really learn a difficult section of a piano piece, I will never be able to play it well. If I don’t work through a lot of problems, I will never truly understand the science or math subject I am studying. When we are too focused on reaching our goals, we tend to approach the process too superficially, and so we never achieve mastery.
Beautifully expressed 😊❤️👍
Recently I have found myself reading each word as if I were reading out loud to a child. I got greatly annoyed at myself and tried to speed up. I put this new experience up to aging (I’m 67). But after listening to your video, I realized that I was really slowing down because I was enjoying the book (Middlemarch). I subconsciously wanted to put myself into the story that I was enjoying so much. Thank you for helping to give myself permission to slow down and enjoy. Great video, as usual!
This is a beautiful experience you have shared, Meg. Sometimes, my reading slows down because my mind can not focus or is distracted. This is a real nuisance. But, if I'm slow because I'm hearing a character speak, or I'm trying to visualise in detail, or marvelling at the words, then I have learned to be happy. In truth, even though I took courses to read faster, I still spend most of my time reading with the narrators voice audible in my mind.
My aim, I eventually learned, was not to be the most extensively read, but the most appreciatively read. And it is a lesson I cherish above most others.
totally agree. what's the big damn rush?
I love this comment!
I sew as a hobby and a long time ago I read a quote from a fellow seamstress that said, "it's your hobby, what's your hurry?" This has always stuck with me. I can be slow at sewing and I'm also a slower reader. I've been working to get back into reading more faithfully and appreciate your videos which have been very encouraging to me.
I also sew as a hobby, I love to read but I’m a slow reader too. The last few years I decided to try audio books so I can sew and read simultaneously. It has given me so much joy doing the two things I love very effectively. This video is so helpful and reminds me to enjoy the process and not worry about finishing it quickly.
@FredaM yes, audio books are fantastic in the sewing room!❤️
Wow, what great insight and advice! You are spot on about this issue. I never realized why I have such difficulty appreciating art, until I listened to your talk. I have, personally, experienced this impatience and discouragement and let them turn me away from both books and even more so from appreciating a painting. I also love what you say about reading Dickens. This is a truly BRILLIANT talk!!!!
"Reading is about the journey."
Exactly. I am extremely well read. But that's because I started early and I'm now 54. I am a "slow" reader. I.e. I read at a normal/natural pace. I even reread particularly great prose. I rarely DNF a book, even if I dislike it. Sometimes, I even take notes.
My niece reads and logs her words per hour. She has always admired my library. She once asked if I could share my average words/hour, and I told her I have no clue and didn't really understand her question. I told her that I read at the pace the book demands. I think I greatly disappointed her. ;)
Sir, you remind me of the teacher in the movie dead poet's society. Great to have you as a teacher in UA-cam. ❤
I'm a slow-reader, yet I don't let that hinder my reading aspirations. I read War and Peace, I read Middlemarch. I'm currently reading Infinite Jest (and loving it). I don't have the attention span to sit and read for hours, so, as with Middlemarch, since it was serialized, I read 2 pages a day and took 170 pages of notes. With War and Peace I read about 25 pages a day. I figured, to read Infinite Jest in 1 year, I will read 6 pages a day. I don't trouble myself with needing to read a pile of books every year. I just enjoy what I'm reading. If I get antsy, I put the book down. I also read 3 to 5 books at a time. It takes me longer than most people, but I'm not racing. Reading several books at one time is like watching different TV shows in the same day.
This is just what I needed to hear, Tristan! I am, indeed, a slow reader *and* I am also guilty of being impatient while I'm reading. 🤓 Sometimes, it's just because I want to _know_ the ending, but sometimes it's because I want to get on to the next book! 🙄 I really want to learn to savor what I'm reading and the _ten pages in bed_ suggestion sounds like a good place to start. 📚 Thanks so much!
It's a common issue, Lu. The Impatient Nut is a tough one to crack. When you do, though, it opens a bright new world of experience. Let me know how you get on with the 10 pages a day.
Hi Tristan, I am a very slow reader and moderately dyslexic. Recently, I learned to aim for 25 pages a day, this is working really well for me. I am also a deep reader so find myself stopping to think about a passage and perhaps adding a few notes before I go on. Thanks you for all the recommendations I particularly appreciate the advice of short classics that I can read alongside a longer novel. As I use my IPad for reading. At first I used to give myself a 10 minute reading goal every night but found that it was interfering with my enjoyment of the book and often I would fail the task. Since I have dropped the reading goal to 2 minutes I find that I have often read for 30 minutes or more.
