Fantasy Book Club discussion

There are a lot of people on GR who read 50+ books a year. That's an astonishing accomplishment. I only read 5 books a year at most, and the most pages I read in one day were about 30.

I know I'm a bit of a slow reading, especially English books. My question, however, to those people who manage to read 50+ books year: Can you really dive in the story, feel it, smell it, live it? I often have the urge to read to fast and I'm forgetting things too fast. When I finish a book, I don't read any book for at least a week. I think it helps treasuring the story a bit more.

What do you think of this?

NB: My English isn't as good as I want it to be, so feel free to correct me on the text above.

I read about 120 books a year. But I have the extra time for it. I don't go to school. I work part time. And I don't have children. I can read 100 pages on a slow day and between 300 and 400 on a really good day. Lately I've been trying to balance reading two books at the same time but not sure it's for me.
I don't consider myself a fast reader. I don't skim. Can't speedread. And actually the fastest I read a book is a good indicator of how much I like it, usually. It's when I'm bored that I take longer.
I do forget some details in the books I read throughout the year. But do I forget while I'm reading it? Not usually. Although I sometimes have trouble with learning and remembering names.

I read pretty quickly. I don't read as many books as I used to because I don't have the time that I used to. I still read quickly, just shorter sections at a time. And even with the time constraints I can easily go through 2-3 books a week.

I've never felt that I'm missing any details or that I don't fall into the world of the novel. In fact, I tend to read faster the more the story draws me in.

If I liked the story enough that I want to linger in the world it built, I set the book aside for re-reading and come back to it later. There are too many stories out there waiting to be read for me to linger too long in the wake of a book.

I do read more then one book at a time. And again, I've never had a problem immersing myself in the world of each individual book (unless there's a problem with the writing).

The speed of my reading tells how much I like the book. If I read it quickly, I'm really liking it. It it takes me longer, not so much. I don't think it's a problem. I remember the details, and can remember them for years, even though I read it quickly.

I can read more book at the time, and still remember which detail and happening took place in which book. I could never wait a week to read a new book if I've just finished one - I enjoy reading to much, and there is so many books that I want to read!

If I really liked a book, I go back to it eventually and re-read it again so I can get into it even deeper and understand it and enjoy it in a different manner than that I did the first time I read it.

I'm the same way.. the more I like the book, the faster I read it. I do read pretty fast in general. Back before I had kids, if a book was 500 pages or less, I could read it in a day. I was only able to read that fast if I was totally absorbed by the story though.

I'm pretty good at remembering details as I read it, but a few months/years later I might not remember it as well. I think that's more a result of getting older though, not a product of reading too fast. My memory just isn't as good as it used to be in general. I can't do more than one book at a time anymore because of this.

Now that I have kids, my reading time is really short. That 500 page book probably takes me 3 days now instead of one. And that's if I'm really enjoying it. It's more likely to be a week or so.

If I absolutely loved a book, I probably will wait a while before I start another one (unless it's the next book in the series I just read). I like to savor the story a little bit, and another book can sometimes be difficult to get into at first if I'm still thinking about the story I just read.

I read very fast and a lot. Most of that is due to time. I stay at home to take care of my disabled husband and my son who has heart complications. So there is some down time, between chores and heavy lifting.

Nicki wrote: "Your reading speed has nothing to do with how much you absorb and remember of the story. Your reading comprehension is what dictates that, and some fast readers have very good comprehension, while ..."

You raise an interesting point about sub-vocalization. Keith Rayner talks about it a good deal inThe Psychology of Reading. He found you never actually eliminate sub-vocalization instead the reader becomes unaware they're doing it and micro muscles take over. He also found that when your reading rate goes over 100 wpm subvocalization actually does help you retain what you read.

Nicki wrote: "Craig wrote: "Nicki wrote: "Your reading speed has nothing to do with how much you absorb and remember of the story. Your reading comprehension is what dictates that, and some fast readers have ver..."

It is really interesting (if a little textbooky). The second edition just came out so you should be able to pick up a used copy of the first edition really cheap in a few month if your local library doesn't carry it.

