I find it difficult to remember much from a book -- technical and non technical -- I read only once, especially when I haven't used the knowledge or facts. Is that true for everyone?
Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
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Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#2Depends on the book; the average book I remember very little of. But the books that are great, and that hit me at the right time, I tend to remember more about, but not enough, so I tend to re-read them.
Re-reading books is underrated.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#3It probably is true, but IMHO it's not "how much you remember" but how you are changed by what you read.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#4I have read a lot of books but only a few more than once. I probably only remember bits I thought were important from any particular book, but when I read several on the same subject they tend to overlap in certain parts and I find I remember those parts very well.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#5For me there are two modes with a thin line of difference whilst reading any book.
In one mode, I tend to have a huge affinity towards either the author of the book or the potential content of the book. When I happen to read a book in such a mode, my grasping power works super good and whatever I read on seems to stay in memory for a longer time.
The other mode is when I come across a resource, that looks potentially interesting and I'm scanning it to pick up anything that takes me from zero to one. This is when remembering things takes a little more effort for me.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#6Depends on the book; the average book I remember very little of. But the books that are great, and that hit me at the right time, I tend to remember more about, but not enough, so I tend to re-read them. Re-reading books is underrated.
Re: re-reading, for me reading a few books on the same or similar subjects approximates re-reading enough for me to have felt like I've re-read after only having read.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#7This happens to me as well. I have noticed, however, that while I can't recall facts very well from books I've read they often do change my perspective on things and that is much longer lasting. For example, reading the book "The Selfish Gene" had a profound effect on how I thought about the world, even though I can't remember much at all of its contents other than it being about how evolution selects at the level of genes.
With more technical books I find it is almost impossible for me to learn anything substantial from them unless I do the exercises, however, the exercises tend to take an enormous amount of time. So what I find myself doing is skimming most technical books and then then going more in depth on the few that seem relevant/interesting to me.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#8I find it normal.
Whenever I re-read a book I look at it in a different light or, better yet, I have a new understanding of the book.
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#9I remember almost everything and here is I think why...
I have an ereader which I take to bed at night and I love reading until I pass out!
It takes me a few nights to finish a book and most of the time the next morning I practice.
Most of the books are about programming which is a topic that I'm literally in love with!
Re: Ask HN: How much do you remember from books you read only once?
#10I am a mildly dyslexic. I have excellent reading comprehension, but I read about a standard deviation slower than the average reader.
Thus, I don't think I've ever read a book "only once," since in order to understand much of anything, I always end up reading each page paragraph, sentence, or word until I understand it before I progress.