Fantasy Book Club discussion

Kara wrote: "Traci wrote: "And that's all that matters. The enjoyment in reading. :-)"

=)"

Yes, indeedy!

Nicki wrote: "Haaze wrote: "But reading too fast feels similar to engulfing a wonderfully crafted dinner instead of eating it slowly to truly enjoy the experience...? At least those are my feelings around readi..."

I am not a really fast reader but I think I have decent comprehension because I can remember some of the most minute details. However I do want to increase my speed, as often what happens is that due to a low reading speed I get bored and sleepy while reading a relatively uninteresting book instead of being able to quickly skim through them. My problem is that I am not sure how to without skipping sentences.
Can you give like a practice technique or something one can use to increase speed without losing comprehension.

Ethan wrote: "Khwab wrote: "Nicki wrote: "Haaze wrote: "But reading too fast feels similar to engulfing a wonderfully crafted dinner instead of eating it slowly to truly enjoy the experience...? At least those ..."

Thanks ! By the way are there any online classes or you require a tutor !

I read over 100 books a year. And I honestly think it's good for me.
The books I love, I read again. I treasure it as you say.
And the books I don't like, I just save it in some corner of my mind and start over with another book :)

Well, last year I read 50 books. This year I already read 10 books. I don't find that hard. I often read 300 pages a day. When it's holiday time and I don't have to go to school I can read all day long.

Besides that I'm also a quite fast reader. I can read around 3 books a week.

Im not really sure how fast I read but I read up to 100 books a year and I have two jobs.

Like many if I'm really liking the book I read faster, but I'm also one of those people who don't get distracted once I'm in the world around me kinda disappears.

Im actually usually very good with remembering what happens in certain books through out the year and later, my memory works weird ...its diffidently selective hahaha unless I read two bad books that were similar I just kinda mush them together in one horrible experience

I usually read pretty swiftly, but when I find a book I really enjoy, I tend to slow my pace. I like to savor a great read, spend time with the characters. This is especially the case with books in a series, when I know the next one will not be coming out for a while (looking at you George R.R.).

I started reading the Harry Potter series around the time the third book came out. Waiting two years in between each installment, I just couldn't let myself devour them. I would read about 50 pages at a time, and make myself put it down for the day.

That's one of the reason I like longer books.

I don't find I can read a whole book in one day - they normally take me two. But having once read fast, if I have liked it, I read it again slowly - perhaps four days, or five. That way I get to savour the textures and prose more, I recognise early markers of things still to come, I appreciate more the planning and structuring of the novel, I have time to think about why things are being written as they are. It's only what suits me, but it certainly seems a good way. And if I haven't liked the book first time round, I don't have to re-read ...

I get annoyed when people say "oh you read that book so fast there is no way you could have taken it all in". No just because you can't do that doesn't mean i can't. I think reading is personal, if you can read fast and enjoy it, then more power to you, if you choose to read slower that is your prerogative. It is a completely personal decision.

I tend to agree with most of the people hear...the faster I`m reading a novel the more I like it (case in point? I rip through anything by Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Karen Miller, and Jaqueline Carey) and typically I`ll always go back to my favorites...hmmmm I always thought that hearing the words in your head as you read them was just an everyday thing...you learn something new everyday :D

I tend to read fast but don't get the time I would like, I managed to read 65 books last year. I have to read at night before sleeping to relax, a habit I got into as I a child. This is however a problem if the book is so good I don't want to put it down. LOL, I was able to read a 500 page book a day before children but now I have 3 sons under 10 and a full time job so my pre children days of staying up half the night are over for now.

My husband is quite slow compared to me (will read about 1 to 5 of mine), however he also likes to read fantasy so I will often recommend books I have read to him then when he has finished I can discuss it with him.

It does not matter what speed a book is read at, I just read quickly. I do like to re-read those I especially enjoyed. Those I don't enjoy as much I still read fast, I just may not make so much time for reading them so they take longer to finish.

I used to be able to get through 2-3 books a week... back in highschool before life got in the way. Lately I'm lucky if I can get through 1 book every 2 months. However, personally I forget all the books I read, regardless of how much I enjoyed them or the pace I was going through. I generally don't really concentrate while I'm reading and I tend to zone out from time to time, hence, the memory issue :P.
I love what Paul said! I used to feel self conscious about the fact that I read less books then every1 else on here, to the point where I decided to up my yearly reading challange to 50 books. Well! I've changed that back to 25! Seriously who cares! I read because I enjoy it, not to impress people! Hmph!

