Customer Reviews

The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a booklover or have a special booklover in your life, this is the book for you. It is a breezy and charming guide to making books a part of your life, and getting more out of the ones that you read. Included in the advice is how to create a "Book of Candidates" - a list of books you want to read and how to keep a Bookography - a list of books you have read which becomes a sort of diary of your reading life. Another suggestion is creating a shelf of books called "For When I Go There" - books about special places you want to visit, saved to be read when you are finally there. The atmosphere of reading a novel about Venice for example is greatly enhanced when reading it sipping a cappuccino at a cafe overlooking the Grand Canal. I know, I've done it, savoring both the book and the place.

Leveen also tells us how to get more out of the books we do read. He promotes engaged active reading by feeling free to write our thoughts and comments in the margins of books (he calls this being a a Footprint Leaver vs. being a Preservationist, a person who believes in leaving a book in a pristine condition). He advises not rushing to put a completed book back on our shelves the minute we have finished reading it. Instead he tells us to review it a day, a week, a month after reading it in order to aid in the retention of the book's contents. There is also advice on audio books and joining bookclubs. In the end he quotes Anatole Broyard, "A good book is never exhausted, it goes on whispering to you from the wall". This would make a perfect gift for a booklover you know.

This book can be very briefly summarized:

1. Write notes in your books

2. Listen to audiobooks.

3. Join a book club.

Really, that's about all there is content-wise in this book. I am amazed at the high ratings it has received from other reviewers, but I suspect they know that the book is short on useful advice, as they use terms like "breezy" and state that the book provides "gentle encouragement".

Save your money for more worthwhile books. If you want to learn the mechanics of effective reading, there really is no substitute for Van Doren and Adler's "How to Read a Book". Some think it's too technical, but hey, active reading isn't easy!

If you are looking for advice on which books to read, try "For the Love of Books: 115 Celebrated Writers on the Books They Love Most" by Schwartz, "So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading" by Nelson, or the timeless "The New Lifetime Reading Plan : The Classical Guide to World Literature, Revised and Expanded" by Fadiman.

In the end, life is too short to waste time on mediocre books - so pass this one up.

How can any reader not love a book that starts out with the quote from Gustave Flaubert, "Read in order to Live"? Steve Leveen, CEO of Levenger, has written a thought-provoking book for readers, The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life. There are ideas for finding more time in your life to read, such as listening to audio books. He suggests methods to make your reading more meaningful, such as making a List of Candidates, books you want to read. (The bibliography alone is a great starting place!) There are suggestions for building a library, and ways to share books. And, as a librarian, I appreciate a book that says, "Like our national parks, our public libraries constitute a treasure that many Americans take advantage of hardly at all."

The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life is like candy for a reader; sweet, enticing, and it leaves you craving more.

I finished this concise and thoughtful reading experience and wondered, "why hasn't this approach been chronicled before?" We all complain about too little time, too much to do, not enough hours in the day to read that special book, etc., but no one has ever REALLY attacked the problem with a plan - that is, until now! Wow, and has Steve Leveen ever done it!! It's all here, and the best part is, it doesn't take you long to get through his book and figure out how much of it (if not all) you can apply.
I only wish this book was available 30 years ago! Alas, it is never too late to learn new tricks and adopt new processes.
Bottom line, I'll state it plainly - buy the book! Want to "create" more time to read, slide that extra book or three into your monthly reading/listening agenda, and at the same time probably uncover new interests or pursuits? Now, none of us has any excuse. It's helped me already and I only read it a month ago. To me, it's all about discipline, time management and even knowing it's OK to put a book aside if it's just not working for you (the heck with the pundits and scholars). I don't want this to sound like an infomercial - so just give it a peek.
I look forward to listening to the audio edition of Steve's great work (read the book, you'll get the joke)!

Cheers.

In his little book on the "well-read life" author Steve Leveen (the CEO and co-founder of Levenger) offers readers advice on how to get more mileage from their reading. His book is divided into five chapters. The fifth is given over primarily to concluding remarks. The third and fourth have to do with the rewards and history of, respectively, audiobooks and reading groups. The meat of Leveen's argument lies in the fifty-odd pages that make up his first two chapters, "Uncovering the Books That Will Change Your Life" and "Seizing More from Your Reading."

Leveen argues that readers will gain more from their reading by approaching the business of books systematically. The usual "accidental and ad hoc" means of selecting titles to read is unfortunate, he believes, because it is more likely to lead to unfulfilling reading experiences that "may dampen your enthusiasm, causing your reading to languish, sometimes for long periods." He advocates developing an extensive list of "candidates for your attention," that is, a list of books in which one is interested, either because of their subject matter or author or because they were recommended by friends or in reviews. The list is to be organized by subject headings and augmented throughout one's life. As a second step, Leveen suggests that readers acquire a great many of the books on their list. He is fully in favor of possessing a personal library that contains more books than one could possibly read so as to have a wide selection of quality books always at hand. (That sentiment may go some way toward alleviating the guilt of compulsive book buyers over their purchases.)

