How many books do YOU read each week?

[Tony Walker]

(Stands up and looks around) My name's Tony, and I'm a speed reader (murmurs of "Hi, Tony).

Speed reading can be a curse. While the ordinary reader struggles to finish an average-length book in a couple of days, I can finish it in two or three hours. While the ordinary reader buys one book to read on a long airplane journey, I have to load up my carry-on bag with three or four when I fly to England.

"Ah yes", you may cry, "but you must miss out parts of the book while you're scanning through it at high speed." Not necessarily, but I do confess to skimming through certain fiction writer's works. However, when it comes to non-fiction or biography, I do read everything, including footnotes.

Are there any more speed readers out there, or am I alone among those who don't read fast, because it makes their lips tired?

[Mary]

Keeping my lips out of this conversation...yes; I too am a speed reader. When in school I never had to read a book fully for book reports. I would "skim" for the meat of the book and get an A on my report or test (not always an A...).

Definately good and bad sides to speed reading. Suggest you pick the biggest books (most pages) for your plane trips; and you could try just reading a little slower...just a little bit at first...you never know it might be pleasurable.

When I read for pleasure I read every word of a novel, etc. When I am reading self-help, magazine articles, newspapers and other books I speed read. My 26 year old daughter Stormie read Stephenie Meyer's 4 book series "The Twilight Saga" ( a vampire and werewolf series; that is going to be made into a movie) in 5 days. She loves to read vampire books; I necessarily don't, but she convinced me to read it and am so glad she did. It is an awesome read and will one day buy the series for my library. This I am not speed reading, every word is worth taking my time ( I enjoy putting myself into the story - being there - feeling it). I started reading it the beginning of September (1st book approx. 350 pages), (2nd book approx. 450) and am on the 3rd half-way through 630 pages. One more; the largest of them all to go.

I am always reading a book and have magazines in my car and bathroom. I write down every book I've read with the date and author. I also denote good books with a check mark, very good books with an * and books that are excellent; which I will eventually buy for my library with an * and a circle drawn around it.

Books you may like...Sleeping with the Devil by Robert Baer, I'm sure you've read all Tom Clancy books, The Davinci Code by Dan Brown (it blew my mind - must read again soon), if you like indian stories - James Alexander Thom is an awesome writer, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, Never Have your dog stuffed by Alan Alda, 800 Sundays by Billy Crystal....ok that's enough.

Thank you for coming up with yet another good forum discussion.

Are you ADD and/or ADHD?...I am and so are both of my daughters. You don't Have to answer that question...just wondering...

[Blindogg]

I appear to be the odd ball...I am a slow reader.

I read slow intentionally. Mainly because as a writer I take great care in choosing all of my words and phrases; as well as the way I construct each paragraph and chapter. So I assume that all other writers do the same. With that in mind I read slowly so as not to cheat the author. I like to try and get as much out of his/her work as he/she put into it.
If I were to sit down with an average novel and just read without interuption I would probably average 2 books per week. Maybe three if they were fast paced.

[Jon Lopes]

I always have a book to read. Depending on the amount of spare time I might have, I might read about 1-4 books a week. I too am a slow reader, I like to savor what I am reading and enjoy it. My goal when i am reading is not usually to finish the book per se but to read the story. My wife on the other hand, she can read a book a day if she has time. i'm afraid my brain just doesn't work that fast.

[Tony Walker]

As to Mary's suggestion that I take thicker books on airplane trips, I'll take that under consideration. As a great man once said, "Thicker ain't necessarily better", and in response to her when she said, "I'm sure you've read all Tom Clancy books", she is wrong; I've read some of them, and thrown others out as being too boring and filled with cardboard characters and incomprehensible acronyms (Clancy would fit in well here at WB!).

What I did find with Clancy's books is that you can follow one character through the book, and skip chapters in which he doesn't appear, and still have the book make sense.

As for Dan Brown and the Da Vinci Code, I found it to be an interesting concept, but the details were not researched properly, some 'facts' were untrue, and the timeline was way out.

I have tried reading more slowly, but it doesn't work, as my mind starts to wander. So, I'll carry on speed reading, whatever the cost.

