Help reading faster

IamtheWalrus

Hi all,

Do any of you have advice on how to become a faster reader?

I want to start reading more books but because of the length of time it takes me to finish a book, I get bored of the book. I don't believe this would happen if I could finish the book in a shorter space of time. I try to read a few pages before sleep but it's tiring after working all day.

I read mainly pop science books. I know you might say these books take longer because they make you think more but it happens with all types of books.

I greatly value books and want to read tonnes of them. I read a poster on here saying they read 2 or 3 books a WEEK.. Is that possible? I read about 3 per year..

Any ideas on improving my reading experience?

Thanks,
Walrus

radiat

google it, there's loads of info on speedreading

http://howtoreadfaster101.com/

Callan57

Get a Kindle ... no idea why but since I got mine I find I am reading way, way faster (and I've heard others have the same experience)

Monkeybonkers

I would say just keep reading and over time you will get quicker.

Kinski

Forget about speed reading courses; what you need to do is make time to read. I'm a bit of a sceptic about the whole speed reading thing myself, but leaving that to one side, taking speed reading courses to increase the number of books you read in your spare time is just turning what should be a pleasure into a chore. If you find yourself getting bored of a book, that's not because you're not reading it fast enough.

And of course it's possible to read two or three books a week...but how long is a book? And what book? Anyhow, three a year is very few, so I suggest finding ways to fit more reading into your day. If you're too tired to read in bed at the end of the day, then what other times could you read? Maybe wake up a little earlier and fit some reading in before you get up, or read on your lunch break, or set aside some time earlier in the evening (when you might otherwise be online, or watching tv, or whatever) and read. Whatever you find works.

sudzs

A couple of years ago I found myself reading slowly and getting bored with whatever book i was reading. Turned out I needed glasses!

Maybe get your eyes checked IamtheWalrus.

IamtheWalrus

sudzs wrote: »

A couple of years ago I found myself reading slowly and getting bored with whatever book i was reading. Turned out I needed glasses!

Maybe get your eyes checked IamtheWalrus.

I can see very well. I think it has to do with my brain not computing fast enough. I can read a page as fast as anyone but my mind wouldn't take a word of it in. I think it's because I'm always reading to gather knowledge. Never for the enjoyment. If I could read a pop science book as quick as Short Circuit I would. I'd have the knowledge without the elongated and tiresome process of acquiring it.

I think I've diagnosed myself. I don't enjoy reading. I find it a chore. I just crave the knowledge. I never rarely read fiction. Couldn't be bothered spending so much time for very little knowledge.

cynder

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

Hi all,



I greatly value books and want to read tonnes of them. I read a poster on here saying they read 2 or 3 books a WEEK.. Is that possible? I read about 3 per year..

Any ideas on improving my reading experience?

Thanks,
Walrus

ive just read 7 books since the 31st of december ashes - 463 pages read in one sitting, starcrossed 513 pages, in one sitting, wither 358 pages in one sitting (on average i read these books at around 100 pages an hour) 1 book each evening.

i then moved onto city of bones this took around 70 pages an hour 439 pages, i was reading till 2 in the morning, city of ashes also averaged around 70 pages an hour 422 pages again i read till 1 am, city of glass 411 pages also averaged around 70 pages an hour, i read that all day yesterday and still had time to read 150 pages of city of fallen angels before i went to bed, i finished city of fallen angels about 2 hours ago that had 434 pages... im telling ive got a killer migraine from so much reading, i skipped dinners to read, i had a hunger to find out what happened next, once i get into a story i cant put it down for sleep or food, you have to enjoy what your reading if you dont enjoy it, you struggle, i found the mortal instruments heavier reading that the other books, thats why they took longer to read, the other books were lighter and were easily read, i dont know if you know what i mean by that, but other readers would know.

to me its like watching a film you cant get up in the middle of a film to cook dinner you have to see it through to the end unless of course your not enjoying the film. ive been reading for 15 years and i got faster and faster the more i read, i started out at around 50 pages an hour it would take me 8 hours to read an average sized book, now ive halved that, but you have to have a hunger to know what happens next if you dont have that hunger the book gets left to one side.


my advice if you want to read is to find a book that you like. prehaps your reading the wrong books.

cynder

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

I can see very well. I think it has to do with my brain not computing fast enough. I can read a page as fast as anyone but my mind wouldn't take a word of it in. I think it's because I'm always reading to gather knowledge. Never for the enjoyment. If I could read a pop science book as quick as Short Circuit I would. I'd have the knowledge without the elongated and tiresome process of acquiring it.

