First thoughts:

Read all the way through without stopping the first time you are introducing the book to yourself.

Mark in your books!

To understand a book you need to be able to answer: -what; -why; - so what?

A reading partner keeps you accountable and on track.

When answering questions, it helps to stay focused.

When trying to understand, organize your notes into a rough outline and give the book or section a short title and a detailed subtitle.

Plan on reading a book more than once.

Second reading I asked myself her questions,

What did I read, well the above notes cover that pretty well.

Why did she write it, to help and encourage others in their self-education journey. She is sharing her experience and what has worked for her and many others with methods that have worked for generations.

So what? I find the methods helpful reviews of everything I have been taught over my life about reading. I will continue to use the methods and her work helps me focus my thoughts when teach others about reading.

As far as Don Quixote goes, I don't want to reread it now because I am scheduled to reread it with some seniors this spring. I wouldn't mind watching one of the movies or Operas based on it though just refresh the story in our minds as a group.

Here are my first notes after the first reading of chapter 1:

Self education is about reading good books in chronological order and discussing them with friends.

You must carve out the time to do this and guard that time well.

Start small and work up (just like in the gym) with length of time, difficulty of the work, and the length of the piece.

Earlier in the day is better for the mind than later.

Stay away from the computer before before the scheduled reading time. The medium of the internet is not conducive to reading weightier material.

Trivium, taste, swallow and digest what you are reading.

Things I underlined and ideas I revisited on the second and third readings of chapter 1:

In America, to be civilized we must read! I had never thought about the fact that in Europe and the Middle East, you live a few thousand years of history because it is all around you. Here few things that have been preserved are more then a couple hundred years old at best.

Women have always found ways to learn. I loved that Ms Chamberlain thought of her book club as “a peace offering to a hungry mind.”

This statement hit me like a ton of bricks because I think I say it a few times a week when taking to parents! “To convince people that they must learn to study is the major obstacle,” Foster writes, “Most people assume that because they know how to read words they know how to study.” “Study is an exacting art involving a labyrinth of details.”

Since I really love Dorothy Sayers, her quote is one I reread all the time too. This part is the what I strive to remember, “They learn everything except the art of learning.” It hits home that that is my job. Teach the art of learning. The subjects are secondary to the ability to learn.

Jefferson and Sigourney reinforce reading in a time line approach. I think sometimes it is easier to read a modern version of something before reading it in the older works, but for the most part this is how I teach and how I have learned so much myself.