# Speed; Books like candy.



## Saeltari (Mar 12, 2006)

How fast do you read a novel? I love reading. Books taste like candy for my mind, and they often go just as fast. A regular 3 to 400 page novel may last about 3 hours, shorter if it is really good. Which tends to be no fun because I want the pleasure to keep going. I love going to the candy, err, book store but I wish the ca-, books lasted longer . 
 Is it the same for you, or worse?


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## weaveworld (Mar 12, 2006)

*It really depends on how much I am enjoying the book, I read 'The Gunslinger' by Stephen King in a day, the first time I read it.  Usually it takes me about 2 weeks to 4 weeks to read a book (depending on the whereabouts of my glasses).

Happy reading everyone*


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## steve12553 (Mar 12, 2006)

I rarely have more than an hour at a time to devote to a book so my reading usually takes a while too. Another thing that slows me down is 800 page novels which I seem to have developed a predeliction for.


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## Foxtale (Mar 12, 2006)

I _can_ read a page every 30 seconds. I can speedread a page every 10 seconds. I choose not to because it ruins books and my wallet.

The Wheel of Time series took me one week to read start to finish during the holidays, so I could catch up to read the new book. The 11th book though took me two weeks to read because I was trying to enjoy it.


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## Teir (Mar 12, 2006)

Depends how much I'm into it.

I once read most of Katherine Kerr's Devvery series in a week i think it was. thats 8-11 books within 5-7 days  not too shabby
And I read the Farseer trilogy in one weekend once cos I had to finish them before dad came home and caught me with them 
And of course, Harry potter books (if you let them) can be finished within a day.

But I think the trick is to pace yourself Saeltari. I'll want to just rip through a book in an afternoon or stay up till the wee hours of the morn to finish it but sometimes I manage to reign myself in and take a few days to finish cos that way, the story lasts longer and the detail can be better remembered


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## Adasunshine (Mar 12, 2006)

It depends how nice my children are feeling....

I get Harry Potters done within a few hours, I literally devour those books without regret.  Magician took me a couple of days, I couldn't put it down and to hell with the children!!!

It does depend on how much I'm enjoying the book and what kind of time I have on my hands but most books, if I want them to be, are finished well within a week.  The Farseer trilogy, like Teir was sped through, I couldn't put those down and I think I read all 12 books (Farseer, Liveships and Tawny) in a fortnight.

Still, recently, it's taken me nigh on 2 months to get Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell finished and not because I wasn't enjoying it - I was, tremendously - but simply because I couldn't find the time and whenever I thought I had the time, my kids told me otherwise, often by snatching it out of my hand and throwing it on the floor!

xx


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## kyektulu (Mar 12, 2006)

*Sadly I too do not get enough time for reading.
I can read fast, if I have the time I will read a book a day...
It does depend on how good the novel is, I will abandon all other daily activities and completely engross myself into one if it captures my imagination enough, usually this is a Gemmell, Furey or a Dragonlance...

I find myself split between spending my leisure time painting, reading and writing.
Mostly I read whilst im in bed or cooking. 
*


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## nixie (Mar 12, 2006)

Depends  I do read to  much at times.I can go through a book a day and not the first time I've read 2 or 3 in one day.Now I try and make myself slow done and savour the words, lot easier to do when it's a 800 page plus


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## Cosmo (Mar 12, 2006)

i read really slowly so i pick out every detail, a really good book will get read in roughly 2 days


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## Stenevor (Mar 12, 2006)

I probably average around a page a minute, sometimes more, sometimes less. Unfortunately on a normal working day I only can only manage to find 90mins at the most for reading, a bit more at the weekend. 
The only books ive read in a day were Lance Armstrongs and Greame Obrees biographys, got them one christmas when I had a lot of time on my hands for a change.


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## chrispenycate (Mar 12, 2006)

I tend to read fast, particularly if I can concentrate on a book to the exclusion of all else- my worst was three novels in one flight to New York, with aeroport waiting lounges and the flight itself. Fortunately New York's an excellent place to find books for the flight back.


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## polymath (Mar 15, 2006)

Depends on a wide range of factors - if I'm 'in the zone' I can fairly whiffle along - it's like watching a movie for me. If someone interrupts me in that instance, I get very miffed. 

Or something non-fiction which requires a fair bit of thought - e.g. Brian Greene's 'Elegant Universe', if there's a new set of ideas involved, I'll keep going over them until I think I've grasped the concept. I'm quite happy to keep re-reading the last few pages over and over if I think it's worth it.


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## Lissa (Mar 15, 2006)

For me it really depends on the book and how consuming I find it. The two books that make up magician I read in three days but I had work for six hours each day. the last Harry Potter book I read in two days but I was home sick with tonsilitis. So I would say I am not as fast a reader as some of you here but I can hold my own.


