Reading, Reconsidered
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In Praise of Very Good Books
December 23, 2021
Dear Reader, Many people are so obsessed with great books that they can’t categorize influential and interesting books as anything but great books. But Neil...
The art of giving a book
November 30, 2021
Dear Reader, Book giving is a fine enterprise. You have much more freedom than in recommending a read. Much of what I wrote in “The art of suggesting a read”...
Words from the Wise and Otherwise - Part 13
October 27, 2021
Sometimes you run into a quote that just sticks the landing. This quote is eventually about how readers might interact with writers, but along with the way...
Funky Formatting
September 15, 2021
Dear Reader, One of my favorite texts to teach over the years has been Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Now, it isn’t simply because of its content, though...
“Hobgoblins of Little Minds”
August 11, 2021
As promised a few months back, this is an introduction to a newsletter that I’m willing to write should there be enough interested readers for it. The name...
Free Reading and Reading Under Authority
August 4, 2021
Dear Reader, As I’ve spent my summer completely destroying the free-reading time of many a good soul this summer, I have splendid inspiration for this...
Next-Level Reading
July 1, 2021
So Many Books The next level – which many doctors, engineers, teachers, and researchers never reach – is to grasp a book all at once, in its entirety. How...
Reading What’s Not There
June 1, 2021
Dear Reader, Sometimes readers do a curious thing: they read more meaning into the text than is there. Now, I’m not talking about the sort of everyday...
Reading Books on Writing, Part One
May 5, 2021
Dear Reader, Today’s piece is distinct from my series of essays on “Reading as a Writer” (Parts One and Two so far). I suppose one often reads books on...
An Interlude
April 21, 2021
Dear Reader, A few people expressed concern about, well, the absence of reading material. So perhaps I might point you to some possibilities. Here we have...
Reading What You Don’t Know
April 7, 2021
Dear Reader, Before I get to today’s requested piece, I want to make a quick note. I’ll be downshifting to one piece a month, starting this month. There are...
Words from the Wise and Otherwise, Part Twelve
March 25, 2021
She said it, not me: Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact—from calling on us to look through a...
The art of suggesting a read
March 17, 2021
Dear Reader, Let’s commence with a quote from last summer that I think will provide an essential framework for anything that follows: “I have this pet theory...
The Completest Reader
March 12, 2021
Dear Reader, I had mentioned the completest reader in last week’s post so it seemed appropriate to continue on my promise to discuss this type of reader, one...
Re-Reading, Reconsidered
March 3, 2021
Dear Reader, For some reason, I prefer the hyphenated “re-read” when I’m reading digitally, but “reread” in print. Someone better connected with typography...
Words from the Wise and Otherwise, Part Eleven
February 26, 2021
Dear Reader, This series has the most varied reader response. That is, I often get appreciative remarks on it, but the pieces themselves receive the least...
The Must-Finish Reader
February 20, 2021
Dear Reader, We might consider the title of today’s piece a working title. I couldn’t come up with a good title for the reader who must finish whatever book...
How to Read Love Letters
February 11, 2021
Dear Reader, As Valentine’s Day swiftly approaches, I thought that this theme would be apropos. Ha. No, I will not actually be writing on this theme. Love...
The Stakes of the Read
February 5, 2021
Dear Reader, Sometimes the reading stakes matter in how we engage with a read. This is, of course, a matter of anticipation, and it can certainly lead to the...
Reading to Remember
January 27, 2021
Dear Reader, Sometimes, we style our reads for retention and interaction beyond what our own memories can preserve. They are reads distinct from reading for...
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