How to get the essense of a book in a few hours without even reading it

For those who can't seem to find the time/energy/ insert excuse to read that latest book that everyone else is talking about, here is an alternative on how to grab its essence in a few hours. Of course, it wouldn't be like you actually read it but you should be able to grab most of the ideas pretty quickly.

1. Go find an online video where the author speaks about his book. I've found that folks at big companies like Microsoft and Google and even some universities love to put up free online videos of their speakers. (eg: You can find Tom Friedman talking about his book "The world is flat" on a NUS Public Webcast here)
   
   
2. After you are done with the video, you should be halfway there in terms of content for around an hour's investment. After this, go chat with someone whom you know has read the book. I've always found discussing about a book with someone the best way to learn about ideas (must have been influenced by Socrates and his dialogues). Bonus points if someone helps you apply the knowledge to local contexts, giving you a better understanding of it.
   
   
3. If you don't know anyone who had read it, find a friend whose birthday is coming up and buy the book as a present for him/her. Ask politely about the gift, say, 6 months later and you should get a quick summary out of them.
   
   
4. Alternative ways -- read blogs or articles online on the topic. If you can find the audio books/podcasts for title, try listening to it when you are on the move, say on a bus or walking around. I've found listening to books sometime superior to reading unless you tend to fall alseep listening to stuff.
   

Voila, if done right, it shouldn't take over 3-4 hours to get most ideas out of the book without even having to touch it.

And the best part is that you in the end you do get interested enough to pick up a copy to read, you'll find that you can read much fastest as you have already heard and understand the ideas in it, allowing you to use the reading process to crystallize the ideas in your head better.

:)