The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life

Steve Leveen, Bvtn 028.9 LEV 2005

Interesting. Author suggests pencil annotations in books (I prefer Postits, I can find them later), skipping around in nonfiction books, working from the index, going to the best parts first. I agree.

• mostly fiction/novel driven
• Classics - skip the intro, read some of the text, many are readable, but tastes differ.

• T. Roosevelt, D. MacArthur, Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, Beryl Markham were avid readers.

• Make list of candidates for future, suggestions from multiple friends, reviews, others
• Purchase Library of Candidates for future reading
• Living Library for previously read books
• If you don't like a book after 50 pages, move on
• Spend time with book after reading
• Francis Robinson, SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review

• Mortimer Adler, How to Read a Book 1972

• Librarians trained in "Reader's Advisory" references What to Read Next, Novelist, Genreflecting

• Good Reading: A Helpful Guide for Serious Readers, Fadiman's Lifetime Reading Plan, H. Bloom How to Read and Why

• Rotten Reviews by Bill Henderson

Books On Tape, 1975 Duvall Hecht for "reading" during long slow commutes in LA.

Recorded Books, >1975 Henry Trentman in Maryland.

• narrators stage actors, Frank Muller > 400 books (Incl. Jerry Jenkins Left Behind)

• Michael Pritchard did Travis McGee and Newo Wolfe

• 60,000 titles by 2000
• 4 surprises: less roadrage, authors poor narrators, long music is distraction, one narrator best
• subtle voicing to suggest characters

• http://www.yourwellreadlife.com/Home/RecordedBooks.asp (some sound samples at bottom)