Rules for Reading: A Personal Response

Join me as I gingerly enter the fray developing around some suggested rules for reading.

Check out some other great takes by Alison ‪@alisontalksbooks‬, Brian ‪@BookishTexan‬, Greg ‪@anotherbibliophilereads‬, Gavin ​⁠‪@GenreBooks23‬ (a brilliant takedown I did not see until after I scheduled my video), Luis at ​⁠‪@TheLiteraryBuffet‬ (whose thoughtful video I watched right as my video posted), and Pat ‪@BookChatWithPat8668‬ (who “tagged” me).

Check out Steve Donoghue’s discussion about reading speed in this recent video: ‪@saintdonoghue‬    • The App-pocalypse, 2026!  

Ryan Holiday’s slightly expanded list of 31 Rules for Reading in 2026 from his blog were quoted and adapted by Pat—and that is what I respond to in this video. Pat’s video:    • So There Are Rules for Reading in 2026?   ...  

1. It is not enough that you read. You have to read well. You have to read the right books.

2. You should always be carrying a book. Phone, wallet, keys, and book.

3. If you’re not reading with a pen, you’re not really reading.

4. Books are not precious things. It should look like you’ve read the book. Mark it up. Fold pages. Beat them up.

5. Spilling food on a book is a sign of respect. Some of the best meals of my life occurred over a book, and the stains prove it.

6. Forget the news, the best way to understand what’s happening in the world is by reading books…usually old books.

7. A lot of people read, not enough people re-read.

8. Re-reading is the best way out of a reading slump or dry spell.

9. Don’t be a book snob.

10. Never read without taking extracts.

11. If a book sucks, stop reading it. The best readers actually quit a lot of books.

12. The rule for quitting books is one hundred pages minus your age.

13. Good writers (and good books) are not hard to read.

14. A long book must justify itself.

15. “What’s a book that changed your life?” is a question that will change your life. Ask people you admire for book recommendations.

16. Cool titles usually make for crappy books.

17. Don’t judge a book by its cover… but also you kinda should…

18. Look for wisdom, not facts. We’re not reading just to find random pieces of information. What’s the point of that? We’re reading to accumulate a mass of true wisdom—that you can turn to and apply in your actual life.

19. When great readers read, they ask themselves a simple question: What do I plan to do with this information?.

20. In every book you read, try to find your next one in its footnotes or bibliography.

21. When you find an author you love, read ALL the books they’ve written.

22. If you see a book you want, buy it. Don’t worry about the price. Reading is not a luxury. It’s not something you splurge on. It’s a necessity.

23. Speed reading is a scam. You have to spend a lot of time reading.

24. Your aim as a reader is to understand WHY something happened, the what is secondary. Before I start a book, fiction especially, I almost always find a summary to get a sense of the plot and core themes. It saves me from spending half the book in the dark, trying to figure out what’s going on.

25. Your nightstand should be ambitious. Don’t just build a library, build an anti-library—a stack of unread books that humbles you and reminds you just how much there is still to learn.

26. Read like a spy in the enemy’s camp. Wisdom is wisdom—take it from wherever it comes. And you should read books and writers you disagree with!

27. If you only find yourself underlining and agreeing with the authors you read, you are not reading diversely or critically enough.

28. “Don’t be satisfied just getting the ‘gist’ of things,” is what Marcus Aurelius learned from his philosophy teacher Rusticus. Go deep!

29. Good things happen in bookstores. So many of my favorite books are just random things I grabbed at bookstores....

30. Prefaces and forewords are there for a reason. Don’t skip them! They often have a ton of helpful and interesting stuff about the context around when the person was writing, who the work ended up influencing, and other tidbits that sometimes stick with you longer than even the work itself.

31. If a book is really good, recommend it and pass it along to other people.

FAVORITE THINGS (affiliates):
Harney & Sons Fine Teas: https://www.harney.com/HANNAHSBOOKS
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/HannahsBooks

READ MY BOOK:
Unspeakable https://amzn.to/47HdMh7

CONTACT ME:
Voxer: hannahsbooks

6786