"You want to train yourself to finish books, and not constantly be going from one to another to another. When I read a book that I hate, that is boring, and I make myself read all the way through, I kind of take angry notes about it: God, this is ridiculous, this is so stupid, I hate this, this guy doesn't know what he're talking about. You can react to the book, you can have a dialogue with it, but you want to be able to have the patience to get through a 400-500, 600-page book."
"Rather than starting with Melville's masterpiece, build your way up to it—but once you get to it, you've got to finish it. A shorter book to start could be kind of easy, and it could be in a subject that interests you, but upon finishing it, you should choose something that's a little bit difficult and a little bit complicated."
Many people have abandoned regular reading habits, often influenced by social media and competing distractions. Rather than immediately attempting difficult classics like Moby Dick, returning readers should adopt a gradual approach similar to physical training. Begin with shorter, engaging books in subjects of interest, then deliberately progress to more complex and challenging works. The key principle is developing the discipline to finish every book started, even those you dislike. This builds reading stamina and patience necessary for longer, more demanding texts. Engaging critically with difficult material—even through frustrated note-taking—strengthens comprehension and creates meaningful dialogue with the text.
Read at Open Culture
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