I am a super slow reader and your video is a fantastic inspiration to me! Thank you so much for all the efforts you've made ♥️♥️
So pleased that you found it useful, Sunny. Remember, speed is not the important factor, enjoyment is.
This guy is the most educated person I've seen in my entire life.
He could well author a book himself. When you do, notify us. I will definitely read them.
I've been doing this for years lol. My friends make fun of me for setting a regimented schedule, but I'm a slow reader and it allows me to get through books.
Good for you Michael. Its better to enjoy books than torture oneself to read more.
Clearly some of the best advice (philosophy) on reading. Being a reformed 7 book a weekend reader who has discovered that audio books can be cranked up to double speed, I am taking a deep breath. Yes, life is too short not to enjoy chocolate!
I am 60 and have always been dissatisfied with the speed I read. It's my aim to read much more this year. I have always loved books, even being in the presence of books but never read a classic. I have started with a classic and your advice is so helpful. I have missed out on this wonderful world of books and now cannot get enough. Book tube is also new to me. I am recently retired and look forward to many books or not too many perhaps ; ))
Fabulous advice. I’m a slow reader, but I have more time than the average person to read. But I still feel that impatience at not reading faster.
Totally agree. Though I've learned to enjoy meandering through a book, that imp of impatience is ever lurking in some crevice of my mind, waiting to pounce.
Great Advice! I need to slow down and enjoy the journey instead of wanting to rush the process. When I read I am distracted by the pile of books waiting for me. Time is my taskmaster robbing me of the enjoyment of the book. Your video inspired me to really think about "time" and I hope this is helpful: Instead of focusing on my urgency to finish a book, I thought of the author, the time spent writing, researching, and their labor of love that is gifted to me and in turn I need to slow down, savor, and honor their gift.
You are brilliant Tristan!! Just what a slow reader like me needed to hear; that there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s actually a good thing when it comes to the classics! Thank you so much!!
You're so welcome, Sumathi! I'm just delighted that it struck a chord with you. Enjoy the Classics. By all means study the classics. Never ever rush the classics.
Love your 'reading in bed before going to sleep' tip - I have done it for years and love it!
And yes, I am a slow reader and I do get impatient when reading books over 400 pages, so I will try to enjoy the process more... wolud be nice!
It does wonders doesn't it? As for overcoming impatience in reading, once I learned to just enjoy a book without needing to rush, I began getting so much more from reading.
Listening to the audiobook as I read along has been incredibly helpful to get me to slow down and really fall into the universe of the book rather than rush through it! 😊
Great advice. I’ve discovered the art of slow reading this year on an online reading group where we read one chapter a day and post our thoughts afterwards. The beauty is you can read a few books at a time 👍
Oh my word, you have described me - to a “T” ! You are a treasure, nicely done.
I find reading along with an audiobook helpful. I seem to retain more with that method.
That's actually been verified in numerous studies.
I hit like before the video even started 😅
I am actually a fast reader. I read too fast then forget the whole book shortly after finishing.
My goal is to slow myself down. I've read War and Peace twice but don't feel like I really read it.
Next year I plan on taking the whole year to read it...one chapter a day.
My husband is a slow reader but he remembers every detail of every book..I wish to be more like that.
GREAT video as always. So much still applied to me.....that impatience with big books hit home💖
Hey Christina! Great to hear from you as always. Its nice to be able to read quickly, in many ways. However, as you say, sometimes details or atmospheres can get out or become blurry.
It took me a long time to be content to be slower. Once I decided that I was going to become a citizen of the pages and sojourn in the story, I started to relish my newfound surroundings.
I still get impatient and discontented from time to time, but it passes. The 10 pages in bed has been the greatest reading discovery of my life. It is remarkable how much one can accomplish with that tip alone.
"I am living in the book" ...this needs to be on a t-shirt 😎
@@radiantchristina I'll have to make some merchandise 😅
Annnnnd now I want chocolate 🤗
@@radiantchristina 🤣🤣🤣
This is so true, I think I am a slow reader ( like 10-20 pages an hour ), I recently completed The Alchemist in a week or maybe 2 more days, when I got to the end, I was shocked that it was a story written in just 130 or so pages, and yet felt like reading a really long emotional and curious journey.
It felt very good.
Thank you so much for your advice...as a slow reader I feel much more relaxed and happy! Actually i needed to rediscover the joy of reading without the stress of having to read this or that many books!❤
I’m only eight minutes in, but I have to come in and say this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much. I’ve been focusing way too much on quantity over quality when the only thing I should really be focused on is getting lost in the story.
