El Crazy Xabi

I agree that teaching is a brilliant way of learning! You have to really understand the topic/technique/idea to be able to teach it to others.

Try and synthesise your reading into some kind of presentation- say for journal club in your lab or department. Even if you don't end up presenting it. It will make you focus on the important stuff and really read to understand.

Also, there is ultimately NO shortcut to learning. You can lament that reviews are long, and you want answers quickly, from search engines. But the fact is that quality, in depth knowledge (the kind you need for a career in science) cannot be found in jazzy, summarised bite-size pieces.

My advice is to keep up with your reading. But also talk to people. Watch how they perform their experiments. Ask them why they are doing it such-and-such a way. Have regular chats with your lab mates and supervisors about your field. Don't be afraid of not knowing much, no one expects you to be an expert straight away and it will come, I promise.

per chance, are you a pastafarian?

no offense to the guys wrote the books, but i wouldn't trust a theology professor and a cataract surgeon to tell me about genetics or epigenetics.  i'm sure they're smart people but... they're not.
may they be touched by the noodly appendage.  ramen.