how to read the bible book by book review

How to Read the Bible Book by Book – Review

Posted by Randy A Brown | Aug 10, 2014 | Books and Media | 1 |

How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart is a companion and continuation of the book How to Read the Bible for All its Worth. This book goes deeper into each book of the Bible in a unique way. Most books that cover all of the books of the Bible serve as a Bible survey- giving the information that students need to know without having to actually read the Bible itself. This book teaches students how to read each book for themselves and how to get the most from each one.

It shows the structure of the Biblical narrative and breaks the Bible down into four chapters:

• Consummation

Rather than just reading the Bible haphazardly and not realizing how each book relates to its context, they show how each book fits within this narrative story. They give advice on how to understand each book within this context.

For each book of the Bible they provide some good basic information:

• Orienting Data
• Specific Advice for Reading
• A Walk Through

You don’t have to read the first book to be able to use this one. This book is meant to be read along with the Bible (not instead of the Bible). It works a lot like notes in a study Bible, but instead of giving you a verse-by-verse commentary they cover each book in broader strokes; often covering chapters or sections. Rather than just giving you the answers they focus more on giving advice for reading.

I enjoyed reading this book. There is a lot of good information here. There are some of their own theological understandings but that’s to be expected and most of the information stresses fact over opinion. They do mention they prefer a modern translation over the KJV. Their translation of choice is the NIV or TNIV. They say this as a minor point in this book but I did want to mention it. There is a lot of useful information here that I found helpful.

Zondervan provided this book free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

About The Author

Randy A Brown

WordPress writer by day, Bible reviewer by night, pastor all the time. And there's also that author thing.

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Dear Randy:

There seems to be a market for these kinds of helps for reading the Bible. I prefer cross referencing and letting the Bible teach. I would think that a “Modern” translation should not need this kind of assistance, but if it helps someone to read and understand God’s Word, I’m all for it. The Authorised, (KJV) need assistance with language for most until the reader acquires the vocabulary, but I would think that the NIV would not require this kind of assistance. I’ve found the Bible itself will explain the difficult passages, though I rely on one general commentary, and one very detailed one when I do have a problem. Any thing that helps the reader meets my approval, just be aware of the opinions of the commentators, and that these color their writing.

Yours in Christ

Don Denison

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How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour Paperback – 1 Mar. 2002

• Print length 448 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Zondervan
• Publication date 1 Mar. 2002
• Dimensions 13.6 x 3.1 x 20.5 cm
• ISBN-10 0310211182
• ISBN-13 978-0310211181
• See all details

Product description

From the back cover, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zondervan; First Edition (1 Mar. 2002)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0310211182
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0310211181
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.6 x 3.1 x 20.5 cm
• 2,138 in Christian Living (Books)
• 2,644 in Bible

About the author

Gordon d. fee.

Gordon D. Fee (PhD, University of Southern California) is professor of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. Gordon D. Fee es profesor emirito de Nuevo Testamento en Regent College, Vancouver, Canada, y ha escrito numerosos libros como "La lectura eficaz de la Biblia, Exegesis del Nuevo Testamento: manual para estudiantes y pastores, La primera epa­stola a los Corintios, y los publicados por la Coleccion Teologica Contemporanea: "Comentario de la Epa­stola a los Filipenses y Comentario de las Epa­stolas a 1 y 2 Timoteo y Tito. Douglas Stuart (PhD, Harvard University) is professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

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How to Read the Bible Book by Book

Description

Reading the Bible doesn't need to be a difficult journey through strange and bewildering territory. How to Read the Bible Book by Book walks you through the Scriptures like an experienced tour guide, helping you understand each of its sixty-six books.

For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.

In an engaging, conversational style, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart take you through every book of the Bible using their unique approach:

• Orienting Data —Concise info bytes that form a thumbnail of the book.
• Overview —A brief panorama that introduces key concepts and themes and important landmarks in the book
• Specific Advice for Reading —Pointers for accurately understanding the details and message of the book in context with the circumstances surrounding its writing.
• A Walk Through —The actual section-by-section tour that helps you see both the larger landscape of the book and how its various parts work together to form the whole.

How to Read the Bible Book by Book can be used as a companion to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. It also stands on its own as a reliable guide to reading and understanding the Bible for yourself.

How to Read the Bible Book by Book

Digital Logos Edition

Reading the Bible need not be a haphazard journey through strange and bewildering territory. Like an experienced tour guide, How to Read the Bible Book by Book takes you by the hand and walks you through the Scriptures. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its key elements and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.

In an engaging, conversational style, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart take you through a given book of the Bible using their unique, progressive approach. How to Read the Bible Book by Book can be used as a companion to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth . It also stands on its own as a reliable guide to reading and understanding the Bible for yourself.

Key Features

• Orienting data—concise info bytes that form a thumbnail of the book
• Overview—a brief panorama that introduces key concepts and themes and important landmarks in the book
• Specific Advice for Reading—pointers for accurately understanding the details and message of the book in context with the circumstances surrounding its writing
• A Walk Through—the actually section-by-section tour that helps you see both the larger landscape of the book and how its various parts work together to form the whole
• The Narrative of Israel in the Biblical Story
• The Writings of Israel in the Biblical Story
• The Prophets of Israel in the Biblical Story
• The Gospels and Acts in the Biblical Story
• The Epistles and Revelation in the Biblical Story

Top Highlights

“being content with what one has and being generous to the poor,” ( Page 293 )

“Notice how much of this material is aimed at instructing the disciples. Their attitude toward Samaritan opposition ( 9:51–55 ) is eventually challenged by Jesus’ parable in 10:25–37 , whose point is to demolish the question ‘Who is my neighbor?’” ( Page 293 )

“The third consequence of the Fall was our loss of the divine presence and with that our relationship—fellowship—with God.” ( Page 16 )

“Second, we want to show how the separate entities—each biblical book—fit together as a whole to tell God’s story.” ( Page 9 )