I am commenting on every video I watch. You are so good at teaching, and explaining, and demonstrating your passion for literature. Honestly, I am learning so much. At 48 I would go back to school again if I had teachers like you. Thank you Tristan.
Wow, thank you! I really appreciate your kindness and support. Thank you so much, Cara.❤️😀
No comment I could leave would do you justice. You are the personification of contagious enthusiasm, have infectious appreciation and are superlative in general. Thank you.
“We start off all pep and ginger and vim.” Isn’t that the truth with all of us!❤
What a great video, and extremely timely for me. Over the last few months I had realized that I have allowed social media and apps like Goodreads which both quantify and dictate the "it" books to read to impact me negatively, and made me perceive that I was an "inadequate" reader. Ironically enough, I had always been a prolific, diverse reader but that feeling of not reading "fast" enough had made reading less pleasurable lately, than it had been for decades of my life. This video reinforces what I have reminded myself of over the last few months : reading is the journey not the destination.
Beautifully expressed, Eva! Reading should always be personal, enjoyable, and enriching. None of these things are related to speed or quantity.
That there are particular books which have endured and appealed to multitudes is a good indicator of what may be worthy of reading. On the other hand, it is often well to follow one's instincts and take the road less travelled.
Thank you for sharing your comment, Eva, it is very valuable. 😀
This was a wonderful video, Tristan. I’m a slow, but greedy, reader. My slow reading pace has never bothered me - in fact I’m not even really aware of it. However, since signing up to Goodreads, I’ve found myself constantly checking page numbers. - what page I’m on, and how many I’ve got left. It’s a really annoying and counterproductive habit, one I’m doing my best to break. I’m currently reading Pickwick, Edwin Drood, and at bedtime, Swann’s Way, which I’m reading at around 4 pages a night, because it’s so rich. Why would anyone want to gallop through Dickens or Proust?! Thank you for the tips, you have a beautiful way of putting things. I particularly love the sightseeing analogy! (And now I want a chocolate…)
Thank you, Chrissy. It's wonderful that you are a contented reader. It adorns the reading experience so well. As for Goodreads and the like, I know what you mean. For some reason, these platforms (and I include youtube, for me) can make reading become a competition, or at least a comparative exercise.
Keep wandering among the pages of your books, Chrissy. I'd rather live in the shadow of one wonder for months than have just 30 seconds in front of 100 wonders.
I’ve found that the Reading Challenge for Goodreads can be really intimidating & I end up read in g to fulfill that number. I haven’t really made a reading goal the last few years because I never met it & got in a big reading slump lol
I am so happy I have found your videos. This year I am getting into the classics for the first time. (By the way I am 76). I love your enthusiasm and in describing how to read by savouring the story, experiencing everything rather than reading it to say you have read it. Thank you for your videos I am loving and learning from all of them.
I'm a slow reader. I'm slow generally. Sometimes I can't even be bothered to finish my
😂 I see what you did there!
lol
Clever!
I love your channel! You’re absolutely right!
Thank you, Natascia. I really appreciate your support and kindness.
This video is so amazing and inspiring!😅👏. You're so right. This is exactly my problem. I am so impatient!! You deserve so much more recognition. Love your content. You're incredible!👏 🎉😊
“A citizen of its pages.” I just love your channel!
Profound life advice here that transcends far beyond the domain of reading books.
I am definitely a slow reader. Especially since I like to reread a sentence or a word that is beautiful or impactful to me. I learned to love it!
I also like to try recipes mentioned in the books I am reading.
That must add a special dimension to the book.😃
Thanks Tristan! I’m a very slow reader and to protect myself from the uncomfortable comments like “Are you still reading that book?” I answer “I like to savor my books” I read Anna Karenina this year. 🎉 I just set one chapter every day or so. I’m so glad I read this book. It’s just amazing! I think I could reread it. Next is David Copperfield. Thanks for your channel. Take care.
That's a great way to answer.😀 Anna K is just divine and I want to reread it soon. Let me know how you get on with Copperfield. Dickens characters are like no other.
My sister actually got on me about reading slowly when I was proofreading a 4-page story for my friend, and it took me some time to not get offended and to say “so what”.
Thank you, Great Advice, I am a slow reader but you have given me confidence to read on and enjoy what I read. Thanks again, Gary
Wonderful!
Setting realistic goals, so very important.
This video needs 100x the views it has. Probably the best reading advice video I've ever seen. So necessary in our modern content binging world.
You're a wonderful mentor!!
I'm humbly greatful.
Thank you.
