Comments on: The Power of Re-Reading

By: Jeff Cobb

Jeff Cobb — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:27:08 +0000

Madeleine – Thanks so much for commenting and sharing “Buffalo for the Broken Heart.” Sounds like an interesting book. I have a feeling this post might leave me with as many new books to read as old ones to re-read! – Jeff

By: Madeleine Kolb

Madeleine Kolb — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:02:48 +0000

This post and the comments are so interesting to me because I’m currently re-reading a book called “Buffalo for the Broken Heart” by Dan O’Brien. He’s a buffalo rancher and writer of fiction and non-fiction. I haven’t re-read many books, but I enjoy going back to a book that’s so well-researched and important and well-written.

By: Jeff Cobb

Jeff Cobb — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:12:37 +0000

Mickie – Funny, Blue Ocean Strategy is one of the books sitting on my desk right now. I haven’t actually read it, but I have been told so much about it that I feel like I will be re-reading it! – Jeff

By: Mickie Rops

Mickie Rops — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:05:44 +0000

How true, Jeff. I am currently re-reading Blue Ocean Strategy. One thing I love about my Kindle is that I have many of my previously read books on hand to reread when I’m traveling! I need to remind myself to more often click on a book already there instead of downloading a new one…and to use the highlights and annotation feature more so that I can at least review those once in a while.

By: Jeff Cobb

Jeff Cobb — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:59:02 +0000

Many thanks to everyone for the comments!

Erin – I just may pull 1984 down off the shelf. It’s been a long time since I’ve read that!

Avil – I aspire to your discipline and I’ll have to check out Key to Yourself. (And for other readers here, I recommend Avil’s blog.)

Amy – I agree completely about being “at a different place in my understanding” when re-reading. Thanks for making that point.

Celisa – True. We obviously do retain a pretty amazing amount. Perhaps even more in the case of a truly great writer who creates vivid images. I don’t think the image of the snow falling over all the living and the dead will ever slip my mind!

Neil – Flipping it sounds good, though I am not sure I can hold myself back from all the new things I want to read. Re-reading the Meditations should definitely be on my list, though!

Jeff

By: Neil Barker

Neil Barker — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:27:07 +0000

I like that 3-to-1 ratio. Although I think I may have it flipped the other way: 3 old books re-read for every new book purchased. I’ve certainly done with with books like Tim Ferriss’ “The Four Hour Work Week” and “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius.

I’m still constantly amazed at how I learn new things by re-reading the same books over and over again. Funny how the mind can take the same information and understand it differently at different times.

By: Celisa Steele

Celisa Steele — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:28:53 +0000

I just finished re-reading James Joyce’s “The Dead.” It was as good a short story as I remembered it being some 15 years ago when I first read it, but, like you said, I was amazed at what I had forgotten–or at least wasn’t able to readily recall. But, on the other hand, I was struck too by what I had retained–for example, the use of “literally” in the opening sentence (despite the description not really being literal). The mind is funny and fickle. It seems we both forget and remember with wild abandon.

By: Amy Blankenship

Amy Blankenship — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:26:01 +0000

For me, the power of rereading is a bit different, though just as important. Each time I reread the same information, especially on a subject I am trying to learn, I am at a different place in my understanding, so I assimilate different pieces of it or see different pices as important than I did the last time.

By: Avil Beckford

Avil Beckford — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:21:54 +0000

Jeff,

The books that I read over and over again are the books that have had a profound impact on my life. One such book is Key to Yourself by Venice Bloodworth. I have read that book over 10 times and every time I read it I see something that appears new to me, or perhaps I am just understand the material better. I know someone who has read How to Win Friends and Influence People every year for about 17 years and that’s the one book that had a profound impact on her life.

In 2002, I made a commitment to read a book a week and when I became comfortable with that I increased the number. I have a table which I have created in Microsoft Word, and for each year, I record the name of the book, author, the month in which I read it, and about three years ago I added another column and I record a one paragraph summary of the book. It’s a numbered list so I can easily see if I am on track with my reading goal.

As I am writing this comment, I am thinking that I will add a rating for the book.

I do book reviews on my blog The Invisible Mentor http://theinvisiblementor.com and as I am reading the book I take notes. In my book review, I usually have five great ideas which is one of my signatures and I have a notation for the page number whenever I flag a great idea. If certain words resonate with me I record the page number and I have another file called Quotes That I Like and I record those words there. Also for the books reviews, depending on the mood that I am in, I will have a section called application, where I suggest possible ways to apply the content of the book. This mere act forces me to remember the content. And I often go back and read the book reviews.

If you have time, read Tim Sanders’ book Love is the Killer App and in it he has a system similar to the one I use to help you to remember what you’ve read.

Also, if you read something neat write about it on the blog, that is teach it to others because this is an educational blog.

I am going to purchase a copy of PhotoReading, a system to help you remember more of what you read. It came highly recommended. Perhaps if you practiced some of these tips, remembering what you read will become a habit.

Thank you for blogging about this. Avil Beckford

By: Erin Brenner

Erin Brenner — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:10:29 +0000

Repetition is a great way to learn, to help you remember something, and that’s just what rereading is. I confess, though, I don’t reread much, either. Oh sure, a good novel I read years ago will get a reread (I’ve read “1984″ and Robert Holdstock’s Mythago Wood series several times), but not so much things I wish to actually learn. I like your idea of rereading something for every 3 books you read.