Speed reading, what is it, does it work???

By Lonnie Cruse



I'm a fairly fast reader, but no where near to a speed reader. I admire people who can read a book in a week. My jaw virtually swings in the breeze at the thought of reading a book in a day. Yet many readers can do that. So I'm curious.



Which are you, speed reader (a book read anywhere from a day to a week?) or slow reader (longer than a week, maybe a month sometimes?)



Whether speed or slow, do you avoid very thick books, fearing they will bog you down? I sometimes do because I'm not only slower, but I'm often impatient to get to the end. Looking at thick books can give me stomach pains and a thick book must be highly recommended to get me to turn the first page. Which might be the reason I haven't gotten into those VERY thick vampire books that are currently so popular. Thoughts? Anyone?



IF you can read a book quickly, do you retain it, or is your reading just for the enjoyment of the moment? I confess, even though I'm not a speed reader, I often have difficulty remembering "whodunit" several months after I've read a book, and I'm sometimes in danger of re-buying/re-reading a book IF I don't keep a list. How about you?



By speed reading are you able to savor the good passages? Or do they go by too fast? Do you ever have to go back and re-read a passage? I confess to that one too, having to go back. Inattention (in multiple areas) is one of my worst faults.



Are there certain books you read faster than others? If so, what are they and why? If I'm not really into a book, I'll "skim" pages to see where it goes and how it ends. That's the sum total of my speed reading.

How did you learn to speed read? Was it automatic or did someone teach you? If learned, HOW did you learn?

IF you could only have one fiction and one non-fiction book in your library, what would it be. (Little torture here, may give you nightmares, muhwhahahah!) Mine would be the Bible, non-fiction, and, whew, fiction, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson. Unless, maybe, I chose something thick like WAR AND PEACE or a famous certain vampire book in order to have more to read. Choices. Whew. Yours??? C'mon, don't be shy. Give!

Thanks for stopping by. You can stop defending your book cases with whatever weapons you had on hand now. I'm not going to come into your home, grab all of your books, and force you to choose which one to save. Or am I? Hmmmmm . . .