i’ve always had an admiration for books. i thought people who read were cool. i begged my grandmother for Hooked on Phonics when i was about 4 years old. this taught me how to read very early and i loved every second of the experience. however, my love for reading was stifled by my father. he’s the stereotypical machismo jock in every sense. he refused to read me bedtime stories and would even pick on me for reading if i “didn’t have to”. so, i basically stopped altogether. between the ages of 6-14, unless i needed to pick up a book for school, i wouldn’t go near them. there were a few occasions where i would try to stay up really late to read without anxiety, but i had a hard time focusing while worrying if my dad was going to catch me being a “nerd”. i know this probably sounds silly, but he made it into a huge deal because he wanted me to be an athlete. i feel like this severely stunted my reading level and my reading comprehension plateaued. since my freshman year of high school, i’ve tried getting back into it plenty of times, but i get so frustrated with how slowly i read—especially with how often i have to reread things—that i’ve thrown in the towel more times than i can count.
reading is genuinely something that i’ve always wanted to enjoy. how do i improve my skill without getting discouraged and frustrated?
TLDR: my dad wanted me to be a jock and now i’m embarrassed by my reading level.
by faggotryatitsfinest
9 Comments
I don’t have any advice to offer other than do not feel bad about being a slow reader. Slow readers often remember more than fast readers. My husband was a professor and is the slowest reader I ever met—reading speed has nothing to do with intelligence.
There are many avid readers who read slowly. It’s more of an individual trait I’d say. You’ll get relatively faster the more you read but if you’re bothered by it because you think it’s an obstacle on your way to becoming a better reader, it’s not necessarily so. I would suggest experimenting with genres and finding something you are passionate about. The more engrossed you are in the book, the more likely you are to be focused and interested in reading through to the end in detail, which should make the process easier. Don’t be embarrassed to read something that you and/or others find childish, girly and so on. Most importantly, be kind to yourself.
Give audiobooks a try! This allows me to do something with my hands while I’m taking in the story. This helped me at first to get back into reading because I have a hard time focusing. Now I read a couple of *real* books a week!
Watch anime in subs only.
Its a great way to have to learn to speedread.
Otherwise, keep doing you! If you like reading, nobody cares how long it takes.
Ps. Your dad sucks and you weren’t a nerd.
The best way to get better is to do it. I used to tutor reading, my best advice is find a subject you are interested in and go for it. Don’t get down on yourself. Everyone has weaknesses and yours is something you can overcome while enjoying it. Patience and persistence bud. Comics, history, fantasy or sci-fi as long as you’re reading you’ll get better. I wish you luck.
Edit: don’t worry about speed just enjoy the ride.
First ask yourself what book genre you like the most. Nobody will judge how you read.
A lot of young people like sci-fi.
My suggestion is to just start with easy fun stuff. Pulpy “beach reads” or maybe something written by a comedian you enjoy.
Just read and you’ll improve. Doesn’t matter how long it takes you to finish a book as long as you’re enjoying it.
I also am simply a slow reader (32f here) and i have been reading a lot my whole life. Even books i am loving, they take time for me, i rarely clear a book in less than a week. so give yourself grace there. It also really depends on what you are reading: a wordy historical tome is going to go at a different pace than an upbeat romance novel.
For getting started, try going for more YA fiction for now (or forever) to build your confidence: it’s fun, and there’s a lot of great stuff out there, and you may feel less “bogged down” by it. If you want fantasy/dystopian, you may have missed out on the huger games books, definitely worth a read even if you’ve already seen the movies! If you want more literary fiction, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (which is still YA) was a joy for me last year