Reading speed

Cayne-Abel · 01-09-2007, 01:46 PM

I think my reading speed stinks. I almost always read history and philosophy books, and my reading speed for them is only about 10 pages every 45-55 minutes. Also, I cannot read for long periods of time. I can't read for more than an hour, or about 10-13 pages before I need to take a long break. All in all, it is hard for me to read more than 40-45 pages a day.

Do you guys think this is slow? Any ideas on how I can speed it up? What are your reading speeds?

btw, when I read a history book, I am not interested in simply "getting the gist of it." I want a thorough understanding of what I am reading. So I can't just blow through the pages.

**Sonny** · 01-09-2007, 01:48 PM

I notice that after about 30 minutes of straight reading my reading speed slows down considerably. So you're not alone.

Cayne-Abel · 01-09-2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonny

I notice that after about 30 minutes of straight reading my reading speed slows down considerably. So you're not alone.

But how many pages of a history book do you get through in that 30 minutes?

enginekid · 01-09-2007, 02:09 PM

I read in my head at about the same rate as I talk out loud. In my mind I am sounding out the words as if a narrator is saying them out loud. this causes me to only be able to do like 30 pages an hour tops. and if i read that fast i get tired and sleepy too. but its never seemed to affect me negatively. if you are envious of speed readers you can learn to read faster cause its a skill. some have a better natural ability and will always be faster but who really cares, whats the use of reading that fast anyways? you cannot retain the info properly if its important studying and you are skimming through the pages at 100 pages in 10 minutes. and if you are reading a book for pleasure, than surely speed reading it goes against the entire reason for doing it since you are supposed to be getting into the book and enjoying the story.

slow readers like us focus on each word at a time, read it, than move our eyes to the next word, and we dont pay attention to our parepheral vision. but if we do, we notice that we can see the entire sentence, line and even paragraph if we concentrate. this is what speed readers do. some naturally and others trained to see this way. they just take in entire sentences at once reading it like we read one word at a time. some can even take in an entire paragraph that fast. if i concentrate i can actually take in the entire sentences ... for a while, but soon my eyes lose focus or the place and i have to backtrack. i might be able to learn to do it better but i never try becuase i dont really care.

Estemachine · 01-09-2007, 02:58 PM

I have the same problem. Specially if I am not interested in what I am reading, I can't concentrate well in it and my speed slows down.

**Sonny** · 01-09-2007, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cayne-Abel

But how many pages of a history book do you get through in that 30 minutes?

Probably only 10-12.

**Sonny** · 01-09-2007, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Estemachine

I have the same problem. Specially if I am not interested in what I am reading, I can't concentrate well in it and my speed slows down.

Some books I can get so into that I can read them in my living room while my GF watches T.V. History books I find I have to read in silence so I can retain most of the information in them.

jahred · 01-09-2007, 03:32 PM

i can read pretty quickly, but it depends on what you're reading. i still remember having to read some enormous tome for some polisci course where i'd finish 5 pages and realize i didn't even remember what they were about, over and over.

Sohan · 01-09-2007, 03:47 PM

My reading speed depends on what type of reading material I have. Technical journals may take a while, while some paperback novels I can read up to 80-90 pages an hour. I usually shoot for an average of 40 pages per hour, but it is still highly variable on the material. The most important thing is what you are trying to get out of it. Full comprehension takes far more time than skimming.

Cojofl · 01-09-2007, 03:53 PM

If you're retaining most of it, rather than just skimming I wouldn't worry. I've generally found I speed up and increase my tolerance with practice. I can read a lot more effectively later in the college year, and earlier in the day. I was doing some reading earlier and I was getting 12-15 pages per hour while taken written notes. That's about average for college stuff. I'm usually around 20 pages per hour or so for normal books.