Lilyan wrote: "I used to be able to get through 2-3 books a week... back in highschool before life got in the way. Lately I'm lucky if I can get through 1 book every 2 months. However, personally I forget all the..."

Can not agree with you more. Reading is an intensely personal thing, you read for you not for anyone else!

I blame my Kindle. I went from maybe 4 to 6 books a year, to now 12 to 15.

I can average a book a day if I'm not busy with other things. I'm studying at the moment so it takes a lot out of my reading for pleasure time. I've always been a fast reader. There is to many good books in the world to not to be.

Jaq wrote: "You people are going to convince me to gert an E-reader yet. So much time in transit could be dedicated to catching up all the reading I want to do."
My first bifocals slowed down my reading; Kindle/ereaders where you can enlarge the text without reading glasses a godsend for us older folks -- and nice to have everything at hand so you have the book you are in the mood for (and dangerously easy to just keep instantaneously downloading next book by favorite authors)

Well, to eliminate the question of reading too fast, I'm going to assume a comfortable reading-aloud speed—150 wpm. (This is half as slow as a slow silent read, which is in the 300–350 range.) So you can read about 30 pages in an hour.

If you have time to read 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, you can read 96 books in a year, assuming a book is 400 pages long.

If you did this for 50 years, you'd have read 4800 books.

Read for twice as long each day, and read silently, you have 19,200 books at the end of your life. (Choose wisely!)

I only skimmed the threads here, so I don't know if this has been mentioned but I think the more familiar you are with a genre or even an author can affect how quickly you get through a book too. Once you know the style, I think it becomes very easy to predict how a sentence or a paragraph is going to go. And that can speed up your reading considerably.

I'm pretty sure that I don't actually "read" every word in most sentences anymore. It's more like my eyes pick out the key words in each sentence - dark cave, strange noise, whirl around, draw sword, giant spider, attack. That may be a whole paragraph.

My eyes have "seen" each word, but only the important ones really register. I don't do this with every book, but it definitely happens when an author isn't doing anything strange or complicated with their writing.

The more you read, the better you become at this kind of thing. So then it's only writers who have a very unique style, or whose language is very complex that slows you down.

And reading speed has nothing really to do with how many books you read per year - that is controlled by how much time you devote to reading.

No matter how fast your eyes/brain take in the words, if you can only find an hour a day to read you aren't going to finish as many books as someone who can sit down for 3-4 hours straight every day.

Also, those of us who listen to books as well get to add in extra time per day devoted to "reading" books.

I used to read 200 books a year, and yes I could really enjoy it and immerse myself in the story. It was just a question of available time. I was studying and working part-tie, I had no kids, and no other obligations. I had so much free time I didn't appreciate it.

I read close to 50 now, but only by virtue of maximising my available time by using audiobooks. If I read on the train, I'd probably make a hundred a year, but that's the only writing time I have. So I read some evenings, listen to audiobooks while walking or at the gym or driving. I'm also a fast reader, but I don't speed read - I am just capable of reading and comprehending fast.

When I read, I'm so immersed in the book I won't notice you talking to me. If I can find the time (and for a new book that is good enough, I will make the time) I can read a 600 - 800 page book in 3 days.

I read about 100 books a year but I read less now I mod plus I have kids and will be going back to work soon so my reading time may be curtailed.
I have always been a fast reader and it is my passion. My oldest child is the same and it is looking as though my others will follow suit. My hubby says it is my faulty reading gene. He barely reads.

It's funny, but I go through periods where I read a lot of books and then periods where I read less. Still, I like to have multiple books on the burner at once.

I'm like that too L.G. where I'll read a lot and than read not so much. Usually I have more of a break between books, if I've just finished something I've really enjoyed.

Reading a year varies for me between 60-90 books. I use to think I read fast, but since being on Goodreads, I don't think I do. I do a lot my reading in my lunch break and whilst watching some of my kids sport practices.

I have started listening to books while doing chores around the house or driving... great way to knock that TBR pile down... Luckily my library has a ton of books on cd

Don't remember if I've already answered this one :)

I can't finish a book if I'm reading just one book. I need to have at least three going on, to stay in the mood of reading in general.

I don't remember when I finished just one book at the time. I get bored too soon, that's why I need 3+ books that I'm reading at the same time, so I can switch characters and the story (and create a silent version of all the books in the interesting one, I guess that's why I have so many blank notebooks-for notes, but I never write anything, just imagine, and if I can only imagine places I've visited, one-two stars down for the books I'm reading).

Can't help it. Wouldn't have any favourites if I're just reading one book at the time.

Short storied are a completely different thing, tho.

That being said, I read faster if I have 3+ books on my currently reading shelf.