Speed; Books like candy.

[Saeltari]

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?

 

[weaveworld]

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

 

[steve12553]

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.

 

[Foxtale]

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.

 

[Teir]

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

 

[Adasunshine]

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

 

[kyektulu]

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.

 

[nixie]

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

 

[Cosmo]

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

 

[Stenevor]

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.

 

[chrispenycate]

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.

 

[polymath]

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.

 

[Lissa]

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.

 

[Nokia]

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.

 

[Sibeling]

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.

 

[Adasunshine]

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

 

[Sibeling]

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.

 

[Rosemary]

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..

 

[kyektulu]

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.

 

[Tea is my copilot]

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.