Context
A process for screening and inspecting non-fiction books in a long reading list; to prioritise the most informative, relevant and enjoyable.
“Skim a lot of books. Read a few. Immediately re-read the best ones twice.” – Farnam Street
Particularly useful when provided with long lists of book recommendations from reasonably reliable sources (ie if I was to figure out which books that would be worth reading cover to cover, vs reading partially, from book recommendations from Jamie Dimon, Charlie Munger, Jim Mattis or Naval Ravikant; or books listed in The Economist best books of the year; or books from recent Financial Times / Bailie Gifford book award long lists).
Step 1 applies to every book on the list, with any subsequent steps only carried out for a book that has passed the previous step (i.e step 3 will only be relevant for books that have passed step 2).
Process
Step 1: Light Screening (to determine if the contents of a book are likely to have any relevance or fit your idea of what the book contains based on any research or recommendations)
- Obtain the Kindle sample of the book being screened
- Read all the preamble
- Read the contents page(s) carefully
- Skim the introductory chapter – review any subheadings, diagrams, quotes, or text callouts, and read the first line (and possibly the last line) of each paragraph
- Consider skimming any other chapters available
Step 2: Heavy Screening (to determine if the writing style of the book is enjoyable or bearable for longer reading)
- Reopen the Kindle sample
- Read the introductory chapter carefully
- Consider carefully reading any other chapters available (can also skim them if this has not been done at the light screening stage)
Step 3: Inspection (to determine if the entire book is worth reading cover to cover or only certain chapters or sections should be focused on)
- Open the physical or digital copy of the book you have now purchased or obtained
- Consider re-reading the preamble and contents page(s) for a refresh
- Consider re-reading the introductory chapter for a refresh / for context
- Skim intervening chapters between introductory and concluding chapters – review any subheadings, diagrams, quotes, or text callouts, and read the first line (and possibly the last line) of each paragraph
- Read the concluding chapter carefully
Outcome
A list of non-fiction books, to either read completely or to read partially, and others that have been screened enough to come back to in future should they become relevant.
The process outlined above will help prioritise the list, so that enjoyable and useful books are at the top of the list, with useful but not as enjoyable books (that have some sort of utility) being at the bottom of the list.
“John [Collison] has this insight that, at every moment, you should be reading the best book you know of in the world. I don’t mean, the absolute best for everyone, but the best book for you.” – Patrick Collison
Sadik Ahmed (website under construction) 