“It is no accident that the Bible comes to us primarily by way of narrative—but not just any narrative. Here we have the grandest narrative of all—God’s own story. That is, it does not purport to be just one more story of humankind’s search for God. No, this is God’s story, the account of his search for us, a story essentially told in four chapters: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation. In this story, God is the divine protagonist, Satan the antagonist, God’s people the agonists (although too often also the antagonists), with redemption and reconciliation as the plot resolution.” ( Page 14 )

Product Details

• Title : How to Read the Bible Book by Book
• Authors : Gordon Fee , Douglas Stuart
• Publisher : Zondervan
• Print Publication Date: 2002
• Logos Release Date: 2010
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language : English
• Resources: 1
• Format : Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects : Bible › Reading; Bible › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs : 9780310591481 , 9781558830530 , 9780310211181 , 0310591481 , 0310853648 , 1558830537 , 0310211182 , 9780310853640
• Resource ID: LLS:H2RBBLBKBYBK
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-11-28T21:23:08Z

About the Authors

Gordon D. Fee is professor of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Douglas Stuart is professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

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Blog / New Digital Bible Study: A Look at “How to Read the Bible Book by Book”

New Digital Bible Study: A Look at “How to Read the Bible Book by Book”

By now, I hope you’ve had a chance to look at Bible Gateway’s new Digital Store . The six titles there work a little differently than other ebooks—when you buy one of these titles, you unlock it within the Bible Gateway interface, and can access it right alongside Scripture as you read online. (Read more about how it works here .)

The two authors, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart , have impeccable credentials when it comes to biblical scholarship, and between them can point to decades of teaching, preaching, and writing about the Bible. In How to Read the Bible Book by Book , they’ve assembled their insights about understanding Scripture in a way that’s accessible to anyone.

Here’s an example, taken from their discussion of the biblical book of Genesis :

As you read this first book in the Bible… be watching for both the major plot and several subplots that help to shape the larger family story, the story of the people of God. The major plot has to do with God’s intervening in the history of human fallenness by choosing (“electing”) a man and his family. For even though the families of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the major players, you are never allowed to forget that God is the ultimate Protagonist—as is true in all the biblical narratives. Above all else, it is his story. God speaks and thereby creates the world and a people. It becomes their story (and ours) only as God has brought this family into being and made promises to them and covenanted with them to be their God. So keep looking for the way the major plot unfolds and for how the primary players become part of God’s ultimate narrative. At the same time, keep your eyes open for several subplots that are crucial to the larger story of the Old Testament people of God—and in some cases of the people constituted by the new covenant as well…. The first of these—crucial to the whole biblical story—is the occurrence of the first two covenants between God and his people. The first covenant is with all of humankind through Noah and his sons, promising that God will never again cut off life from the earth ( 9:8-17 ). The second covenant is with Abraham, promising two things especially—the gift of “seed” who will become a great nation to bless the nations, and the gift of land ( 12:2-7 ; 15:1-21 ; cf. 17:3-8 , where the covenant is ratified by the identifying mark of circumcision). The second covenant is repeated to Isaac ( 26:3-5 ) and Jacob ( 28:13-15 ) and in turn serves as the basis for the next two Old Testament covenants: the gift of the law ( Exodus 20-24 ) and the gift of kingship ( 2 Samuel 7 ). God’s choice of the younger (or weaker, or most unlikely) to bear the righteous seed is [another] subplot that begins in Genesis. Here it takes two forms in particular that are then repeated throughout the biblical story. First, God regularly bypasses the firstborn son in carrying out his purposes (a considerable breach of the cultural rules on the part of God): not Cain but Seth, not Ishmael but Isaac, not Esau but Jacob, not Reuben but Judah. Second, the godly seek is frequently born of an otherwise barren woman (Sarah, 18:11-12 ; Rebekah, 25:21 ; Rachel, 29:31 ). As you read through the whole biblical story, you will want to be on the lookout for this recurring motif (see, e.g., 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11 ; Luke 1 ). Related to this theme is the fact that the chosen ones are not chosen because of their own goodness….

That’s an example of the sort of study material to be found in How to Read the Bible Book by Book . If you found it interesting and useful, unlocking it as a Digital Product makes the entirety of the book accessible alongside Scripture as you read on Bible Gateway. So take a look at this and the other titles in the Digital Store! (And don’t forget that several Bible commentaries are already available for free in the Related Resources drawer on Bible Gateway—to access the free commentaries and any digital titles you’ve unlocked, see #5 in this list .)

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• New: Unlock Digital Study Tools at Bible Gateway

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How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour

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Reading the Bible doesn't need to be a difficult journey through strange and bewildering territory. How to Read the Bible Book by Book walks you through the Scriptures like an experienced tour guide, helping you understand each of its sixty-six books.

For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.

In an engaging, conversational style, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart take you through every book of the Bible using their unique approach:

• Orienting Data —Concise info bytes that form a thumbnail of the book.
• Overview —A brief panorama that introduces key concepts and themes and important landmarks in the book
• Specific Advice for Reading —Pointers for accurately understanding the details and message of the book in context with the circumstances surrounding its writing.
• A Walk Through —The actual section-by-section tour that helps you see both the larger landscape of the book and how its various parts work together to form the whole.

How to Read the Bible Book by Book can be used as a companion to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. It also stands on its own as a reliable guide to reading and understanding the Bible for yourself.

• Contributor(s) Gordon D. Fee , Douglas Stuart
• Narrator(s)

Gordon D. Fee† (PhD, University of Southern California) was professor emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Douglas Stuart (PhD Harvard) is senior professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He controls the use of fourteen ancient languages and is the author of several books, including Studies in Early Hebrew Meter , Old Testament Exegesis: A Primer for Students and Pastors , and Favorite Old Testament Passages .

