What kind of reading do you do

Of course, most of us dabble in multiple reading styles. When I'm reading a biography, for example, I'll read a chapter or two during my commute and spend a lot of time thinking quietly about the impact of one individual on the grand course of history.

But if I'm reading a George R. Martin book, I'll hole up in my room until I'm finished, and then spend a lot of time explaining the differences between the books and the TV show to everyone I know until they stop taking my calls.

You don't even think about cracking open that book until you've got your slippers, sweatpants, blankets, and warm drink of choice firmly in place. You like your reading time to be quiet and solitary unless you have a best friend or significant other willing to cuddle in silence.

Why not put that time to good use? You're a pro at blocking out all sights and smells while you read, and you can balance a book, a bagel, and a cup of coffee while holding onto a pole, wedged between two business bros. You're not afraid to be judged for the books you read in public, and you're excellent at making the most of your time. You devour books whole. You were always getting in trouble as a kid for reading at the table, or under your desk during class, but all that youthful reading gave you the ability to rip through paragraphs in record time.

You feel like you've wasted a week if you weren't able to make it through a single book, and no matter how fast you read it always seems like your TBR list is getting longer. At least once you've started a "new" book, only to realize that you've read it before it's hard to keep track! You might typically skim to search for a name in a telephone directory. Skimming Saves You Time Skimming will certainly save you a lot of time as you grasp the main idea of whatever you are reading, but do not expect your comprehension to be high during the process.

Take a look at the table of contents first. Review the subheadings in each chapter Quicky read the first paragrph in that section Check out anything in your text that is in bold or italics If there is a chapter summary, now is a good time read it over.

This completely prepares your brain to have an overview of what this chapter is about. You can then go on to use scanning to find specific important ideas.

Scanning Picture yourself visiting a historical city, guide book in hand. You would most probably just scan the guide book to see which site you might want to visit. Something students sometimes do not give enough importance to is illustrations. Intensive Reading You need to have your aims clear in mind when undertaking intensive reading. Remember this is going to be far more time consuming than scanning or skimming. They may remember the answers in an exam but will likely forget everything soon afterwards.

Extensive reading Extensive reading involves reading for pleasure. Do you confuse characters or plots? Do you give more attention to some books than to others? The point is, you're not ready for a book commitment just yet, and you're doing a brilliant job dating them all in the meantime. Suggested multi-tasking reads: Short story and essay collections, novellas. Update: We listed more book-reader types, here. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic.

Popular Latest. The Atlantic Crossword. Sign In Subscribe. This article is from the archive of our partner. The Chronological Reader. Slow and steady wins the race, dear reader. You are the tortoise to the promiscuous reader's distracted-at-any-turn hare. You buy a book, you read it. You buy another, you read it. Perhaps you borrow a book at the library.

You read it, and then you return it, and you get another, which you will read. You may not remember where you began, what the first book that kicked it all off was, and you likely have no idea where you'll end, but the point is, you will go through each book methodically and reasonably, until it is done. You might discard a book, but only if there is very good cause, and it will bring you a sense of deep unease, so you'll probably pick it back up and finish it anyway.

You are very good at puzzles, and the most reliable of all your friends. Suggested chronological reads: It doesn't matter; you'll get to them all, eventually. The Bookophile. More than reading, you just love books. Instead of copying down tons of notes or over-highlighting, try some of the active and effective strategies and formats listed below.

These will help you decrease the amount of time and energy you spend on notes and increase your comprehension and retention from reading. There is no one right way to take notes while reading. The important thing is that you experiment with a few effective strategies, find some that work for you, and use them. You may find that different formats or strategies work better for different types of texts, too, and you may want to use different ones for different classes.