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25 Comments

  1. Cindy D'Silva
    May 19, 2023 @ 12:08 am

    DNF?
    I’m concentrating on Choosing quality over quantity this year. It’s working well!

    Reply

  2. Ambica Gulati
    May 19, 2023 @ 12:58 pm

    Over the last few years, I realused that my brain would get jumbled up with too many tasks to handle.So, I started to read only what made me happy, after all I was reading for myself. And I did retain some of the stuff, but forgot a lot also. Now, I am only reading books that make sense to me, not everything that everyone recommends. You have penned valid points to choose quality over quantity.

    Reply

  3. Neeta Kadam
    May 19, 2023 @ 10:20 pm

    Yes, you are right Ritu. If we don’t remember what we read then what is the use of the reading. I do read but only if I like it. It may be fiction, love story, or thriller. I do remember the whole story for long period of time. The number of book doesn’t matter to me. The quality of book matter.

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  4. Preeti Chauhan
    May 20, 2023 @ 1:01 pm

    While I agree with all the pointers that you have given for remembering a book one has read, I also feel a good book will always be remembered if not in its completeness at least in parts.

    Reply

  5. Samata
    May 20, 2023 @ 1:56 pm

    The most important point that you talked about here in this meaningful post is “Avoid skimming or speed reading”. I am sad to see that the overflooded so called reviewer industry is making this mistake. For the key percentage of this population are running after making numbers and earning remuneration fee. Cant deny the fact that the authors are falling prey in the hands of such reviewers as what they are looking for is becoming a best seller by hook or crook. Sometimes I find few reviewers who are putting reviews daily …. I just wonder how they get so much time to read so many books and how their reviews are doing justice to the efforts of the author. I being a reviewer for so long still day failed to gain that speed and I am not sad at all as I know I am giving the authors work due respect and analyzing the pros and cons of the book in right manner. Reviewing is an art and do it as an art only. Thanks Ritu for this burning topic which all must read and understand.

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  6. Kaveri Chhetri
    May 20, 2023 @ 9:48 pm

    hmmm… interesting topic Ritu… I never looked at reading books this way. Now that I m aware, I will try to recollect what I’ve read in the recent past and see how much I can remember.

    Reply

  7. Sivaranjini Anandan
    May 20, 2023 @ 10:45 pm

    n. this post stood out because of its useful tips for reading and remembering. This can be helpful to write book reviews well too.

    Reply

    • Flavia Cutinho
      May 21, 2023 @ 8:13 am

      Reading a book is not a race, ur right we have to let the book seep into us. Im a picky reader, however I feel what I read must really touch my heart as in I must enjoy.

      Reply

  8. Flavia Cutinho
    May 21, 2023 @ 8:16 am

    Reading books isn’t a race, ur right we must let the book seep into us.

    Reply

  9. Zenobia Merchant
    May 21, 2023 @ 10:08 am

    Such helpful tips for better retention or may i call it appreciation of the book. I follow most of the practices and unlike you i love to annotate on my physical books, its something that connects me so much more with the book im reading and helps come back to the book and their important lessons/quotes when im short on time. You should see my ‘The Alchemist’, The Fountainhead’ and ‘The 40 Rules of Love’.

    Reply

  10. Anjali Tripathi
    May 21, 2023 @ 10:52 am

    I absolutely resonate with your thoughts on recalling books we’ve read. It’s a common question that often arises when discussing our reading habits. You make an important point that it’s not just about what we read but how we read.
    I couldn’t agree more about avoiding skimming or speed reading. Reading should never be reduced to a mere numbers game. It’s about immersing ourselves in the author’s words, savoring the experience, and engaging with the ideas presented. By rushing through books, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to fully absorb and appreciate the knowledge and emotions they offer. Thanks for sharing these tips to enhance our reading experiences and foster better retention. Love reading this post.

