How to read books effectively?

Reading is an important way to gain information and will underpin much of your academic study including researching and writing assignments, revising for exams and following up on information taught in lectures. Reading effectively means learning to question and survey the text you are reading to gain a better understanding. By improving your reading skills you can reduce unnecessary reading time and this will enable you to read in a more focused manner.

Here are a few tips you should keep in mind to have a better reading experience and get the most out of your time:

Maintain a reading list. List down any books/articles that interest you and you want to read along with their authors, also mention what intrigued you about the topic. This way when you start a new book you will be clear which novel you want to read next. You can also do background research on any novel you start like, who is the author? Why did he/she write this book? What inspired them? This practice will submerge you more into the context. Make notes or Annotate. You don’t necessarily need annotating stationary to make full use of your reading time. Keeping a notebook and pen with you when you are reading and noting down important points or key moments can help you remember more easily. Underline or highlight quotes or important points you want to come back to.

Have a book with you wherever you are. Reading on a regular basis is key to building an effective reading habit. With the invention of technology, you don’t even need to carry a physical copy of your book with you. Having an ecopy and reading whenever you get time whether it is waiting for someone or commuting can be very helpful.