• ISBN-13 9780310518082
• Publish Date 06/24/2014
• Publisher Zondervan Academic
• Format Softcover
• Language English
• Age Range Adult
• Weight (lbs) 1.0 lb
• Case Weight (lbs) 32.03 lb
• Case Quantity 32
• Dimensions 8.0(h) x 5.25(w) x 1.0(d) inches
• Font Size Not Applicablept
• Price $16.09

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Reading Is Believing, or Not

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By David Plotz

• Sept. 16, 2007

Depending on who’s reading Genesis and why, Abraham’s not-quite sacrifice of Isaac is a true historical event that establishes the Jewish claim to Jerusalem, or an inspirational lesson in how God tests the faith of ordinary men, or a tribute to the Bible’s first willing martyr, or a foreshadowing of the crucifixion. Or maybe it’s merely a just-so story, a made-up tale stuck into the Bible by ancient Israelites to explain why they didn’t practice child sacrifice, even though neighboring tribes did.

All these interpretations for the binding of Isaac — and still others — can be found in James L. Kugel’s “How to Read the Bible,” an awesome, thrilling and deeply strange book. Kugel, an emeritus professor of Hebrew literature at Harvard and, mark this, an Orthodox Jew, aims to prove that you can read the Bible rationally without losing God. He sets himself the monumental task of guiding readers all the way through the Jewish scriptures (the Old Testament, more or less, if you’re a Christian) and reclaiming the Bible from both the literalists and the skeptics.

So, how to read the Bible? Kugel proposes two different ways. First, he shows us the Bible as it was read by the “ancient interpreters,” writers who lived in the period a couple of hundred years before and after the birth of Jesus, even as the Bible itself was being codified. Their way of reading the Bible — their assumption of its inerrancy, their belief that scripture teaches moral lessons, and their faith in divine authorship — is the way many of us still read it today. Second, Kugel leads us through the Bible as it’s understood by modern scholars, who for the past 150 years have used archaeology, linguistics, history, anthropology and all the other tools of science to excavate the truth about the Good Book. Kugel seems to have begun “How to Read the Bible” with the notion of giving equal weight to his two methods, but he soon sidelines the ancient interpreters and focuses on the exceedingly provocative modern scholarship. Though Kugel surely did not intend this, in its own way, his book proves as devastating to the godly cause as any of the pro-atheism books that have been dominating the best-seller lists in recent months.

It’s not news to anyone — at least anyone who reads the Bible even a wee bit skeptically — that the book is chock-full of contradictions and impossible events. Instead of carping snidely about this, in the style of a college bull session, Kugel gives us a magisterial, erudite, yet remarkably witty tour through the research. If reading the Bible demands a suspension of disbelief — Moses turned the Nile to blood? Joshua stopped the sun at noon? Samson killed 1,000 men with the jawbone of an ass? — then “How to Read the Bible” will prompt a suspension of belief. Some of the territory Kugel covers will be familiar to lay Bible doubters already. He reviews the “documentary hypothesis,” which demonstrates pretty conclusively that the first five books of the Bible were not written by a single person (Moses, according to tradition), but actually cobbled together from four, or maybe five, different writers. Kugel points out the Bible’s plagiarism from earlier, non-Israelite sources: laws nicked from Hammurabi; chunks of the Noah flood story lifted from the Epic of Gilgamesh; prophecies of Ezekiel inspired by Middle Eastern temples. He even implicates the Ten Commandments, which were apparently derived in part from ancient Hittite treaties.

Modern scholars have also unmoored many of the most beloved stories in Genesis and Exodus. These tales are now viewed as etiological — that is, they were invented to explain how the world got to be the way it is. In this reading, the conflict between Jacob and Esau isn’t a true story of sibling rivalry but an account of why, at the time the story was written down, the Israelites had such hot and cold relations with the Edomites, a nearby tribe identified with Esau. Similarly, the “mark of Cain” that God places on Cain after he murders Abel, promising sevenfold vengeance for anyone who harms him, was probably a tale designed to highlight the brutality of the Kenites, Israel’s notoriously fierce neighbors.

Most unsettling to religious Jews and Christians may be Kugel’s chapters about the origins of God and his chosen people. Kugel says that there is essentially no evidence — archaeological, historical, cultural — for the events in the Torah. No sign of an exodus from Egypt; no proof that Israelites ever invaded, much less conquered, Canaan; no indication that Jericho was ever sacked. In fact, quite the contrary: current evidence suggests that the Israelites were probably Canaanites themselves, semi-nomadic highlanders or fleeing city dwellers who gradually separated from their mother culture, established a distinct identity and invented a mythical past.

God himself has an equally murky personal history. At the start of the Bible, God is often viewed as just one of many gods. Only later in the book does he become the sole deity. More confusingly, he doesn’t even seem to be the same god throughout the book. Mostly, God is called YHWH, but sometimes, especially in the earlier books, he’s known as El. According to Kugel, these are probably two different deities fused into one: El may have been a god in the Canaanite pantheon, while YHWH may have been a Midianite god imported, via nomads, to the early Israelites, who made him their only god.

One purpose of “How to Read the Bible” is to recapture the Bible from literalists, and Kugel certainly succeeds. His tour through the scholarship demonstrates why it makes no sense to believe that every word of the Bible is true history. Piling on, he also contends that modern Bible literalism, that brand of six-day-creationism favored by fundamentalists, is wildly out of step with traditional Christian interpretation. Such monomaniacal focus on the Bible’s literal truth is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s not so much that readers of yore didn’t believe the Bible’s truth; they just didn’t waste a lot of time trying to prove impossible events like the Flood.

But vanquishing the literalists is only half of Kugel’s project. He also seeks a safe haven for rationalist believers. In other words, having broken all the windows, trashed the bedroom, stripped the wires for copper, sold the plumbing for scrap, and jackhammered into the foundation, Kugel proposes to move back into his Bible house.

