Why Books Matter More In the Age of AI (And How to Read Better) | with Alex Wieckowski

How do you make time to read more books and build a reading habit that lasts in a world full of distractions?

Alex Wieckowski, better known online as Alex & Books, has been writing and posting about the importance of reading books to his more than 1 million followers across social media since 2017. He has read over 750 books and he's currently writing the 21st century version of Mortimer Adler's classic text How to Read a Book. In today's conversation, Alex and I talk about why reading real books matters more than ever in the age of AI. We discuss the four different types of reading and how better understanding these different approaches can help you build a more consistent reading habit. We'll help you choose what to read, reclaim the time to read it, and remember what you read long after you've closed the book.

If you've got a stack of books you keep meaning to get to, or it's been so long since you read a book you don't even know where to start, Alex and I will show you that Reading is a skill anyone can develop and improve.

Key Takeaways

• Make reading part of the time you already have instead of waiting to find more time. Use a time journal to see where your hours are actually going, then prioritize reading or build it into an existing routine.
• Choose books that address what you’re working through right now. Reading when you need the information most makes it easier to remember what you learn and put it into practice.
• Read the whole book when the ideas matter instead of outsourcing the struggle to a summary. The stories, context, and effort of reading are part of what make the lessons memorable and meaningful.

Episode Highlights

• Origin story of loving reading as a kid to losing it, then finding it again.
• Why books could become more popular in the age of AI as people look for ways to exercise their brains.
• Why the struggle of reading is part of the learning, and what gets lost when someone else does the work for you.
• Using the table of contents as a map and the three-chapter rule for knowing when to quit.
• How syntopical reading turns three to five books on one subject into a “mini PhD”.
• The simple time journal that reveals where your hours are actually going and helps you reclaim time for reading.
• Why “read it when you need it” can help you choose books that are relevant enough to remember and apply.
• How a simple distraction catcher can get intrusive thoughts out of your head without pulling you away from the book.
• Why reading 100 books a year is not the goal, and why speed reading can sacrifice the very things that make reading valuable.
• How the Reading Triangle forces you to choose between enjoyment, retention, and speed instead of trying to maximize all three.

Recommended Next Episode

• How Tiny Changes Can Create Remarkable Results | with James Clear
• How to Become ‘Indistractable’ | with Nir Eyal

Useful Resources

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Books
• How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler
• Write a Must Read by A.J. Harper
• Write Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick
• 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
• Community Made by Jayson Gaignard
• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg
• The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson

Guest Bio

Alex Wieckowski is the creator of Alex & Books, where he shares book recommendations, summaries, reviews, and reading tips from more than 750 books. He is also the author of Learn To Love Reading and creator of The Art of Reading, a course focused on helping people find books, build better reading habits, take notes, remember what they read, and apply what they learn. His work is dedicated to helping more people discover the value and enjoyment of reading.

Alex's Website Alex and Books

Alex's Course The Art of Reding

Alex's Book Learn To Love Reading

Alex's Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Substack

Show Credits

Edited by: Curtis Fritsch

Published by: Vim Pangantihon

Music by: Thomas Cepeda