> A useful habit that I've begun to follow with more complicated books—especially when reading them out of personal interest—is to actively avoid taking notes or worrying about background material on a first read.
I recommend using those little sticky tabs instead. If I come across something I want to look up later, or want to come back to for whatever reason I use one on the page itself to to highlight the line, and another at the top so I can find the page again. By the time I'm done reading it might be full of those little tabs but it doesn't really slow me down in the moment.
Agreed. I used to struggle with remembering all these names in novels, but recently came to terms with the “dysnomia” by drawing parallels between reading fiction with hearing anecdotes, where capturing the rough dynamic and vibe is more important than remembering characters; confusing names is venial if the confusion is part of the experience.
I recommend using those little sticky tabs instead. If I come across something I want to look up later, or want to come back to for whatever reason I use one on the page itself to to highlight the line, and another at the top so I can find the page again. By the time I'm done reading it might be full of those little tabs but it doesn't really slow me down in the moment.