Picture I took of myself reading Adler’s How to Read a Book wearing fake glasses as a joke one time.
Mrs. Neal (my English teacher) once said that “reading is a life-skill”. As a matter of fact, she would say this so much and so often that the students would mock and scoff at it. Although I can’t remember for sure, it is very likely that my sixth grade self took part in that mockery as well. (I was Mom’s problem child!) However, as much as the kids made fun of her for saying this so much, it did have the effect of ingraining itself into my brain. Just yesterday I was racking my brain for about 45 minutes trying to remember someone’s name, but I still recall, clear as day, that Mrs. Neal said reading is a life-skill.
Now, I am a man of few-skills. But one of the skills that I do have, and that I have refined (and continue to refine) over the years is reading. And I have discovered that Mrs. Neal was right, and I can honestly say that my ability to read is one of the most valuable skills that I have. However, I have met many people who have expressed to me that they wish they were better readers, and so I figured I would share some of my thoughts on the topic here with the prayer they would be a blessing to someone.
Why You Should Read
I can probably take it as a given that if you are reading this, you already have some sense of the benefit of reading and the desire to make it a regular part of your life. But let me just quickly offer some examples of the benefits of reading (in no particular order):
You learn. Okay, so I am obviously thinking primarily of non-fiction here, but you learn far more from reading books than anything else. Now I’m not talking about a method of learning or anything like that. Some people are visual learners and some learn better from listening, and that’s just going to depend upon your personality. What I am talking about is the fact that, if you have ever tried to study a topic deeply, you’ve likely discovered that most of the best information is not online. My generation struggles with this, because we do so much of our learning on the internet, but a good book will always contain more info than an internet article! I say this as someone currently writing an internet article! You will learn far more by reading Beckwith’s book The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church than if you read my article on the exact same topic. The purpose of my article is to be a concise treatment of the issue, if you really want to dig deep, you need to read a book.
You become a better thinker. I lament the fact that we live in the TikTok/YouTube shorts generation of 30 second looping videos. Again, I say this as someone who appears in those kinds of videos regularly with Heritage Restored. But the youngest generation is not developing an attention-span, and therefore is not developing the ability to follow a sustained argument. Slowing down and reading forces you to carry a single thought, and a single focus, over a long period of time. This probably applies to fiction just as much as non-fiction. If you develop this ability, then even when you put the book down and go out into the world, you will be more capable of functioning in the real-world because you can actually make some use of the gray-matter in between your ears.
It’s enjoyable. Okay, so I know this may seem subjective but I do believe that the experience of reading a good book is one that simply brings delight. You probably didn’t think about it this way in school when you were forced to read certain books, but take the time to head to a library, or a book-store, and just grab something that peaks your interest. You’re reading it because you want to. If the author does his job well, and you are a capable reader, it should be a pleasurable experience. On top of the actual benefits that come from having read, you get the joy of the reading itself. Sort of like finding an exercise routine that you enjoy—not only do you get the health-benefits, but you actually like going to the gym.
It is a Skill
Not only was Mrs. Neal right to speak of the benefit and value of reading over a lifetime, but she was right to call it a skill. You become a better reader the more you read. This is why sometimes when you first pick up a book, you struggle with it. It doesn’t grab you. But then you pick it up a year or two later and it sucks you right in. You are actually more equipped to read that book than you were the first time. Sure, there are probably a million other factors as well, but I know that my second time reading through Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion was more productive than when I had first read it as a younger Christian. I was better at reading historical theology on my second go-around.
I remember reading that Charles Spurgeon had the ability to simply gaze at a page for a few seconds, and be able to tell you just about everything being discussed. He was not only a fast reader, but he comprehended what he read at such great speeds! Now, Spurgeon was obviously unique in his intellectual capabilities, but this was a skill that he had developed only because he was a life-long reader. It took time for him to be as skillful a reader as he was. Most Americans fall into the teaching of Homer Simpson at this point: “If at first you don’t succeed, give up.”
And so, how do we develop this skill? Aside from the obvious, which is to just keep reading more and more, one of the things that will be helpful is to experiment, try new things. For some reason, when I was younger I had an aversion to the idea of writing in my books. But then I listened to a conversation between Iain Murray and the recently deceased John Macarthur on the subject of reading habits, and they had talked about their systems of note-taking and marking up books, and the great benefit it brought them. So, cursing myself, I decided to read through Thomas Watson’s The Art of Divine Contentment with a pen in hand and, yes, I actually lowered the pen to the page and added some of my own ink. Underlining sentences, writing in the margins, and even marking down page numbers on the title page so I could quickly go back and find some of those great quotes like, “Discontent is a devil that is always tempting” (page 66). Lo-and-behold, I discovered that because of the pen in my hand I was a more active reader, and thus my comprehension increased. Also, when I underline things in a book (especially if I mark down the page numbers, which I don’t always do) I am able to quickly flip through the book later on and see the things I thought were important, and recall the key points the author was making. If I really want to take my time with a book, I will actually write summaries after each section, or a summary of the whole book in the back (but you have to be a very special book for me to do this).