Something new and more, than I could have said myself. Thank you.
Be a citizen of a book's pages - I love that concept.
Man, I loved listening to you. While watching it I have realized that I have also fallen into this trap of trying to read faster than necessary, just to finish the book and not enjoying it enough. At the samt time I have also realized the beauty of slowing down in this fast paced world nowadays. It calms, it gives your mind space to create this beautiful story in your mind and live in it. Thank you for reminding!
Tristan, you have made me feel so much better. I have started reading again and enjoying it. Peter
Thank you, Peter. You have no idea how rewarding it is for me to receive a comment like this. I appreciate it greatly.
I am a slow reader. Thank you for this, it makes me feel so proud, so much better
Impatience and Dissatisfaction, Emily Austen’s greatest work.
Jerome and the Water Cooler by Gabriel Kay Garcia Marquis is worth checking out.
Thank you for this perspective! 🤯
Thank you too ☺️ I'm pleased you enjoyed it.
My best advice to slow readers would be to stop regarding yourself as a 'slow' reader, but rather a careful and attentive reader.
Thank you I like your advice ❤
I can't even enjoy reading because it's too exhausting going that slow, but the brains won't give a sh**. So no, I'm just slow and trying to find a way.
Thanks for posting. I’m a painfully slow reader. However, one advantage I find is that during a slow read, the book becomes part of my life. I’m currently doing a slow re read of Great Expectations I now notice various aspects of the characters I hadn’t seen before. So for me, slow reading has huge benefits
Thank you for sharing not only your helpful tips for us "slow" readers but also your contagious and earnest enthusiasm for great literature! I absolutely love your channel.
I can absolutely confirm impatience was ruining my reading experience. I had a year where I read 50 books (mostly thrillers) and thought that I should be able to keep that pace with everything I read. Then, when I looked back at those 50 books later I couldn’t remember any details and in some cases forgot the stories completely. I actually like long novels because I get to know the characters and remember details much longer. I read The Count of Monte Cristo this year and am shocked at how much I still remember, because the book was longer. I made a decision earlier in the year to lower my reading goal on Goodreads and enjoy the books as I was reading them. I just finished Villette and loved it - Gorgeous writing, but the whole book feels like you are meandering around the main character, Lucy Snowe’s, life and thoughts. I would NOT have enjoyed it if I read it with the intention of just finding out what happens. Really appreciate your video and thoughts on this!
Thanks for sharing this experience, Tuesday. You defined so well the pressure that we seem to put upon ourselves. More, more, more, is too often the motto we live by. When, in fact, it should be, Slower, Better, Happier.
This media doesn't help either. We instinctively compare ourselves with others and become disgruntled with our own efforts. But once contentment is found, the rewards are so much the better.
I have considered myself a “somewhat fast reader” but have gotten in books and savored so I do know what it is like but now after this I want to “experience more” and will slow down. Sometimes I read a book and then a few months later I struggle to remember things. Thanks for the reminder and the tip on enjoying a chocolate.
A great analogy with viewing paintings in a gallery.
The average time looking at a notable work of art ranges between 17-27 seconds. Interestingly a Louvre study concluded that, on average, attendees viewed the Mona Lisa for 15 seconds. This may partially be attributed to the large number of people queuing up to see the painting of course. However , you made a decent point Tristan!
Thank you for this.
You are more than welcome. Thank you for commenting 😀
This is exactly what I needed to hear as a slow reader. Onward and upward to proceeding through my book collection!
Whether you are a natural teacher or developed in such a way that you became one, the bottom line is that a person, unless not paying any attention at all, learns and acquires valuable help from your videos. Your spirit for reading, your reading experience, and understanding from reading and enjoying it have you as effective as any human being could be in leading listeners to advance in their desire to become more able, involved, and evolved as richer readers.
Great insight and advice. A side note here: everything Tristan is saying about reading can be equally applied to how one lives his or her life. The impatience and "dissatisfaction" distracts from understanding that the journey through the book, not the arrival at the end and finishing of it, is the purpose. Relax and enjoy the writer's art, style, method, and story, etc. rather that arriving at, as Tristan says, the "having read" the book.
Another great reading video... thank you.
You are so welcome
Perfect! I love reading, the joy of being inside a good story. In fact, there is a sense of loss when I turn the last page and have to leave that world, so sometimes I wish to be a slower reader.
Very inspirational and motivating for a slow and frustrated reader such as myself. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is midway between my office and home. After work, I would spend an hour in a single room quietly studying each of the paintings; a different room each day. Your video inspires me to apply the same practice to my readings.
