Sedge Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I read in a very structured way - just one chapter a day, regardless of length. I occasionally come across chapters that are only 4 or 5 lines long, so I barely have time to sit down! If I'm reading a book without rigid chapters, I generally set myself a limit of 10 pages. If I break this routine I get quite anxious. I see a lot of people here read several books per week - does anybody else have my problem, or am I in need of help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I read in a very structured way too, not necessarily by setting myself chapterly or any other goals, but making sure that I take in what I read. While I accept that people do that at different rates and there are other variables like amount of reading time available, I think this so-called "speed reading" is nothing more than a meaningless early 1970s fad that I thought did not last long. It used to be a fashion in those days for certain pseudo-intellectual types to boast that they speed read, among other things of equally dubious meaning or value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I read lots of books, don't speed read, read fast. I think people enjoy books in different ways, none of them 'better' than any other. Some people, like you, savour books, I tend to read and move on - which is why reading is great different people get different things out of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I read lots of books, don't speed read, read fast. I think people enjoy books in different ways, none of them 'better' than any other. Some people, like you, savour books, I tend to read and move on - which is why reading is great different people get different things out of it? Don't get me wrong - there is a distinct difference between reading fast (my wife does that too) and "speed reading" which is a specific term that originated sometime in the Flower Power era and refers to trying to get the gist of the contents of a page by little more than a quick glance across it. Speed readers of the era often claimed to be able to read upto 200 pages in an hour by their method. Pehaps some of the books contemporary to that period allowed this to be done - probably the because the overall content did not demand any more from the few grey cells going around. But we all know that 'proper' reading, whether fast or slow, requires some degree of concentration and comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I agree Oblomov, lots of people say they speed read and mean fast reading don't they? I just think its great that however people read they can get loads from a book. does that make sense! Lots of people I know read and savour, I say that I'm a chewing gum reader, read it fast, spit it out move on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fireball Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Myself I like a leisurely pace when reading. I quite agree with you Oblomov this "speed" reading is a load of horse poo.! Imagine cross examining those who sped read Dickens or Thackeray etc., and asking IF they picked up the finer nuances of either writers and the lovely subtleties therein never mind the finer shades of grey in between.! They'd be stumped methinks. Speed reading's like, in my opinion for what its worth, watching video on fast foreword from beginning to end of film, they can say quite honestly, I watched the film, but equally you can say THEY haven't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 But people can read quickly and get lots out of a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 People can't through a book and get the whole meaning of it though. There will always be things missed. What is the point to reading if you are missing things that are important to the story? I do set targets of chapters or I divide the pages into a certain amount of days. I have been finding it difficult to read anything lately, but that is precisely the reason why I set targets. I love to read and finish books. If it takes too long I don't like it, therefore if I miss targets I do feel bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I read in a very structured way - just one chapter a day, regardless of length. I occasionally come across chapters that are only 4 or 5 lines long, so I barely have time to sit down! If I'm reading a book without rigid chapters, I generally set myself a limit of 10 pages. If I break this routine I get quite anxious. Sedge, I am interested in why you set yourself this limit - why do you only allow yourself to read just one chapter? Is it to make the book last longer, or possibly an OCD thing? (I mean no offence here, BTW.) I'm afraid I could not do that, especially if the chapter ends on a cliff-hanger, as most tend to. It would drive me mad having to put the book down at an interesting point, just because I've read one chapter! Can I suggest you start reading Terry Pratchett books, if you haven't already? That would solve your problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Can I suggest you start reading Terry Pratchett books, if you haven't already? That would solve your problem! Do they have long chapters or something? I don't read very fast at all. Neither do I set a limit - it depends when I'm reading as to how long I read for. I tend to snatch reading where I can - a few pages whilst I'm waiting for my daughter to come out of school, on the park and ride bus if I'm going into town... and I always read before bedtime, but never for a set time/amount of pages. Some weeks I read loads, then I might have a week where I only