Polls for Our Souls discussion

Hi everyone! I'm looking for some tips on how to read books faster! I'm not the fastest reader and once school starts again, my reading time will be severely reduced. So I'm looking for tips and tricks on how I can read faster so that even while my reading time is reduced, I can still read as many books as possible.
Thanks to anyone that wants to help me!

i like to listen to ambient noise videos, like rain or a train ride while i read. they really help me tune out the real world and concentrate and i find it really helps me finish books faster. there are a lot of fun fandom ones on youtube, you should check them out!

i believe there are speed reading tutorials out there on youtube? maybe you could watch some and try to pick stuff up

I have found that changing the genres in between books. Reading something different from what you just read clears the mind and gives it a rest as well. Another thing is knowing when you have the time to read. For me it is later morning or afternoon, depending on my day. Also sorting the books on your tbr so you know what exactly what you want to read. But don't get to far. and last, find a place that you are comfortable in and that is quite.

for me i think reading more than one book at a time kind of helps me read 'faster'. i have a really short attention span so i usually can't read more than a few chapters of a book in the same sitting but if i'm reading 3 or 4 at once then i can just switch over to the other one, whereas if i was just reading one i would probably get a lot less actual reading done in a day. but make sure they're different genres so you don't get the plots confused lol

also if you've got an e-reader make the words bigger, reading small print makes you read slower.

From a speed reading video, I found out that it's better to read with your eyes. Try to avoid pronouncing the words in your head

Mmmm I think it depends on the book sometimes the book is written in a perfect way you just cant stop and some books are so boring you cant even finish the chapter...

I have a long commute so I listen to audiobooks to and from work and school. Plus I bring a book with with me everywhere and I keep another one by my bed to read a bit at night. This allows me to finish more books with a busy schedule. I think it could help. Also as a few others have said, if you do multiple books make sure they are different genres to eliminate confusion.

I find that things like "deadlines" or reading partners helps me reading more, and faster. I also read multiple books at a time so I can switch between them according to my mood.

I honestly try and do audiobooks when I can no matter how crappy and horrible some of the readers are 😂🙊🙈 but I just taught myself (more like "trained" myself) to tune them out and listen for the story.

They do kinda start out "slow" but when you get into the boom more they actually go so much faster. I'm lucky right now with the Throne of Glass audio and that they actually for an AMAZING reader for these. But I'm only doing audio for books 2-5 so I can catch up faster. I'm only 30 something pages into Heir of Fire and I love to also follow along with the audiobooks I get. So if I'm getting audiobooks to get through the story faster, I need a hard copy of the book too. I can do okay with my stupid learning disability when not following along once in awhile but I need to. And it sucks mainly for me and that cause I do a lot of rewinding once in awhile so I can know what's going on. That's the only con about audios for me and my learning disability (which isn't bad just more of comprehension skills and math stuff. So it only happens when learning and it's why I struggle with all the rewinds on audios)

Thanks everybody!!! I'm gonna test and check out all your tips!! ^-^

I'd add an anti-tip. DON'T

I took a speed reading class in High School back in the day and it does actually work but there's a trade-off. Speed reading is fine for getting the gist of material, particularly poorly written or workman-like writing but finely-crafted prose requires more attention and offers more to those willing to dig a bit deeper and think a bit more.

One example.... The opening sentence of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick or, The Whale (at least the narrative part) is

Call me Ishmael.

To the speed reader we might get that the main character's name is Ismael. Yet, the contemplative reader might think of several things. There are biblical allusions - Ishmael was the spurned son of Abraham. There are suggestions that the narrator will NOT be entirely truthful - note he says "call me" Ishmael, not that his name really is Ishmael.

Not every bit of prose has these layers or meaning or are worthy of analysis but the likelihood of finding these additional layers of meaning is lost in speed reading.

I'd suggest that you match the reading you have to do with your method and your environment. Perhaps spend time reading some things in time & places you normally wouldn't e.g. Short Poems during TV commercials or in the bathroom. Assigned readings during a car trip or commute (Even use audio-books if possible)

I am the contrary! I read a lot of books during school time and then, when I'm on vacation, everything else seems to be more interesting. For heaven's sake, I spent more than a month reading a book I HONESTLY enjoyed, while on school break. During school tho... I read way faster, maybe an average of one book per week? Sometimes one per week and a half because I still need to study and have a social life. I found out I can't read two books at the same time, one of them will always grab my attention more than the other. What I try to do is, even if I only have a less than 15 minute train ride to university, I take a book with me and read. Other times, when I get home really tired, I go read as well. It still tires me but doesn't drain me as much because I sit still, and obviously I can't read for much time (30 min max because I'm tired mentally) but I actually do read, a little, everyday, and it helps. If I didn't do that, I'd spend days without reading. Which is what happens on school break. Go figure. And sometimes I'm so bored I don't even want to turn on my computer, so I force myself to read. It takes some time to get into it, but most of the time I eventually start wanting to read. Don't know if this helped at all, sorry :/

Find a spare time a fit it in

Audiobooks can help you read faster. You can even turn their speed to 2x to make it go super fast

I put sticky notes every 50 pages in my books... & it makes me read it so much faster... I look at & think 'that doesn't look like a lot' plus it makes it easier to set a reading goal

I don’t do that