How do you read so much?
What suggestions do you have for increasing reading speed and comprehension?
How do you decide what books to read?
These questions come at me on occasion, usually from newsletter subscribers who enjoy each week’s “From My Book Stack” feature or from people who visit our home and notice our front room “library” when you enter the house. I’ve shared tips on reading in the past, but there’s one aspect of the reading life that deserves more attention.
Tony Reinke on Reading
Tony Reinke is one of my favorite friends to read on reading. His first book, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books, addressed the topic well, with an eye to God’s glory and plenty of practical counsel for making the most of the books we own and the time we have. What’s more, he and I share a love for Chesterton and, for a season, we made our way through the more than 1,000 essays the great Gilbert wrote over a 30-year span.
Speaking at Colorado Christian University recently, Tony shared 23 lessons about reading. The transcript is worth your time, and his first piece of advice is indispensable: “Read daily in the gaps”—squeeze in moments of reading all throughout the day.
But I want to focus on his second lesson—“Redeem each environment”—which describes the importance of reading spaces. We don’t just carve out time for reading, but space—physical locations for particular books.
The Nudge to Read More
This focus on space matters for a reason Tony doesn’t mention but I find important. Books can be a prompt, or what Richard Thaler describes as a nudge—“any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives.” Leave your guitar out in the open rather than in a closet, and you’re more likely to work on that new song you’ve been learning. Put a healthy mix of nuts in the drawer next to your workspace rather than a bag of Reese’s Pieces, and you’ll eat healthier when you mindlessly go for a snack.
Nudges work for reading in different spaces. The where of reading matters almost as much as the when.
Tony and I share a few habits in common (the desk, the airplane, etc.), but he and I differ as well. (I only write, never read, in a coffee shop.) Here are some nooks I’ve found for reading different kinds of books, so you can see how I figure space into my reading habits. I realize that not everyone has the same rhythm of life, set of responsibilities, or time or space for reading, and that’s okay. But almost all of us could read more than we do. So, as you peek into my reading life, take what works for you and disregard whatever doesn’t.
The Desk (Morning and Night)
In our bedroom by the window is a small desk. That’s where first thing in the morning I read the Scriptures and pray, and it’s where I return for midday and evening prayer. My reading guide—Psalms in 30 Days or my Bible or devotional—sits prominently there, a reminder that this is holy space, devoted to hearing from the Lord.
The Desk (Midday)
I return to the desk around lunchtime or later to spend 20 minutes or so reading a section from a bigger book of theology. My goal is that over the course of several months, I slowly work my way through heavy books that demand sustained attention. Right now, on Monday, it’s Augustine’s The City of God; on Tuesday, the works of Anselm; on Wednesday, Herman Bavinck; Thursday goes to the second volume in Katherine Sonderegger’s systematic theology; and Fridays are always for Chesterton. Weekends are for catching up in case I miss a day or two. When I finish a volume, I switch to another big book. I’m planning to spend time with Aquinas after I finish Anselm, and work through more of John Chrysostom or Gregory of Nazianzus after The City of God.
Desk reading is devotional in the morning and evening, and heady during that half-hour dive into a big, bulky work worth studying.
The Bathroom
Magazines work best here. Shorter articles. Interesting book reviews. News stories and commentaries. No need for more detail!
The Exercise Machine
I do most of my Kindle reading while on the exercise machine for a half hour in the afternoon. By that time, I’m mentally spent, so I unwind with historical nonfiction, or perhaps a novel, or books on the Christian life. The goal is to keep the digital pages turning through books that are both informative and enjoyable.
The Library Chair
We have two chairs in our “library,” and I always have a book or two on the table between them. Whenever I’ve got a few moments in between other responsibilities, that’s where I go to work through another chapter of a novel or a business book. I pick up where I left off and gobble up some goodness in a short amount of time. I tend to leave two or three books in that space, so when I’ve got a few minutes between helping kids with school assignments or helping out around the house, I can push forward with my reading.
The Nightstand
The key for reading right before bed, whether with the lamp or on Kindle, is to find something interesting enough to keep you from drifting off. I look for something beneficial to close the day with wisdom as I devote the night to the Lord. Tony’s nightstand looks different than mine, as he has a big stack to choose from.
“These are books that I read in the thirty minutes before I fall asleep, and each of the books can be read in short chunks. These are not books I intend to read from cover to cover, but only to read a few parts of. I replace the stack of books every couple of months.”
Hotel Reading
I’ve made it a habit not to turn on the TV in the hotel room. Unless there’s a major news story breaking, I prefer the quiet, and if and when I have downtime after the day’s activities, I make progress through a book of theology or cultural analysis—something that demands more attention than usual and is amenable to a quiet room for contemplation.
Airplane Reading
The Kindle works for reading in the airport or on the airplane. I also enjoy a magazine or two during takeoff and landing, and if I have room in my bag, I throw in a brief book on some topic of interest. Once I can let down that tray table, out comes the book and pencil and I take full advantage of not having a WiFi connection for the duration of the flight. Uninterrupted time for reading and thinking, sitting 30,000 feet in the sky.
Finding Space
You don’t need a big house to make space for reading. Whether it’s the kitchen table, your nightstand, a favorite chair or couch—find the nooks that work best for reading, and prompt yourself to feed your mind throughout the day.
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