Nellie Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I had an interesting chat with a colleague today. I read one book about every eight days or so. I know this speed probably seems quick to many folks who don't read much, but I know that some people on here read far more than that! I was interested when she suggested that people who read quickly are real bookworms and if you read slowly then you can't be a "real" reader. There are some books I do "binge read", but others I take more time over. I can't find the post now, so apologies to the person that posted it, but they said that if a book is particularly well written they like to take time savouring the words, which I think is lovely. Personally I think it makes no difference at all, but I know that books I read quickly I never remember quite as well as the ones I take my time over. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) Good thread! Personally, when I find a book I like, given the time, it takes 3-4 days to read. (Around 450-600 pages.) Books 300 pages or less take 2 days maximum. That would be my standard pace, but when I find a book is carefully written I slow down a bit to take in the structuring like Anonymous Poster said, in order to 'savour' the content. I'm doing that a lot with The Book Thief. Some paragraphs are just so epic I read them several times. Theres one paragraph in The Book Thief, which doesn't spoil a thing, but does sum up the dark humor, the blatent factual nature of the large-scale events and the quirky story-telling style of Death, which I've read so many times I know it off. Its wonderful. I find the more complex the book the longer I take, really absorbing details and character portraits I may need to recall later, like in Kate Mosse's Labyrinth. I'll be working on that for some time to come. Other books, like Twilight, are so basically written and straight forward in content, that I fly through them. Read the 4 Twilight books in 6 days, and thats well over 2000 pages according to amazon's count. Edited January 7, 2009 by Nollaig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 I suppose reading rate depends on how many hours in a day you have to read! I read probably 1-2 hours per day on average. I know what you mean about complex plots or characters when you need to slow down in order to be able to remember parts. There are some books that use language so beautifully that somehow it makes you read at the right pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 True, I sometimes skim pages but usually not unless its really exciting and then I end up going back over it anyway! I prolly spend 4+ hours a day reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I was interested when she suggested that people who read quickly are real bookworms and if you read slowly then you can't be a "real" reader. I think reading a book makes you a reader - not the pace at which it takes place! I have differing speeds, depending on mood, circumstance, whether it's a first read or a re-read, the 'depth' of the book. There are so many factors. It's an interesting thing to consider though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Yeah I don't like these people who think slow readers aren't readers. If I read 1 book a year, and thorougly enjoy it, then I'm a reader thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Yeah I don't like these people who think slow readers aren't readers. If I read 1 book a year, and thorougly enjoy it, then I'm a reader thank you very much. I said exactly that! My colleague seemed to think unless you read lots of books then it wasn't really reading. That confused me slightly. It's interesting to hear that people's reading pace varies depending on the book. I hadn't thought about it until my colleague raised it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I don't think it's fair to say someone is not a reader just because they don't read quickly. I usually read about one book every five days, but occasionally I'll read one in two days, or very occasionally one day. If it's a long book, it might take up to a couple of weeks (The Historian took me ages)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 My colleague seemed to think unless you read lots of books then it wasn't really reading. I do read a lot of books, relative to my 21 years versus how many other non-readers will have read in the same amount of time. I read about 6 books last year. And most of them were from september to december I'm still an avid reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotalus_p Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Pace really does vary for me:blush: , when I was younger (13-15ish) I was a very slow reader by the time id gone threw 4 pages the rest of my class would have a chapter done (it wasn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 My readiing has really slowed down these past few months. I am only averaging one or two books a month at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 As for people that judge who is a proper reader and who is not based on their pace , screw them who are they to judge anyone ??? I don't think this person was judging particularly, they just had a preconcieved idea that "readers" read a lot of books. I did set her straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 It really depends on the book and how much I am enjoying it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I used to have more time and better concentration for reading, but pregnancy put paid to my concentration and having a baby takes up most of my time. I barely get a chance to read these days, and when I do, I'm lucky if it's a few pages at a time, never mind a full chapter. Considering I used to clear 120+ books a year, it's a big comedown, but I don't think I'm any less of a bookworm - I just don't have the time to spare any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 It really depends on the book and how much I am enjoying it I tend to read one or two books a week, but it can change depending on whether I've got uni work to do and depending on the type of book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Considering I used to clear 120+ books a year Woah! Thats a lot of books! Is reading part of your job, or did you get through that many "just for fun" as it were? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookBee8 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 It really depends on the book and how much I am enjoying it Yep, ditto. For example, if I really love a book then I can read it in two days. But if I'm finding it harder to get into a book and am not enjoying it as much then I can take up to 2 weeks or so. It totally depends on the book and what I have planned next. I'll rush it if the next book appeals to me more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I also disagree that to be a real bookworm, you have to read fast. My reading speed changes depending on what else is going on, how busy I am with school work, how enjoyable the book is, and how I'm feeling emotionally. I average anywhere from finishing a book in a day to taking an entire month to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 My reading pace depends a lot on the time I have just for that. I'll usually average an hour or two in a day, mostly before bed. It also depends on the book, some books I can read fast and some books I read very slow and take my time with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 On average I guess I get through a book every 3 to 5 days however this varies depending on the book and on how much free time I have. So far this year though I've tried to aim for 100 pages a day and so far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Same here... my reading pace depends on many factors which have already been mentioned and also on the language: I dont read as quickly in english as in french (though that could change soon as I seem to be reading mostly in english these days) and definitely slower in spanish when I get a book in that language. And the reading pace definitely doesnt define readers... What a ridiculous idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I will echo Kell. I absolutely love reading and when I get the time and a good book I can read very quickly, but the more children you have the more time is taken up. I will have three children soon. I don't know how many books I will get through this year or next. There is a lot I really want to read in the near future but the children have to come first of course. My cornet practise has to be second because I have a top position in the band and books just have to be fit in where I can. I have always enjoyed reading. Reading keeps me sane. It gives me wisdom. I love it. Actually a lot of my reading time is spent reading with the children which is more important while they are young. Children learn a lot during the first few years of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I read about 150 books a year and if a book really grips me I can finish it in hours, I like what you are saying, people often say to me that because I read fast I'm not a real reader and don't savour the books. I think we all get different things from reading, and do it differently and isn't that the joy. It's the same with genre, we are all different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 people often say to me that because I read fast I'm not a real reader and don't savour the books. God I hate these type of asumptions... It's like people will often think that 'real readers' read mostly classics and 'complicated, intelectual' books... I just want to read what I like when I like and at the pace I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Woah! Thats a lot of books! Is reading part of your job, or did you get through that many "just for fun" as it were? Mostly just for fun. I would occasionally get sent books for review from authors or publishers, but mostly it was my own choices and 99% of them were "new" (i.e. not re-reads). Nowadays I'm lucky if I finish a book in the same month I start it - LOL! Any reading I do/did for my job (I'm on maternity leave at the moment) was purely council-related, so that's not counted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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