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How do you read big non-fiction books such as "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die"?


Athena

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How do you read big information books, such as 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall (I know a few members on here have this book)? Do you dip in and out, do you look the things up you want to know (such as certain subjects discussed in the big book) or do you start at the beginning and read a few pages at a time?

 

I haven't quite decided how to read books like this, other than flicking through them from time to time. On a blog a while ago I saw someone who said he or she would read a chapter of War and Peace by Tolstoy a day, to then at the end of the year have the book completed. Food for thought.

 

How do you read big non-fiction books?

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Yes, that is one of the options :P. Glad to have your answer :).

 

I don't think I could read some of the big non-fiction books I have all in one go. I would need breaks, otherwise it's too much input at once.

Edited by Athena
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I dip in and out of my 1001 Books... book - I tend to look at the books after I've read them rather than before, but sometimes I might just flick through it and look at something that catches my eye.   :)

 

I find it a bit too awkward to read in the same way as I'd read a normal book due to its size. 

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LOL  I like both of the above approaches.  Both work for me!  We have it and have simply sat down and read, and then on occasion dip in and out.  Amazon must love the danged thing.  Oy :giggle:

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I dip in and out of my 1001 Books... book - I tend to look at the books after I've read them rather than before, but sometimes I might just flick through it and look at something that catches my eye.   :)

 

^ I'm pretty much the same, with the 1001 Books book. For me it's a reference book, I never intend to read it cover to cover. It's not on my TBR list.

 

Another book of this sort that came to mind is my copy of 501 Most Notorious Crimes. I think I have that one on my TBR... I don't read it page by page. Sometimes when I'm watching Criminal Minds or something, I'll come across a name and I might see if I can find a reference to the person in that book, and then read what the book says about him/her. This might be silly but I mark those read 'articles' with an 'x' and I think when I've read all of them, I can mark it as a read book.

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Athena, on 08 Apr 2014 - 06:58 AM, said:Athena, on 08 Apr 2014 - 06:58 AM, said:

How do you read big information books, such as 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall (I know a few members on here have this book)?

How do you read big non-fiction books?

 

Short answer: I don't.  I count them as reference books and someplace I read that the definition of a reference book is a book not designed to be read, but to be used to find specific information as the need arises.  Anyway, 1001 books is way too long a list; that's a list for young people, young young people. I can do maybe 50 books a year, and anyone can do the arithmetic down to 20 years.  So I have edited the list down to about 300 books by allowing only one book per author, and eliminating all the Dickens,  :animal: , and any author or book I had never heard of, and using other esoteric and whimsical criteria.  But most of my reading is still off-list, so you get the point.  I'll never get around to reading many from either list.

 

But to answer your specific question -- how would I read the 1001 book itself?  I would, and do, turn the pages, look at the pretty pictures, skim for whatever a caption might say and keep going, seeing if any book might from time to time leap out at me to be read.

 

I do read long novels -- that's different! --- word by word, page by page when I am in the mood for climbing Mount Everest, and am glad when I have accomplished the feat.  But, more and more, I think carefully before starting. :D

 

PS Currently part-way through Miss Macintosh, My Darling.  /Taking a break to get my second wind./

Edited by Paul
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Slightly facetious response aside - it depends on the book. I do read quite a lot of non-fiction - and those I do read from beginning to end because the subjects involved interest me. However a reference book is different. Those are just for referring to and then you read the relevant section and put it away until you want know something else. The only notable exception is a dictionary - I have been known to read pages of those at a time although I have to confess I am yet to read one from A - Z in one go LOL I am guilty however of looking up a word and carrying on reading for a few pages - I have a love affair with words. 

Edited by CuriousGeorgette
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I also have a copy of this book, although I'm not sure which version I have.  I was actually given it as a gift a couple of years ago and, to be honest, other than flicking through it from time to time I haven't really done much with it.  I'm hoping to read the books featured at some point, or at least some of them anyway, but I'm not sure when that will actually be.  I must set aside some time to go through it properly and pick out a few of my favourites.  I certainly won't be reading the actual book itself from cover-to-cover; too tedious!  I will be using it more as a reference book and the basis for a potential reading challenge.  It may even be one of the very few books I write on.

Edited by StormyAlanna
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I didn't read 1001 books... but when I read a nonfiction, it depends on the writing style and the theme, if I read it top to back or flip to the interresting parts. Especially if it contains long lists that wouldn't be too important for me.

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