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How I Read - Rob Henderson's Newsletter

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People sometimes ask me, “Rob, how do you read so much?” or “How many books do you read simultaneously?” or “What is your reading plan?” or even “How do you get through so many books, are you a speed reader?” (I’m not). Readers and Twitter/X followers see how frequently I post my readings or see my recommended books and assume there must be a secret. There’s no secret. I read pretty slowly. I take notes, I underline, I highlight, I jot my thoughts in the margins, I pause if I encounter an especially interesting passage or idea. Years ago, I read How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. He described reading a book as being “in conversation” with the author. But reading has the added benefit of allowing you to concentrate deeply, move as fast or as slowly through an argument or idea as you want, and formulate and reformulate your thoughts as you move through the text. In a given year, I read about 40-50 books cover to cover, read excerpts and chapters of perhaps another 100 or so, and skim

Share Give a gift subscription People sometimes ask me, “Rob, how do you read so much?” or “How many books do you read simultaneously?” or “What is your reading plan?” or even “How do you get through so many books, are you a speed reader?” (I’m not). Readers and Twitter/X followers see how frequently I post my readings or see my recommended books and assume there must be a secret. There’s no secret. I read pretty slowly. I take notes, I underline, I highlight, I jot my thoughts in the margins, I pause if I encounter an especially interesting passage or idea. Years ago, I read How to…

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