all consuming knowledge

I couldn't sleep Saturday night so I stayed up late channel surfing. I caught the end of Silence of the Lambs, which was a horrible thing to watch before trying to sleep. So I looked for something funny or interesting to take my mind off of serial killers and cannibals.

I came across a Henry Rollins spoken word concert. His rant about Walmart was most entertaining. Then he talked about his reading style, in which he underlines and writes notes in the margins of a book. His goal is to conquer the book and extract as much knowledge as possible (it helps to hear him say this in his juicy, intense delivery).

And I thought, that's exactly how I approach reading. I want to conquer the contents of a book. I want to gain as much knowledge as I can, whether I'm trying to pick apart a philosophical work or just get the most out of a fictional story. I underline. I write notes. Take one look at a book I've read and there are underlined paragraphs and scribbles in the margins.

I know it doesn't sound like a fun way to read. But Rollins described it perfectly and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who reads this way.

Does anyone else read like this? Anybody? Bueller?