Reading/Annotating/Reviewing Books - My Method

Many SI members read a lot of books, and I’m sure some take notes for scholarly or pastoral purposes. In this blog post, I outline my own method for reviewing / annotating / reviewing books. The first paragraph is recounted below, and the full post can be found on my blog: http://wp.me/pMeOB-ia

 As a scholar, my job consists of assimilating and disseminating information. The process of reviewing books entails both. My method prioritizes efficiency: reading as quickly as possible with as much comprehension and long-term retention as possible. The information also needs to be stored in a format that makes scholarly work on the material easy. For me, reading is aimed at reviewing; reviewing completes the process of reading. A book is assimilated only when I can express my reflections on it. The method is divided into three steps: 1) setting up the reading environment; 2) reading and taking notes; and 3) drafting the review.