[Tony Walker]

"Are you ADD and/or ADHD?", Mary said, to which I have to answer with a resounding NO! I'm fully able to sit still and concentrate to watch a movie, read a book, or even join in a conversation.

I know that ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder, but what is ADHD? Are these two acronymic conditions recognized by the medical trade, or are they yet another example of doctors and psychiatrists inventing a condition, in order that they may 'cure' it?

I know some people who live near me, who have a son of around eight or nine years old. He's yer typical modern American kid, always active, yet his ma insists that he has ADD or ADHD, I forget which. I was about to offer her the advice that a 'bat round the lug 'ole' would cure his hyperactivity, but the Amazon Queen stopped me.

Always remember; children are like gongs - they should be struck regularly.

[Donna Varnes]

I speed read college text books and the like, but when it comes to a good book I'm reading for pleasure, I like to savor each word, unless of course it starts to get boring, then I speed it up. I usually have more than 1 book I'm reading at a time so it is hard to say how many I read, but I do read every day.

[Blindogg]

ADHD is Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyper-activity thrown in for good measure.

[Joanna Penn]

Hi Tony - I am a total speed reader and love it, although I agree it is definitely a problem on long haul flights back to Blighty (I am flying back from Australia too!)
I was home sick today and managed to polish off 2 novels in the hammock before lunch - fiction is just very relaxing! I read more non-fiction though which sometimes takes longer - try something from the neuroscience, eastern theology or physics genre and the vocab might slow you down! - or maybe one of those fiction novels written in scottish dialect...?

[Kathie Stegg]

I am a speed reader. I started reading when I was 3 years old and haven't stopped since. Right now I am doomed to college text books but I really like fiction.

I can also read upside down.. LOL... everyone thinks I am weird but I like it. Kathie

[PaulWHankins]

Hello, all:

I am an English teacher; understand I am not a doctor, but ADD, from my understanding is a diagnosis not used anymore. It has become seemingly archaic now that we have nuanced degrees of ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, which can come with or withour hyperactivity which can be replaced with degrees of anxiety instead. . .isn't it facinating? Almost like the Starbellied Sneetches of Dr. Seuss lore. . .what do you have ADD? That is soooooo yesterday we might here them exclaim.

But, I do get to spend my days in my classroom surrounded by books. Today, while the students were taking a vocabulary quiz, I wandered to the bookcase and pulled a copy of Billy Collins' The Trouble with Poetry. Dog-eared and tattered, it was like returning to an old friend, and it took my little time at all to become intimate again with its compelling pieces. I like to speedread, but I enjoy even more the ability to come back to a text again. . .I often try to decide what I want from the text early on. . .some, I like to savor like The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, others, like James Patterson texts, I like to "blow through" for the story and the ability to be topical in the teacher's lounge. . .

Thanks for letting me comment here. . .I have been away for a while. . .it was a nice thread. . .


H.

[James Waters AKA. NineSpeed]

Ah, reading, I vaguely remember that. Isn't that what you do when you sit in a quiet room with a book in your hand and read words? Ya I used to love doing that. Now all it seems I do is work and sleep. Man I hate the night shift. Thank god Monday we go back on days. I try to read at least one to two books a week. sometimes I succeed sometimes not, but I do try.

[Mary]

ADHD is a tag along for those that are overactive; least being ADD. People like me that can do lots of things at once and enjoy being busy. Mind goes in lots of different directions; can watch a movie and conversate. As to the gonged statement; I cried when I had to spank my girls when the were young. Was not a regular occurance; last resort.

Tony Walker said:

"Are you ADD and/or ADHD?", Mary said, to which I have to answer with a resounding NO! I'm fully able to sit still and concentrate to watch a movie, read a book, or even join in a conversation.

I know that ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder, but what is ADHD? Are these two acronymic conditions recognized by the medical trade, or are they yet another example of doctors and psychiatrists inventing a condition, in order that they may 'cure' it?

I know some people who live near me, who have a son of around eight or nine years old. He's yer typical modern American kid, always active, yet his ma insists that he has ADD or ADHD, I forget which. I was about to offer her the advice that a 'bat round the lug 'ole' would cure his hyperactivity, but the Amazon Queen stopped me.

Always remember; children are like gongs - they should be struck regularly.