Kugel spends the final chapter trying to salvage the Bible for rational believers like himself. And give him credit: he refuses to take an easy way out. He won’t say — as many Reform Jews and Christians do — that the Bible is just a series of excellent moral lessons. (After all, Kugel asks, what then are we supposed to make of all the ugly, morally repellent laws and stories?) He also won’t say that Jewish observance is enough, that following God’s laws — independent of accepting their truth — is satisfactory. Instead, Kugel tries to separate scholarship and belief. At bottom, Kugel seems to conclude that, scholarship be damned, there is some seed of divine inspiration in the Bible, even if he can’t say exactly where it is. The fact that we can’t prove any particular passage isn’t important, and the fact that it’s a pastiche of myths and plagiarized law codes doesn’t extinguish the holiness that’s in it, and doesn’t diminish how it still inspires us to love and serve God. That’s a humane and humble conclusion, but it won’t reduce the delight of Bible skeptics, cackling with glee about Chapters 1 through 35.

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

A guide to scripture, then and now..

By James L. Kugel.

819 pp. Free Press. $35.

David Plotz is working on a book based on his “Blogging the Bible” series for Slate, where he is the deputy editor.

• March 30, 2020
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Review: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

How do we Christians understand the Scriptures? Is it simply a matter of reading them and doing what they say? Or does it involve the more complicated matter of interpretation? Is the Bible a simple book that can be plainly understood without the need to interpret? Or does it require rigorous thought to discover its deep truths?

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (fourth edition) . Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Academic, 2014. 304 pages.

Many of us take a middle view — that the Bible can be separated into what does and does not need interpretation. So once we have read and come to an elementary understanding of what we conceive to be essential, we often neglect what is more complex. We, therefore, end up not reading what we think we already know — and not reading what we know we don’t.

It is for the purpose of getting people to read the Scriptures again that Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart wrote “ How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth .” It’s the authors’ conviction (one to which I subscribe) that everybody interprets the Bible. Interpretation is simply unavoidable.  

Reading the Bible and understanding what it says comes as a result of viewing it through the lens of our own lives and our own experiences, or interpretation. Hence, the issue is not whether or not we need to interpret the Scriptures, but whether our interpretation is valid.

The book is designed to give us the tools necessary for developing a better interpretation of the Scriptures, one that is grounded in their original intent, audience and context. The authors call us to take into account the different literary styles at play and how those subtle differences should influence our understanding. They also challenge us to develop an interpretation that has, at its core, the belief in the Scriptures’ inspiration, but also an honesty that suggests that inspiration can result in different implications for each book of the Bible.

Read the full review HERE .

Christian Bargholz is a member of the Eastside Church of Christ in Sydney, Australia. He is associate editor of InterSections Magazine , a publication for Churches of Christ in Australia, from which this review was excerpted.

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn money from qualifying purchases made through the links on this page.

Filed under: Christian Bargholz Douglas Stuart Gordon D. Fee How to read the Bible for all its worth Opinion Review Reviews

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Book Review: How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth

The first chapter covers general principles for reading and understanding the Bible: exegesis , “the careful, systematic study of Scripture to discover the original, intended meaning,” which involves learning “to read the text carefully and to ask the right questions of the text,” questions of context (historical and literary) and content; interpretation , and hermeneutics , learning “to hear that same meaning in the variety of new or different contexts of our own day.” They insist, several times over, that we must understand what the text meant to the original readers before attempting to apply it to ourselves.

The concern of the scholar is primarily with what the text meant ; the concern of the layperson is usually with what it means . The believing scholar insists that we must have both. Reading the Bible with an eye only to its meaning for us can lead to a great deal of nonsense as well as to every imaginable kind of error—because it lacks controls. Fortunately, most believers are blessed with at least a measure of that most important of all hermeneutical skills—common sense.

Whether one likes it or not, every reader is at the same time an interpreter. That is, most of us assume as we read that we also understand what we read. We also tend to think that our understanding is the same thing as the Holy Spirit’s or human author’s intent. However, we invariably bring to the text all that we are, with all of our experiences, culture, and prior understandings of words and ideas. Sometimes what we bring to the text, unintentionally to be sure, leads us astray, or else causes us to read all kinds of foreign ideas into the text.

Let it be said at the outset—and repeated throughout—that the aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before. Interpretation that aims at, or thrives on, uniqueness can usually be attributed to pride (an attempt to “outclever” the rest of the world), a false understanding of spirituality (wherein the Bible is full of deeply buried truths waiting to be mined by the spiritually sensitive person with special insight), or vested interests (the need to support a theological bias, especially in dealing with texts that seem to go against that bias). Unique interpretations are usually wrong. This is not to say that the correct understanding of a text may not often seem unique to someone who hears it for the first time. But it is to say that uniqueness is not the aim of our task. The aim of good interpretation is simple: to get at the “plain meaning of the text.”

Because the Bible is God’s Word, it has eternal relevance; it speaks to all humankind, in every age and in every culture .

The second chapter deals with the different translations of the Bible. You may not agree with the one they feel is best (I later learned one of them was on the translation committee for it), but this chapter will help you appreciate the difficulties involved in translating and the reasons there are so many translations, but will also reassure you that we have a few today that are especially accurate and trustworthy. There are a number of considerations, but the main differences in translations are those which use formal equivalence , “the attempt to keep as close to the ‘form’ of the Hebrew or Greek, both words and grammar, as can be conveniently put into understandable English”; functional equivalence , “the attempt to keep the meaning of the Hebrew or Greek but to put their words and idioms into what would be the normal way of saying the same thing in English” at the time of the translation, and free translation (or paraphrase), which is more concerned about translating the ideas rather than the “exact words of the original.”

The problem with a “free” translation, on the other hand, especially for study purposes, is that the translator updates the original author too much…On the one hand, these renditions often have especially fresh and vivid ways of expressing some old truths and have thus each served to stimulate contemporary Christians to take a fresh look at their Bibles. On the other hand, such a “translation” often comes very close to being a commentary, but without other options made available to the reader. Therefore, as stimulating as these can sometimes be, they are never intended to be a person’s only Bible; and the reader needs constantly to check particularly eye-catching moments against a true translation or a commentary to make sure that not too much freedom has been taken.

