What are you trying to understand right now? Start there when choosing a book. That was my advice in November 2023, and it is a question I still find useful.
The practical idea I want to explore here is reading with a real question in mind. A book does not have to solve your whole situation to help you find a better next step.
Before choosing what to read, describe the difficulty in plain language. Are you avoiding a difficult conversation? Struggling to explain your product? Trying to make a decision with incomplete information? A precise question makes it easier to recognise a useful idea.
While reading, separate the author’s suggestion from your own situation. What assumptions does the advice make? Is it an experience, an argument or a claim that needs checking? A compelling story is a starting point for thought, not proof that the same action will work for everyone.
Choose a small action you can evaluate: rewrite your explanation, prepare questions for the conversation, or list what information the decision is missing. Record what changed after you tried it.
If the idea does not fit, put it aside. You are not required to agree with every page. Reading becomes useful when you connect it to judgement and action. The number of books on your shelf matters less than what you can understand, question and use.
For another way into the same idea, read about choosing a book for the question you are living with.