What does reading and adventure have in common?
Books and adventure have forever been entwined in a romantic love story. Looking back to the times of Shackleton and Scott, writing about adventures and exploration was the most effective way of sharing the experiences had by the people that set off into the unknown.
In 2022, the method by which stories can be told is limitless. Documentaries, Vloggers, Instagram and Bloggers.
No matter your creative preference, there will be a format for you.
However, reading and writing will forever hold a nostalgic romanticism in my heart which I associate with adventure.
Both writing and reading allows an individual to open their mind to new ideas, contemplate new philosophies, and escape into an exciting world of ambition, imagination and discovery. Learning how to gain more from reading is a journey I am on in order to become a more interesting and intelligent reader.
Read on for the methods which have helped me so far!
Absorb Less Traditional Content.
Books have long since been the symbol of knowledge, learning and intellect. And to be honest this post does have a rather book-sided point of view.
However, the internet has opened up the landscape to allow anyone who wants a space to share their thoughts and experiences.
This may mean that there is more rubbish to sift through with idiots like me rambling on…
However, giving a voice to the masses means there is a plethora of gems to be discovered which would have otherwise remained within the private notebooks of unexplored genius.
As a new blog writer myself, I must admit I have a vested interest in trying to sway you this way. However there are some incredible sources of inspiration out there. Notable sites which always have great content include:
In addition to the excellent blogs above, I truly believe that Reddit is one of the best social media platforms out there. I think anonymity allows people to be more real and less ego focused than Facebook and Instagram. The ability to speak freely without fear of judgment creates a refreshing environment of new ideas, advice and insight (for the most part…).
In addition, most established subreddits are moderated in such a way to discourage content which attempts to sell the reader something. This aspect of the internet is hard to remove and applying a healthy dose of scepticism and judgment is usually a good idea.
However, being honest; I often find myself with a feeling of satisfaction in “finishing” a book which I lack when reading blogs, articles or reddit threads.
However, perhaps that’s a mindset I ought to shake?
Ali Abdaal has a really interesting take on how we read books in his video on how he reads 100 books a year.
In the video Ali discusses the idea of around shame in not finishing a book and the prestige ego that accompanies finishing books. I am guilty of this and, whilst I have my scepticism regarding skimming a book to try and get the core information as fast as possible, I am open to the concept of removing the sacred nature of books, especially when it results in reading for the sake of reading.
Delving Deeper
Once armed with a stack of books, a bunch of bookmarked websites and a handful of subreddits you will have plenty of content ready to consume.
But what’s the best way to get the most out of that information?
The answer is to delve deeper.
Blooms taxonomy is a concept which outlines a hierarchy of learning which may be useful to apply here.
When absorbing content, the best way to learn the concepts is to work up Blooms’ pyramid from basic remembering and understanding all the way to the point where you are evaluating and beginning to create your own ideas and content.
I have read so many books where I have been trying to finish the book for the sake of finishing.
In these cases, I have fallen heavily into the ego influenced tick boxing pattern of reading books in order to hold up their sacred nature as a trophy.
Because surely anyone who can finish lots of books must by virtue be an intelligent person… right?..
At least, that is what we may try and tell ourselves.
More often than I care to admit I have hardly understood the content or the context and even sometimes I’ve been too lazy to even look up a new word whose definition I am unsure of.
This level of reading and learning is so low in the hierarchy that it does not even sit on Blooms Taxonomy Pyramid
Perhaps you’ve experienced something similar where you have very quickly finished a book that holds great prestige among friends and colleagues and you feel you now have earned the right to hold that knowledge as a certificate of your intellect? But when questioned about the details a month later, the information seems to have leaked from your mind as quickly as it went in.
Without employing more effort than just reading the words, it is unlikely that the knowledge will be committed to your memory in any significant manner.
When we consciously read the words and try to understand their context we are far more likely to remember the details and can begin our climb of Blooms Pyramid.
Moving into the upper ranges can be done in a few ways.
How to get more insight from a book?
You could start by doing a simple review of the books you have read.
Taking the time to reflect upon and consolidate the information you have just read before moving onto the next book will allow you to retain the information better and gain deeper insight. There’s so many ways to do this and each one will be a personal choice.
- Write/type then in your on private notes – If you don’t feel comfortable in sharing your ideas with the world yet, why not just keep them as a note for your future self!
- Goodreads – This is a great place to keep track of the books you’ve read, review and reflect and get suggestions for your next book.
- Start an Instagram or blog – Why not collect all your reviews on your own page and share them with the world!
The latter is the method I have chosen to go down.
Within this blog I will be reviewing the books I’ve read. As with much of this blog, this is largely for my own personal development. However, if it happens to inspire someone to read more then great!
I’m hoping that through this blog, I will be able to apply Bloom’s techniques to help me in becoming more insightful. This applies not just in reading books, but by writing down my ideas relating to adventure, travel and philosophy – forcing myself to try and comprehend these concepts and research the wider context.
Join a Book Club.
I’ve been involved in a couple of Book Clubs in the last year and I cannot recommend it enough. This is certainly one of the most enjoyable and social ways to get the most out of reading.
Why you should join a book club?
- Consistency and Regiment – Having an external deadline set amongst a group of friends gives you a pressure to actually finish a book!
- New ideas – Writing down your own ideas is a great way to learn and develop insight into a book. However, by discussing with others, you may find that your understanding goes significantly deeper as others approach the book from different angles and experiences. This may mean you will think about the concepts in a way you previously hadn’t considered before.
- Meet new people – Through your book club you may form connections with people you would never have met otherwise. Not only does this give you different insights into your book of discussion, but you may find that your new network opens up a multitude of new avenues and opportunities.
If you currently don’t have any local book club opportunities, then one option which I’ve heard great things about is Rare Birds Book Club – a subscription service which sends you the best books by women in the post and offers an online book club to discuss.
(Note that I have no affiliation with this company – just a genuine recommendation)
So get out there and start reading! If you are looking for recommendations on books to read stay tuned because I’ll be sharing all my favourite books soon!
My most recently read book was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote . Whilst this one was a bit of a slog I can thoroughly recommend it. I’ve given it a quick review on my blog here so be sure to check that out!
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