So basically: I love reading and have for many years. I would say I read a lot for an average person, although I am sure it’s pretty mediocre for a “reader” – I always read at least one book a week, if it goes well maybe two, and about book every day or two on holidays.
Still I think I read quite slow. So my question would be
1. Reading how fast is fast, and more importantly
2. How can I learn to read faster, since I’ve been at it for years and “just read a lot and it will come” is not working for me?
Is there a limit and I just won’t be able to read faster without absorbing less of the book? Like I want to increase my reading speed itself, not start skipping words and missing out..
Thanks in advance!
by transistentSquirrel
3 Comments
Why do you need to read faster? Why do you think your reading speed is slow?
One book a week is great. And if you can read an entire book in a day or even two when on vacation then you’re already reading pretty quickly.
Obviously book lengths vary a great deal, but if you’re throwing down a book in a week you’re probably doing great! I wouldn’t worry about speed if you have good recall and comprehension. I’ve always felt that when I try to read faster than my normal pace, those other things go down.
Personally, I wouldn’t be concerned with my reading speed. What matters is that you’re enjoying reading, at whatever speed that may be.
I can read a book cover to cover in about 4 hours. My dad can read that same book in maybe two and a half. My mom? She would take a week to read that same book. But we all enjoyed that book just the same!
If you want to improve, I know there are techniques out there to help you improve. YouTube would probably be a good resource in that regard as I’ve never dived into the topic myself. I’m already a fast reader so I never felt the need to improve it. My father can “read between the lines” which allows him to read faster, but I’m unable to do that without losing comprehension in the process. I don’t find that to be a worthwhile trade off, personally.
And you probably *have* improved, but because you’re you and with yourself 24/7 it’s hard to notice the subtle change. My mother claims she’s just as slow as she always was, but as an outside third party I can say for certain she’s a faster reader now than she was. It *does* come with time and practice, but challenging yourself with harder written books might help improve this faster.
In the end, don’t worry too much about it and keep having fun reading! 🙂