NICHOLAS CARR

What are you reading this book for? Entertainment? To understand something or someone you don’t know? To get better at your job? To improve your health? To learn a skill? To help build a business?

You have to have some idea of what you want to get from the book. You don’t j...

Before starting to read a book (particularly non-fiction), skim through the index, contents page, preface, and inside the jacket to get an idea of the subject matter.

Matching books to our location and circumstances can be powerful. Books will have a greater resonance as they become part of an experience rather than just supplementing it.

Take a look at your own situation and decide on genres or authors that might help you overcome any c...

For older books, try to understand the historical context. For books written in an unfamiliar country, try to understand the cultural context. 

Some helpful questions to ask include:

• Why did the author write this? 
• What is their background?
• What else have they wri...

There are no rules when it comes to choosing books. We don’t have to read bestsellers, or classics, or books everyone else raves about.

Focus on some combination of books that: stand the test of time; pique your interest; or resonate with your current situation.

The m...

Passive readers forget things almost as quickly as they read them. Active readers, on the other hand, retain the bulk of what they read.

The more that active readers read, the better they get. They develop a latticework of mental models to hang ideas on, further increasing ...

Making notes is an important foundation for reflecting and integrating what you read into your mind. Start by writing a short summary of each chapter and transcribing any meaningful passages or phrases.

Jot down connections and tangential thoughts, underline key passages and make a habit of...