rock_steady88 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 If so do you feel the time limit gives you better motivation for actually taking the time aside to read and finish the novel. I have a bit of a short attention span and I want to find a way to encourage myself to read because I know for a fact I am missing out on a lot of great things by not reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 No, I never give myself a time limit. But if I find that I'm progressing slowly because I'm not enjoying the book, I'll generally give it up and move on to something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadya Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Only if it's from the library and has to be returned on time. (yet somehow my books aren't always returned on time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Nope - if I did that I'd find ways of AVOIDING the book completely as my automatic reaction to having something imposed upon me is to immediately go against it - LOL!Like many others, though, if I find I'm not enjoying the book so much, I'll set it aside for another time or abandon it completely in favour of a different one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I don't set myself a time limit, but I do think how long it might take me to read, so for example, I started The Three Musketeers on Wednesday, and I realised that at 675 pages, and being a classic, the style of the language can sometimes take longer to read and comprehend, so I was thinking I'd probably finish it by the end of Sunday. If it takes less or more time, it won't bother me, but I sort of set it as a target, so I know when I'm going to be moving on to my next book. My inspiration to keep going with a book, is to have the next book I'm going to read waiting for me. That way, if I'm struggling with something, or I'm not enjoying a book, I can think to myself to keep going because I've got something to look forward to next, or if it's really not grabbing my attention or I have a strong dislike to a book, then I'll stop reading it, and move on to my next book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I don't give myself a time limit either. It reminds me too much of college when we had to have so many chapters read by a certain time, which would make my reading like a chore more than for pleasure. Therefore I just read at my own pace, sometimes I read every night of the week, othertimes I'm too tired and go straight to sleep. Eventually the book gets finished and I just move onto the next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I never put a limit. Even if the books are from the library, I'll just renew them if I'm not done reading yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Not if it is my own book, but if I received a bookring from here or bookcrossing I like to get it read and passed on within the month, or possibley a little longer if I have borrowed it from a friend. But if it is a book that is totally gripping me it wouldn't take long anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaraM Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 When I was in a reader's group, we had a fortnight to read a book so we could discuss it. It was great as it helped me focus on one book instead of two or three at a time. However, since moving and leaving the group, I'm back to reading whatever takes my fancy at the moment - which sometimes means there are a couple on the go at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Not since school, and that was only because it was forced. If I'm not enjoying a book though I might give myself a page I have to get to before I will let myself give up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 No I don't either, I just take it as it comes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I'm mentally very organised, and a bit obsessive compulsive, so I tend to divide a book into thirds or quarters, and plan to read a third or a quarter or whatever in a day, usually giving me 3-4 days per book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I don't impose any restrictions on my reading. External factors come into play quite frequently (other things that have to be done, darn it!), but I let the book take me where it will and I put it down when possible, at a 'natural' break in the text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I never set myself a time limit for any book, although I would like to finish my current book by July 22nd, when I go on holiday. It depends on what I am doing as to how quickly I get through books. When I am on holiday I can easily get through 2 in a week, but normally it can take anything up to a month. It depends on how much work I have got on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I don't set a time limit on reading books, although if they're in a book ring they will automatically move to the top of my list after what I'm currently reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I do not give myself a time limit as I do not want to be pressured. I read because I find great pleasure in it, so I only read when I will enjoy the act of reading. I have a bit of a short attention span and I want to find a way to encourage myself to read because I know for a fact I am missing out on a lot of great things by not reading. Like you though, I want to read more this year so I challenged myself to read one book a week on average. So one week I will read 2, others I read 1/2 a book. 52 books a year is merely a fun goal If you have a short attention span, you may try having daily little goals (i.e. I am going to read 10 pages every day). That is a very doable goal. If you keep that parameter, you will be successful and I bet you you will read more. But with a small goal at the beginning you will never feel overwhelmed or pressured. Try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitra Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 No, sometimes the book is more absorbing, and sometimes it needs its time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 The only thing I have a time limit for is getting out of the bed for work at 4:15 in the morning. My reading is far too random and without warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadya Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I never put a limit. Even if the books are from the library, I'll just renew them if I'm not done reading yet. I do the same, but yet sometimes when I renew, I'm already one or more days late! And what's even worse, I can easily do it online, yet I'm not always on time. I just don't always realise I have to bring the books back on that particular day. So I often try to finish the books without having to renew them. Now I have an already finished book at home because I'm too lazy to go to the library and finally get the other books I want to read. There is so much to read online as well, so I think that's perhaps why. Also I've been watching more films and tv shows lateley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I suppose I have a sort of flexible time limit. I tend to pick up and start books that seem interesting whenever I see them. The result is that I have several books going at once -- right now about six. I stick with the most interesting one until it is finished, and then move onto another. If one or more books hang around too long without getting picked up again to continue reading, then I put them in a "partially read" list, or worse yet a "deferred" list, and move them off my "to read" list to get them out of my sight. Four at once seems about the right number for me, and I'm merciless at culling above that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 When I pick up a book to read I tend to have some sort of a time frame in my mind based on how long the book is. But it's not something that I ever expect to stick to because I know, for instance, that I rarely get any reading done on the weekend at all. It kind of helps me plan my reading better because if, say, there are two days left in the month then I will try to squeeze in a short book so I can start afresh the next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanC_84 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 No, I don't. I've never had a reason to. On occasion I might try and say to myself "I want to have this book finished by the end of the weekend", but it is hardly a hardset time limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I used to but not now, I just go with the flow, finish it when I finish it kind of thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalind Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I kinda put a limit on books that have about 300 pages and are of the chick-lit persuasion. I don't give myself more than a week for those. It often happens that I start them on monday and if they aren't finished by friday that I spent my friday evening finishing them. On the other hand I have books I call night reads (the books I rather don't carry with me on the train, they are of the 18+ persuasion) for those books I don't set a limit since at night on a working day I only read one or two chapters. They can stay on my bedside table for a month before I finish them. When it comes to classics, crime, contemperory, 300+ and other non-chick-lit books I don't set myself a timing it will be read on it own good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I used to give myself 5 days per book, but nowadays I don't do that any more, because sometimes it felt as though reading was a chore that I had to get done. Nowadays, I don't place any restrictions on it, but I find that I still generally take about 4 or 5 days to finish a novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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