Comments on: To Remember What You Read, Narrow It Down. Then Narrow That Down. Then Narrow It Down Again.

By: Donna Reidland

Donna Reidland — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 17:30:08 +0000

What great suggestions, Lisa! I make all kinds of notes in and about books. I sometimes add them to my prayer journal but what a great idea to start a document just for book notes. I can’t wait to start. I’m pinning this for future reference.

By: Harry Katz

Harry Katz — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 16:26:06 +0000

You’re way more systematic about this than I am, Lisa! This is exactly why I started blogging — to help me remember what I’ve read.

I think most of the books I read contribute to a gradual accumulation of knowledge that hopefully makes me better informed and more thoughtful. It’s not often that I respond to a specific “call to action” from a single book, but it does happen and that makes those books even more memorable.

Thanks for writing about your methods.

By: Barbara Harper

Barbara Harper — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 13:32:00 +0000

This is such a great idea. I struggle, too, with retaining what I’ve read. I make notes and sometimes even outlines. One of the main reasons I do book reviews is to remind myself what I want to remember from the book, and to have that information handy to come back to. I hope that the information in the book becomes part of my thinking even if I can’t remember specifics. But I love this further step of distilling the main point down.

A lot of writing instruction tells us to have a clear takeaway for the reader and to keep it in mind as we write. As a reader, my takeaway may not be the same as what the author intended. But the sentence or concept that especially spoke to me was God’s reason for my reading that book. I’m going to have to start a “To Do from Notes” file.

By: Nancy Ruegg

Nancy Ruegg — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 21:23:56 +0000

Thank you for sharing your strategies-for-reading, Lisa. I too collect notes from the books I read, typing them into Word documents just as you do. (I stop myself at 100 pages and begin a new document–I’m on my third.) I also make an index, in a separate Word document, making it easier to find info or quotes related to certain topics. But I love your idea of synthesizing the good down to the best–something particularly applicable and perhaps life-changing. I’m thinking maybe a separate journal for collecting these gems might be worthwhile. Also love your idea of rereading the notes, to be blessed again by the instruction, wisdom, or encouragement we gleaned the first time. These are such practical ways to amp up the benefits of our reading. Thank you again, Lisa!

By: Jean Wise

Jean Wise — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 17:05:13 +0000

I really really like your process and thank you for sharing it. I began this year recording each book on Goodreads plus adding notes there. I thought of rereading the notes, harvesting the words, but never thought of narrowing the lessons down even more. Great idea and applicable too.

By: Natalie Ogbourne

Natalie Ogbourne — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 11:45:06 +0000

I appreciate your example of both being a lifelong learner and your willingness to put in the hard work of making what you read matter. I should also mention that I appreciate how well you pass along what you know. Thank you. You’ve spurred me to think, tools to use, and something to apply.