Requires a complete reading of the book with the purpose of understanding its message. It consists of three stages:<ol><li>Determing what the book is about - Briefly describe what the whole book is about, enumerate its major parts and define the problems the author is tackling.</li><li>Interpreting its content - Find and understand the author's key arguments and determine which problems he has solved.</li><li>Criticizing the book- Ask yourself two questions: Is the book true or not, in whole or part? If true, then what is its significance in your own life or in general?</li></ol>

Analytical reading

The way you read determines what you get out of a book. Whether you read for entertainment, information or understanding, it's important to clarify your goal before you start reading.

Reading goal

There are four levels of reading that build upon each other and increase in difficulty and required effort.<ol><li>Elementary reading - Represents the basic act of reading words and understanding sentences.</li><li>Inspectional reading - A superficial reading done for getting an overview of the book.</li><li>Analytical reading - A thorough reading done for the sake of understanding the message of the book.</li><li>Syntopical reading - Full reading of multiple books on the same subject done for understanding a broader subject. It involves grasping and comparing the arguments of all authors.</li></ol>

Levels of reading

This kind of reading gives you an overview of the book and should be done within a limited time (15-30min depending on the length of the book). It consists of two stages:<ol><li>Systematic skimming - Skim the book with the goal of understanding what it is about. Do this by reading the preface, table of contents, index, inside jackets, and a couple of paragraphs from the main chapters.</li><li>Superficial reading - Race through the book without stopping to ponder things and ignore everything you don't understand. This helps you get the big picture and decide if it's worth a thorough reading. It also enables you to read it well the second time.</li></ol>

Inspectional reading

﻿Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and a few ones to be chewed and digested.

Reading for understanding is the only way that will help you grow and become better. This requires you to make an effort to grasp the concepts in the book because it's above your current level of understanding.In contrast, reading for information applies to books that are easy to understand from start to finish. Read like this when you are mainly interested in collecting facts and information, without necessarily expanding your knowledge.

Reading goal

Similar ideas to Reading goal

Understand Why You’re Reading

4. Reading

Determine Your Reading Goal