How fast do you read through books??
#77
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Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm not a very fast reader and usually take my time and chew through books. I favor the literary end of things so I kind of have to do that to digest it all, but 'popular' novels I can zip through (Tons of dialogue, quick pace, etc) for that relentless/exciting page turning effect you get from them.
As an example it took me longer than I expected to read Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses over the summer. Recently I read Peter Cline's Ex-Heroes and bombed through it and had an enjoyable experience. I'm back to Cormac McCarthy again with The Crossing and my pace has slowed.
But, movies have won out this year as far as leisure goes. My list shows 180 watched films (no tv included) so far in 2011.
As an example it took me longer than I expected to read Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses over the summer. Recently I read Peter Cline's Ex-Heroes and bombed through it and had an enjoyable experience. I'm back to Cormac McCarthy again with The Crossing and my pace has slowed.
But, movies have won out this year as far as leisure goes. My list shows 180 watched films (no tv included) so far in 2011.
#78
Moderator
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I must admit I'm really a slow reader - I blame my DC Public High school English teachers, they took the 'fun' out of reading.
#79
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
Depends what I'm reading. I can usually burn through non-fiction books and some novels quickly. I'll tear through a 300 page paperback horror novel in an afternoon, but something like Gravity's Rainbow or Anathem will take me weeks to get through.
#80
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Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I typically read about 50 pages/hour, which is slower than I used to. Part of it depends, of course, on what I'm reading.
#81
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I am pretty fast when I read but finding time can be tough. The Kindle has made it easier becuase I read on my Kindle when the kids are in bed. It syncs with my phone so I can read almost anywhere when I have time....waiting for oil change, long line at grocery store, etc. The Whispersync feature is great!
#82
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
Usually pretty fast. Before I had kids, I was averaging 80-90 books a year, so a little under 2 books a week. Now I can't find the time to start a book, let alone finish it. I read one book this year, and now that both kids are in daycare and hopefully more on a schedule, I want to start reading more often again. I have to go through the last couple of months of the What Are You Reading threads to see what new releases I've missed...
#84
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
Fast reader - even faster now with my Kindle. In the 8 months I've had the Kindle, I've been averaging 3-4 books per week, whereas previously I'd was reading about 2 books per week.
#85
Member
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm a pretty fast reader, although I don't read as fast as I used to. I tend to savor what I'm reading a bit more than I did when I was young and there are also more distractions than there were back then. Music and movies take up more of my time than they used to, especially since I have such a large collection of each. I have to make time to keep up with them too. I guess I could stop buying but I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon. I'm still averaging two books a week this year and have to say my Kindle has certainly gotten me back into reading in a big way.
#86
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm not a big reader so I'm usually not too fast unless its something that has me hooked then I'm really fast.
I think maybe it has happened 3 times in my life that a book was so good I couldn't put it down. I wish I kept up on books that way I would know what was a great read for my tastes.
I think maybe it has happened 3 times in my life that a book was so good I couldn't put it down. I wish I kept up on books that way I would know what was a great read for my tastes.
#87
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Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm not a big reader so I'm usually not too fast unless its something that has me hooked then I'm really fast.
I think maybe it has happened 3 times in my life that a book was so good I couldn't put it down. I wish I kept up on books that way I would know what was a great read for my tastes.
I think maybe it has happened 3 times in my life that a book was so good I couldn't put it down. I wish I kept up on books that way I would know what was a great read for my tastes.
i am not a big reader either, each year I will go through a short "spell" of reading. I may get a 2-3 books read and that will be it. The most "hooked" I have ever been to a book is "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. I probably read that one in two days. It is the best I have read.
#88
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I always make it a goal to read more each year, but I still only average way less than I like. This year has been horrible I think I've read five so far.
#89
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
When I was younger I was a fast reader, I read Sphere in 2 days and Jurassic Park in 3. Nowadays it takes me months (not kidding) to get through a book because I will usually only read one chapter before putting it down and going do something else.
#90
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
i am not a big reader either, each year I will go through a short "spell" of reading. I may get a 2-3 books read and that will be it. The most "hooked" I have ever been to a book is "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. I probably read that one in two days. It is the best I have read.
#93
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Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
It really depends on what I'm reading, I can read the Eye of the World in 2-3 days, but Robinson Crusoe took me a few weeks...and it's significantly shorter.
#94
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
Depends on the book and the writer. But finishing it in x vs. y days doesn't make one a slow reader or a fast reader. It just means you put more time into it.
#95
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I pretty much fell off the face of the earth with reading. The oldest one was finally sleeping regularly, so I was able to have a good routine of reading, but then the baby came along and decided she hated sleep, so reading has been a luxury I haven't been able to enjoy. Starting to get back into it a little bit, reading a couple of short stories (Stephen King, Michael Connelly)....
#96
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
Last year, I read 17 paperback novels and this year about 13 or 14 so far (plus a couple of nonfiction). I read every workday during my commute. I take a book with me and keep reading it to and from my office (subway or express bus) until I finish it. Then I start another one. In terms of speed, I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm not fast, but I'm not slow either. I like to savor what I read, esp. if it's great writing. I can read short books that are largely dialogue in two or three days. Longer, denser books, like Jude the Obscure and The Thin Red Line, can take a few weeks. I recently finished Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima and it took a couple of weeks. But it's one of the best books I ever read. Every line said something, every paragraph was just a beautiful piece of writing.
#97
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm probably a little above average in terms of speed.
As mentioned, the type of book and the circumstances make a big difference. I can fly through a John Grisham book, with its stripped-down storytelling style. Cormac McCarthy's prose is something I like to savor. And reading at the beach with no distractions is a lot faster than reading at home.
As mentioned, the type of book and the circumstances make a big difference. I can fly through a John Grisham book, with its stripped-down storytelling style. Cormac McCarthy's prose is something I like to savor. And reading at the beach with no distractions is a lot faster than reading at home.
#98
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm a moderately fast reader depending on the subject matter of the book. Sometimes I do read too fast though and find it hard to retain any of what I just read.
#99
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm pretty fast. I usually read about 3 or 4 books a month. But then I started reading Harry Potter in June. I found those books so tedious that I just finished the 7th today, so it took me 4 months to read them all. I'm at a complete loss to understand why they're so popular. There was just so much in that story that was horribly repetitive, made no sense, and there were characters and entire subplots that went nowhere. But once I started it I wanted to finish it. It was definitely creative, just very poorly constructed.
#100
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Re: Are you a fast or slow reader?
I'm pretty fast. I usually read about 3 or 4 books a month. But then I started reading Harry Potter in June. I found those books so tedious that I just finished the 7th today, so it took me 4 months to read them all. I'm at a complete loss to understand why they're so popular. There was just so much in that story that was horribly repetitive, made no sense, and there were characters and entire subplots that went nowhere. But once I started it I wanted to finish it. It was definitely creative, just very poorly constructed.
LOL
Anyway, like some of ya'll i'm a fast reader of the subject matter grabs me. I'll put a book down and never pick it back up if it doesn't. I'm also big on rereading a book I enjoy.