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Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#11

Post by iteria »

sodiumtech wrote: post #7
Gooblebrai wrote: post #2

I'll take a step back, why do you need to remember what you have read in a book?

I asked this mostly for self help books, like time management and others. Obv you would need to remember and act what was discussed in the book to get any benefit from that.

You're supposed to read these books multiple times. You read the first time to get a general understanding. And then you reference things within the book as they pop up as ideas you want to remember more about. No one remembers the details of anything they read the first time. It's about constant exposure. Some things however, are important for shaping your general thought processes, but not important enough to remember specifically

Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#12

Post by mikewarot »

After reading a book a few times, you start to notice things you missed previously. There's always some new detail.

Back when I was making gears I had a set of 3 of the books in the late Eric Flint's 1632 series I read in rotation over lunch breaks. It was slow enough due to the limited time that I'd have forgotten things enough to make it interesting again each time.

This is why churches teach the same lessons every year in a great cycle, the liturgical calendar, to get them to stick .

Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#13

Post by muzani »

Gooblebrai wrote: post #2

I'll take a step back, why do you need to remember what you have read in a book?

Why read a book if you're not going to remember it? If you want someone to tell you what to do, that's what articles and tweets are for. Books are meant to go into depth.

Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#14

Post by muzani »

7222aafdcf68cfe wrote: post #8

“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

This was before the era of the internet though, when "book" was the closest thing to a wikipedia page or a reel.

Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#16

Post by meiraleal »

muzani wrote: post #13
Gooblebrai wrote: post #2

I'll take a step back, why do you need to remember what you have read in a book?

Why read a book if you're not going to remember it? If you want someone to tell you what to do, that's what articles and tweets are for. Books are meant to go into depth.

Books are the most efficient way to experience other people's living and learn from it. You don't memorize your past experiences just like you don't need to memorize a book to get influenced.

Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#18

Post by runjake »

1. I highlight important passages in the book.

2. I paraphrase and write down the most important passages in my notes. Paraphrasing is important for memorization and understanding for me.

3. I go back and read highlights after some time and repeat the process.

Re: Ask HN: How do you remember what you have read in a book?

#20

Post by atomicnature »

For me - it is a visceral thing, I don't try too hard to remember anything.

But I end up retaining some associations, a kind of mood, and I also tend to grasp the tendencies and attitudes of the author.

So in a way I read between the lines a lot. I am able to read with a kind of generosity of spirit (forgiving, listening, giving charitable interpretations, etc)

This way - I end up forming the most profitable kinds of memories - something that may help me live my own life and solve problems of interest better.

Reading transports you to a different reality than your present (in psychological/experiential dimension).

Which is very important for invention and such.

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