I subvocalize when I read in anything that isn't in my primary language, when fantasy characters have unique names or the author invents their own language. I get caught up wondering about the correct pronunciation and start subvocalizing without thinking about it.

That's an interesting topic, and one I really have never thought of. Compared to my friends, I read fast, especially when the story absorbs me and I think to myself "one more chapter and then I will get up", the one chapter becomes 2 or 3 or more. My problem is that I don't have much free time during my everyday life. I work from 6:30 till 15:00 everyday, I have a wife and no children (yet, so I read at work intervals or late at night as I go to bed. I can't say how many books I read a year, and it's a good chance to find out through 2012, but I read about 50-60 pages an hour (when I have a straight full hour at my disposal).
I also subvocalize when I read and I don't think it slows me down. It usually helps me to build in my mind the images of what I am reading and participate in the story.
Usually, I remember the basic plot and main characters of books I have read and I really liked, even after some years, especially if it is about single books or small series.

Taking a look at my stats I average maybe 20-30 books a year. I wouldn't say I'm a slow reader, I just don't take as much time to read. I guess I blame technology for kind of sapping my attention span. I like to multi-task while reading. I wouldn't call myself a speedy reader either. Sometimes I wish I could read faster, but it's probably better this way. I do have a big problem of buying books way faster than I can read them.

I will get to about 16-18 books this year. I always have a book I am reading, but I don't always have time to sit and read for long periods. I have often wondered about the people that can read 100+, but everyone has their own way of doing things and I guess some are able to read quickly. I do not think I have any problems with comprehension, I guess some do, but I have many other things I do besides read books.

I read fast, especially in well written fiction (tech stuff is a different story) & also tend to read faster when I get absorbed in a story, or so I am told. I don't keep track, but my wife & kids have made a lot of comments about pages flying when I'm really into a book.

I definitely subvocalize with names, especially similar names. They also slow me down, but if I don't keep careful track of them, the story suffers too much. I HATE it when an author introduces a bunch of characters rapidly & have just put books down when they have too many weird, unpronounceable, similar names because I know I'm not going to keep them straight, so why bother? If there are some disparate actions to cement the names in my memory, it's not so bad. When there are paragraph long descriptions of a dozen people around a table, forget it.

Well my goal this year is 150 books and I've read 144. I've already read 144 and I remember them quite well, thank you. Except, of course, the ones that are forgettable!

I read about 240-260 books a year. I don't think I'm a particularly fast reader. I read about 3-5 books a week. I remember books that are memorable and I really enjoyed for years. If I am under a lot of stress, my memory suffers, so there are books I read but the details are sketchy, if I read them during a time that was busy.

I've found that some books are easier to zip through than others. I don't like overly flowery language, and those books take longer for me to read. I prefer concise language, but I also like writing that is highly visual.

Like others, I will start a new book right after I finish the last, and sometimes read more than one book at a time.

So, to answer your question, my reading speed has not affected my comprehension of the books I read. It's proportional to how good a book is, and my prolific reading is due to the fact that I love to read, I'm not married, have no kids, and I'm a homebody.

I read about an hour on a workday before sleep and possibly all day at the weekends or school holidays. I remember the books I've read and enjoyed in detail for some years after that it depends on different factors. I become totally immersed in the story and they stay with me even after starting a new book. I'm told I read fast but doubt I'd ever get the book numbers that some do.

Nicki wrote: "Also, a common cause of reading slowly is sounding the words out in your head as you read -- if you can knock that habit on the head (it takes some practice), reading speed increases immensely without a permanent hit to comprehension."

I read really slow for just this reason. But I've no real interest in curbing the habit. I'm a programmer by trade, and that attention to detail allows me to spot the smallest mistakes in my code. If you sight-read (the practice of reading without sounding the words out in your head), then you lose that attention to detail. You're brain will tend to fill in what it *thinks* should be there, instead of what it actually is.

When I'm proof reading policy documents in school, I read much more slowly. When I'm spell checking I actually read backwards as you notice them more easily.