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## Nokia (Mar 15, 2006)

Teir said:
			
		

> But I think the trick is to pace yourself Saeltari. I'll want to just rip through a book in an afternoon or stay up till the wee hours of the morn to finish it but sometimes I manage to reign myself in and take a few days to finish cos that way, the story lasts longer and the detail can be better remembered


I agree. Especially if the book is a little boring I just tend to skim read and then after a few pages I have a vague idea of where the characters are, but not visual image in my mind. Sometimes I have to force myself to read each sentence carefully but then the reward is I get so engrossed I feel like I'm there watching the events unfold.


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## Sibeling (Mar 16, 2006)

I am a pretty fast reader, but I often have to restrain myself from looking into the next chapter before reading it. I also tend to skip the parts with _unnecessary information_ such as descriptions of nature etc. and then I have to force myself to return and read those parts.


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## Adasunshine (Mar 16, 2006)

Sibeling said:
			
		

> I am a pretty fast reader, but I often have to restrain myself from looking into the next chapter before reading it. I also tend to skip the parts with _unnecessary information_ such as descriptions of nature etc. and then I have to force myself to return and read those parts.


 
Hmmm, I tend not to read books in order either and often get told off by various people for skipping ahead and reading what happens (yes, I've even read the ends of books before - don't judge me, it's just what I do...)

I'm particularly terrible for this when it's multiple characters, such as ASoIaF!

xx


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## Sibeling (Mar 16, 2006)

Adasunshine said:
			
		

> Hmmm, I tend not to read books in order either and often get told off by various people for skipping ahead and reading what happens (yes, I've even read the ends of books before - don't judge me, it's just what I do...)


 
There is nothing bad about doing it. I sometimes read the end of a book to see whether my favourite character survives till the end. If not, I quickly find another favourite character not to feel upset when the previous favourite dies.


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## Rosemary (Mar 16, 2006)

I am a fairly fast reader. Although with so many other things taking up my time now, I have to fit in the reading where possible! 

Pre-Internet days I would sit up reading all night..


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## kyektulu (Mar 17, 2006)

*Im going to set aside some time for a bit of speed reading this weekend, looks like I will be stuck in due to the bad forcasted weather anyway.

I am going to read the Icewind dale trilogy again.*


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## Tea is my copilot (Mar 17, 2006)

Sibeling said:
			
		

> I am a pretty fast reader, but I often have to restrain myself from looking into the next chapter before reading it. I also tend to skip the parts with _unnecessary information_ such as descriptions of nature etc. and then I have to force myself to return and read those parts.


I used to do that, but now I'm much more patient.
I still read quite fast, and I hate it when I have to put down an interesting book.


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## yebastick (Mar 24, 2006)

I do read fast from somewhere 600 -800 wpm, depending on material Im reading. That's  3-4 times faster than usual reading average. For a 400-page novel, I can finish it up in less 2 than hours. And, yes, I understand and remember and do enjoy what I read.

If it were not for work or the cost of buying books, I would love to read all day. I even have set of books and authors for re-reading in the event I have no new material to read.

Or, if Im really desperate, I'd spend 2 to 3 hours in a bookstore and keep up with my trendy reading (trendy which I mean to be what's-the-fuss-all-about book). Yeah, it's sneaky and need to get in a Books Anonymous.

Good things about speed reading is, I get past all those boring naratives without much trouble at all and temptation to look at the next or last chapter doesn't last long.


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## hypocriticHarkonnen (Mar 25, 2006)

Depends on the book. Once I start reading, I kinda get so pumped up, I rummage through the library for more books. The Dune books took me a few weeks. The Fowl series was very easy reading, a day each, except for the last two books, since I wanted to savor every page, hehe. Yeah, sometimes I tend so skip the extremely detailed paragraphs. Guess that's why I have glasses now, heh.


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## Arkangel (Mar 27, 2006)

It is good that i am dyslexic, i take a long time to finish a book, 2 to 3 mins per page if i really concentrate, otherwise i will have to go through the page once more to get what is written.  This allows me to enjoy the book like a japaness tea. Drink slowly and take in the taste completely.  A zen way of reading a book.

Maybe you should all try to read a book the zen way, take it in completely and let the taste settle on your tastebuds.  Let your imagination take hold of the words and create pictures in your mind.  Rather than zip through it like a catalog.  Or gulp like beer.


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## wildbill333 (Mar 27, 2006)

I read kind of slow too, but only becouse of when and were i read. I am a 10th grader so i read durring my to long classes( 90 minutes) that seem to pass slower than mollasis in winter time. trig happens to be one of them. i will read a book the entire class period but still get exactly what the teacher(s) is/are saying even if they think i am ignoring them and i find they hate it when i can read and answer the most difficult question at the same time. and for the record i suck at math in general unless you ask my gf becouse to her i am the human calculator.


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## Arkangel (Mar 27, 2006)

It is embarrassing to even say this but what the hell.  I got zero in math in  12th grade.  A record for my school 

That is why i became a tech writer, no numbers.


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