Human beings love to read. Their interest, attention span, quality time and other factors varies with individuals but we all LOVE to read. In our own way. In our own space.

I have this special interest in historical events and biographies of people. During the initial few years, it was a disheartening for me to read an entire book but still unable to contribute to discussions on the same topic few months later. I just used to forget what I read. This was very annoying because I started suspecting my own passion for history. I was even considering to slow down on my book purchase spree and gradually move away from reading.

I was simply not getting anything out of this whole reading thing. Just losing time on books. Wasting my money on books.

The awakening

But then it dawned to me why I should even remembering what I read. Why books are so important that we feel let down for not remembering their details few months later. Lets dive deep a little and the answer will be with us.

Lets take movies. I mean, lets take a very good movie that we watched. Now, the best moments related to that movie are during the 2 hours in theater or home DVD when we watch that movie. That is the window where we enjoy a movie the most. Not 1 week later. Not 1 month later. What we do remember later is how good we felt about movie while watching it, not the entire movie AS-IS.

What is stopping us from enjoying a book similar to a movie or a sport?

Well, that is where our education system comes into play. Remember school days when a single book was read over a period of one year and we were expected to remember everything in that book for the entire year? We are tuned since childhood that books are read to be remembered with lot of clarity. For long time.

What is the good way to read a book then?

Simple. If you need 2 weeks to complete a book, and if it is a good book, make sure you have absolute joy reading it for those 2 weeks. Do not worry about how much of the book you can remember after 1 month. The joy of reading something good stays with you for a long time.

Another thing you could do while reading a book is to jot down the best things you found in that book in a separate notes of yours. Online notes is better. You can always come back to this notes in future and relive the best moments you have had while reading that book.

Concluding thoughts

The joy of reading knows no bounds. It is a highly satisfying activity which should not be diluted for the fear of future. Live your life. Read your books.

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