Nicki wrote: "Only if your comprehension is low. If you raise your comprehension to the same level as it is when subvocalising, then you'll have exactly the same level of attention to detail. :) People often confuse speed and comprehension, but the two are not necessarily related. There are a lot of slow readers who have poor comprehension."

Absolutely. But let's be clear... reading books and reading code is not the same thing, though they draw on the same skills.

Understanding code as you read it *requires* that you pay attention to every detail. If you skim over something, or even mistake an "a" for an "A", it can make all the difference in the world.

In most cases, you're absolutely right. :)

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 reading too fast. It definitely depends on the quality of the meal as well as any impending deadlines. E.g. I would never be able to speed read Dickens or any type of poem - the language is too subtle and beautiful to rush through. In contrast I would be happy to speed read a Grisham novel,a comic book or a Heinlein SF. The language in those lack the decorations and subtle challenges. It is like eating crackers. *crunch crunch crunch*

In terms of Fantasy reads: don't you distinguish between fantasy books that you want to take extra time with versus the ones you just rush through?

For me it all depends on the book, certain books like Dresden or Drizzt I can read in a day, but more technical books like Wheel of Times or Song of Ice and Fire it may take me well over a week.

Some people just process information quicker and naturally have better comprehension. I don't know how to speed-read, but I average about 60 pages an hour with most fiction, 45+ with denser classics, and 30-45 with non-fiction. The only things that tend to slow me down are reading complex technical writing (for instance, when I'm reading my engineering textbooks or journals) or reading in a foreign language (I read about half as quickly in German as I do in English). I joined Goodreads in March, and I've read 83 books since then (I didn't go back and put dates on most of the books I read before joining). I would have no difficulty in discussing any of the books I read- characters, plot, and general impressions stay with me for a long time.

I don't read something that doesn't interest me. If I start a book and don't like it I have no problems sitting it down and never returning to it again.

That being said how fast I can get through a book is a combination of how interested I am in the book and how complex the writing and story is.

I can get through a 350 page Dean Koontz novel in a day if I want to. However, with more complex books, such as The Wheel of Time novels it might take me a week. In fact I think 6 days has been my shortest time spent on a WOT book.

It's also worth taking into account the text size used for a book. Like Wheel of Time the books use fairly small text size, and yet some are 1000+ pages long.

I admit before the topic was raised I had no idea what speedreading was. I mistakingly thought it was shorthand reading. A sort of skimming I guess. A mistake I was probably not alone in. But now that I understand it I think most of us practice this without even realizing it. Although at a lower level than someone who has trained themselves. Most readers who read consistantly everyday can read faster than someone who doesn't. And consistantly reading improves our reading speed.

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 reading too fast. I..."
Ditto, and yet sometimes I can't help myself, which is why I re-read favorites again and again, picking up on tiny nuances I skipped over the first time. There are some books where the language is a significant part of the story, so I make myself slow down and *think* about word choice and imagery (The Night Circus comes to mind). When I speed read, I don't do that, but many books don't require that kind of attention.

How much I like a book determines how fast I read it. Unfortunately I have a memory like a goldfish, so if it's been a while since I read a book, I won't remember much about it. It has nothing to do with reading speed though. Slow or fast, I still forget.

I don't remember movie details either.

I 've never heard this rule too. But comparing my reading to my gaming, I certainly have surpassed this limit. But as for the term "expert", expert in what? In reading or having a universal knowledge of literature? I think it depends on what type of books one is reading.

Wow, thanks for all those reactions. I've read some very good arguments. I've never heard about subvocalization. If I understand it correctly, it's reading out loud in your head? I can't even imagine reading a book without doing that...

I don't think the speed of reading is the only factor here. I find myself reading some books in 2 to 3 days while others could take me 2 months. In addition to the speed of reading, it also depends on the way the story is written, how interesting the story is and the time you have to read it. In my case its time..

Alex wrote: "This would be an interesting time to bring up the 10,000 hour rule (made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers: The Story of Success). Have any of you reached 10,000 hours of readin..."

At first I thought you meant 10,000 hrs/year which comes out to 27.4 hrs a day, not possible on this planet ;-) A guesstimate over my reading lifetime so far is about 40,000 hours.