The rest of the book’s chapters discuss the different genres of literature in the Bible: epistles, narratives, Acts, the gospels, parables, the law, the prophets, the psalms, wisdom literature (Job, Proverbs, Song of Solomon), and Revelation.  They apply the principles they discussed in Chapter 1 to each and also discuss their forms and the particular difficulties or concerns in reading and interpreting each one. For instance, concerning the epistles, the authors  “offer the following guidelines, therefore, for distinguishing between items that are culturally relative on the one hand and those that transcend their original setting on the other hand and are thus normative for all Christians of all times.” Of the OT narratives, they say:

Our concern in this chapter is to guide you toward a good understanding of how Hebrew narrative “works,” so that you may read your Bibles more knowledgeably and with greater appreciation for God’s story. Unfortunately, failure to understand both the reason for and the character of Hebrew narrative has caused many Christians in the past to read the Old Testament story very poorly. If you are a Christian, the Old Testament is your spiritual history. The promises and calling of God to Israel are your historical promises and calling. Yet, in our experience, people force incorrect interpretations and applications on narrative portions of the Bible as much as or more than they do on any other parts. The intended value and meaning are replaced with ideas read into rather than out of the text.

Old Testament narratives are not allegories or stories filled with hidden meanings…[and] are not intended to teach moral lessons. The purpose of the various individual narratives is to tell what God did in the history of Israel…

However, even though [they] do not teach directly, they often illustrate what is taught explicitly and categorically everywhere.

One crucial thing to keep in mind as you read any Hebrew narrative is the presence of God in the narrative. In any biblical narrative, God is the ultimate character, the supreme hero of the story.

Even though the chapters on the different genres make up the bulk of the book and I have multitudes of places marked in them, for the sake of space and time I’ll stop there.

They have an appendix for “The Evaluation and Use of Commentaries” and their recommendations for good ones.

Overall, though I would not agree with every little point, I found the book very helpful. Though there is value in reading it through as a whole, I think there would be more value in reading the chapter on a particular genre just before reading that genre, and I may try to do that, or at least refresh myself on some of the applicable points, on starting a new genre in my own reading.

The authors are scholars who try very hard to make their points readable and understandable to the average layperson, and they mostly succeed. I don’t know if this is a book I would give to a brand new Christian right off the bat, though. It might be overwhelming, like trying to get a sip from a fire hydrant. But maybe not. Maybe it would help people get off on the right foot.

One frustration was that the authors often referred to what they called “How to 2” for further reading or for information they evidently didn’t want to reprint here. Since this is a third edition of the book, I thought they were referencing the second edition, and wondered why they didn’t just include that information here. But as I reread the first part, “How to 2” is referring to a different book of theirs, How to Read the Bible Book by Book .

I got this book on a Kindle sale because I had seen it referred to often, and it happened to be the third edition, which apparently is no longer available in the Kindle format. There is now a fourth edition, though, available both for print and ebook form.

(Sharing with Semicolon ‘s Saturday Review of Books, Literary Musing Monday , and Carole’s Books You Loved )

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9 thoughts on “ book review: how to read the bible for all its worth ”.

Deciding on what translation to use still has me scratching my head. I’ve sort of leaned to the version that is easier to understand but also love the poetry of the KJV. So, I read a bit from the NKJV, the NASB and the ESV. Good review. Thank you.

What a wonderfully written book review. I found a ’83 or ’84 edition from our public library system and put in a request. I look forward to its arrival. Thank you, Barbara!

Thank you, Barbara, for this excellent review. I’ve heard of this book before, but have not yet read it. I was hoping you would include the versions that are good, because I have a few different versions that I read. Up to this point the NKJV is my favorite when it comes to reading and study. I’ll put this book on my list.

We have this book on our shelf, but I haven’t read it – it sounds like I should try referencing it when I’m beginning to study a book that’s in a new genre (thank what I’ve previously been studying).

What I do know about this book – all I knew about it before reading your review – is which translation the authors recommend. I know this because my dad, who has read the NASB for all my life (I believe NASB was translated either the year of or the year right before my birth), suddenly went out and bought this other translation and started using it for his daily reading after having read “How to read…” He explained that his decision to switch was evangelistic. NASB (and similar translations) use phrases like “the wrath of God” instead of “God’s wrath”. As people who grew up around the word of God (or should that be “God’s word”?), we find this phraseology perfectly normal. But for the unchurched, this sounds awkward and could place an unnecessary impediment in the way of the gospel. Why not just read the NASB at home and use something else while evangelizing? Dad explained that our daily reading influences our speech patterns, so that’s an insufficient response. He wasn’t able to convince me to leave my comfortable translations, full of “of’s”, but I appreciate that thought quite a bit. And that is what I know of How to Read the Bible for all Its Worth 🙂

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Thank you very much for this. I was getting frustrated trying to figure out what “How to 2” meant! I imagine I simply skipped over or didn’t remember the reference you found earlier in the book. Your review was a lifesaver today. Thanks!

You’re very welcome!

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10 Best Books of the Bible to Start with as a New Believer

I remember opening my Precious Moments Bible as a teenager to attempt to read Genesis. Curled on my bed with the Bible open, I struggled to make it through, not understanding why flawed people like Abraham, Lot, or Jacob were included in this holy book.

Only after placing faith in Christ and reading the Gospels did I finally start to understand the bigger picture of Scripture. All biblical history pointed to the One who was nailed to a cross and rose from a tomb. His spoken words to others drew my eyes and filled my heart. Finally, I could read and understand the Holy Bible.

Many new believers intend to read all of God’s Word eventually, but need somewhere they can start. They seek a place within God’s story of love and redemption that is understandable and introduces them to the larger picture of Scripture. Is there a way to approach the Bible without having to flounder through the early parts?

