How Fast Do You Read?

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skootie

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2010
183
328
The responses to this thread are interesting! I hadn't checked the thread out until just now, so will throw in my 2 cents worth. Whether I read fast or slow depends largely on the book. Pop fiction generally goes rapidly for me. Non-fiction I tend to concentrate more on, and take my time with. I am semi retired and have a number of interests, so dividing my time between work and other activities, my reading goes in spurts. That said, I always have a book going. Never two at a time, though. I have not spent any time on the Good Reads site, so am not familiar with it, but after reading about it on this thread, I am going to check it out. I actually started a "Book List" (books I have read) back in 2009, (Just a simple page in "My documents" that I keep adding to) which was when I got on the SK website and joined the forum, I believe. So, I know how many books per year I have read since then. Not that many. My best year was 2011, with 28. I am at 22 currently for 2013, and will likely add at least one more. We do quite a bit of travelling, and although I always take my Kindle and at least one other book along, I rarely get much reading done on a trip. I prefer the quiet of my own space at home without distractions. Being on the SK forum has inspired me to read books I never would have picked up otherwise. It is the only forum I participate in. A thread such as this, motivates me to step it up, so maybe I'll quicken the pace in 2014!
 

Bevee-from-the-Levee

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2013
2,139
5,819
London, UK


"Steinbeck's, East of Eden, his The Winter of Our Discontent...and heh! It's funny what one remembers from the first pass through...":welcoming:
Thank you Neesy for making me laugh:rofl:.
I am a great fan of Shakespeare and have seen many plays including Richard the Third. I thought that the actor playing him had a very 'camp' voice not realising that it was actually a 'camping' voice!! I shall never be able to watch that play again without thinking about 'The Winter Of Our Discount Tent'!! :laugh:
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Thank you Neesy for making me laugh:rofl:.
I am a great fan of Shakespeare and have seen many plays including Richard the Third. I thought that the actor playing him had a very 'camp' voice not realising that it was actually a 'camping' voice!! I shall never be able to watch that play again without thinking about 'The Winter Of Our Discount Tent'!! :laugh:
I stole this idea from good old "Red Green" the duct tape king. He had this on one of his shows. Glad you got a chuckle out of it! :redface-new:
 

rudiroo

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2008
474
1,898
London, England
I've seen people say that they read books at a very fast rate which blows my mind (80 a year? =O). By the end of the year, I will have read 8 books for 2013. 11/22/63 took about 2 months. Granted, I watch a lot of TV shows and played a lot of video games which I plan on scaling back.

How fast do you read books? Any tips for those of us trying to speed up?

Too fast & I'm not proud of it.
I gobble/consume/inhale books - fiction, non-fiction, doesn't matter.
Then I re-read them at a later date & usually pick-up on all the nuances and subtleties that I missed first time round.

Books distract me from life's unavoidable realities - trundling around in a wheelchair & taking a whole heap of meds to keep my show on the road.

Yes indeedy, I'm addicted to books - I'd rather read than eat or sleep:bashful:
 

Oldman65

New Member
Dec 22, 2013
4
9
74
I've seen people say that they read books at a very fast rate which blows my mind (80 a year? =O). By the end of the year, I will have read 8 books for 2013. 11/22/63 took about 2 months. Granted, I watch a lot of TV shows and played a lot of video games which I plan on scaling back.

How fast do you read books? Any tips for those of us trying to speed up?
Many variables. Book choice is a big one. Does it have long, complex descriptive paragraphs or is it mostly dialogue. Some books are easy to fly through and others you gotta' just plow.
 

lenona

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2006
119
60
66
Las Vegas, Nevada
This is a thought that crosses my mind every time I logged into SKMB. I was reading the Dark Tower series the last time I logged on. (17500+ new posts ago) I am now reading DT VII. I don't think I am a slow reader, I can get through a book rather quickly if interested. I hope to get the DT books done before the movie comes out. (I think I have time) but I find myself intimidated when visiting this website. Many SKMB members are such avid readers and I think, "Damn, I must not read very fast or as much as I should."

Whether you read fast, slow or one book a year or fifty books a year....
Reading is a gift. A learned gift. Not everyone can read and this is a sad reality.
 

Mr Nobody

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2008
3,306
9,050
Walsall, England
It depends on several factors with me. In no particular order: time, desire to read, length of book, quality of writing, enjoyment of the story, and mental and physical state. Sometimes I'll whizz through a 400-500 page tome in a few days, other times it'll take me an age to get through a 200-250 page effort. Generally, though, I have 2 books on the go at any given time - sometimes more - although I have certain books for certain times, for example, I might read a crime novel in the afternoon (if I get the chance, which is rare) and on weekends, with (say) a horror novel on the go for bedtime reading - which might sound weird, but for me horror novels (and films) don't have the same impact when it's light. It has to be dark and, preferably, miserable outside (wind is good, rain against the window is OK, the two together and a dash of cold - perfect).
My two most recent bedtime books were A Dance With Dragons, which took me an age to get through (about 6 weeks; it was the easiest one of the series to put down, I found) and The Woman In Black, which I finished in two nights (and which, at one point, I wished I hadn't started when I got up in the night to find it was foggy outside).
 

Anthea M

Well-Known Member
Feb 1, 2014
69
320
61
I read mainly travelling to and from work. It definitely depends on the book. If the characters are engaging then I will keep on turning the pages. I can get through a book in a week if it really grabs me. I have started reading a library book this afternoon but, at the moment, it hasn't ticked all the boxes so will give it one more chapter to pick up. I normally have more than one book on the go at any one time.
 

king family fan

Prolific member
Jul 19, 2010
33,133
117,741
south
I read mainly travelling to and from work. It definitely depends on the book. If the characters are engaging then I will keep on turning the pages. I can get through a book in a week if it really grabs me. I have started reading a library book this afternoon but, at the moment, it hasn't ticked all the boxes so will give it one more chapter to pick up. I normally have more than one book on the go at any one time.
Welcome to the board!