Ahaha I love this one, what good memories! I’m going to have to find it in my mums house and look over the artwork and silly story. Thanks for this post!

I find 1. Audiobooks help most. I personally digest information better that way. Some folks will listen to an audiobook with the physical copy in hand as well. 2. I’ll write down only what I want to remember if feel is important. Little aha moments. Or a line that reminds me of something. Or a book suggestion in the book that the author has read or is referencing. I’m certainly not filling pages and pages on one book (though you could do so).

I have a nice, but boring job, state reports and all. I listen to audiobooks while I work. Since I’m working I don’t, and probs shouldn’t be writing all that I find important while reading. So I’ll rewind where I need to and screenshot my screen, so that later I can go back and re listen to or write down what I liked about that section. But this could possibly take the stress of writing it down immediately while reading/listening. Put one of those little reading sticky tabs on the edge of the paragraph you’d like to return to. You can write it down at a time in your day when you want to!

3 I think information starts being retained when we listen to/read more sources of the same topic. To the point that we can talk about a new subject without needing to reference a book or google a subject. If you truly want to retain information, repetition is always key. Weather that’s thru writing, listening, or both.

4 It’s ok to not retain it all. I used to worry about this so much. I wanted to be smarter, to be “smart enough”, etc. but it became a source of stress. Not a huge one, but enough that learning kind of became unenjoyable.

So, without minimizing your problem, I’d say just read what you’d like to and don’t over stress about what you’re retaining! Hobbies should always be fun!

12 books from 12 friends is such a nice idea (‘: If you hate a certain one would you ask them for a new suggestion, or ask a new friend for a new book?

Either way, thanks for mentioning, might get my friends to do this! A plus, I’m sure, if they’re irl friends and can loan you the book personally!

Favorite because it lasts the longest is lying in bed/couch/floor with enough pillows behind out to feel supported and likely one more smaller pillow on your lap so the book kind of has somewhere to rest. I usually end up scooting down down down and have to restart and refluff pillows.

I would love if casually sitting in a chair at the table, leaning over a book, flat on the table, lasted longer, but what can you do.

Haha your comment definitely made me laugh. I’m a big fan of the LotR movies. I brought the first book on a 10 hour flight with me and read a decent amount I think, but at some point just kept rereading the same paragraphs over and over again and though “Well, I guess I’m sleeping for the next 9 hours” and I did.

I never read the Warriors books but they sure look fun.

I’m rereading Howl’s Moving Castle right now and I’m sure as many others will tell you, it’s goofy and fun and you should definitely read it soon!

Last book to put me in a slump: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. I’ve listened to the first few hours of the audio book a few times now and maybe it’s the audiobook’s voice author, or the dense material, or the current political climate but I know it’s something I can read later when I want to. But the time is not now.

Brought me back to reading: A Clash of Kings. The song of ice and fire series is just good tv, even if you’re reading it! It’s so long and I’ve read it before that the series is usually my “between reads” reading material, but it’s got a great plot and is bringing me back into nightly reading habits!

I’ve moved a few times in the last year and it’s a big “stick to the library” for me! I love all my books but moving around with them and all my other possessions makes me want to downsize.

But for people who want/can keep a growing library, it’s a great hobby to build up towards!

The library I belong to does a great big county co-operatives with the other libraries in our area, so there’s not usually something I can’t find. If I really like it after I’ve read it, then I might buy it.

I’ll definitely buy books that are more like coffee table/cookbooks/etc because you tend to want to re-look at/use them over time. Field guide books, some comic strips, etc

I used to read a ton on my phone. When I warmed up my car in the morning, breaks at work, getting my oil changed, on a park bench. Very often when waiting for people, never for too long, but enough to get a few pages in and I don’t mind read-waiting. All the little snippets add up and all the sudden you’ve read a whole book! It started to really mess with my eyes so I’m an audiobook person now. But phone book reading is such a blessing.

What a sweet thing to have your child read what you once loved (‘: I don’t have kids but I be it’s an amazing feeling!

I think mostly the Magic Treehouse series and the Narnia series. Narnia for its fun wonderland that many can resonate with as their parents read it to them as well - likely omitting the last book because it’s too sad and the religious overtones are not my cup of tea. I didn’t register it’s mirroring of Christianity as a kid though, it’s just a pretty depressing read imo.

I remember the Magic Treehouse being so amazing as a newly independent reader who could discover this new world on my own. My sister would tell me when new ones came out and I’d beg her to ride to the library and pick it up for me.

Likely I’d read some other classics to my kid - Rats of NIHM, The Hobbit, Shiloh, Watership Down, Alice in Wonderland, etc

I’ll admit when I’m in bookshops there’s some cute looking new kids chapter books though. I’d be just as excited to start a new reading journey with my someday kid/niece/nephew.