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Jan 29, 2011

Eric rated it:

I found this book in the "essays" section of the bookstore and enjoyed reading it. I couldn't bring myself to pay $17.50 for the diminutive book, so I decided to see if I could find it cheaper online, or maybe even at the library. Fortunately, I did find it at the library and it wasn't checked out. Below are the notes that I collected as I read.

Notes
· Preview: end pages, fore pages, table of contents, and index.
· "One hour of steady thinking over a su More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2009

Katy rated it:

Had been eying this at Levenger, but decided not to get it. Apparently I got enough *other* stuff that they put it in for free.

It was actually kind of good timing as the book reinforced some changes I've already been making in my reading life while suggesting some others*. It confirms my trend of stopping mid-book if I'm no longer interested (odd how much a balm it is to get a sort of "permission" to do that). Really like the idea of maintaining a more official and organize More...

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Oct 01, 2011

Chris rated it:

Knowing how much I like to read, a friend picked this up for me at a used-book sale. Leveen offers a number of well-meaning tips for getting more out of your reading. The problem, for me at least, is that we see reading somewhat differently. He sets it up as a bit of a chore - albeit an enjoyable one. By working at what you read and how you read it, you will get more value for your reading time. And that's true enough, except that I don't particularly want to work at reading. Reading is somethin More...

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Apr 27, 2010

Eohlson rated it:

This book matches so closely to what GoodReads.com provides that I started to wonder if the author was involved with the site. Not that I could tell.

The author is the CEO and co-founder (with his wife) of Levenger.

I found a number of recommendations in the book to be good, or at least interesting. He covers the gamut of having a personal library, how to study, leaving notes in books (Footprint Leavers) or not (Preservationists), and book groups. A number of source book More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2009

cagey rated it:

This book about reading books. While that topic can be seen as boring, this was worth a quick perusal. The author had some great tips on how to improve one's reading life - he talked about joining book clubs, the oral tradition of books that support the NEED and validity for audio books and giving up on books if they are not tickling your fancy. He wrote about giving up on books that are not enjoyable - this was very helpful to me because I have wasted hours of my life reading BAD BOOKS.
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2007

Tracey rated it:

Basically a guide on how to get the most out of your reading; the techniques probably work better for non-fiction/purposeful reading than fiction/leisure reading.

He encourages writing in books (a habit I'm still reluctant to pick up) and dropping books that don't grab you within 50 pages... something else I struggle with.

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Feb 05, 2011

John rated it:

A worthwhile read. A reminder of why we read. Offers suggestions on how to plan one's reading. Challenges some myths surrounding reading. It was published in 2005, so it hasn't been available for a long time. My thought was that every reading teacher should review it. Perhaps even assign it to students who are reluctant readers. His chapter on audio books and listening is making me think about expanding to this option. I don't own a walkman and I try to take the train rather than drive to More...

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Jul 20, 2009

Amanda rated it:

This book was very interesting. I loved the tips he gave (writing down the subjects you want to learn about and continually adding titles to read to that list), buying books like crazy in order to encourage you to read and continue learning (oh, how I wish that was an option for me) and starting a list called your "Bookography"--a list of books you've read, when you read them, and a little bit about how it made you feel. I didn't read every single word, or even every single chapter. I More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

Read this book to enrich all your reading experiences! The author, Steve Leveen, is the CEO of Levenger's (www.levenger.com) -- "Tools for Serious Readers" and also author of the blog called "The Well-Read Life" (http://blog.wellreadlife.com/), which I also recommend.

Leveen uses a warm, intelligent writing style to make this book come alive with thought-provoking and truly helpful tips and insights for getting more out of--and retaining more from--your reading. He More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 24, 2011

Rachel rated it:

This book had some intriguing ideas, and a lot of them made me wonder why I had never looked at it that way before. For instance, Leveen recommends not to label reading lists as "reading lists" so much as a list of "candidates for attention" thus making the pursuit of reading seem less obligatory and more selective. He also implements the 50 Page Rule: if you aren't connecting wtih a book after the first 50 pages, drop it and find another one; as a general rule, life is too s More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 17, 2008

Faith-Anne rated it:

The author is really patronizing about reading. He basically makes you feel as if you've committed a deadly sin if you write in a book's margins. I hate authors that do that.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 25, 2011

Westerville rated it:

"[L]eveen recommends not to label reading lists as "reading lists" so much as a list of "candidates for attention" thus making the pursuit of reading seem less obligatory and more selective.

He also implements the 50 Page Rule: if you aren't connecting with a book after the first 50 pages, drop it and find another one; as a general rule, life is too short to read things that don't inspire you." - Rachel, Customer Services Associate

Reserve a l More...

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Jul 26, 2009

Sylvie rated it:

Explores desire to read more and provides concrete suggestions on how to do so. Discusses value of audiobooks to increase "reading," especially duing times when it is not possible/convenient to read a book (while driving, doing housework, etc.). Includes suggestions for developing reading lists, expanding and purging personal libraries. Suggest keeping a "bookography" or annotated lists of books read. Additional discussion of writing in books, passing them on to others an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 04, 2010

Brittanie rated it:

I've been keeping a list of books to-read for a while now on my iPhone, and Leveen has some good ideas for organizing it and adding to it in a thoughtful manner. He also gives ideas on how to sort through the list to find what you want to read next — for example, by giving more weight to recommendations from people whose previous recommendations you enjoyed.

This book also made me feel less guilty about giving up on a book and about knowing that I'll never get to all of the 300 or so More...

