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Does anyone else have an embarrassingly slow reading pace? (if I am really enjoying the prose, I probably average 12 pages an hour)

Does anyone else have an embarrassingly slow reading pace? (if I am really enjoying the prose, I probably average 12 pages an hour)

Matt #questionnaire

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31 Answers

Chris

Mine is on the slow side, but I have noticed that fast readers can’t tell you much about what they have just read. I call them “skimmers.”

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Kris

@Chris surely you don’t mean all fast readers? I certainly don’t consider myself a skimmer.

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MattQuestion author

@Kris Depends how fast you read, probably.

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Susan

No, that’s not true. There’s a huge difference between speed reading and skimming.

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Megan

I’m definitely a slow reader but that dont stop me, just takes me longer to finish. So I get to enjoy it longer. ?

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Jennifer

I’ve never timed myself, but I think I take longer to read books than most people. But I am never embarrassed about it. I choose my reads carefully, then I take the time to really enjoy them. Also, reading is only one of my three passions, so I have to make time to enjoy each of them equally.

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Fiona

I quite often re read sentences and paragraphs just to be sure I’ve completely understood them. Or to check internal consistency, I hate age/date/location confusion!

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Nina

I re read also

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Susan

I love to savor a good book!

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Kevin

Really good prose deserves a second look or a ‘slow read’ like good poetry to let the words slowly sink in and let them work their magic…

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Crystal

I was a slow reader too. Now I can read faster if there aren’t a lot of distractions and I’m “in the zone” lol I made myself read outloud at home and it greatly improved my reading pace.

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Debbie

@Crystal I am going to try that.

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Sarah

I am the slowest reader in the universe 🙂

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Beth

I’m pretty darn slow…haha

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Mona

Chris Campbell, I am a fast reader and I don’t miss a word. However, if I love a book and don’t want to let go, I read as slow as possible

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Nathan

about 140-150 wpm.

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MattQuestion author

I suppose if you’re reading something like Crime and Punishment you can’t feel what Dostoyevsky wants you to feel if you’re speed reading. Slow and steady.

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Tammy

Nope, looks like you don’t have an embarrassingly slow reading level either. =) Keep reading as it works for you!

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Debbie

I am slow too. I have even tried audiobooks to read along with to speed myself up, but I find that I don’t appreciate the writers craft and effort placed on each sentence anywhere near as much. Best to take our time to absorb it all.

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Kimberley

think i’m probably slower than that :/ always have been

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MattQuestion author

I’m glad to hear that lots of people are similar to me. One of my friends told me he gets through 100 pages an hour… which I found a bit intimidating

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Susan

@Matt when I try to read fast, about 50 – 60 an hour is the most I can manage comfortably, at least, if I want to retain anything. Strangely enough, though, when I listen to audiobooks, I listen to them at almost double normal speed.

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Karen

I like to take my time so I can appreciate the prose. I also subvocalize, which is totally wrong if one is speed reading. I like to really relax during my reading time. Which is why an e-reader doesn’t really excite me, I can read a page on the computer really fast due to work demands

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Chris

A huge point. Fast readers typically (sadly, I have to point out that “typically” does NOT mean “always” – don’t get all righteous, fast readers!) do not take the time to appreciate the prose. That’s one of (again, “one of” does NOT mean “the only!”) the reasons that some authors (and again, “some” does NOT mean “all!”) that have appallingly bad prose have become wildly popular.

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Kathy

Chris Campbell

“Best example: James Patterson” , in your opinion.
?

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Miz

im a slow reader…proud of it lol

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Alice

Just so you read… darling… just so you read!

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Sean

I’m not sure what speed I read at , I wouldn’t worry about it to much as long as your still enjoying your books

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Robert

Out of curiosity, I have timed myself before. I average 10 pages in 30 minutes (my lunch break). Can’t say I am embarrassed about it. I read for enjoyment and, if I’m supposed to be in a race, I’m not sure who I am supposed to be racing against.

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Susan

Exactly!

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Kevin

It depends on what day it is and my nutrition. I have a lazy eye, so when I was a kid I would read the same line in a book sometimes three times in a row, before my teacher would stop me. Nowadays, there are times when I’ll fall asleep reading the same page for a half an hour, forget what I’m reading and lose ten because I get disoriented. Other days I’ll cheat by taking an energy drink, and read a five hundred page academic text in a single sitting. Don’t feel bad. It looks like you’ve got your hands full.

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