People have been asking me in the comments of one of my recent blog posts: how do you choose the books you read? So, this post is about my approach to reading in general.

Notion Database

The Notion database is the cornerstone of my reading strategy. Whenever I learn about an interesting book, I immediately add it to my beloved Notion database. I’m a huge fan of keeping everything organized, so I love creating tables, structuring, and quantifying just about everything. No wonder I have such a detailed database.

• Book Title — I always try to enter the titles in the original language, most often in English.
• Score  — The score is the average value of the book’s relevance and my desire to read it. Each factor is rated on a 4-point scale. Book relevance depends on how useful it currently is, and desire depends solely on my personal interest.
• Author — This column includes separate databases for each author.
• Location — This column tells me where to find the book if I’ve already purchased it.

If I click on a book title, I go to a page with additional details.

• Status — The current status of the book: In Progress, Next Up, Backlog, Finished, Aborted, or Read in Abstract. I mark a book as “Read in Abstract” if I read a summary and found it sufficient.
• Who Recommends & Rec Sum — This is a separate database of recommendations. I note who recommended the book, the name of the list where I found it, etc. Each source of recommendation has its own weight in points.
• Type — The type of book: fiction, non-fiction, business, or documentary.
• Skill — The skills the book helps improve. I have a separate and extensive database of my skills :D
• Start and Finish Times — These points exist because I dream of measuring my average reading speed someday. :)
• Results — I rate the book on a 10-point scale.
• Blog Post — A separate database of posts on my blog.
• Link — A link to Amazon or Litres.

How do I choose a book from my database?

Honestly, I usually choose a book to read with my heart rather than my brain. I look at the top 20 or 30 entries in the list and choose the one I genuinely WANT to read.

Where do I read?

I always buy books. I stopped consuming pirated copies quite a while ago. I buy all books originally published in English on Amazon and read them on my Kindle or iPad. Books written in other languages I usually read in Russian.

When do I read?

I mostly read (and write posts for my blog) on airplanes. I fly often, so I have plenty of time. Unfortunately, I can’t always fit the habit into my daily routine. There have been periods when I read for at least an hour every day and times when I only read a few books a year.

How do I work with books?

My main rule is that I allow myself to leave books unfinished. While reading, I highlight sections on my Kindle so I can review them later. After reading, I always try to write at least a brief blog post with a summary; otherwise, I won’t remember anything. I’m terrible at memorizing books; it’s a real challenge for me.