I got a letter from a pastor up in Seattle, and in it he had these questions: I got a letter from a pastor up in Seattle, and in it he had these questions: \u2013how many book do you usually have going at a time? \u2013how do you mark-up\/make notes in your books? \u2013how do you file\/make notes for future reference and\/or research from the books you read?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1741],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-blogging"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u2013how many book do you usually have going at a time?
\n\u2013how do you mark-up\/make notes in your books?
\n\u2013how do you file\/make notes for future reference and\/or research from the books you read?
\nThis blog has changed my reading habits. I used to read one book at a time, and never more than one. But, because a blog requires diversity and since some of my blogging has to do with books of interest to Christians and pastors, I now read about 3 or 4 books at a time. My blog reading is done sporadically \u2014 I read my Friday is for Friends chapters on Wednesday evening or Thursday evening.
\nRight now I\u2019m reading only for writing projects \u2014 on my days at home I\u2019m working on the biblical passages and writings about fasting for a book on fasting called (right now) BodyTalk<\/em>. Also Darrin McMahon\u2019s brilliant book Happiness: A History<\/em> (for a piece for Books and Culture<\/em>). I\u2019m reading Darryl Tippens\u2019 Piligrim Heart for Friday is for Friends and Alan Hirsch\u2019s The Forgotten Ways<\/em>. Publishers now send me books to review on this blog, and I usually store up 3-4 and work through them on weekends.
\nOn marking books\u2026 I use a fountain pen at all times. (I\u2019ll not impose another eulogy about fountain pens yet.) I underline what I like or what I think is worth quoting; I write notes in the margins \u2014 a stimulating thought or a point of disagreement. No highlighters for me. I like the sound, feel, and smell of underlining with a fountain pen.
\nOn note taking: I jot down notes of interest to my writing or speaking engagements in my \u201cJournal\u201d that I keep with me. (I used to use sheets of paper but I\u2019ve found I lose them and they begin to float around my office.) I don\u2019t take official notes and then store them away; too much time filing and worrying about future use. Some people are notebook builders. I\u2019m not.
\nBut brother, one of my themes when \u201cadvising\u201d about reading is this: Read what you want to read. If you are reading something that doesn\u2019t grab your attention, put it down and read something else. Avoid reading only what you have to read; avoid reading only things useful for sermons. Read things that get your fires going. Read good writers \u2014 especially good writers. I prefer the the word \u201cdesultory\u201d for what I read: whatever comes my way that strikes my attention.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"