The following list of books in the Bible provides a starting place for new believers as they journey into God’s Word. This way, they do not have to thumb through the pages, wondering how everything fits together. They can instead read foundational parts of the Bible that help them see the grand story of salvation and provide them with essential knowledge for studying the rest of Scripture.

With a Bible in hand and this list in tow, we can start our journey.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/andreswd

Most pastors and seasoned Christians recommend the Gospel of John as the best place to start when reading the Bible. And for good reason, since John gives a clear view of Jesus, the Word, entering our dark world to save us by becoming a man (see John 1:1-14 ).

We read about His darkness-shattering work throughout the book as He performs miracles, heals people, and teaches His disciples. Salvation is emphasized, both through explicit statements, like the one found in John 3:16 , and implicitly through stories such as the Samaritan woman ( John 4:1-42 ) or the blind man ( John 9 ). All this moves to the grand climax in which Jesus is betrayed and handed over to be crucified, bearing our sins. But even then, the darkness could not overcome Christ, the Light of the world. He rose to life and appeared to His disciples.

The central purpose of this Gospel is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” ( John 20:31 ). For new believers, reading John for the first time will give them assurance of their salvation solidly based on Jesus’ death and resurrection . They can know with certainty that they are children of God and possess the gift of eternal life.

John is a great place to start and a book that Christians will continually turn back to in their lifelong study of Scripture .

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Why is Mark second on our list, when Matthew is the first of the four gospels? There is a purpose to these listings, as we will see by the end. However, Mark is a preferable choice for new readers because of its size. With only sixteen chapters, a person can easily read through the book in a few intervals, or even in one sitting.

Also, the original audience for Mark was Gentile Christians. The book does not require as much background knowledge of the Old Testament. Rather, it succinctly presents the life, ministry, and saving work of Christ in ways that we can easily understand through a fast-paced narrative that grips our attention.

Mark shows us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (see Mark 1:1 ). He presents a portrait of Jesus as the Suffering Servant who came to save us ( Mark 10:45 ). Our Lord already knew that He would be handed over to be crucified and killed – dying to save humankind is the reason He entered the world. Yet, in these predictions, He also mentioned His resurrection on the third day ( Mark 8:31 ; 9:30-31; 10:32-34).

We need not think, though, that because Mark is the shortest that it is simple or without spiritual vitality. For example, this book’s unique portrait of Jesus as the Suffering Son of Man who came to save us shows the importance of serving others. Individuals who want to be “great,” should seek to follow Christ’s example of being a servant to others ( Mark 10:42-45 ). In Mark, we receive practical insights into what it means to follow Jesus.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw

Luke was a doctor and set out to write an orderly account of Jesus’ life and ministry. He addressed the Gospel to Theophilus with the intention “that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” ( Luke 1:4 , NIV ). All believers can benefit from this book since we, too, can be certain that the events recorded were researched and confirmed.

In this account, we receive a detailed look at the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. We read about the virgin Mary whose faith sustained her during the tumultuous time of her pregnancy and the miraculous birth of Christ (see Luke 1:38 ). From the first announcement of Jesus’ coming to the blessing given by Simeon at the temple, His identity as Savior and King was emphasized ( Luke 1:31-33 ; 2:29-32).

A unique aspect of Luke’s Gospel is the reiteration of Christ’s innocence during His trial and crucifixion ( Luke 23:4 ). Jesus was and is the sinless Son of God. The flogging and painful death He experienced were undeserved, but He endured the suffering for our benefit.

New readers will find the book helpful in introducing them to the truth that all Scripture points to Christ ( Luke 24:27 ). The Son of God fulfilled Old Testament prophecies.

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Both Luke and Acts have the same author and were intended to be read together. Readers learn further details about Jesus’ commands before His ascension and the Apostles’ period of waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. After the day of Pentecost , when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in tongues of fire, the church began to grow ( Acts 2:1-4 ).

Acts is a page-turner, inviting us into the early days of the church as the Apostles obeyed Jesus’ command to take the good news to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the world ( Acts 1:8 ). Not only do we read about familiar people like Peter and John, we also meet new individuals: Barnabas, the encourager, who sold a part of his property and laid all the money at the feet of the disciples ( Acts 4:36-37 ); Stephen, one of the seven, a young man who stood firm in the faith and was martyred ( Acts 6-7 ); and Saul (Paul), a zealous persecutor turned follower of Christ, who became central to the church and the spread of the gospel ( Acts 9:1-30 ).

Luke was a close friend of Paul and personally recorded his travels with the Apostle in the latter half of the book ( Acts 16:10-17 ; Colossians 4:14 ).

Believers who have never read the Bible before will find Acts exciting, but also convicting. We read about Christians who loved and served the Lord wholeheartedly. They continued following Jesus even when doing so brought persecution. Like them, we can obey Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Acts challenges us to a greater level of discipleship while also providing us with an essential foundation for studying the rest of the New Testament, especially the letters of Paul.

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Turning back to the beginning of the Bible may feel jarring after exploring most of the Gospels and the book of Acts. However, Genesis is an important part of Scripture . The New Testament includes frequent references to the people and events in this book. It is also vital throughout the Old Testament narrative.

The first book of the Bible opens with the Lord creating the universe and everything in it ( Genesis 1:1 ). All He created was very good, and God took time to rest from His creative work to delight in what He made ( Genesis 1:31 ; 2:2-3).

Despite the goodness of creation, humans introduced something that corrupted and stained the world – sin. The Lord had told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( Genesis 2:16-17 ). They disobeyed Him, and in so doing, brought sin and death to all creation ( Genesis 3:6-19 ). From these first three chapters, we can understand why there is such beauty in our world, but also deep sorrow and evil.

All creation that was once good is now broken, including humans. We no longer have the close relationship that we once had with the Creator. Yet even in this part of Scripture, which is filled with shame and loss, we find hope of the one who will crush the serpent’s head – Jesus’ defeat of sin and death ( Genesis 3:15 ).