Another experimental thing I have done is to read in different kinds of ways. Different times of day, different posture, sometimes walking around with a book in hand, or even reading old Puritan sermons out loud, imagining what the Divine would’ve sounded like (someone once said that this was the only proper way to read Martin Luther, and I concur). There are no laws here, you don’t have to read in any specific way. Sometimes it just feels good to pace around a room, or a hallway, with a book. Sometimes I want to sit up straight at my desk and really wrestle with a passage. For some reason, there is this one chair at my Mom’s house which is probably the most comfortable place on this planet earth to sit and read (I will sometimes ‘visit’ her just to sit here:) ).
One thing that I really only started doing this January was to read multiple books at a time. No one ever told me that I wasn’t allowed to do this, but I just felt like there was some cosmic law out there telling me I needed to finish what I started before I could read anything else. But having done this for several months now, I wish I had started years ago. I can’t prove it, but I feel as though my speed has increased. And reading a wide-variety of books, on different subjects, makes me more well-rounded in my thought, which pours over into my conversation. But also, having options will actually increase the joy you have when you read, because there are some times when you are just not in the mood for certain things. I might be working through a massive expository tome, but if I am tired or only have a few minutes to spare (busy people can relate, I am sure) I am not going to be very likely to grab my massive set of the works of Jonathan Edwards, but I’ll be more inclined to grab a volume of short essays and writings. I love church history, but sometimes I just want to read something lighter and more devotional. If I allow myself to have options, then I am always going to have something to read no matter what mood I am in, or how much time I have. Here is a picture of the books I am working through right now:
As you can see, I am currently reading 4 books, and I am about halfway or more through each of them. They are all (decidedly) on different topics, with a different degree of depth. Some are more technical and lengthy (like the 8 volume History of the Christian Church by Schaff), and then two of the books are collections of short writings and essays. Because these are sitting on my desk, I always have something to pick when I want to read, even if I only have time for a short essay or lecture before I have to hop on a Zoom call.
Aside from everything else, the number one thing you can do to improve your skill in reading is to actually do something with the books that you read. Francis Bacon once said, “reading makes a full man; conference [conversation] a ready man; and writing an exact man”. The idea is that the benefits of reading (taking things in) are expanded when you discuss or even write about the things you have read. I know that so much of the Scripture I have memorized has come from the fact that I have preached or taught on those passages. Not only the deep study, but actually teaching on what I have studied has engrained certain passages of the Bible on my mind, and for that I am thankful to God. Now very few of us have the time or opportunity to give a lecture on every book we read, but there have been many times when, having finished a book, I immediately went and found a friend to talk about it with. Just the other day, after I read through Nehemiah Coxe’s exposition of the covenant of grace and its relationship to the covenants made with Abraham, I wrote up a short summary in an X post of his argument, not only to share with others but also because I know that writing about something helps me to understand (and remember) it better than anything else. The article I wrote on the Quran came from this desire as well, not only do I want to discuss the Quran from the standpoint of a Christian believer who wants Muslims to be saved, but after reading the Quran I wanted to make sure that I had a grasp on it, and could remember it in my future conversations.
And so, whatever you need to do. Most people are not going to want to share all of their thoughts in a public way, and even I don’t necessarily write about every book I read online. But even if its something as small as jotting down a few notes, or telling a friend about an interesting book you just worked through, using what you have read (even in these small ways) will improve your reading.
Read Different Kinds of Books
When I say different kinds of books, I don’t just mean different genres, but I really do mean different kinds, as in print-books, ebooks and audiobooks.
First, let me talk about genre. There is danger in being a one-trick-pony just as there is wisdom in the old saying “a jack of all trades is a master of none”. Every one of us are going to have our specific interests. I, first and foremost, am a preacher of the Word of God in a local church. And so my number one priority in reading is going to be the study of the Bible itself and theology. However, I also think it is necessary to be a well-rounded person, and so my interests branch out from theology to church history, apologetics, philosophy, ethics and culture as well. If you follow my Substack (ljramsey.org) you will see all of these interests reflected.
You cannot be an expert in absolutely everything, but in addition to your main focuses and interests (maybe you are fascinated by the history of the American Civil War, or volumes of English poetry) I would encourage you to branch out. You can probably guess by the books and authors I have referenced, that the vast majority of my reading is in the non-fiction/expository category. So, to act as a counter-weight I always make sure to have a book of fiction on my night stand. Now reading fiction does not come as easy to me as reading these other books, I have to work at it, like a skill. But it is rewarding. As an example, I forced myself last year to read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and that was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. Now, I never would have encountered the soul-searching lamentations of Captain Ahab if I had not made a self-conscious effort to branch out in my reading.
