10 Takeaways from How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler

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The first and biggest takeaway is his oft-quoted, “It’s not how many books you can get through, but rather how many books can get through to you.”

So, right there, I feel like he’s onto the right idea.

Other readers have complained, though, that Adler definitely has a specific set of books in mind that are “worth” reading, the not-so-subtle implication being that reading other books that don’t fall into this category (that he set up) is somehow a waste of time. This is questionable, to say the least.

Obviously, there are some books that are a complete waste of time (looking at you, Sylvia Browne!) but I don’t believe that anyone else can necessarily tell you which ones those are, not even me! Everyone will have their own set of “classics” which are classics for them, no matter what anyone else thinks.

How to Read a Book definitely has tons of great advice, though, don’t get me wrong. So let’s take a look at nine more takeaways that will help turn you into a much stronger reader, without taking a whole lot of time:

1. Skim the table of contents and stuff first, or else you’ll be trying to get a rough idea of what the book is about at the same time as you are trying to improve your understanding of the material itself. Best to do one thing first…