You're assuming one can't do something badly for 10,000 hours. Lol.

Traci wrote: "You're assuming one can't do something badly for 10,000 hours. Lol."

It actually takes talent to do something for 10,000 hours and *not* get better at it. :)

Alex wrote: "Hmm, well to clarify, Gladwell argues that after 10,000 hours of doing something, you become an expert at it. This can be in anything, photography, computer programming, art, etc and he brings fortmany real-world examples. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how you can become an "expert" at reading... "

Interesting idea. I wonder if there is any evidence to back it up? And, I think, like almost anything, experience helps one read better. At the very least, it helps one get inside jokes in a book.

Or maybe just being an old guy, I want experience to have made me wise or headed for sagedom ;-)

When I'm into it, I can read a lot of books very fast in a short time period. But, I often go back and re-read those books later, slower. It's like the first headlong charge through is to get the general feel, and the second time is to get the details (and the third, fourth...some books I've read multiple times).

This is a great discussion because most people don't even think about there being different ways to read. Reading is usually considered just reading. I think there have been many points made in this thread that show reading is as individual as any other art or talent. We can all throw a baseball, but not all of us are ready for the major leagues.

I tend to read fast. I can finish a 500 page book in a day if the story engages me enough. I'd never really thought about subvocalization before. When reading is dull or boring, I find myself subvocalizing a lot. If I'm reading something that completely draws me in, I don't even realize I'm reading anymore -- everything turns into a movie in my head and I visualize the story.

I've never really counted the number of books I read in a year so I'm looking forward to participating in the reading challenge to see where I land. My comprehension has never been a problem, I seem to remember plenty of details no matter how fast I read a book. I'm also a re-reader. If a book hooked me, I'm likely to read it a dozen times.

To aid concentration, I tend to read aloud if there are people talking around me. And sometimes I read aloud when I am alone at home to warm myself up to reading if I am feeling lazy to read after watching one too many hours of TV. Focus shift from electronic media to print media can be rough. Using super hero comic books as a transition between TV and pure print narrative is another useful focus shift strategy for me.

I don't see reading as a competition between me and other readers. If there are readers who can read a book a day then good for them -- I'm not one of them. If there are people who think that sub-vocalizing is not the "proper" way to read then goody for them as well because it's the way I read. I simply don't think it matters. I read the number of books I read a year. Sometimes it goes slow because my mind kept busy with things like work or just plain old life and other times I read a couple of books a week. I just go with the flow and feel no need that I have to read a certain number of books before I drop dead. It really won't matter to me afterwards.

Paul wrote: "I don't see reading as a competition between me and other readers. If there are readers who can read a book a day then good for them -- I'm not one of them. If there are people who think that sub-v..."

Amen to that. :)

I see how someone reads as a very individual experience. Some people like to slowly enjoy a book, really get to know all the parts of it, and savor it. Some people simply read more slowly because of ability which is nothing to feel bad about.

Other people fly through books enjoying the story just for that moment until they move onto the next, or maybe they really are just very good readers.

I find myself a middle of the road person. I read slower than many people I know, and faster than others.

In my opinion the most important part is that the person is reading at all regardless of how they do it. The second most important thing is really trying to gain something from it. Whether it be knowledge, wisdom, emotions, appreciation for the art of writing, understanding of a culture, or entertainment, different books offer up different things for the reader to take away, and it's important those aren't missed, or else the reading experience is diminished.

FYI Bridget at #43 - no, I can't throw a baseball! It's really sad - I have pretty good upper body strength & people expect me to be able to just do stuff like that - but I never played with balls as a kid & it just kind of plops off my hand about ten feet out and lies there like a dead rat.

Sorry...OT.

Paul wrote: "I don't see reading as a competition between me and other readers. If there are readers who can read a book a day then good for them -- I'm not one of them. If there are people who think that sub-v..."

Right on!

Paul wrote: "I don't see reading as a competition between me and other readers. If there are readers who can read a book a day then good for them -- I'm not one of them. If there are people who think that sub-v..."