Later in Genesis, God sends a worldwide flood but preserves a remnant because of His servant Noah ( Genesis 7:1-7 ). People spread across the world, and the Lord calls out Abraham and makes a covenant with Him ( Genesis 11:8-9 ; 12:1-3). The rest of the book follows the other patriarchs: Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

At the end of the book, Joseph reiterates the promise of God to bring his people into the land He swore to give them ( Genesis 50:24-25 ). This assurance that the Lord would bring them out of Egypt into the land of promise introduces an important theme that continues in the next book of the Bible: Exodus.

Throughout Genesis, readers learn the history of the world and God’s chosen people. These stories are necessary for understanding the rest of the Old Testament and large sections of the New Testament.

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One event in Israel’s history stands out as representative of God’s redemptive work – the exodus from Egypt. The Old Testament biblical writers constantly returned to the awesome power of the Lord freeing His people from slavery. New Testament writers also drew from this event when detailing the life of Christ.  

The book of Exodus introduces us to Moses and his family, including his brother Aaron and sister Miriam. This man, who was fearful of speaking in front of Pharaoh, was used mightily by God to lead Israel out of bondage. In this book, we learn about the plagues the Lord sent on the Egyptians to prove that He alone is God ( Exodus 7:5 ), as well as amazing miracles, such as the parting of the Red Sea ( Exodus 14 ).  

Some sections in Exodus are more difficult to understand, including aspects of the Law given to Moses. However, reading the requirements the Lord gave to Israel helps us grow our understanding of the Lord’s holiness and glory. He is the one true God, holy and perfect in every way ( Exodus 15:11 ). The Israelites could only approach Him from a distance because of their sin. Yet, as believers, we can have a direct relationship with the Father because of Jesus’ saving work.

Related Resource: Join the Your Daily Bible Verse Team as They Make Their Way through Exodus!

Your Daily Bible Verse is one of the most popular podcasts for daily Bible reading. Join the team as they make their way through the book of Exodus! Listen to today's episode then be sure to subscribe to Your Daily Bible Verse on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

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The other parts of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, including Genesis, Exodus , Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) come before the account of Joshua. Reading this narrative next, though, is a wise choice for first-time readers of the Bible. In the book of Joshua, the Israelites take possession of part of the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph.

Like Acts, Joshua is a captivating story that compels us to keep reading. We read about Joshua, Moses’ assistant, who takes leadership of the Israelites and guides them into the Promised Land. They cross the Jordan in a similar way that their parents had crossed the Red Sea ( Joshua 3 ), and God miraculously delivers the fortified city of Jericho into their hands ( Joshua 5:13-6 :27). Through these events and other great acts, the Lord displays His power and upholds His covenant promise.

By the last chapter, we encounter a crossroads. Joshua is about to die and tells the Israelites that they have a choice: Serve the Lord or forsake Him. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” ( Joshua 24:15 ). Although this message was given to Israel, believers today can also learn from Joshua’s words.

Alone, we cannot serve a holy God, but since we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, we can walk in obedience and holiness. Like Joshua, we can proclaim that “we will serve the Lord."

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Unlike the previous books, Psalms is not a narrative. It’s a collection of poetry, written by numerous authors as prayers and praises to the Lord. Though new readers have not yet become acquainted with one of the main authors, David, they can still glean much from this book.

I recommend going through the Psalms slowly, a few at a time. One of the Hebrew words that occurs multiple times throughout this book is “Selah,” which most scholars believe encourages a thoughtful pause . We can stop frequently in our reading to think about the words, offering our prayer or praise to God.

As we read, we will encounter specific Psalms that point forward to Christ. For instance, Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 while He was on the cross . The rest of the psalm also applies to His experience, such as being mocked, feeling thirsty, and having his clothes divided by lots ( Psalm 22:6-8 , 15, 16-18).

The Psalms also encourage us to express our emotions honestly to the Lord. The sons of Korah wrote of feeling downcast in their souls ( Psalm 42-43 ). At times, the psalmists even expressed intense feelings of sorrow and anger ( Psalms 88 and 109). We can learn from these biblical prayers since they show us that we should not be afraid to tell God about our emotions – including the difficult ones that we are prone to avoid.

Psalms is the Christian’s prayer and hymn book combined in one. Whenever we need inspiration to pray or want to worship our Savior, we can open this book and find a psalm that applies to our situation.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao

9. Proverbs

Reading Proverbs after Psalms is a strategic choice. Not only have we grown accustomed to a poetic section of Scripture, but we have learned to slow down in our reading. This is vital for studying Proverbs, as there is a substantial amount of teaching packed into thirty-one chapters.

The book of Proverbs is known as wisdom literature. It includes pithy statements of general truths that encourage thoughtful reflection. Often, the ways of the wise (righteous) are contrasted with the ways of the foolish (wicked). Solomon, the main writer of Proverbs, wrote to impart wisdom to his son, and by extension, his readers ( Proverbs 1:1-6 ). All wisdom and knowledge begin with a fear or reverential respect of the Lord ( Proverbs 1:7 ).

When reading this book, though, we must remember that the individual sayings convey blessings that are generally true. We should not take them as steadfast, unbreakable rules. Consider Proverbs 10:6 , which says “Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.” Those who follow the Lord do receive great spiritual blessings and the promise of future rewards, but this does not mean that believers will have an easy life. We cannot take this verse as a foolproof promise that we will be rich and comfortable, for example. If we think back to what we read about our Lord’s earthly ministry in the Gospels and the lives of early Christians in Acts, then we know that persecution and hardships are to be expected.

Keeping this in mind as we read, we can benefit from the wisdom that this book offers. For it is, at its core, a book that encourages the application of wisdom.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Joel Muniz

10. Matthew

Reading the first book of the New Testament after delving into the Old Testament may seem odd, but I placed Matthew as the tenth book for a reason. This Gospel is the most Jewish of the four and is better understood with a background of key Old Testament events.

