How Quickly Do You Read?

[Doctor Futurity]

It would take about 8-9 hours to finish 500 pages for me, but with the full time schedule and family commitments I have I'd manage about 1 hour a night over 8-9 days to plow through it, which is pretty much my standard speed (Dad's reading hour is around 10-11ish each night).

 

[Doctor Futurity]

That is a little odd. I'm compelled to be outside more in the summer; so I read less.

I get more reading done in the Summer because I go outside with a good book while the rest of the clan is fishing or whatever. But then I get more reading done in the winter when everyone's shut in and it's cold out so I have a book to read in front of the fireplace. The real contest for my time is when these pesky little humans expect me to do something other than read which is the real problem, so it evens out.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

My vote is for an audiobook, which I hope is permissable.

I have friends who rely heavily on audiobooks. Although I've listened to them occasionally on long trips I actually tend to tune out audiobooks and lose track quickly, or find I am annoyed with the style or tone of the reader, and as a result just can't get anything out of them. I do much better with one hour and a print novel in front of me. And I tried, I really did, to go 100% ebook a few years ago.....but tablets offer too many distractions and it ended up counter productive. As a result, I went back to paper books two years ago and that got me solidly back on track with consistent reading.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Depends on font size and word per page. I have to read out loud in my head so slow but I find I can read something like 100 pages a day if I devote the time. If less time might do 30-60 pages a day. Depends on how deep the read is too

 

[Dioltach]

Me too. I spend all day translating, so in my spare time I just don't have the energy to read for fun. So I've switched to audiobooks, anywhere from 15 minutes before bedtime to a couple of hours on days like today, when it's sunny for the first time in months and I'm skiving off.

I remember reading The Elfstones of Shannara (600+ pages) in less than a day when I was a teenager, and some years ago I got through four books on one Transatlantic flight, but nowadays I just don't have the concentration.

Dammit, what I meant to say was, "At the speed of plot."

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The speed with which I read when I was a teenager was likewise so much faster (though admittedly, it's not like I was taking on particularly challenging books - no Brothers Karamazov). Though I still read pretty quickly, I don't have the time to devote hours in a single day to reading. Alas.

I remember reading The Elfstones of Shannara (600+ pages) in less than a day when I was a teenager, and some years ago I got through four books on one Transatlantic flight, but nowadays I just don't have the concentration.

 

[Wolfram stout]

About two weeks, like a lot of folks here, just don't have the time/endurance for finishing off a book in two days anymore. Oh, I use to, and back then a 500 pager was awesome.

Now, I miss the Sci-fi/Fantasy books of the 70s/early 80s, where an writer could create a full world tell a full story with a much shorter page count. For example, Roger Zelazny's Jack of Shadows (happens to be on my bookshelf right beside me) is 236 pages.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I've found myself gravitating more towards shorter fantasy works of late, whether it's the older short Appendix N reads or more recent novellas like the ones Tor Books puts out. There's something to be said for that economy of story. Perhaps GRRM wouldn't have such a hard time if he only had to pop out 200 pages at a time (though my gut tells me that he still would be taking forever).

Now, I miss the Sci-fi/Fantasy books of the 70s/early 80s, where an writer could create a full world tell a full story with a much shorter page count. For example, Roger Zelazny's Jack of Shadows (happens to be on my bookshelf right beside me) is 236 pages.

 

[Richards]

Yeah, for me it definitely depends on how much free time I have. On weekends I can burn through several hundred pages a day if the book holds my interest. I'm going to spend this Friday flying around on a military aircraft on a day-long courier trip, so I expect I'll get a whole lot of reading done - enough that I'll bring a backup book for when I finish my primary one.

Johnathan

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I just thought this quote would be useful in this thread...

Warren Zevon Quote

We buy books because we believe we're buying the time to read them.

www.azquotes.com