I take notes to keep myself focused and active thru the lecture. My school has a notetaking service so I don't have to freak myself out to get every word in, just do it to make sure I'm paying attention. Then I study from the noteset I bought from the noteservice. I don't read the books, except for the blueboxes in Moore's, and I reference them when I need clarification. I feel like it takes so much time to read the books that I can be spending memorizing stuff.