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two books on the go at any one time, sometimes three, read word for word, never read the last chapter first, very occasionally skim forward a bit, but then go back to read fully. Cannot speed read.Read the last chapter to get the gist of the books, then skim every chapter focusing on dialogue? You'd be surprised how much you can take away from a book when you master that method.
I reckon you'd still miss a heck of a lot of important stuff, but reading some reviews I can see that others may have used that method, as I sometimes think "Did you actually read the same book I did?" Not a method I want to master, that's for sure. I read to enjoy and review to share my reaction.
Oh, and cos I'm getting a bit older, I take notes as I go along.....to get the characters straight, important events etc and nice bits of prose to quote, maybe.
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Yep, I do the same thing Phrynne. I try to finish a book but if I am really struggling or just annoyed, I'll stop and start a new one.
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I very rarely read more than one at a time, but occasionally when my kindle battery is flat, I'll pick up my next read;) And if I'm going somewhere (waiting room etc) I'll take the kindle and start a new book in preference to taking my paperback and risking damage;)
I ALWAYS read for pleasure, as I find if I'm not in the mood for a particular book, I can't pick it up no matter how much I try!
Everyone sure is different:)
I read beginning to end, usually every word and I'm a slow reader. I rarely skim and never more than maybe a sentence or two if it's overly descriptive. I can't speed read. Usually I'll have more than one book on the go at once anywhere up to about six at a time. Other times I might just stick to one but that is rare. I read both ebook and treebook. Unlike Brenda, I'll happily cart a paperback around in my handbag. I'm also in the habit of having books I'm reading scattered around the house, back verandah and car. I also occasionally listen to audiobooks but prefer the printed word.
I always read from beginning to end. Very rarely do I skim over any parts unless I'm really not enjoying it. I was also trying to read a set amount of pages a day but that's gone out the window of late :) And I always read for pleasure it's the best part of the day when I can sit and relax with a great book :)
Like quite a few here I too read word for word and never skim as I feel I might miss something!! I will often have 2 or 3 books on the go and usually one of them will be non-fiction/biography. I'm not a speed reader. How quickly I read a book depends on the book. If it's really good I may stay up all night to finish it. Haven't done that in a while though. I never, ever read the ending. I don't read on an e-reader as I love the feel of books too much and also like to see how far I've read and how much further I have to go. I only read for pleasure but do have to be a bit mindful of all the challenges here on GR as I sometimes tend to get too caught up in completing a challenge and lose the whole point of why I read in the first place!!!
I'm another beginning to end person. I cannot imagine reading the last chapter first!
(Apologies in advance for the length of this post - I think I got carried away!!)I read for pleasure (although I do read journals and books for work as well, although I don't normally include them on GR, however there are a few grey-area books on my list!), but I generally have to finish a book, even if I don't like it once I've started. I think my problem is a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) as I always think the book might be going to improve just after the point at which I might be going to give up!! Sometimes this attitude is justified, but probably not, on the whole, but for me to give up on a book, it's got to be pretty bad!
I generally read each word, although, like Jennie and Brenda, I might skim over lots of description. Ironically, I sometimes also skim if the book is so good that I just want to get to the end, or the end of the section, when it's all-consuming and un-put-downable! However, this does sometimes result in me missing out on vital info, so then I have to skim back to see if I missed something, or it just wasn't mentioned! I never read the ending first, not anymore (I only did this for a period in primary school). It's just occurred to me that FOMO might be another reason I don't do this - if I know the ending from the beginning, I won't get the same experience as if I follow the author's leadings!
I did a speed-reading course when I was in grade 8 and I remember finding it interesting and useful, although I didn't keep the techniques up and can only remember bits and piece now. Maybe I should look into a refresher - might be useful for journal articles!!
