How do you even read a Japanese book?

[rodan]

@Belthazar

Sometimes I get it wrong, but the more reading I do, the less often that happens. I usually discover, when someone asks a question in the book club threads, that I’m skipping over the nitty-gritty of the grammar, but if I’m getting the gist correct, does that really matter?

This is a good point and building off that a bit:
“translating every sentence as you go” isn’t practical 100% of the time but can be worthwhile for key sentences if you’re especially confused,
but “retelling the story to yourself” afterward in your own words I think is always worthwhile.

If you’re lost and don’t know what’s going on and couldn’t retell it, slow down; but glossing over details and grammar is fine if you can track and recall what’s happening.
And heck, that applies for books in English as well!