This is good news indeed, Anders. So pleased that thus resonated with you. Much of the time, we are frustrated because we feel that we should be somewhere other than where we currently are. Nearly always, those expectations are false. Funnily enough, the book Great Expectations has this as a constant idea.
Love that you spend such thoughtful time in the Museum. You have a mind that yearns to appreciate and wonder. What a golden gift!!!
Great points! Thank you!
Pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it.
Wow!!! Thank you!❤
You are welcome. I'm pleased you enjoyed the video.
I would say that this is Best Advice for Fast Readers too!! You have inspired me to just...slow...down. I just started reading Rosamond Lehmann's the Weather in the Streets, slowly, and I'm already noticing and appreciating things I probably would have missed before. Thank you so much for this!! (I may eat my next chocolate a little more slowly too!😅)
This was so nice to hear, Kristen. Thank you. Reading at an intentionally slower pace; ambling through the pages at leisure, is a very satisfying experience.
Trying to eat chocolate more slowly, on the other hand, is a much harder task 😅
Tristan, you've just solved the riddle of my reading problems. Thank you!
So pleased you found it helpful 😀
Great video! Two months ago, I started reading Great Expectations (I am not a native English reader) and then I had a lot on my plate and couldn´t go on at my usual reading speed but now I´ve returned to the book. I felt a bit guilty but I can´t and won´t finish it faster than usual. I like the novel a lot, only two fragment where difficult because of a lack of background knowledge.
Brilliant, Sabine! Well done for not hurrying to finish. Dickens is especially worth taking time over. Learn to love his characters. Pay attention to their little habits of speech or behaviour, like Wemmick and his almost deaf father, living in their house, which they've tried to make look like a castle. Spend time in the dining room at Miss Havisham's, where the wedding cake and spiders are. It's a splendid world which should be enjoyed.
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Thank you Tristan. I actually do like the Aged Parent a lot, and Wemmick of course. So delightful. Looking forward to your next video!
Thank you. Very helpful
Glad it was helpful!
What you point out, in any and all videos of yours, is always insightful and helpful for whatever aspect of reading you want to speak to viewers about. Always especially worthwhile and helpful.
You’re right! I never realized it but you’re so right: I skip, I check how much is still left, I re-read - that’s because I’m impatient
You are the best Tristan!!!
So are you, Sylvia. 😀❤️
First, this man has been looking over my shoulder as I have attempted large books in the past. Thank you for the great advice. Tristan is a wonderful spokesman for reading the classics..
Tristanandtheclassics,
I must have read this and copied it on the front page of The Count of Monte Christo a few years ago. It is from Samuel Johnson's Miscellaneous Essays, but I believe it is appropriate for slow readers:
" The true art of memory is the art of attention . No man will read with much advantage, who is not able, at pleasure, to evacuate his mind, or who brings not to his author an intellect defecated and pure, neither turbid with care not agitated by pleasure ? If the mind is employed in the past or future, the book will held before the eyes in vain ".
This is so true for those who try to hurry their reading, too. Anxiety to finish a book to get to the next one (eg: a TBR list) will not remember much of what he has read !
I’ve been SLOWLY working my way through Middlemarch for the past couple of months. I still have a long way to go as I have put a few shorter books in there too… but I’m really focusing on savoring my first time through MM. Great video as usual!
You got this, Jill! Middlemarch is worth the endeavour. It can feel disjointed at times, but reading it slowly and observing the many characters and attitudes, is surprisingly revealing. It's a book that keeps growing - especially if you ever read it again in the future.
Such great advice! You just saved me, because I just joined a classic literature Patreon book club, and I’m so excited to do it, since I just retired, but I haven’t read a novel in 50 years. I was ready to give it up until I listened to you in this video. Thank you for helping me to see what I need to do. I will shift my thinking to your suggestion of living IN the novel, and not worry about my slow reading speed. I want to delve deep into this great classical literature. I am very grateful for your advice . thank you
You have great analogies and they are a breath of fresh air when so many videos are about increasing quantity and not quality.
You inspired me
Brilliant 👏
Wonderful advice not just for reading but for life as a whole. Thank you for sharing this.
👏🏻Very encouraging!
Such good advice...not just for reading, but for life! Wizzing through life and trying to reach an end goal instead of savoring the present ruins the experience! Thanks, Tristan, for your thoughtful insight.
I'm 7 minutes in and you are a genius. For real.
You described me to a tee!! That’s exactly what I did with Lord of the Rings!!
😅 I think we are all guilty. 😀❤️