People who read word for word do sometimes
learn to speed-read, maybe you two just need a slow-reading course.
I'm of the read every word camp, I figure why read at all if I don't read it
all? Yet, I make make it through, say the first Harry Potter book (for the 4th or 5th time) in (guesstimating here) probably 6~7 hours (spread out over ~5 days) of actual reading (I tend to re-read a series when the "next" book is coming out).