Subscribe to my newsletter for tips on close reading, detailed note-taking, and applying bookish wisdom to your life. I talk about fiction and non-fiction, interview literary experts, and host The Read Well Podcast. Subscribe today and build better reading habits.
You're reading this with 6,923 other critical thinkers.🙌🏻
Does Reading Deeply Ever Get Easier?
👋 Hey Reader,
I’ve been teaching a course on the practice of reading deeply, and yesterday one of the members said, “I’m blown away by everyone’s ability to see things in the book and make connections. How do you do it? Does it get easier with time?”
That’s a great question, and here’s why: we often think of deep reading as an innate ability—but it’s not. Reading deeply is a skill you develop.
And here’s the dirty little truth: if I stop practicing, I lose the skill. It’s not one of those things where, once I’ve figured out how to focus my attention and pull the best ideas from a book, I can do it for life. No! I have to read consistently in order to maintain that reader’s brain.
Here are a few things you can do to improve your skill as a deep reader:
Commit to the act of deep reading for 30 days. No excuses. I teach a course onlinethat helps you build this skill, starting with just five minutes of focused attention a day and gradually working up to a full hour of daily study. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself permission to be bad at this for a bit. You’ve been busy raising kids, building a career, and living life. It’s okay if you’re not retaining what you read yet. Just keep showing up—it will get better.
Read books you love. Why on earth do we feel like we must read books that drive us batty? Just because it’s on the 100 Greatest Books of All Time list—or because your best friend insists you read it—doesn’t mean you must. Would you marry someone you hated? I didn’t think so. Put the bad books down.
Go for a Walden Walk. That’s what I call it, anyway. After reading and writing in the mornings, Henry David Thoreau would paddle his little boat out into the middle of Walden Pond, pull the oar in, and lie down. Then he’d look at the sky and think for as long as it took the boat to drift to shore. On windless days, that could take a very long time.
The point is to do something similar after your reading session. Put yourself in an environment where you must think about what you’ve read. Don’t set your book down and immediately start answering emails. Go for a walk—and leave your dang phone at your desk.
Keep in mind that reading deeply is a skill. If you commit to practicing your scales, soon you’ll be composing symphonies.
📚 Until next time, read slowly - take notes - apply the ideas.
-Eddy
New This Week:
Book Recommendation
All My Friends are Dead by Avery Monsen and Jory John
Listen to the Podcast
How to Retain and Process What You Read 📚 | EP 117
What's New in Book Club
We're Exploring The Umwelt - You Should Join Us!
What's New at Edgewater Bookstore
The Building Has Problems and So I've Looking for a New Location
Book Recommendation
All My Friends are Dead by Avery Monsen and Jory John
I've had a rough week, and when I came across this book, it made my day. This is one of the funnier books I've read--it's mostly pictures and took about 5 minutes to read--and it's great for the philosophy nerds out there.
All My Friends are Dead is my new favorite gift because it makes fun of the existential crises we often feel. The sense of death looming, lonliness, and the "why" of it all.
I saw this thing in a Barnes & Noble, laughed so hard, that I bought several copies for friends and then promptly got it featured at Edgewater. Had to do it.
There's a companion book, All My Friends are Still Dead, which you can peruse at your convenices for a good laugh as well.
How to Retain and Process What You Read 📚 | EP 117
I’ve found that reading a book isn’t enough—you have to wrestle with it. In this episode, I’ll show you how Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages method can help you process what you read so the ideas actually stay with you. I’ll walk through how to use this practice after a reading session and share a book recommendation from Tayari Jones that’s worth reflecting on.
I didn’t know if I would like this book. That’s the beauty of being in this book club—you end up reading books with friends that you might never have explored on your own, and you’re often pleasantly surprised by both the book and the incredible insights from the members.
This week, we had the chance to talk about a core principle in the book known as the Umwelt. It’s a German word coined by a Baltic-German zoologist named Jakob von Uexküll in 1909. The idea is that every creature experiences the world in a way unique to its own senses. Bats, dogs, owls, and humans all live in the same physical world, but their sensory realities are completely different.
Digging into that idea was a ton of fun. The discussion got philosophical, and by the end, we were all a little more in love with our dogs—and the world around us.
If you’re looking to become a deeper reader, consider giving our book club a try.
"Discussing great books with intelligent people (readers with varied perspectives, knowledge, education, expertise and life experience) helps me get more out of what I am reading - more enjoyment, more insight, more learning, more value." - Darragh Egan
"I have been in many book clubs, including online, and the way this one is set up suits me to a T. I like the pace of the reading schedule. The books chosen for this reading year are excellent. Best of all are the weekly discussions. Eddy provides a list of notes for that week’s reading and we go over them, and comment on them. The notes are genius and they keep things moving along nicely providing a total deep dive into the book."
It’s with a heavy heart that I’ve had to walk away from this building as a possible location for Edgewater Bookstore.
Part of buying a commercial property is doing inspections, and when I brought in roofers, we discovered extensive water damage throughout the building. There’s mold in the walls and even in the floorboards.
Unfortunately, the seller isn’t willing to address these issues properly, and I’m not about to step into a money pit that could sink the dream. So yesterday, I sent the cancellation notice and have been slowly coming down from that emotional rollercoaster.
But have no fear—I’m still on the hunt for the right location. In the meantime, my focus is on growing the book club and the online store.
New at Edgewater Bookstore Online
This week, I’ve added several new and fascinating titles. Take a look and see what calls to you.
Feel free to respond to this email. Let me know how I can make your experience in our reading community better, or if you have questions, I'm all ears.
As always, read slowly - take notes - apply the ideas.
-Eddy
Got Questions?
Reply to this email with your questions. I respond to each and sometimes make a podcast or video to answer your bookish questions.
Weekly Newsletter on Great Books, Reading Habits, and Literary Appreciation.
Subscribe to my newsletter for tips on close reading, detailed note-taking, and applying bookish wisdom to your life. I talk about fiction and non-fiction, interview literary experts, and host The Read Well Podcast. Subscribe today and build better reading habits.