    Reply

  11. Aditi Kapur
    May 21, 2023 @ 11:27 am

    You are right in saying that many times we pick books based on some kind of hype or pressure. I remember an old post where you wrote about picking up the books that cater to our interests. They would stick to our memory chip like nothing else 😉

    Reply

  12. Dipali Bhasin
    May 21, 2023 @ 4:28 pm

    Thank you for the useful pointers. They enhance the reading pleasure and help retain the storyline. I also find that reflection, reviewing and creating mental associations aid in memory retention. It’s so important for the content to marinate in one’s mind and for this reason I hate speed reading. Every word must be savoured to enjoy the read in its entirety. Without doubt a book that’s picked up must pique one’s interest else why waste time. 🙂

    Reply

  13. Aastha
    May 21, 2023 @ 4:58 pm

    I agree will all your points here.

    Reply

  14. Madhu Bindra
    May 21, 2023 @ 5:19 pm

    I don’t understand speed reading. I read somewhere that you are supposed to read every alternate sentence or something. It doesn’t make sense. If you enjoy a book, you will surely remember it.

    Reply

  15. Varsh
    May 21, 2023 @ 7:57 pm

    I don’t participate in book reading challenges for the same reason, pressure to read more, tick books off your list or fall prey to behaving like a book snob. I often remember details of books I’ve read too. If not the character names all the time, the storyline. One can never forget good books or the ones that touched us in some way. Choose and commit wisely.

    Reply

  16. Docdivatraveller
    May 21, 2023 @ 8:26 pm

    These are some really great tips for mindful reading! I like to take notes for remembering well. Sometimes for reviewing purposes I have to speed read and that serves no purpose at all!

    Reply

  17. Shalini R
    May 21, 2023 @ 8:39 pm

    Ah, you read my mind. This post was much-needed for me 🙂
    I read a lot of books but I hardly remember any that I read. Yup, speed reading is my jam and I think I should be more conscious from now on. I hardly make annotations until it is of utmost interest to me. I also hate dog-earring or making notes in the book. Too OCD like that. But great tips from you. I will definitely try to implement it and see what works for me 🙂

    Reply

  18. Pooja Jha
    May 22, 2023 @ 4:03 am

    I follow most of these so, I usually remember what I read and I really do agree that most of these are helpful and Visualizing is on top of my list here.

    Reply

  19. Jeannine
    May 22, 2023 @ 5:38 am

    Having read more and more Self-Help books for the past 4 years, I’ve come to realise how I missed taking notes and doing annotation of most of them. While I loved that certain book and learned a lot from it at the moment in time, I find it hard to remember the key phrase/lines I used to love. It’s only lately that I’ve learned putting notes so my reading becomes more personalised and I also get to go back to those special parts when needed easily. Great points!

    Reply

  20. Harjeet Kaur
    May 22, 2023 @ 11:30 am

    I agree with you, Ritu. I underline the lines I like and go back to them long after reading them.
    But now I read a book very rarely and I remember the names of those 😉
    When I was an avid reader, I used to upload the titles online and we in our bookworms group used to note down the titles in a diary.

    Reply

  21. Manisha Garg
    May 22, 2023 @ 12:02 pm

    Your tips are very helpful for avid readers. These days I read a book rarely but I still try to remember the names of those I read.

    Reply

  22. Janaki
    May 22, 2023 @ 4:37 pm

    I have always admired your reading speed and ability. I also love the variety that you bring in your reading. Often I have also wondered, “How does she even manage? ” 🙂

    Now I know the answer. Thanks for the tips. Will surely keep in mind when I start the next read.

    Reply

  23. Vasumathi DS Ponday
    May 23, 2023 @ 2:57 am

    Great tips….i had this problem once when I went on a Danielle Steele reading spree. After a while everything kind of go jumbled. I completely agree that we must choose the books that really connect with us. Sometimes even after a great recommendation, some books just dont work for you.

    Reply

  24. Ninu Nair
    May 25, 2023 @ 7:01 pm

    I was questioning myself the last few days on certain books that have completely gone blank from my memory. After reading your post, I think these were the books that I read just for the sake of it and didn’t love them. As you wrote, I remember those books and characters accurately about whom I have spoken endlessly in every conversation.
    This was such a lovely, heartwarming post! Books and the magic potion to remember them is all that we need to get by!!

    Reply

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