In his second chapter Leveen distills the recommendations of earlier authors on the art of reading and retaining information. He discusses, for example, Mortimer Adler's advice on approaching books as if from a high altitude: one scans a book first to get an idea of its structure, then reads it superficially to pick up its main arguments before sitting down, finally, to a serious analytical reading of the book. Leveen also discusses a variety of note-taking practices.

The reading approach Leveen advocates will not be for everyone. His suggestion that readers direct their reading by developing an organized list of book candidates will be of use almost exclusively to those who are interested in pursuing a course of private study through the reading of nonfiction. Readers with less serious goals in mind probably won't find that particular idea--which is, after all, one of the main points of the book--pertinent to their own situation. Leveen should perhaps have made more of this distinction between fiction and nonfiction reading in his text. His cursory look at the subject of engaged reading won't satisfy those who are serious about becoming more active readers themselves. But Leveen provides a great service in introducing his audience to the subject and pointing to books that will provide further information. His quick read will definitely be of interest to the readers on your shopping list.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

Rebeccasreads highly recommends THE LITTLE GUIDE TO YOUR WELL-READ LIFE as a satisfying handbook on a subject we tend to take for granted, & the black & white illustrations are enchanting!

For all of us who wished we'd kept a list of what we've read -- spend just three hours with this LITTLE GUIDE & add years of fulfillment to your reading life by discovering:
-- how to read 12 more books a years even if you have no more time to read.
-- why part of your personal library should be empty & a large part filled with books you want to read.
-- how to get a "reading" on a book before you read it.
-- when to give up on a book(even if it's a classic!)
-- how to create your very own reading biography.

Steve Leveen has a charming & articulate way of writing, showing us how we can get more of what we all like into our lives, as well as how we can extract more from what we are already doing, & loving.

This book will help you fall in love with books and reading, maybe all over again. The author writes from the heart, as a person who has discovered the joys of reading and wants to pass on this experience to as many people as possible. This is an ideal gift for anyone you care about, because it will bring more gifts into their lives as a result of its sage advice.

Steve Leveen helps us to understand how best to read if we want to make the most of the experience and get the most out of it. He shows us how to give a book a fair chance, and when to cut and run! He reintroduces us to the power of the classics, while also reminding us that it's ok not to like a particular classic, and to just stop reading it if it's not connecting with us.

This book is full of literary romance, practical insight, great advice, cool factoids, and much more. I liked it so much, I've just bought 82 copies to give away!!!!!!!! So that probably says it all.

Buy this book and open a new chapter in your reading life!!!!!

I have always been an avid book reader, however like many others, I am constantly searching for more time to read. The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life has provided me with numerous tools to reach this goal. With Mr. Leveen's suggestions, I have not only become an active reader I have also overcome the feeling that I am obligated to finish every book I start. This book is a must read for everyone!

Leveen's book is much like the products he is famous for: slight, expensive, and possibly overblown.

Which isn't to say there aren't kernels of knowledge one can derive from the book. Unlike many Levenger products, the book is about achieving a deeper relationship with reading and not about looking good while doing it.

To achieve a well-read life, Leveen suggests that you 1) make a list of books you want to read and keep them in categories (Leveen is fairly insistent that you buy the books you want to read - he obviously hasn't considered how expensive that might be); 2) practice the SQ3R method (survey, question, read, recite, review) and preferably write in your books; consider audio books as an addition to, but not replacement of, "reading"; join a reading group.

And that's the book in a nutshell. There are no a-ha moments unless you're one of those people who doesn't believe in audiobooks, and shame on you if you are. There is little here that anyone who has ever asked him or herself the question "how can I read more?" hasn't already considered.

In fact, the book made me a little uneasy for two reasons. First, Leveen's overwhelming need to "possess" books he has or might want to read. There is little discussion of public libraries and the value they provide to those who cannot afford personal libraries. Second, Leveen's insistence that writing in one's books is important. Yes, such an activity can improve one's understanding of the book, but frequently one can't write in a book (library) or would prefer not to (expensive/valuable, such as a first edition). Writing marginalia is often not nearly as effective as taking real notes.

The author confesses at the beginning of the book that he came to reading relatively late in life. As a result, he writes with the passion of a recent convert to a noble cause who wants to share his enlightenment with others. All in all, he does a pretty good job of it.

Voracious readers will pick up a tip or two and affirm their bibliomania, but this book is not really for them--it's for everyone else. The average reader, with the help of Leveen, can become a capital 'R' Reader with the offerings in this volume.

The author advises people to map out their reading lives in accordance with their own tastes; to keep a list of both books they want to read and books they have read; and to use their public libraries and librarians to advantage. He also discusses audiobooks at length, which help busy readers get more books into their lives, and recommends book clubs for their literary comraderie and potential reading discipline.The bibliography at the back of the book is a great resource for Readers as well.

The one pity of this book is that it will find diffculty getting into the hands of its intended audience. As a librarian, I can attest that it's really the bibliofiends who take out the titles in the 'Books & Reading' section of the stacks. It will take a librarian or book purveyor to point out that books like these exist for the people who most need and want them.