Well said.

Personally, I can't read a whole book in one day. If I do, I'm on vacation and have A LOT of extra time on my hands. Also, when on vacation I'm not working at my 9-5 job and I'm not writing.

My wife's uncle told me at Christmas '10 that he could speed read, absorbing a 500 page book in an hour. I raised both eyebrows at him and said something to the equivalent of "good for you, Charlie". He's an arrogant git.

Truth is, I don't have time in my everyday life to read an entire book. I love reading and read a lot, but I also write, spend time with my dogs and wife, and play games. Life is about balance. Plus, like a good meal from a fancy pants jacket and tie restaurant, I savor each word. What can I say? I chew slow. ;-)

The question is how much of those books he remembers years later. I read slowly the first time around, but I remember the whole story and can describe it years later. Comes in handy in my side-job as a bookseller!

Paul is right, reading is not a competition. But I would definitely be able to read a bit faster, because all of those books I want to read. my TBR-pile grows bigger everyday, but I'm only reading a book a month.

I timed my reading yesterday. In 10 minutes, I read 4.5 pages.

I myself read pretty fast, and managed to read 200 books last year, but The only real entertainment I have is reading. My life is very busy and I have to read when I can. Like at Lunchtime at work, the five minutes I have something cooking on the stove, the two minutes I have while waiting for my kid to come out of his karate class etc. Those few minutes here and there add up and I manage to read a lot of books. Which is why where ever I go or whatever I am doing I keep my Nook in my purse so when I do have a minute or ten i can just whip it out and start to read.

I don't think I read too fast but I do lose concentration when I read too long. Can't read when I'm tired.

I usually only read fast if I'm bored, in a boring part (like jargon filled sailing scenes or overdone details about a fight or battle) or want to get a book over with. Books I'm really enjoying I like to savor, like a great meal.

I'm like Traci, but do read to end the day. It is a way of forgetting reality and calming down and getting totally within myself. I generally start about 10 PM and read until I start nodding off. So, it's not uncommon I wake up with the lights on, glasses and book on the floor. And, I typically re-read the last few pages I finished yesterday before continuing tonight.

I'm an okay reader. On some days I can finish a book in half a day, on some days I take a couple of days or even weeks! It all depends on my schedule, sometimes I have so many assignments piled up that I barely get enough sleep. Reading is a way for me to relax myself and I read any time I can. Like Kernos, I like read at the end of the day...there's something about snuggling with a book at the end that makes my day feel complete.

I won't say I'll definitely remember the details from all the books that I've read but for those that I really like, I tend to. Reading a book that I really enjoy makes me read a lot faster too and for those books, I'll always remember it years later.

Can you become and expert reader? Oh yes! That is what literary theory is all about! Being a good reader, an excellent reader isn't about how fast you read, but of your comprehension of your reading, what you are thinking when you are reading, what you are getting out of your reading. If you are thinking, I know people just like this character, thanks to the book, now I know what to do. When I visited Russia, I had the book Dead Souls with me and would read a bit each night to my husband and we would marvel how the Russians were still acting in those ways. My husband then would change his responses when problems arose, like when a hotel was refusing to let us stay in it. He just ordered to do it like Stalin would. They immediately changed their tune and checked us in. Or if you are thinking, this author is giving us a boy character who does not study much, does not practice much, but everybody follows him because he survived a murderous attack when he was a newborn, but the girl who is smarter, studies, and practices, nobody follows her. Recognize this anybody? Looking for authors' secret motivations and views is fun. Doing that makes you a good reader, not how fast you read.

Cynthia wrote: "Can you become and expert reader? Oh yes! That is what literary theory is all about! Being a good reader, an excellent reader isn't about how fast you read, but of your comprehension of your readin..."

You hit the nail on the head. Being a effective reader is about absorbing the material and comprehending it, using what you've read to be articulate and comment on the everyday world as well as other pieces of literature.

i read 49 books last year and at times maybe felt like i didnt fully get into or absrob a story. Ive set my limit to 30 books this year with a view to taking more in and try to visualise more.