Thursday, December 17, 2009

Booking Through Thursday: Speed Reading?

This week's question: What do you think of speed-reading? Is it a good way to get through a lot of books, or does the speed-reader miss depth and nuance? Do you speed-read? Is some material better suited to speed-reading than others?

My Answer: I have never been able to speed read through a novel - I find myself worrying about what I am missing, I get distracted by the worrying, and then I abandon the whole endeavor. I enjoy the story better when I am engrossed in it and for me that means reading every word. Somehow it feels like "cheating" to speed read (I used to have the same issue with audiobooks but I am getting over that now that I spend 4 hours roundtrip in a car at least once per week)

I am envious, however, of those that do speed read and still enjoy the narrative, can bond with the characters and are affected by a novel (not every speed reader seems able to do this). Just think of all the books they can get through by reading more quickly! My TBR pile could actually become manageable - maybe I should investigate this endeavor again . . .

2 comments:

  1. You sound a lot like me!

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  2. I think when people speed-read fiction, they lose a lot of the language. They may comprehend the plot or bond with characters, but what about noticing the language? I say, keep savoring!

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