I think I've diagnosed myself. I don't enjoy reading. I find it a chore. I just crave the knowledge. I never rarely read fiction. Couldn't be bothered spending so much time for very little knowledge.

ha ha i dont think i could read a science book in 4 hours... infact i wouldn't read it at all, i read books instead of watching tv. i read for enjoyment only not to seek knowledge, i would devour a history book though, but only if it had ancient history not ww2 history. As much as i love war books i get bored of anything got to do with Nazis. i read abook once to do with ancient torture methods loved it...

x_Ellie_x

Callan57 wrote: »

Get a Kindle ... no idea why but since I got mine I find I am reading way, way faster (and I've heard others have the same experience)

I agree! I think it's because there aren't any page numbers on the Kindle. When I'm reading a physical book and read about 50-60 pages I kind of say to myself "well that's enough for today". But with the Kindle, I found that I can get through almost an entire book in one reading session due to the fact that I've no idea exactly how much I'm reading. I'm on my 5th novel since Jan 1st.

tim_holsters

A friend has a Sony Reader and it's a nice piece of kit and I've contemplated getting a Kindle but I find the prices of the books a bit prohibitive. Maybe I'm wrong but are you nearly paying double the price for a book, 1.5 times anyway?

cynder

tim_holsters wrote: »

A friend has a Sony Reader and it's a nice piece of kit and I've contemplated getting a Kindle but I find the prices of the books a bit prohibitive. Maybe I'm wrong but are you nearly paying double the price for a book, 1.5 times anyway?

I have a sony ereader and i gone back to books again, i get mine of waterstones and they can have good offers.

crotalus667

sounds childish but putting your finger under the words up's your speed by 25%

Kinski

crotalus667 wrote: »

sounds childish but putting your finger under the words up's your speed by 25%

The use of performance-enhancing drugs can also increase your reading speed - by up to 37.5%:pac: From where do people come up with these figures?

cynder

crotalus667 wrote: »

sounds childish but putting your finger under the words up's your speed by 25%

That would slow me down.

Giruilla

For Pop Science books I'd say just refuse to re-read any sentences or pages. Just get through it. A lot of thing you think you don't understand can become clearer a few pages later.

Also just commit yourself to not stop reading until a chapter is over.

crotalus667

Kinski wrote: »

The use of performance-enhancing drugs can also increase your reading speed - by up to 37.5%:pac: From where do people come up with these figures?

A book on reading :rolleyes:

hatful

"I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia." - Woody Allen.

Kinski

crotalus667 wrote: »

A book on reading :rolleyes:

"Some book." Always a reliable source!:p

eskimocat

Maybe taking the pressure off to 'get' all the knowledge in the first reading might help with speed? Surface reading it (sorry don't have technical term) maybe skimming it (?), page by page first. Then read it more carefully a second time. I used that technique to help me read volumes of research for college. I found that once I had an over all picture of the contents, the details were easier to absorb. It also allowed me to find out early on if the info was of interest to me without investing too heavily in it.

IamtheWalrus

eskimocat wrote: »

Maybe taking the pressure off to 'get' all the knowledge in the first reading might help with speed? Surface reading it (sorry don't have technical term) maybe skimming it (?), page by page first. Then read it more carefully a second time. I used that technique to help me read volumes of research for college. I found that once I had an over all picture of the contents, the details were easier to absorb. It also allowed me to find out early on if the info was of interest to me without investing too heavily in it.

I want to hear the bossy version.