Several years ago, I emailed Gideon Strauss—friend, former professor, and recently appointed director of the Center for Public Justice—asking for some advice on how to read better. Below, slightly edited and abridged, is his reply:

I have three 'secrets':

1. I am almost always reading. I'd guess I am busy with about five books at any given time. I always have a novel on the go, for two reasons: novels calm me and comfort me, and novels are like reading speed exercise equipment for me—when I read novels, my reading speed goes way up. This is true for the non-novel reading I am doing as well. I read whenever I can get an opportunity—other than movies on DVD, I watch no television. I scan a lot of magazines and web stuff, and I am always looking out for books on the many topics that interest me. I put an enormous amount of books on hold at the library via their internet catalogue.
2. I scan most books quickly, and I retain a lot of what I've scanned. So I'd look at the inside cover summary, the contents page, the introduction and the conclusion. Only if it really, really grips me will I read more than that.
3. If I am going to read a non-novel book thoroughly, then I make a real performance of it. I buy my own copy, I fold and mutilate the pages, I underline and annotate the book in pen, and then I write down the best bits (summaries, quotes, references, etc.) on 4x6 cards that I store in little boxes for future reference. Very few books get this treatment.

Over the last few years, I have found his suggestions very helpful, although I've employed them with varying degrees of success. And if I am going to get really involved in a book, I wouldn't fold pages or use pen to make notes (I prefer a 0.5mm pencil), but that is just personal preference.

What do you think? Are these helpful suggestions? Do you have any additional tips that you use when reading?