The New Old Way

In which Mike struggles with retention.

Suquamish, WA - 29 Jun 2025

   I'm a pretty avid reader.  By that I don't mean to say I consume hundreds of books a year.  I just read a lot, mostly every day and at my own pace.  One would think after all these years I would become a fast reader, but that's not the case.  I always had a problem with speed and comprehension as far back as I can recall.  It's just me.  As much as it pained me, I continued to read and to this day it's the slow steady pace that keeps me going.  Does that make me a reading turtle?

   My choices in books are eclectic.  I don't have a favorite author or genre.  I don't read old classic authors or anything especially cerebral for the sake of it.  I could be reading something by Kurt Vonnegut, Homer, some philosophical journal or the latest cozy crime.  I like them all and have no shame in admitting it.  Not tooting my horn.  To quote Walter Brennan as Amos McCoy: "No brag, just fact."

   So, what's this about?  I was viewing one of my subscribed YouTube speakers, Jared Henderson and he recently published a video: How to Start Reading Again.  He gave some statistics and then went on to cover various aspects of reading and how to get back to it.  I didn't really need to get back into it, but I did want to see what he had to say about improving the reading experience.  In his presentation. he commented on slowing down and taking time to take in the details of a book and one way he has been trying is to write the first page of a book in his notebook - taking the time to get every detail right down to commas and the words used to express a point.

   I have read about this technique before.  It has many benefits from improving memory, cognitive abilities and well, just making the brain a better gizmo and keeping it that way.  Some writers even claim to have transcribed entire novels by an author they want to emulate.  I don't know if I am that ambitious, but I can see the point.

   So I think I will give it a shot.  I just started a new book, Written in Dead Wax by Andrew Cartmel from the Vinyl Detective series.  It was recommended by a friend and sounded like something I would enjoy.  Well, it turns out the book is pretty long, nearing 500 pages.  That's a lot for me and I expect it will take me weeks to read.  But, if it's a good story and lives up to the recommendation given me and what I have read in reviews, it will be worth the effort.  

   Right now I am a couple of chapters into it and I think I will enjoy the ride.  Later today I intend to write the first page in my notebook and see if that helps me.  Meanwhile, keep reading and…

Keep on truckin'
-Mike