Read more effectively

Faced with an extensive bibliography, you need to choose which books to read. Classify each book before reading it according to its level of interest. You'll avoid wasting time or spreading yourself too thinly on reading that may be interesting, but is far removed from the priority objective you've set yourself.

• A = book à read méthodically and in détail.
• B = book of which one or two selected chapters must be read (good examples or good définishes).
• P = book à leave de côté.

To get the most out of a book in a few minutes and determine whether it meets your needs, analyse it according to these points:

• The format (where will I read it?) and the number of pages (how long will it take?).
• The title (what does this make me think of?) and subtitle (what are the author’s intentions?).
• The author’s name (do I know him or not?) and biographical note (who is he?).
• His other works (what are his interests, his field?).
• The publisher (what does he usually publish?) and the collection (what is it devoted to?).
• The publication date (is it still current?) and number of editions (has this book been successful?).

Next:

• Read the table of contents.
• Read five or six sentences at the beginning and end of each chapter.
• Read the exergues.
• Read the chapter summaries.
• Look at the illustrations, graphs and tables and browse the indexes.

Before reading

• Select and decide based on objectives: is the text readable and how
• Ask yourself the following questions:
  • What do I need to read?
  • What do I need to read in total;
  • What do I want to read in full;
  • What should I do with this reading?
  • What can I read later?
  • What don't I need to read anyway?
• Give yourself a reading time or value the time you have available.
• Group short readings together to deal with them as a block.
• Group readings on the same theme to compare points of view.
• Give yourself good material conditions: light, peace and quiet, don't lie down, but sit on a rather hard seat, have paper, pencil, dictionary, etc.

While reading

• Put the œil à 2 cm from the beginning of the text and raise it 2 cm before the end of the line.
• Avoid text returns and subvocalizations.
• Adapt your reading speed to the difficulty of the text.
• Increase your mastery of vocabulary. We read faster what we understand.

Pre-reading

• Put together an index card briefly summarising the content and referring to particularly interesting chapters.
• In your own words, write down the important concepts you have read (2 ideas per paragraph, chapter).
• Once you have finished the book, reread it in 10-15 minutes to fix the content in your memory.

Speed reading is a technique that can be learned and trained. Contrary to what we think, the œil does not move by a continuous movement along a line. It can only see if it stands still. It moves in successive leaps, recording portions of text.

By reading in clusters of words, a person who reads quickly tires less, because they rationalise their eye movements. And contrary to popular belief, such a person often understands better than someone who reads slowly. They have a relatively precise idea of the content of the book, and know the relative importance of the different chapters.

In silent reading, a person who reads slowly moves their tongue, jaw, vocal cords and inner ear.

Slow reader: 

This       who      differentiates     a         reader      fast       is       

the      number          of           point               of        fixation.

Average reader:

What      différencie       a reader         fast       it’s       the number of points   

fastening.

Quick reader: 

What differentiates            a fast reader             is the number           of attachment points.

Test your reading speed to determine whether you read more slowly or more quickly. To make progress, measure your reading speed from time to time. It is estimated that a fast reader reads between 500 and 900 words per minute.

You can also practise with your smartphone. Numerous applications exist such as QuickReader (iPhone and iPad) or SpeedReader (Android).