The Art of Reading

Reading is my addiction. It has been since I picked up a Hardy Boys book from the Pennsauken Library over 57 years ago. I estimate that I have read about 5500 books and that number continues to grow but at a slower pace from my youth. I try to limit my number of reading heavy books (over 350 pages) as I get older.

Reading is an intellectual diet. There are books that nourish one’s soul and brain. But there are also books that serve as junk food for the mind. They may not nourish one’s mind or soul but they do provide temporary substance or enjoyment.

Shown below is a brief profile of my reading tastes

1. I prefer reading non fiction books over fiction.
2. I generally do not read fiction books from women authors.
3. I have no interest in poetry, science fiction and religious books.
4. My favorite book topics are history, politics, philosophy, biographies, psychology, sports, business, economics, spy and detective novels.
5. I used to read self help books and books on how to improve business results in your career but I have outlived their usefulness.
6. I tend to avoid books authored by politicians and celebrities.
7. I read one book at at time.
8. I rarely re-read an entire book.
9. My favorite place to read is the sun porch on my house.
10. I don’t multi-task as I read. No TV or music.
11. Generally if a book does not hold my attention or interest in the first 20-30 pages, I will put it down.
12. My best sources of finding new reading material that I may have an interest include: The New York Times Sunday Book Review section, Kirkus reviews, Book TV and interviews with authors on news shows and television.
13. Generally when I target a book that I have interest, I look to borrow the book from my town library. If I can’t find it in my town library, I will probably buy it from Amazon Kindle. If I have a discount coupon from Barnes and Noble, I may purchase  a hardcover or paperback, if it is cost efficient.
14. If I own a book, I may underline sentences and paragraphs that I may wish to reference or remember later.
15. I look up the defintion of words in a book that I do not know the meaning.
16. I use Goodreads to catalog and archive the books I read, when I read them and offer a brief review and rating.

Last 30 books that I have read