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Mar 14, 2009

Kristy rated it:

I'm really not the intended audience for this book since I'm satisfied with my reading system and tend to prickle at "self-help" books, but I got a free copy so I read it despite my misgivings. While some of the quotes Leveen pulls from other books about reading are great, and some of his suggestions are worthwhile, overall I found this book to be an irritating mixture of know-it-all smugness and rich guy assumptions about how people interact with books. In addition: Listening to an au More...

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Oct 06, 2010

Kaethe rated it:

I remember Leveen's visit to the prior Readerville. I've been thinking about him and this book since discovering Note:Books, which should appeal to his thinking about how we read.

It's good for all of us probably to spend a little time thinking about what we read, and why, and how. There are a million books telling you what to read, but few really explore the mechanical process of reading, and of learning from what we read.

What have I learned? Well, if I spent more time More...

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Feb 13, 2009

Jodi Z rated it:

A great guide to re-evaluating your personal approach to reading. Includes discussion on a variety of topics including: to mark or not to mark, to own or to borrow, to read or to listen. And he makes a case for both sides of each of those topics. I think the thing I appreciated the most was the permission to not finish a book if it doesn't work for you. To paraphrase, why waste your time on a book that doesn't speak to you when there are so many wonderful ones to enjoy?

I also ap More...

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Feb 25, 2009

TC rated it:

Although I really love the audio format for reading it doesn't work well with all books - this being one of them. The wrong narrator can kill a book, so it is not always a good idea to have the book recorded by the author. Strangely enough, the author acknowledges this in the book and apologizes for doing the reading, saying: "Now that I know how hard it is I will never read another one of my books again."

As with most self-help books, audio is not the best medium since t More...

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Jan 29, 2008

Chris rated it:

Although it seemed rather innocuous to me when I was checking this out from the library that one needs to read a book about reading books, it was only 3 CDs so I rationalized that it wouldn't take too much time away from my reading the "real books". Although much of the advise in it was obvious and I am already following it, i.e. keep a list of what you've read and what you want to read, write about the book to retain it better and longer (thank you very much Goodreads.com), I did get More...

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Jan 21, 2009

Gayle rated it:

Steve Leveen is the co-founder of Levenger, a catalog founded on offering "tools for serious readers," and the author of this How To book about reading. I found his voice oddly off-putting, rather brisk and energetic, like a motivational speaker; not at all what I'm looking for when I read about reading. So I quickly skimmed the book for useful information, which I found. But that is not enough to recommend it.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2011

Deborah rated it:

I love this, especially the first two chapters. It's about planning your reading more deliberately and not wasting time reading books you think you should read or finishing books you aren't enjoying. It explains how to create a list of candidates for your attention. That half your library should be books to read and that it's good to lay in a supply of books.

There are also chapters on audio books and book clubs.

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Mar 21, 2009

Spyder rated it:

A quick little read that I picked up in Chicago at the Levenger shop in Macy's on Michigan Ave... There is some great advice in here, though I felt like the overall volume was a little too simplistic, but perfect for it's target audience, I guess.

I love books about books and books about reading and I was hoping for more proper essays. I would consider this a great little "getting started" guide.

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Jan 10, 2010

Bradley rated it:

A resolution this year was to begin to read more -- this book was a good first step. I think I needed the insight given by the author to re-learn to read on a certain level.

Steve Leveen gave me a number of ideas about how to choose books, organize a list, and even permission to give up on a book (see the "50 page rule" on page 36 of the book).

Mostly he eloquently shared his love for books that made me want to fall in love with books and make them a priority in

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Mar 25, 2009

Lynne rated it:

I'm not sure why I'm always wanting to read books about reading, when I don't have enough time to read as it is! Parts of this were fun to read, and parts were food for thought. I'm not a huge fan of audio books, so that cut out quite a bit of the book for me. I'm also 'apparently' a preservationist, because writing in books will never be something I will be able to bring myself to do.

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Nov 27, 2011

Lynn Dee rated it:

I discovered the Levenger website and then this book. I could really identify with the author in describing himself as being late to the bookshelf and his description of book-love, which I am now discovering for myself. He also makes a very good case for audiobooks, so much so that I am going to give them another try. I also enjoyed the cozy illustrations.

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May 12, 2009

Amit rated it:

This book convinced me to join goodreads.com. My key learnings were:
(a) To plan what I want to read
(b) To take notes and bookmark
(c) To feel OK about skimming through books
(d) To spend some time thinking about a book just read
(e) Organizing my personal library along - books read/to-read
(f) To, perhaps, join a book club

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Mar 17, 2008

Kathy rated it:

It had some good stuff, like the case he made for writing notes in the margins of books, the value of keeping a big list of books you want to read someday, and giving yourself permission to give up on a book that doesn't grab you, even if it's critically acclaimed and you're "supposed to like it." Other parts were just nice reinforcement for buying, reading, listening to, and talking about books. It inspires you anew to make time for it in your day. His chapters on reviewing materi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 22, 2010

Sarah rated it:

ideas about obtaining information were good. The suggestion of dropping a note to the author was intriguing to me as well as writing in books being very valuable. It also got me interested in joining a book club which I never thought I would want to. Now maybe I'll check one out.

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Sep 20, 2011

Lou rated it:

A fun little book about reading. I especially liked the idea of creating a "Living Library" and lists of books you've read and plan to read (your List of Candidates), as well as a library of books that await your reading (your Library of Candidates).

I definitely lean on the side of being a "Preservationist" (someone who does *not* write in their books), but I do like the idea of taking notes while reading. I just need to find the right mechanism for that (something that the Kindle provides throu More...

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Jul 19, 2010

Kricket rated it:

interesting tips for bibliophiles. i already knew a lot of these things, and steve leveen is a little cheesy. but i enjoyed being reassured that it's ok to put down a book you don't like, and to have a long, long, LONG list of potential "candidates" to read.

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