manage a few pages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I usually read a certain amount of pages, but sometimes I will say I will read a certain amount of chapters. The only reason is so that I make sure I read the book. It is to make sure I read a good amount every day, even though I may actually read more if I have time, and also so I feel I have not taken too long over books. It doesn't always work but mostly I make it work. The reason for this is that I have so much to do every day with the house and the baby (and keeping my mental state even) that I do not always make/have time to read a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I don't like to set any limits on how much I read a day, although I like to read at least 50 pages a day. Yesterday I read 186 pages where as the day before I was soooo tired I struggled to get to 20!! I don't like books lasting more than 4 / 5 days max though. I like to read for the pure enjoyment and using a maximum limit would make it more of a chore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Do they have long chapters or something? Terry Pratchett's Discworld books don't have chapters! So Sedge could sit down and read the whole book in one go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Terry Pratchett's Discworld books don't have chapters! So Sedge could sit down and read the whole book in one go. Clever!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 I just read quite fast (unless I'm missing my reading mojo, in which case it takes me AGES to read a book). I usually read an average of about 2-3 books a week, depending on the size of them and how much I'm enjoiying them. On an average day, I get perhaps 1 1/2 hours reading time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple95 Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Sedge, When I saw your thread title I was reminded of a course I took as a freshman in college entitled "Speed Reading" or something like that. It was one of those freshman level courses designed to help you survive in college. The classroom had desks equipped with a machine that projected a narrow, horizontal beam of light that you could focus on the individual lines of text in the book. The speed at which this light moved down the page could be adjusted. The theory was to increase the speed thereby increasing your reading speed. While an easy "A", I didn't really increase my reading speed during the course. I remember reading 1984 and Animal Farm and that's about it. Now to your question, sorry for the thread drift.... Being semi-retired, I have the luxury of reading at will as much or as little as I wish. Usually the amount of reading is determined by how "into" a given book I am. Greater interest/pleasure equates to more reading per day. I average around 35 pages per day. Cheers, dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedge Posted December 17, 2007 Author Share Posted December 17, 2007 Sedge, I am interested in why you set yourself this limit - why do you only allow yourself to read just one chapter? Is it to make the book last longer, or possibly an OCD thing? (I mean no offence here, BTW.) Can I suggest you start reading Terry Pratchett books, if you haven't already? That would solve your problem! No offence taken Mia - I think it probably is a mild form of OCD. Most of my life is lived in very straight lines - if I break from my routines I end up not knowing what I'm doing! I also enjoy reading a set chapter and then mulling it over for the next 24 hours (yes, I have set reading times too!) As for Terry Pratchett - do you have clairvoyant powers, or have you been peering through our window? I have a whole shelf of Discworld books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Sedge, I can understand where you're coming from with the liking for set routines, as I'm the same and I hate change. I do have some OCD traits, but I manage to keep them under control and thank goodness they do not encroach on my reading habits at all. As for Terry Pratchett - do you have clairvoyant powers? Yes, but I try not to tell anyone. Seriously, when I read about your one-chapter limit, Pratchett was the first author I thought of. So do you have to set yourself a limit of a certain number of pages instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 I don't read fast. I try to enjoy the book. I normally read before bed so I am relaxed and can imerse myself in the story. I do tend to stick to structured reading. I like to read a set number of pages a night. I normally set a goal for myself each night depending on how I feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedge Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 Seriously, when I read about your one-chapter limit, Pratchett was the first author I thought of. So do you have to set yourself a limit of a certain number of pages instead? Yes, usually about 10 pages, but with Discworld books, about 20 (always making sure I stop at an appropriate break). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I'm a pretty leisurely reader generally - it's rare for me to finish a decent-sized book in under a week, unless I'm on holiday. For example, I've been on Winter in Madrid for six days now, and I'm a little over halfway through it. I remember "speed reading" as well - another management fad aimed at squeezing even more out of the poor old workers! I once refused to go on a "speed reading" course, on the grounds that the quicker I read, the more work I'd have to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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