The Sword and Laser discussion

I've noticed that a lot of people here seem to devour book, at least from what I can assume by the number of books they've read.

I always thought I am a pretty fast reader. I can do a "regular" book (i.e. 300 to 500 pages, sometimes more) a week if I'm not completely busy with other things or the book is more complicated (or tedious or something else that slows down my reading) than usual. When I'm on a "relax" vacation (as opposed to travel around and see stuff) I've managed to read six to eight books in two weeks.

But even that seems to pale in comparison to some of the guys I see here on goodreads. So, I guess my question has several parts:

1. How fast or slow to you read? I know this cannot be completely quantified, but there's a general difference between "10 books a year" to "1 book a day".

2. How do you fit in reading in your life? What I mean by that is, especially for fast readers, do you just spend every free minute reading, do you have long commutes, stay up late at night, whatever, to be able to read as much as you can?

3. How does that affect the quality of your reading? This question sounds weird, so I need to explain. I'm an averagely fast reader, I guess, but I also tend to just skip over passages (I'm not good with long descriptions for example, so if I spot a paragraph with lots of adjectives I just kind of skip through it to get on with the story). I also sometimes have to go back to re-read parts that I didn't really pay attention to in the first place.

So, basically, yes, the quality of my reading is a bit affected, since I sacrifice careful reading for faster reading. It's okay for me, since I prefer reading a bit faster and being able to read more books to reading fewer books by paying more attention to the details. I have a long list of books I want to read and without disrespect to any book I'm currently reading I'm also impatient to get on with all of the interesting sounding books that I've yet to read.

I also know people who read decidedly slower and probably get lost in the story more than I usually do.

For the fast readers, do you feel like you might be missing out on parts of the books as a payoff for reading more books?

1) Depends on the style of writing, really. But for an average 300-500 page book, I can usually finish it on a slow day. Two at the most. But I have to be in the reading mood, or I'll end up spending a week on a 300-500 page book reading little snippets here and there.

2) Random free time. Breaks and lunches. Instead of watching TV or wasting time on the internet, I'll read. Maybe an hour or so in bed. Just whenever there's some free time.

3) I don't skip over parts. I'll read the whole thing, just quickly. I don't think I lose anything compared to someone who takes it slowly, and I have no problem retaining the story/characters/plot/etc in my mind.

I think I've slowed down with age. As a kid, I'd read 300 pages in a day, but I typically wasn't reading very heavy material. Lately, I'll finish a book the size of GoT in two weeks, though if the material really grabs me, like Name of the Wind, it'll only take a couple of days.

I also like to read when I eat, though I'll often end up reading the same page over and over again.

And with the Kindle, I'm able to read in shorter bursts. While on the L or in a taxi, I can just pull out my phone and use the Kindle app, where normally I'd have avoided opening up my bag and pulling out a book.

I'm pretty slow in comparison to most. I do alot of re-reading paragraphs if I reach the end and go "huh". Such is the case with Blindsight.

My reading schedule depends on the format. For print books I get an hour in before bed each night, then maybe a couple hours on a slow weekend. For ebooks I get a little more in because I always have my phone on me. I'll snag a few pages here at there at work. Audio books are the easiest of course. I can tear through one of those in a day or two because I can pretty much listen all day at work as well as commutes.

Choosing a format has been my biggest dilemma lately. I'm a big tech nerd and I love the convenience of ebooks and audio books. Some part of me just wants to hold a real book though. That and I have some very large built-in book shelves in my home and I need more books to fill them!

Usually if I get a book in digital form and like it, I'll keep an eye out for it at Half Price Books so I can add it to my shelves.

Peter F. Hamilton: 30 pages/hour
Stephanie Meyer: 60 pages/hour

These days my eyes are getting sore though.

I stopped "reading" fiction a few years ago and completely switched to audiobooks.
I am listing to podcasts and audiobooks whenever I get the chance (commuting, traveling, shopping, cooking, housework, sport, while playing games,...).
Depending on the appeal of the book I neglect my regular podcasts and divert all my listening time to the audiobook. For really compelling books I even go out on long walks so I can listen to it without distractions.
If I don't like an audiobook (The Shadow of the Torturer) or I am bored with a lengthy description which is not relevant for the plot line I tend to zone out or start browsing the Internet while listing.
Back in the day when I was still reading books I could devour a book in a few days (Middlesex) or fall asleep after two pages and spend months reading the same tough book (Crime and Punishment).

I read about 60 pages an hour depending on the material and can read a "normal size" book in a day if I am real into which happens less these days. I usually read at night and during meals as I can and have been known to read at night until 3am some times if the book has really got me and I always carry something with me when I am out of the house. I have solid retention and sometimes , once again depending on material, will skim the content but I am also a notorious rereader so I pick up things everytime I reread a book. I freely admit I do not read as much as I use to so my consumption has slowed a lot compared what it was years ago but rereading has increased so it is a trade off to some extent but still less over all. I did learn to speed read in high school which helped me really pick up speed but it does take more focus on my part so i don't always practice the skill now if I am just reading casualy.

I usually read about 100-150 pages a day, when I get a good chance to read. That doesn't always happen. Audiobooks move slower than I read, but I can read them in more situations so I end up finishing books faster.

Mike wrote:."Usually if I get a book in digital form and like it, I'll keep an eye out for it at Half Price Books so I can add it to my shelves.

I worked at Half Price for six years.

Tom wrote: "I worked at Half Price for six years."

I LOVE that store!!! We have them sprinkled all over the Dallas metro area. And they are so GREAT!! Every one is just a little different and has so much selection.

And now to return to the threads original topic...

1) I read fairly quickly although I have never timed my pages/hour. But my reading is relegated to maybe 1 hour a day. Mostly on my lunch break at work and before I go to sleep. I have 2 toddlers, 40+ hr job, and went back to school last fall so needless to say I don't read for fun as much as I would like! It is taking me a week or two to get through a book.

2) My reading quality is the same no matter what book I am reading. I can't skip sections. Something is hard coded into my DNA telling me thats illegal and wrong :). My wife can skim sections she finds slow or unnecessary. But I can not. And as a reader of The Wheel of Time believe me sometimes I wish I could.

I'd say mid to fast, depending on the book. I can go trough a YA book on a slow weekend day, but something more complex takes me longer.

It also depends if I'm reading in portuguese (my 1st language) or english. Although I'm getting quite the hang of reading in english.

I don't skim or jump over parts. I get too sucked in the reading to do that.

since i mainly read on my Kindle, it's hard to tell how many pages i read a day. but it feels like i read alot more on the Kindle than i did on paper. maybe it's because it's so accessible, easy to throw in my pocket and pull out to read, or use the app on my phone (thought i mostly use that for short stories). plus it feels like i read faster on the Kindle than i did on paper, never tested to see, but that's how it feels.

I used to have a low stress job and got lots of sleep. During those years, I could read the silmarillion without blinking. Now I can't read a sentence without passing out. Thank god for long commutes and audio books ... I guess.

I read about 60 pages an hour. I carry a book everywhere I go, I read anytime I'm waiting, even if it's only for a few minutes.