Prateet
asked:
I enjoy reading and learning about history but struggle to read long books like the Bully Pulpit without becoming lost in the detail and only making it a few chapters in without losing sight of the bigger picture. How long do people usually take to finish a book of this length, and how best to extract the most important information?
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The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism,
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Leanne
I know you asked this question long ago, but I hope my comment can help in future. As others have noted, there is no 'reckoning' when you are finished - you will take away what you need or want to from this and other long, detailed books.
I am a fast reader, but I rarely devote myself completely to these long non-fiction history books. I read them on the days the subject appeals to me, and often take a month or more to finish them. Let yourself read them on your own terms; it took me two months to read Truman's biography and even longer to finish Van Gogh's. But I truly enjoyed both.
I'm just starting this one, so we shall see how long it takes...
I am a fast reader, but I rarely devote myself completely to these long non-fiction history books. I read them on the days the subject appeals to me, and often take a month or more to finish them. Let yourself read them on your own terms; it took me two months to read Truman's biography and even longer to finish Van Gogh's. But I truly enjoyed both.
I'm just starting this one, so we shall see how long it takes...
Joel
I am a very slow reader. It is not uncommon for me to read 50-100 pages/week (sometimes even slower) but I try to bury myself in the minutiae of a book. If it is not interesting to me I don't bother with it for long. This book took me 3-4 months to read, but I had long stretches where I didn't read it at all.
Janet McQuaid
With some books, including this one, I follow the "one word, one time" rule. Just keep going. You will not get frustrated and stop reading, and you will still get a lot out of the book. There will not be a quiz at the end.
Guy Priel
I usually read four or five books at a time, but if I read one like this, I can usually finish it in a couple of weeks. The best ah to extract information is to let it flow and enjoy it. You won't be tested and no one will hate you if you don't finish it. You're not graded. Since it is well-written, it isn't that difficult to read through it.
Alan
There is no right answer to this type of question and it depends on the kind of book you are reading. Certain long book I may read 50-100 pages a day and other 20-30 pages may be my limit. Read until you feel you have reached your limit of interest and then stop. If it takes you 2, 3, 4 or more weeks. What difference does it make? There are books that I put down for days in order to decompress others make me read on and on much longer. Do what is comfortable for you.
Merry Lee
Audio books are great for stories where you want to learn more in a more passive approach.
Vincent Lombardo
If I become bored with a work of nonfiction, and I frequently do, I skim and skip and read what I like. Sometimes I refer to the table of contents and index to find what will interest me. Nonfiction is more difficult to read than fiction. The nonfiction author has to include certain facts to make the book credible. Some facts are just more interesting than others, and we may disagree as to which are interesting and which are not. If I miss or do not understand certain facts, so be it. No midterm, no final!
Rich Scanlon
I read a chapter at a time and savor the contents slowly, like a great meal. Took me months to finish, but like a Harry Potter book, it was worth the time invested and the enjoyment was even greater with the extended read. A book that I will read again for certain.
Greg Seeley
I was wondering the same thing and posted my question before I saw yours. I have a Master's degree in history and know most of the large picture but still find myself getting a little bogged down.
As far as how long it takes to read the book, I have always been a slow reader and I think this is part of my problem in getting lost in the trees when trying to explore and enjoy the forest. Your last question depends, of course, on how fast you read. As I mentioned, I tend to read slowly and rarely have time, even though I am retired, to sit and read for hours on end.
Perhaps read another book about T.R. or Taft first and then come back to "Bully Pulpit" or, if you don't have a strong background in American History, read a more a more general work about the period and then come
back to BP. I hope this helps you.
Greg Seeley
As far as how long it takes to read the book, I have always been a slow reader and I think this is part of my problem in getting lost in the trees when trying to explore and enjoy the forest. Your last question depends, of course, on how fast you read. As I mentioned, I tend to read slowly and rarely have time, even though I am retired, to sit and read for hours on end.
Perhaps read another book about T.R. or Taft first and then come back to "Bully Pulpit" or, if you don't have a strong background in American History, read a more a more general work about the period and then come
back to BP. I hope this helps you.
Greg Seeley
Denise
Try the audio book version.
Emil
This one helped me with this problem:
https://ryanholiday.net/read-to-lead-...
https://ryanholiday.net/read-to-lead-...
Lib DM
I jot notes in a notebook. Sometimes, I'll write facts that are important to remember (ones that would be beneficial/I would enjoy to read in the future). Other times, I will write my comments, observations, or opinions. That's important because it gives me time to put the book down and really look inward. That too is interesting to read in the future.
Lynne Vanderveen
I see that someone else suggested the same thing I am going to suggest - audio books. I really like listening to this kind of book (and, in fact, that is what I am doing right now with this one). You can't get bogged down in the small details because it just keeps moving along. I find that, while I may not become an expert on every detail, I still learn so much of what is there and I really enjoy listening.
Prateet
Since several people have seen this question and provided their answers, I will provide my own solution to my problem. I recently rediscovered the joy of listening to an audio book, my joy coming from the fact that continuously paying attention to another voice reading a book instead of your own forces you to keep pace and not drift off and daydream. I am a political science major and history minor and there will always be a voice in the back of my head reminding me that any fact that I come across in a history book or current events book may be useful in a discussion or other similar circumstance, so there can in fact be a quiz at the end.
Jennifer Bradley
I'm taking it slowly. I definitely find it a cumbersome read but it's also so full of amazing little historical tidbits! like T.R. getting into a fight and declaring that he will kick someone in the b*lls. Amazing.
I'll be reading for some time, glance down at the percentage marker and it's gone from 11 to 12 after what felt like half my life. I'm sticking with it, but it's not a quick read. Kudos to her for all the exhaustive detail though!
I'll be reading for some time, glance down at the percentage marker and it's gone from 11 to 12 after what felt like half my life. I'm sticking with it, but it's not a quick read. Kudos to her for all the exhaustive detail though!
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