February 26, 2020

How to Get More Pleasure and Fulfillment Out of Your Reading – Alan Jacobs on The Art of Manliness, Hosted By Brett McKay

Check out the Art of Manliness Episode Page and Show Notes

In addition to reading the classics, every now and then, make sure you read for fun
You’re often better off re-reading your favorite books instead of constantly searching for new material
- Besides, with the best books, you’ll never be able to extract all of the important information during your first pass-through
- Also, rereading a book is an exercise in self-understanding; as you go through life, the way you interpret a book changes
Don’t read to get through a book; read to enjoy a book
Advice that will never steer you wrong: Read what interests you, not what interests others
You don’t have to finish every book you start—there’s no value in forcing yourself to read something you’re not enjoying

Alan wrote The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction to share how reading can still be pleasurable in today’s world
Alan considers How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer Alder a great book, but found the author’s demands counterproductive
Brett’s favorite book is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- He also loved Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne
Alan lectured about Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina for several years

Alan Jacobs (@ayjay) is a Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Honors Program at Baylor University
Host: Brett McKay (@brettmckay)

Alan considers How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer Alder a great book, but found the author’s demands counterproductive
Reading a great book requires a lot of energy
- “Great works of art ask a lot of us … Sometimes, you ought to read ‘Harry Potter’ instead of Shakespeare because you need a break.” – Alan Jacobs
  - A good analogy to this is eating healthy: Broccoli is great, but it can’t be the only thing you eat—you need some sweets (pleasure)
    - (That’s why Alan titled his book, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction)
  - “It’s okay to read things that are for fun because if you’re only reading to eat your intellectual broccoli, that’s going to wear on you, and after a while, you’re going to say, ‘Who needs that?’”
Alan’s favorite writer is W.H. Auden
- In one of his essays, W.H. explains that masterpieces aren’t a daily affair; just as you wouldn’t eat a 7-course meal every night, don’t feel the need to read a masterpiece of a book every day

Often, people stop their reading habit when it becomes too strenuous and/or demanding
- (Only reading intellectually-stimulating nonfiction further facilitates this)
Instead of reading what’s on someone else’s ‘100 must-read books’ list, follow your curiosity and interests
- Alan expands: ”Follow that which really draws your spirit and your soul”
There’s a big difference between wanting to read a book and wanting to say you’ve read a book
- The former is about reading what you love; the latter relates to self-image

You’re often better off re-reading your favorite books instead of constantly searching for new material
- Besides, with the best books, you’ll never be able to extract all of the important information during your first pass-through
- Also, rereading a book is an exercise in self-understanding; as you go through the different life stages, the way you interpret a book changes
Don’t read to get through a book; read to enjoy a book
- If you’re aiming to read a high quantity of books read instead of a small number of quality books, “Maybe you should reconsider your life choices … What are you chasing?” – Alan Jacobs
The people who read 50-100+ books a year don’t utilize a secret reading technique; reading is simply their job (i.e., podcasters, authors, and professors, for instance, all have to read for work)

If you’re looking for a good book recommendation, look upstream; if you love a particular author’s books, find out what they’ve recommended in the past
Never read a book to “cross it off the list“
- “It’s the ‘crossing books off the list’ that’s the death of pleasure in reading—that’s the thing I most want to warn people away from” – Alan Jacobs
Advice that will never steer you wrong: Read what interests you, not what interests others

Alan prefers to read on a Kindle, but occasionally, he’ll read physical books as well
- Alan stresses the importance of using a Kindle device, not the phone app—when you use the phone app, you’re always two clicks away from Instagram, leaving you prone to distractions
Highlighting doesn’t help you retain information, but it does help you locate it later in the future
Alan’s note-taking process:
- If he finds a passage that’s:
  - Brilliant, he’ll put a star next to it
  - Surprising, he’ll jot down an exclamation mark
  - Possibly not true, he’ll note it with a question mark
  - Absolutely false, he’ll write “BS”
- (Alan also uses sticky notes to mark off passages he needs to find later)
Avoiding looking at a Kindle book’s popular highlights—most are in the first 15 pages—because a high percentage of people start books but don’t finish then

Speed reading doesn’t really work—there are limits to what our eyes can do
If you want to “speed read” an article, read the first and last paragraph; the first paragraph usually outlines the piece while the last paragraph contains a concise summary
- (Or, read the first sentence of each paragraph)
If you want to improve your reading skills, check out How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer Alder

You don’t have to finish every book you start—there’s no value in forcing yourself to read something you’re not enjoying
Many books aren’t “bad” per se; they’re just not right for you

Let kids read what they want—this helps them build a positive association with reading
- If they want to read cartoons instead of classic books, great!
- (You should also set a positive example for your kids by cultivating a reading yourself habit)

books, life, read, reading
Notes By Alex Wiec