The Read Well Podcast
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.
đź‘‹ Why You Should Read Philosophy
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas Why You Should Read Philosophy for Fun Read On the Web → Hello Reader, Let me start by saying that philosophy is incredibly fun to read. For all you haters out there who think that philosophy is just a bunch of windbags pontificating about the impossible, well, you’re partly right. There’s a lot of pontification on questions that have no answers, but that’s not the point. Let’s get to the point. In “A Gentleman in Moscow,” Count Rostov, the...
Do You Know These Authors?
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas Reading a Diverse Range of Authors Hello Reader, Lately, I’ve been thinking on the importance of reading diverse literary voices. While I love the Western canon, I recognize its limits in perspective. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing like spending hours with Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau, Plato, or Nietzsche. But if I’m going to be a great reader, I need to make space for a wider range of voices—female thinkers, people of color, and the myths and...
Get in a State of "Flow" With This Book
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas Get Into a State of "Flow" with This Book Hello Reader, We’ve been looking forward to this one in the book club for a while! We’ve just started reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It’s the go-to book on achieving a state of flow—the mindset where you’re at your best, and everything just clicks. You can reach this state no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re launching a new bookstore (like me at www.edgewaterbookstore.com), going to...
A Wall of Forgotten Books
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas A Wall of Forgotten Books Read On the Web → Hello Reader, If you look at your bookshelf, do you see a wall of forgotten books? These might be books you’ve read and possibly even loved, but now you can’t remember what they were about. While you may be able to tell someone the general idea of a book, you struggle with the thought of teaching a 1-hour class on its concepts. This happens a lot, and it’s OK. Step one as a reader is being kind to...
The #1 Benefit of Reading Books
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas The #1 Benefit of Reading Books Read On the Web → Hello Reader, I might be off here, but being able to control where my attention goes feels like the greatest benefit of reading books. All day long, people and businesses are fighting to occupy my mental space. There are ads everywhere, emails piling up, and my kids calling “Dad” all day long. Don’t get me wrong—I love being a dad, and I would do anything for my kids, but they sure do soak up a lot...
Book Lovers Meetup in Boston
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas Reader Meetup in Boston??? Read On the Web → Hello Reader, I’ll be in Boston from September 17th to 20th, and I’d love to meet up if you're in the area! How about an evening filled with great food, wine, and bookish conversation? I’d like to get a group together to explore a local bookshop (if you’re from Boston, I’d love your recommendations), followed by a literary dinner where we can discuss the books that inspire and move us. If you’re...
3 Tips for Managing Your "To Be Read" List
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas 3 Tips for Managing Your TBR List Read On the Web → Hello Reader, Looking at my bookshelves, I often feel a mix of excitement and overwhelm. Choosing the next book to read isn’t always easy, and I’ve learned that being in the right mental space is crucial for enjoying a book. If my mind isn’t ready, I might end up disliking a book that could otherwise be a favorite. Here are a few tips for managing your TBR list: Check Your Mental State Know Where...
Reading the Stoic Philosophers
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas Reading the Stoic Philosophers Read On the Web → Hello Reader, In my book club, we’re reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, one of the Stoic philosophers. (Technically, he wasn’t a philosopher. He was a Roman Emperor whose journal is now a popular Stoic text.) In our discussion last Tuesday, someone mentioned how refreshing it was to read the words of a politician who cared and was trying to be a good person. That made me laugh. Politics aside,...
How to Read a Lot of Books
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas How to Read Lots of Books Read On the Web → Hello Reader, Last night, my wife said, “I don’t understand how you get through books so quickly.” Here’s the secret: I spend a lot of time with my books. I’m not a speed reader. You should know this by now. In fact, I’m the exact opposite. I read slowly on purpose so I can hear the conversations and connect with the ideas. If you want to read a lot of books during your lifetime, the only way to do it is...
Behind On Your Reading Goals?
📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas Behind On Your Reading Goals? Read the Post → Hello Reader, A few people in my book club are behind on their reading. Let’s talk about that. First of all, it’s perfectly fine to get behind. We’re not machines, and we’re never going to be. Second, I record every meeting so you can watch at your own pace. That way, you won’t have spoilers as you get caught up. Now, for the most important part. I would like to challenge you to consider how you think...
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.