|
When reading for pleasure, everyone finds their own speed that's comfortable for them. As so many other posters have pointed out, this isn't a competition!
There is a huge difference in reading for pleasure and reading for a technical, business, or other professional reason. If I'm reading a rather dull bestseller or thriller, I find my attention wandering and may either skip ahead or totally abandon the book. But if that bestseller has my full attention, I find myself reading faster and faster and faster; it's not uncommon for me to power through the average new full-length novel in about 2 hours. I also have a few dozen old favorites I re-read year after year, and find myself savoring certain passages which slow me down a bit.
Reading medical journals or reference texts are a different story. Here I'm reading for comprehension, and to build on my existing knowledge base. Although I can scan and process the words faster than many folks, the same volume of material does take me longer to get through than that of a popular novel.
I don't know of any tricks, because I don't use any. I can't help how fast I read -- I clearly remember as a third grader outpacing the teacher when the class assignment was to silently read a passage or chapter, and then getting in trouble for looking around because I was done long before everyone else --and it's not always a good thing. Do you have any idea how much it costs me to buy new books to feed my habit? :-)
Don't sweat your reading style. Reading is a joy, and as @piper so beautifully stated about books, that "The best are slowly savored, with the occasionally required fast food or quickie in between." I love that!
|