Closed Stacks: Read Better, Remember More

Welcome to my new YouTube/BookTube channel, Closed Stacks. My plan (so far) is to make book reviews and commentary on (primarily) works of fiction. I'm sure the channel will evolve over time. Hope you'll stay tuned to see where it goes. Thanks for stopping by.Uploaded 01-11-25#booktube #books #newbooktuber Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not all reading advice works for every book. In this video, I explain how to adjust your approach to a book based on the type of book you're reading.Uploaded 27-06-26#howtoreadabook #books #booktube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Audiobooks and print books reach the mind through different pathways (auditory vs. visual). However, the higher-level comprehension systems they activate overlap far more than most people realize. This video breaks down what actually changes between listening and reading: the mechanics, the cognitive load, the role of spacial memory, the impact of narrators, and why complex texts behave differently across formats. If you've ever wondered how audiobooks influence the way you understand, remember, or connect with a book, this is a deep dive into the psychology behind both forms.Uploaded 07-12-25#audiobooks #reading #booktube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this video, I look at how note-taking affects memory, understanding, and the way we process information. The real value of notes may not be storing information but the mental processing we do when we take them.Uploaded 19-07-26Further reading:Mueller, P., Oppenheimer, D.M. (2014) The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., and Rawson, K. A. (2019). How much mightier is the pen than the keyboard for note-taking? A replication and extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 31, 753–780.Voyer, D., Ronis, S. T., and Byers, N. (2022). The effect of notetaking method on academic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Contemporary Educational Psychology.Sparrow, B., Liu, J., and Wegner, D. M. (2011). Google effects on memory: Cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips. Science, 333(6043), 776–778.Fiorella, L., and Mayer, R. E. (2015). Learning as a Generative Activity: Eight Learning Strategies That Promote Understanding. Cambridge University Press.Chi, M. T. H., de Leeuw, N., Chiu, M. H., and LaVancher, C. (1994). Eliciting self-explanations improves understanding. Cognitive Science, 18(3), 439–477. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this video, I look at what scholars have said about Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey and evaluate some of the criticism both for and against her book.Uploaded 31-05-26#theodyssey #emilywilson #homer Gabrielson, M. (2018). Review of Homer, Emily Wilson, trans., The Odyssey. New England Classical Journal, 45(2).Hardwick, A. (2025). Iliad translations in the undergraduate classroom. Journal of Classics Teaching, 26(52), 151–157. MacDonald, C. (2021). Review of Homer’s daughters: Women’s responses to Homer in the twentieth century and beyond, edited by Fiona Cox and Elena Theodorakopoulos. Bryn Mawr Classical Review.Pache, C. (2018). Review of Homer. The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson. Bryn Mawr Classical Review.Roberts, D. H. (2020). Emily Wilson, trans., Homer: The Odyssey. The Spenser Review, 50(1).Stockdale, E. (2019, December 30). Emily Wilson’s The Odyssey reviewed by Elizabeth Stockdale. Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies. Whitaker, R. (2020). Homer’s Odyssey three ways: Recent translations by Verity, Wilson, and Green. Acta Classica, 63, 241–254. Wilson, E. (2019). Epilogue: Translating Homer as a woman. In F. Cox and E. Theodorakopoulos (Eds.), Homer’s daughters: Women’s responses to Homer in the twentieth century and beyond (pp. 279–298). Oxford University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices