Do You Speed Read?

Some people devour books, racing through them in record time and finishing two, three, four, or more in a single week.

Others read slowly, taking days or weeks to make their way through a single story.

I’ve never considered myself a fast reader. Not that reading is a race, but I can’t blast through a book the way our daughter can. Like some of the reviewers I’ve interviewed, she can polish off a 300-page story in a few hours.

I recently began reading while walking, thanks to a tip left by Katie Ganshert in a comment on my post Your Reading Time. I’d never tried combining the two before that, but it works for me, since I walk on a dedicated hiking trail where I encounter only other walkers, joggers, cyclists, and the rare equestrian. This rails-to-trails path is paved and has well-marked lanes, so I’m able to walk along one edge using my peripheral vision.

I’ve learned that I can read about fifteen pages in the time it takes me to walk a mile. Since I can walk a mile in around sixteen minutes, that means I’m reading roughly one page per minute. When I complete the round trip on my favorite section of the trail, I log six miles and savor ninety pages of a novel.

I seem to read more quickly when I walk. My theory is that my steady pace down the path seems to keep me turning pages at a brisk rate. While I’m not normally a fan of multitasking, this is one time when doing two things at once works well for me.

My reading speed might be faster than some and slower than others. Comparison isn’t important. I’m interested in increasing my reading speed for my sake. I have limited time and oodles of great books I want to read.

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Are you a speedy reader, or do you consider yourself to be a slow one?

Have you discovered ways to increase your reading speed?

Have you ever walked and read at the same time?

Image from Dreamstime.

Filed under: Reading Tagged: Keli Gwyn, Reading speed