Matthew traces Jesus’ earthly genealogy to Abraham, the patriarch who received the covenant promise of God ( Matthew 1:1-2 ). He also describes how the virgin Mary and Joseph fled with Christ to Egypt to avoid the murderous intentions of Herod ( Matthew 2:13-15 ). Only after Herod died did Joseph receive the instruction from an angel to return to Israel ( Matthew 2:19-21 ). This fulfilled a prophecy from Hosea but also held the imagery of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Additionally, multiple other areas of Jesus’ life fulfilled Old Testament imagery.

Ending our initial list of Scripture reading with Matthew reemphasizes the preeminent place that Jesus has in the Bible. He is the One whom all the prophecies and redemptive images of the Old Testament point towards. He is the promised seed of the woman, the Messiah, and the King spoken of long ago. He is our Savior whose nail-scarred hands prove His love. He is truly God with us, the One who has saved His people from their sins ( Matthew 1:21-23 ).

Our journey is far from complete, as we will continue to study the Bible throughout our lives and grow in knowledge. Yet these “starting places” have provided a foundation for when we read the other books of the Bible. We will have a solid basis for understanding the story that God is unfolding – one of hope, joy, and redemption of all creation.

As we continue with the Bible in hand, may we not forget to share with others what we learn, telling them about the good news of salvation in Christ. In doing so, we obey Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations ( Matthew 28:18-20 ).

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen

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What Is the Best Way to Read Books?

There's no wrong way to read..

Before video games, movies, and TV, there was, well, books. Reading is one of the oldest pastimes, and while a lot has changed between Homer’s The Iliad and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass, the enjoyment of reading has stuck with us through it all.

Nowadays, massive bookstores and online vendors like Amazon have made the process of building up a dazzling personal library almost too easy. There will always be something special about holding a bound book in your hands, turning to the next page, and having a clear look at how many pages you have left.

On the other hand, buying physical copies means you’ll have to find storage space and be selective about which books you’re bringing on vacation. Enter the e-reader. While the Kindle is probably the most popular reading tablet , plenty of new devices (including your phone) let you carry an almost infinite amount of books with you at any time. Books can also get pretty pricey, but subscriptions like Kindle Unlimited let you access thousands of books for a monthly fee. Audiobook services like Audible even let you dive into series like A Song of Ice and Fire while you're driving or on a treadmill.

While we support any mechanism that lets people discover incredible stories, now’s the time to state for the record what you think the best way to read actually is.

What is your favorite way to consume books in 2024?

What Do You Think?

Are physical books the most “authentic” way to read? Or has an e-reader helped you get through more books than ever? Let us know your thoughts on what you think the best way to read is in the comments below.

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How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading Paperback – August 15, 1972

• Print length 426 pages
• Language English
• Publication date August 15, 1972
• Dimensions 5.31 x 1 x 8.25 inches
• ISBN-10 0671212095
• ISBN-13 978-0671212094
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About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Touchstone; Revised edition (August 15, 1972)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 426 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671212095
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671212094
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1 x 8.25 inches
• #2 in General Books & Reading
• #3 in Literary Criticism & Theory
• #5 in Reading Skills Reference (Books)

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About the authors

Mortimer jerome adler.

Mortimer Jerome Adler (December 28, 1902 - June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher, educator, and popular author. As a philosopher he worked within the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. He lived for the longest stretches in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Mateo. He worked for Columbia University, the University of Chicago, Encyclopædia Britannica, and Adler's own Institute for Philosophical Research. Adler was married twice and had four children.

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Customers say

Customers find the writing and content in-depth and straightforward. They also say the book is systematically presented and easy to understand. However, some find the length too long and wordy. Opinions are mixed on the reading pace, with some finding it fast and easy, while others say it's very slow.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the writing and content of the book in-depth, providing guidance for reading practical, literary, historical, scientific, philosophical, and peripheral topics. They also say the book is well organized and easy to read, with great thoughts on peripheral topics like speed-reading. Readers also mention that the book guides incorporation of techniques to cut down on reading time. They say the appendix contains a list of quality authors and texts.

"...discovery: keenness of observation, readily available memory, range of imagination , and, of course, an intellect trained in analysis and reflection...." Read more

"...These note-taking techniques are indispensable to read well and the reader is advised to experiment with them and adapt them to his own style of..." Read more

"...This is a highly-advanced level of reading that one would embark on to do true work in a field, with the hope of providing an unheard analysis of a..." Read more

"...comprehension quiz in the appendix, there is also a list of quality authors and texts , which will no doubt be met either with great excitement or..." Read more

Customers find the book straightforward, enlightening, and easy to grasp. They also say it's short and simple.

"...It's simple , clear, and corroborated observations like these that make "How to Read a Book" a reading pleasure." Read more

"...expounded in the book, but are also presented systematically and straightforward ...." Read more

"...It makes the complex seem easy and straight forward ." Read more

"...It was enlightening, useful, and easily grasped . The principles have provided invaluable insight into some of my other reading...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the reading pace of the book. Some find it fast and easy, while others say it's outdated and a very slow read.

"...It is a practical book that deserves a slow read . It goes without saying that it should be required of all college students...." Read more

"...2. Although this book will lead to you saving time and achieving better reading comprehension, it is not a speed reading book.3...." Read more

"...This proved to make the reading a bit more laborious and tedious. And when I got lost I would just shelf it for another day...." Read more

"...a pleasure to read and the eye can easily, quickly, and efficiently speed through the pages , while the other is a painful, joyless, time-wasting..." Read more

Customers find the book too long, wordy, boring, and tiresome.

"...The book is rather long , but describes in detail a step by step process for reading a book...." Read more

"...It reads like a text book, and is way too long . Like the author needed to hit a minimum page count by the publisher or something...." Read more

"... Some of the chapters are lengthy and may require sometime to get to the parts that you really need...." Read more

"...But this book is too much . I found it redundant and that made me feel like I am wasting my time...." Read more

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