Rules for Reading

When the Covid lockdown was imposed, many of us resolved to put the extra time that was freed up, not commuting to and from work and not attending social gatherings, to good use.?Some resolved to cook.?Others to lose weight.?I chose to start reading again. ?

Well, I never actually did stop reading.?I just mainly read stuff for work. ??What I did not do was read for leisure, the kind of reading that broadens horizons.?It dawned on me that reading would be a wonderful way to deal with Covid. ?Reading would allow me to break free to travel, in time and space, to “see” and “experience” different things, to roam the world, learn different cultures, and perhaps pick up something new, even whilst I was physically locked down at home.?Netflix initially did offer some competition in achieving the same thing, but there is only so much K-Drama and Documentaries that the mind can take at one go.?So books took priority. ?

To embark on my reading journey well, I devised a series of rules, rules which have served me well over the past twenty months. ?

Rule 1: Alternate between Fiction and Non-Fiction. This was to encourage myself to read widely.?I always preferred non-fiction.?So I was breaking new ground with fiction.?I have come to realise that fiction always teaches us something of the real world since the plot and characters are always based on reality.?Then it’s the creative license that the writer uses to selectively disclose information, whip up emotions, and time jump between chapters to develop an interesting and exciting story. ?A good work of fiction is a work of art. ?The 700-page classic Dune is a good example.

Rule 2: Read Only Highly Rated or Recommended books.?There is nothing worse than reading a bad book. To shortlist books, I relied on the wisdom of crowds.?I only read books that had a rating of over four stars on Goodreads.?For the rating to be credible, it has to have a relatively large number of ratings – at least over 1000.?If you find a book of over 4 stars and has over 10000 ratings, it is a fairly good bet that you have found a classic eg the Count of Monte Cristo. For those resident in Singapore, there is another list I found useful.?The National Library Board actually lists out their most borrowed books.?Again, these by and large tend to be a pretty good guide as to what was good.?In the time I started this reading habit, I only had two books that I abandoned reading halfway.

Rule 3:?Read Everyday.?This gets you into the habit. When I started, I resolved to read 30 pages a day – 15 in the morning and 15 at night.?As a book is usually slightly over 300 pages, this would mean a book in about every 10 days or 3 books a month.??With an average reading speed, those 15 pages will take just under 30 minutes.?As I got into the habit, I started adding reading slots - a little at lunch, and sometimes during a break or while waiting. ?What was sacrificed was the constant scroll through Facebook or Instagram or watching cat videos on YouTube - things I was better off not doing.?As I kept reading, my reading speed doubled. ?I ended up reading many more books than three per month.?

Rule 4: Rate the Book and Write a Review.?I started doing this to be part of the community. After all, I benefited from others rating and reviewing books.?But I also realised that in writing the review, I gained a deeper understanding of what I read.?Try explaining to someone what any book was about and you would probably have to think carefully and structure an answer.??If someone asked why you found it good, you would have to think through the reasons.?It is just a very good way to ensure that you got the most out of the book.?There is another side benefit from publishing the review - I occasionally got recommendations back from friends, books that I would not otherwise have found, and I do thank them for it when I finish the book and review them!?

Rule 5: Don’t just read, Google. Reading in the new information age is actually more fun.?In the old days, whenever a mysterious word popped out, we had to use a manual dictionary.?And sometimes we still do not know what the word is, especially if it is a noun.?How do you describe in words what a Roman Pilum looks like??Today, there is no need.?You simply Google, and voila, the image of the said medieval weapon appears!?When reading Malcolm Gladwell’s The Bomber Mafia, I actually watched YouTube videos on bombers in WWII. This supporting resource actually helps books come alive. ?

I have also gotten used to reading digital books.?They automatically bookmark, they don’t get stained or dog-eared, they have a dictionary function, and weigh the same whether it is 300 pages or 1000 pages.?Magical!

These rules have increased my pleasure in reading, and I hope they do for you too.