Reading Time

[Timmo]

Just wondering how long does it take everyone to read an average size book (300-400 pages) or chapter (15-20 pages)?

 

Personally it takes me about 15-20mins for a chapter.

[Rawr]

It takes me about 15 mins for an average size chapter as if i'm really 'into' it i can usually get in a good reading flow. An average book would take me about a week if i only concentrated on that one, but if i was, again, really 'into' what the author was writing then it may take me only a couple of days.

[Scarlette]

 

Although, lately I find that books take me longer to finish, simply because I don't have as much time for reading as I want to.

[lexiepiper]

If I really like a book I can sit and read it all in a few hours, but usually I read a book every 2-3 days

[chesilbeach]

It depends on the book - if it's light and purely entertainment then I'll whizz through it, so the Sookie Stackhouse books I can read a 300 page book in a few hours, but if it's something more challenging or requires contemplation and consideration, then I might read just 15-20 pages in an hour, and would probably read it in many sittings, and allow myself to be fully immersed in the writing while I'm reading.

[Beccles]

My wind down period is before and after surgery. Usually an hour or so before bed. I read when I have to go down to London on the train and on the loo when I have my "problem"

[nowhere_girl]

Timing my reading seems absolutely pointless to me. It's not a race. If you're fully immersed in a book you have no concept of time whatsoever as it's just not important. If you're clock-watching it makes reading seem like a task to be completed & that's not how I work at all.

[Kylie]

In a fast book I'll read about a page a minute, but in longer books, or books with a different style of writing or more to think about, I'll read about 20 pages an hour.

 

Nowhere girl, I don't think anyone is timing their reading as such. I may not notice the pages fly by when I'm reading, but I will have an idea at the end of how long I've been reading for and roughly how much I read.

[Kell]

I've no idea how long in hours and minutes it takes me to read a book. I used to average 2-3 books per week, pre-pregnancy, but once I was expecting I found I totally lost my ability to concentrate for any length of time. Im' back to being able to concentrate now, but I don't have anywhere near as much time as I used to for reading, what with looking after an almost-10-m-o baby and also cross stitching (which I too ku p again in February), so now I'm lucky if I manage to finish 2 or 3 books in a month, depending on the length of them. I have far less patience with books now though - if Im' not enjoying it, I'll get shot of it a lot sooner than I used to as I don't have the time to waste on bad books.

[generalkala]

It depends on the book. If it's an amazing book that I'm loving, I can whip through it in about half a day. If it's not that good, probably a few days.

 

It also depends how much Uni work I have to get through too!

[Rosalind]

If I'm able to sit down with my book (like most Saturdays) I tend to finish it the same day. I start then at about 10 in the morning and finish at about 5 or 6 in the afternoon.

 

Mostly though during the week I tend to read 1 or 2 books of that amount of pages.

[Kimmy619]

Depends how easy to read it is as well as how good it is! If something is a little heavy going, I tend to re-read certain paragraphs so I definately know what is going on. Also depends on what kind of day I have had at work

[MuggleMagic]

I only read one book at a time so I can read it in about a week. About 10-15 minutes on a chapter. I read quite fastly when I am in a good flow.

[BookJumper]

As mentioned in another thread I don't have much time or concentration power left in me, so I can depressingly report that while a few years back I would have consumed one if not two or three books in a week, I now more like trudge through one in two or three months , which is annoying when the book is good and you want to know how it ends.

 

To counter this frustration I've developed the habit to skim along to find out the main plot twists before I continue reading properly, which of course is never wise...!

 

On average, I only read on the bus nowadays; an average 15/20min journey will see me get through no more than five pages, usually. Un-average is my experience with Daniel Waters' "Generation Dead", which I'm managing to read in more respectable 10-or-so-page chuncks. Regardless, it's still taking me stupidly long to finish - at this rate he'll have written a third by the time I get to the sequel.

Edited July 20, 2009 by BookJumper

[RCee]

It depends on how much time I have to read and the type of book I am reading. If it is 'junk food' I can finish it in a couple of days. Same can be said if it is a really really exciting and races along - then I will race along with it and read it in no time. If it is an involved or fairly literary I tend to take longer, wanting to read every word and not skim anything - those types can take a couple of weeks. I don't read quickly, either, so if I haven't a lot of time to sit and read I will also take much longer to get through a book. The longest read of the year so far was The Crimson Petal and the White and the quickest read of the year was Hide by Lisa Gardner which I read in a day.

[Stephanie2008]

I tend to read one or two books a week depending on how busy I am. I usually read for a couple of hours before I go to sleep or an hour or two when I wake up

[SueK]

Like everyone else, if the book is gripping then I can get through it in about a couple of days - bearing in mind I have limited reading time anyway.

 

Now that I have my conservatory up and finished, I now allow myself an hour of uninterrupted reading time between 8-9 of an evening. It's smashing:D

 

I am still struggling with a non-fiction book of over 600 pages which is very good but takes a while to read as the subject matter is quite heavy. I nearly took it back to the library last Friday as it was due but at the last minute, I decided to renew as I really want to finish it - but it will take a week or more I think.

[Adam]

It is hit and miss with me. Sometimes I'll read a book in a week, sometimes a month. This past year I hardly had time to read.

[Charm]

My mojo has been right there with me and just lately, if I'm really into a book, I can read it in one or two days, 300-400 pages usually 1 day, 500-700 pages, 2 days. Normally I would aim to read one per week, that's usually a nice pace for me. Any more than that and I'm delighted!

[tyvek999]

I am an addicted reader so once i start reading a book I don't put it down until I'm finished or tired. I read a chapter in about 10 to 15 min and a 700 page book a day or two.

[Nollaig]

This totally depends on how much the book grabs my attention. The average would be 2-3 days for a book that just got my attention at a normal level. If I was less interested, up to a week, and if I couldn't put it down less than 48 hours.

[Chimera]

I have been very frustrated by my (lack of) reading speed lately... Even when a book really grabs my attention it seems to take me ages to get through a chapter.

 

It's not that I keep track of it as such, or see it as a competition of sorts... Just that I get frustrated when I don't even manage a chapter during my commute.

 

I am in aww of all you folks who get through 300 pages a day

[Charm]

I am in aww of all you folks who get through 300 pages a day

 

I can't speak for everyone but I do have to be careful. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my reading my normal life suffers, I lose days! Not to mention, nothing gets done and it always seems to be piled up waiting for me when I come back to reality!

Edited July 21, 2009 by Charm

[Kylie]

With the number of books I have waiting to be read, I wouldn't mind losing a few days while I caught up on my reading! It takes me about a week to read a 400 page book, and I would consider that a good week.

[KW]

These days?? M O N T H S....