Five Steps to Make It Easier to Browse Non-Fiction Literature
Whether you’re reading a non-fiction book at school or for fun, it’s pretty common to want to skim through them quickly. Non-fiction is usually not structured like fiction, and as the Harvard Business Review points out, it’s much easier to flip through if you want to. Here’s how HBR invites you to do it.
Thought here is mainly based on intent, which we mentioned earlier . Obviously, you won’t get the full set of information this way, but it’s a good way to flip through the book whenever you need to:
- Let’s start with the author. Who wrote the book? Read his or her bio. If you can find a short interview or article about an author online, read this quickly. This will give you an idea of the person’s bias and views.
- Read the title, subtitle, cover, and table of contents. What is the argument for the big picture in this book? The way this argument is put …
- Read the introduction and conclusion. The author argues for the opening and closing of the book. Read these two sections word for word, but quickly …
- Read / flip through each chapter. Read the title and anywhere from the first few paragraphs to the first few pages of a chapter to understand how the author uses the chapter and how it fits into the book’s arguments …
- End again with a table of contents. When you’re done reading the book, go back to the table of contents and summarize it in your head …
This is a fairly simple plan. Personally, I would add that if you have time to read, skim through the chapters that do n’t interest you. In popular science literature, it’s rarely a problem to give up entire chapters if you don’t like them. It can also help keep your interest level high enough to continue to enjoy reading, which is really important. Visit the Harvard Business Review for more details.
How To Read A Book A Week | Harvard Business Review