I have only just started reading on an iPad and before this, the majority of my reading has been paper books. I discovered reading on my iPhone just over a year ago, and it's handy in an emergency, but I don't really enjoy the experience that much (and if I'm only using it in an emergency, getting through a book takes a while - at the end of 2013 I finally finished an e-book I was reading on my phone that I started in Oct 2012!!). And I learnt to crochet a year ago and quickly discovered the joy of audiobooks - they are slower than reading regular books, but otherwise my crocheting time is time lost to reading anyway. Some books are a great audiobook experience, others less so!
And so far, my iPad experience has been better than my iPhone experience so I may end up reading more books this way if I can't access them as easily in paper form. I'm reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini on my iPad at the moment, and I wouldn't have been reading it at all otherwise (not yet, anyway), because the proper book is still in much demand at my local libraries.
It's certainly interesting that we have so many different reading options available now for different situations!!
I also read from the first word till the end. I have skimmed, but usually end up having to go back and read the section I skimmed anyway, so I very rarely do that now. I also will reread some scenes that I've become confused in or really enjoyed the word play or images created in a scene.
I read from the front to the back but I'm a very quick reader. Not sure how much I retain though! I think you automatically speed read when you read a lot - ever had one of those funny e-mails where only a few of the letters are there but you can understand it perfectly?
I read around 10,000 words per hour if reading for pleasure. That slows down when proofing and editing, usually by half. Technically speaking then a 90K word novel (in A5/Trade paperback 12 point Garamond that works out around 250 pages)should take an avid reader under half a day to read, including toilet breaks, coffee stops etc.How do these numbers sit with you guys?
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I totally agree! I also read fast and I know I do not retain very much. However I always know whether I enjoyed the book along the way or not!
Perry wrote: "I read around 10,000 words per hour if reading for pleasure. That slows down when proofing and editing, usually by half. Technically speaking then a 90K word novel (in A5/Trade paperback 12 point G..."
If I read non stop at a constant pace (that I naturally read at) that book would take me about 6 hours to read. I'm a slow reader.
If I read non stop at a constant pace (that I naturally read at) that book would take me about 6 hours to read. I'm a slow reader.
I never, ever skim read. I'm always worried I'll miss something important! I only ever read one book at a time and I couldn't think of anything worse than reading the last chapter first!!I can read about 3-4 books per week but only while on holidays like I am at the moment and don't have anything else to do otherwise I'm more of a 1 book a week person. I'm a pretty slow reader compared to most on here I suppose but I like to enjoy a book from start to finish and don't see the point in rushing through it :)
Michael wrote: "Like most people here every book i read from the first word till the last. I may occasionally skim through abit if things are slow and i will never read the ending first. I do sometimes go back to ..."I am the same Michael. I occasionally pay a little less attention to certain parts but if I feel I am not getting a full grasp of the situation/character etc. I will go back and really digest what the author is trying to say.
I don't really like to 'skim' read because I don't want to miss something and feel lost further down the line. Also, I am one of those people who can't do something at less than 110% so its generally every single word for me :) It makes me a slower reader but I am okay with it!
I only skim if I feel the book's overly descriptive. Two books is the maximum I can be reading at one time; mostly it's just one.
With very rare exceptions (i.e. the two or three ebooks I've read), I only read one book at a time. If I'm reading an ebook on my computer then I'll have another, physical book on the go at hte same time because I can't stand staring at my screen for that long.
I often read 2-3 books at a time. I don't speed read very often (usually only do it in exams), but I used to help other people read when I was in high school by showing them how to speed read.I do skim sometimes, though I try not to. I read from front to back.
I can read two at a time but only if they are vastly different i.e. book of poetry and a fantasy novel. Otherwise I am worried I'll crossover characters/situations!
Do you always read word for word or do you skip bits and get to the dialogue or the action? ELemore Leonard famously said he leaves out the bits his readers would skip.
Do you, as some professional reviewers and acquisition editors do and read the last chapter to get the gist of the books, then skim every chapter focusing on dialogue? You'd be surprised how much you can take away from a book when you master that method.
Has anyone done a speed reading course and does it work or does it detract when reading for leisure?
Your thoughts, fellow readers?