How to Dig Deep into a Book

I am often surprised at the reactions of people when I show and tell them how I read. They are frequently very interested in my methods and practice. It took me a long time to develop my reading method, but early on in my studies I was going through a Navigators course that suggested that you dig into the text when you read. This has resonated well with me since I was an excavator and bulldozer operator by trade for a few decades, which much of this took place while I was enrolled as a college student. 

Excavating the Text

In this article, I would like to spill the beans on my digging method, and I’ll start by listing the four tools I use to do so. First, the main tool is a highlighter. Below, in the picture is the brand I prefer because I can operate the marker, opening, highlighting, and closing, with one hand (reminds me of cracking a plastic egg open). This allows me to be more efficient in reading, because I can still hold the book with one hand, highlight with the other, and I also do not dry out the highlighter by leaving it uncapped. I find that if you leave a highlighter uncapped while reading, it will dry out about twice as fast. So, as soon as I highlight, I re-cap. Also, many highlighters are chisel tipped at an angle, for the purpose of writing thinner notes in the margins (though this is less favorable because the highlights tend to fade in time making it more difficult to read), or even underlining text with the finer point of the tip. The only time I use different colored highlighters is when I am reading the book for the second time through and want to make a new addition to my highlights in the book (as pictured above in Winfried Corduan's "Neighboring Faiths"). 

The second tool I use is a pen, and this is for emphasizing text in a different manner. Perhaps in emphasizing a footnote, but if I want to add extra emphasis within the text, I underline highlighted material. Using a pen also allows me to write notes in the margins of the books, as well as write indexes on the paper edges of the book itself. 

My preferred brands of implements

I will often curl the pages back so it is easier to write on the edges, and either use a letter of the word I use to index, or I will simply draw a line on the edge of the paper edge all the way to the page itself. These make speedy ways to index as well, especially with those dreadful books that do not include indexes, but also for those that do. See my examples in "The Soul" by J. P. Moreland, and "Reasonable Faith" by William Lane Craig, both pictured below.

 

Third, Post-it notes make perfect book markers. They are inexpensive, they seem to never lose their stickiness, and because of such, they are not easily lost. Often, I will prime my book before I begin reading with a bunch of these in the front cover as demonstrated below in Tim Stratton's, "Human Freedom, Divine Knowledge, and Mere Molinism." Arguably, these must be facing in the correct direction because if applied the other way, I find that closing the book on them will sometimes cause them to fold. No one wants that… 

In any event, they can be used in multiple manners. For instance, I use them sometimes for faster major reference tabs (pictured below in "Mormonism: Impossible"), because I know I will want to reference these frequently later on.

Also one could add to this the translucent sticky tabs (pictured below), which I also frequently use as lesser reference tabs. They are also inexpensive and worth having in stock. I personally find color coding to be inefficient, so I treat them as one color. I’m definitely not a tabist… 

Finally, a good dictionary, whether it is through a smart phone or a physical copy (but arguably a physical copy is better since a phone can more easily distract from the reading). The type of dictionary depends on what the text is that you are reading. For instance, a Bible dictionary or lexicon, etymological (Oxford), Greek-English, archaeological, philosophical, or a more general Collegiate Mirriam-Webster type could be utilized. Perhaps even a specialized encyclopedia could be helpful depending on the focus of the text you are reading.

Efficient Highlighting

 

Next, since highlighting is the thing that I do the most out of the tasks discussed above, I want to discuss the four main items that I highlight within the text. Sometimes, students or readers in general will tell me that they end up highlighting the whole page, which indicates that there is no direction in such method. It is very helpful to know what we should highlight, in order to be more efficient both in reading the book and referencing it later. 

The first item is definitions. Usually, along with the highlight of the definition, I will use my highlighter or even the pen to write in the margin, a capitol “D” so that I can more easily reference the definition even while I am reading the book. Frequently referencing the definitions while reading the book really solidifies them in my mind. I will also highlight certain words that I frequent in the indexes of the books if they have them.

The second item is new concepts. Keep in mind that definitions are not always new concepts, but it helps to highlight certain definitions within the text for clarity on a specific word’s usage and articulation. I frequently draw a star in the margin next to the highlight to emphasize the importance of it. This is essentially part of my rating system. I will also highlight certain emphases in diagrams (as demonstrated in "Understanding Apologetics" edited by Timothy Paul Jones below and to the right) that is directly pointed out in the text. These are by nature often new concepts. Referring back to the diagram later on, I will immediately recognize the highlight and remember what the text pointed out about it. 

The third item is something that relates to me on a personal level. If I have a personal experience or a simple truth that resonates loudly with me, I will often highlight it. Perhaps it deals with an aspect concerning my relationship with someone, or is a profound truth that I am passionate about. I may even highlight something that I find hilarious or heart-breaking. 

The final item is disagreement. I will highlight things I disagree with, and often I will make a note of why I disagree in the margin with a pen, usually referencing something I have found in another book, which will have the page of the other book cited as well. Sometimes, as per my highlight rating system, I will draw a simple frown face or a question mark in the margin to indicate the disagreement, or perhaps an incomplete idea. If I am reading a book on say atheism, this fourth item would perhaps take precedence over all the other items, and simply be less efficient, so content matters. If the book I am reading is written by an author who is arguing for say the truth of what I already know to be a false belief, then I will primarily stick to the first three, but I will usually point out the logical fallacies employed in the text with a pen in the margins As pictured below in Dan Barker's "godless." 

Final Thoughts

Make it count. Sometimes, it takes me 5 minutes to read one page, depending on the material. But going through it carefully and thoughtfully, I retain the information better, and I am more efficient when highlighting so that I can quickly reference my notes and highlights later on. Do it right the first time. Not only will this method be more pleasing, but also more beneficial and efficient. 

Now for the end of the matter, when opportunity arises, get your books autographed. Some of my examples are "Reasonable Faith" (also mentioned above) and "The Lazy Approach to Evangelism" by Eric Hernandez. This creates ownership and encourages you to dig deeper, to desire knowing the information in them even further. 

What would you add to this method? What would you change or do differently? 

Thanks for reading. 

~2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus

 © Nace Howell, 2025