Spaze, you could not possibly be a slower reader than I was. I'm dyslexic. One definition that I just read is;
"Dyslexia is a broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or accuracy in being able to read, speak, and spell."
I have no problem learning at all, and at one time had become a MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer - network administrator).
My problem is with words and letters. A
d may look like a
b to me. A
c like an
o to me, etc. On top of that, words can often appear, to me, quite different than what they really are. That's probably the cause of my odd sense of humor.
But back to the point. When I was about 10 - 11 I timed myself while reading a paperback book. This is no BS - it took me an hour to read from the top of one page to the bottom of the back of the page!
My saving grace was finding a book by Andre Norton that really caught my interest. Over the years I've gotten a lot faster. When
Interview With A Vampire came out I read the entire book in just over two days. And that was with going to work, too.
In that article
Factors that Reduce Reading Rate I have, or had, just about all of the problems.
But the article is intended for students who need to study. I can now skim through text books and get the information I need. But for reading pleasure I take my time. Unless, that is, the books is a real page turner. There are a few books that I've read in a couple of days with full enjoyment, though.
As people keep saying enjoy what you're reading and don't worry about how many books there are to be read. After all, they keep making more of them so you'll never read all the books that you want to.
SIDE NOTE - When I was about 12 I started to stutter. I cured myself of that by reading my books aloud. I'm certainly not be a professional audiobook reader, but I read much better aloud than anyone I know.