This is a sample post for checking the English reading experience. Replace or remove it before publishing. Start with a question A reading note does not have to summarize an entire book. Sometimes the useful part is a single question that follows you after the last page. Write that question down before gathering quotations. It gives the note a direction. Separate observation from interpretation A simple table can keep the two apart: Observation Interpretation What the text actually says What I think it implies A passage I can point to A claim I still need to examine This distinction leaves room to change your mind without losing the original observation. ...