Vanessa presents two ways to read books in English: an active approach that focuses on unfamiliar vocabulary and an immersive approach that focuses on understanding the story overall. She does not say that one method is always better. Instead, learners can choose according to their purpose, then balance the two approaches.
In active reading, a learner notices an unfamiliar word or expression, underlines it, and may look it up immediately. Vanessa describes using this method while reading The Chronicles of Narnia in French. It can help when a word appears repeatedly or seems important to understanding the story. However, stopping every few sentences to search a dictionary can slow reading and interrupt the narrative. This approach may suit a learner whose main goal is to study vocabulary carefully, but it can take a long time.
Vanessa offers a less interruptive version: underline unknown words while reading, then look them up after finishing a chapter or the day’s reading. This keeps the reading flow going while preserving a list of vocabulary to review. It works best when the unfamiliar expressions do not prevent the reader from understanding what is happening.
The second approach is immersive reading. Vanessa says she switched to it when she became interested in the story and did not want to stop for every expression. She left the page unmarked and tried to understand the general concepts. Knowing the basic story or topic can help readers infer the meaning of some unfamiliar words from context. The goal is to keep reading and follow what happens, even without understanding every single word.
To choose a method, consider what matters most in that reading session. If you want to learn particular vocabulary, mark it and review it later; if you want to enjoy a story and maintain momentum, read for the overall meaning. You can also combine them: read immersively first, then return to a few important words. Practise with a short article or story and notice which strategy helps you stay engaged while still learning.