I acknowledge the danger of having only a surface-level knowledge of everything, and no real grasp on anything in particular. But I do think it is beneficial to be a well-rounded person, since we live in a complex world.
And then, read different kinds of books in the sense of allowing yourself print-books, ebooks and audiobooks. Some people think that only print-books ‘count’, but this is absurd. There are differences to each, but allowing yourself the different option will make you a more consistent reader. For me, I know that if I really want to deal with a book, having a physical copy in my library that I can hold in my hands and mark up is the best way for me to do it. Also, I am somewhat of a bibliophile, and I just like books. I like the way they are bound, I like the way they look, they way they smell and the way they feel. I can hardly go grocery shopping without spending a few minutes in the book aisle, although Meijer has a terrible selection. I just like being around books. But sometimes, especially with newer books, I just want to ‘get’ the information, or go through it quickly, and so that’s when having an audiobook is very helpful. I can listen to an audiobook while on the road, doing manual labor or working out. It is really the most convenient way to read, but admittedly (for me, personally) not the most active and engaged reading. Sort of the half-way house between print-books and audiobooks is an ebook. I happen to have the entire series of New Studies in Biblical Theology from Intervarsity Press in my library on Logos, and I have decided that I might as well read through them. The benefit here is that I get the advantage of being able to read with my eyes, underline things (on the app) as well as the ability to quote, or go back and find specific sections in a book (almost impossible to do with an audiobook). But I also get the convenience of having a scholarly library in my pocket at all times, and so the time I spend reading ebooks is usually when I am out and about, doing cardio at the gym, or sitting in a restaurant (by myself, I’m not rude).
Closely related to this, and what I said earlier about reading multiple books at a time, is to read in different ways. Canon Press recently put out Andy Naselli’s book How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers (which I recommend) in which he discusses three kinds of reading: surveying, macro-reading, and micro-reading.
To put these in my own words, surveying a book is what you do at a book store (or on Amazon) when you quickly read the back of the book, scan the table of contents and skim through a few pages to see if you want to buy the book. Sure, this doesn’t feel like reading, necessarily, but it is a way to get a very quick bird’s-eye view of a book. To illustrate this, my most recent book Slavery and the Bible is a little over 100 pages long. Not a massive tome by any stretch of the imagination, but still would probably take a little bit of time for the average person to read. However, by simply glancing at the table of contents, you can basically figure out everything I am going to talk about in that book in just a few seconds. I do this with any book I am considering purchasing, usually Amazon has a ‘Look Inside’ feature, or the distributor will have the table of contents online.
Macro-reading is when you basically read through every single page in a book, but you’re not necessarily checking every footnote, taking notes or what have you. This is probably the way we are going to read most books (aside from the initial survey). Basically, all audiobooks are read in this way, since you listen to every page read, but you don’t have any footnotes, and you’re probably not stopping and slowing down the tape to take notes. Macro-reading a book means that you actually have read it, in the sense taken by most people. But it understands that not every book deserves to be treated with a fine-tooth comb.
Micro-reading is the most advanced, active and slowest form of reading. This is for those special (usually older) books where you really want to wrestle with the author. You’re checking every footnote, looking up references, marking up the pages, taking notes in the margin (or on another sheet of paper, or separate document if you’re really fancy) and writing up an outline or summary of the book. This is not something you can do with every book, this is going to be reserved for those time-honored classics, or if you are planning on writing or teaching on a book. A book really has to earn this treatment. Although it takes time, mental energy, and discipline you will have a more thorough understanding of a book in this way as opposed to simply playing it on Audible.
Signing Off
Let me just say that, after writing so much about reading, that my least favorite part of writing is the conclusion. Older books tended not to have conclusions. They would just end, but for some reason we moderns feel compelled to have an official conclusion. Let me just say that I want you to read, not just because I like it and think everyone else should. I love the music of John Prine, but I know that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, when it comes to reading I think that there is more to it than simply being something I like to do. To remind you of what Mrs. Neal said, it is a life-skill.
We live in a day and age where reading, writing and sustained thought are out of fashion. But these are necessary skills. Attention-spans are declining, and we are quickly descending into an age where young people are just getting dumber and dumber. Sure, we have the internet where we can ask Grok to answer our questions within seconds, but rapid-fire information is not the same thing as slowing down and working through the subject. I had to actually ask Grok what TL;DR meant (Too long; didn’t read) due to the amount of times I saw it online. I am just utterly perplexed that a person would actually declare their lack of attention-span to the world, mocking someone for writing a paragraph or more in an X post.
Even the reading of fiction will help fight back this societal decay. If we are no longer thinking people, we are no longer useful people at all. So please tolle lege. Your life depends on it.