How Fast Do You Read? Any tricks you have to keep engaged when reading?

I dunno, how fast do you read? Heh. I mean you can time yourself. Just sit down and start a stopwatch and start reading at a normal, comfortable pace, and stop after like 10 pages and check the watch. If you're reading on a Kindle all the pages are the same, no?

Are you putting in an hour a day? If a book is interesting that usually keeps me engaged. Do you sit down to read? Do you read at a particular time, in a particular place? Do you only pick up a book like, in bed when you're tired, when normally you'd be going to sleep, or before that? Do you take a cup of coffee or whatever and go sit in a chair someplace with a book and no distractions?

I read quickly, I dunno how fast exactly but fast, but I don't know if speed is your problem so much as actually reading?

I got curious and found a test online and apparently read three or four times average speed. Try a test and see how fast you read if you're concerned, but I think it's likely attention.

I'm not against technology, but I have so much trouble reading anything of length on a screen. If you're struggling to keep reading, why not try a real book? I engage best with books when I keep a pencil in hand and really mark it up as I go.

I'm taking the challenge too, and I thought it was for all year? Why the rush to finish in a few months?

latieplolo said:

I'm not against technology, but I have so much trouble reading anything of length on a screen. If you're struggling to keep reading, why not try a real book? I engage best with books when I keep a pencil in hand and really mark it up as I go.

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Ebooks are real books, just not hardcopy. There are pros and cons to both.

As for how fast I read--depends on the book. If it engages me and keeps my interest and is a page-turner, I'll be awake till all hours reading. I've read books in two-days time. But if a book has a beautiful flow of words or makes me want to linger over a character or scene, then I'll take my time and savor it.

So, my answer to the OP's question: it depends.

I haven't measured it exactly, but usually it's about 30-50 pages an hour with paper editions. The speed tends to vary depending on font size, narration and whether I take extra time to flip forward to see what happens in advance Also, reading would most often include making a cuppa, staring at the birds in the garden or minding what the cat's doing, and other assorted distractions. Kindle tells me that books take about 18 hours to read but I don't think it's very precise. Last book I read got finished in about three days, it was really fast-paced and quite easy to go through, and I've only spent couple of hours each day on it. Other books are more enjoyable as a slow read, it's not possible to measure them all with the same stick.
There is only one "trick" for keeping mind engaged and eyes open: choose an intriguing book

Hi
I'm a slow reader , but I don't worry about it .
Have a look here How I Learned to Read 300 Percent Faster in 20 Minutes | The Huffington Post

I'm a fast reader and I usually finish the average novel (300-400 pages) in a week with the amount of time I have allotted to read (which is mostly only the time I commute with the occasional before bedtime session thrown in.) A few weeks ago I stuffed three books into a week's time, but I generally can't do that. It's not just the reading time, but the ruminating time. My comprehension is good while reading, but it takes me a bit of time to emotionally respond to a book. I don't like to rush that. I find that if it's taking me longer to read a book than usual it's either because a) the writing is so well done that I'm slowing myself down in the interest of really savoring it, b) the book is really affecting me emotionally or intellectually and I need more space to process it or c) the book is boring the stuffing out of me and I should consider moving on.

auzerais said:

I find that if it's taking me longer to read a book than usual it's either because a) the writing is so well done that I'm slowing myself down in the interest of really savoring it, b) the book is really affecting me emotionally or intellectually and I need more space to process it or c) the book is boring the stuffing out of me and I should consider moving on.

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Exactly this!

I read roughly one book a week, but if it's a long book or a heavy subject matter then it'll take longer obviously. If an average-length novel is taking me more than a couple of weeks to read then it's usually a sign, for me at least, that I'm not really enjoying it. I used to make myself finish every book I started but then I realised life was too short, and now I'm much better at recognising when something is not for me, or if I've just picked a book up at the wrong time in my life and maybe I'll revisit it another day.

I used to read a lot faster than I do now. It takes me much longer to finish a fantasy novel than it once did--often a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days. One reason is that there are more things competing for my attention, so I don't spend all my free time reading as I once did. Last night I spent 4 hours playing a video game, for instance, and this morning, I'm here on AW. So I only read for maybe an hour total yesterday.

Even so, it takes me longer than "average" to read a book in terms of total hours, which stings my pride (because I used to be a very fast reader). Another possible explanation is that my focus isn't as good as it once was--a possible consequence of getting older and the effects spending the last 20 years or so of my life immersed in a world with increasingly numerous distractions. I do a lot of reading on an ipad, which means I can now look things up and check historical references etc.

And another thing is that I'm older now, so my eyes aren't the same. Prolonged reading makes them tired. I need reading glasses and a larger font (if on an e-reader), which tend to slow me down a bit (I can't scan entire lines at once like I once did). And with reading glasses, whatever I'm reading needs to be pretty close to my eyes, so it's not comfortable to read sitting with the book or ipad on a table in front of me. I basically have to be reclining with the book on my chest, except at the gym, where I can actually read better, because the ledge on the exercise equipment holds the ipad far enough away I don't need glasses at all. I actually read faster there.

Also, I read a bit differently now since I've been writing. I often take notes sometimes (something the ipad makes easy to do, but it still slows me down), and pore over writerly techniques more than I once did (since I also read with an eye to gleaning techniques that can improve my own writing).

Reading on a screen is likely different from reading on a printed page too. I haven't compared my reading speed, but I suspect it may be a bit slower on the ipad, though it's easier to prop than a paperback (which wouldn't stay open on the narrow ledge on the equipment at the gym).

Plus, when you're older you've read so many other things. So the chance of whatever you're reading is similar to whatever you've read before -- or flat-out experienced in real life -- and it doesn't surprise. Without that novelty, it's hard to maintain a breakneck pace.

I'm very, very slow with novels, and perfectly content with it. Never really felt any compulsion to read 'deliberately', if that makes sense.

I read really fast. I'm fairly picky though and as I've gotten older, more willing to chuck a book if it's not working for me. I download samples or read early bits on the kindle to test the waters.

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My partner otoh reads very slowly... dyslexic among other things. I act as a kind of filter for him becuase it takes him ages once he commits to a book, and he's reluctant to commit to one he own't like.

I can read pretty quickly when it comes to poetry or YA books, but with other novels and non-fiction, I'm not nearly as fast. Then I get discouraged how slow I'm reading and take breaks in between sessions and it takes even longer to finish a book. D: If I took time to read instead of watching Youtube or getting on Tumblr, my to-read pile wouldn't be so intimidating!