April 27, 2007
McBooks?
Hi.
My name is Raine Weaver.
And I’m a slow reader.
I claim no shame about it. I’m a slow reader—always have been. And it’s not that I simply CAN’T read fast. I’ve done so in a pinch.
It just seems to come naturally to me to read slowly. Maybe, subconsciously, I think I’ll miss something important if I run through too quickly.
So I’m very impressed when I visit other blogs to find that people often speed-read through one, two, maybe more books per day. That’s amazing to me! 
But I also have to wonder…
When a reader goes through a book that fast, are they getting the full impact, the nuances, the true feeling of the book? Does it allow time for you to get into that character’s skin? Are you right there, thinking the dialogue, participating in the action?
Or is it more like a jag through a fast-food restaurant than a satisfying meal, a case of “so many burgers, so little time”?
And do you find that certain Golden Arches—a style, a theme, a genre—will MAKE you slow down to savor every word, every last morsel?
LOL I’m a slow reader too for the same reasons you wrote. But I have a good friend who reads through a 400 page book in a matter of hours, skipping the slow parts, then goes back and reads the whole book page for page. When I’ve asked her why she simply says “it’s because it’s the way I read.”
Go figure to each his own.
Love your blog ladies.
I’m a fast reader .
The better the book, the faster I read - because I have to know how it ends - because I’m a story/plot driven reader.
Then I re-read it, maybe two or three times.
I’m a medium reader. If the book isn’t that absorbing I’ll skip around. But there are more books that I read from cover to cover than the ones I’ll skip through. I just woke up and am working on the coffee - so if that didn’t make any sense …
I read like Bernita does, but big books make me take my time–ie Dean koontz. With him if you skim you really are likely to miss something.
Otherwise I skim some–if it looks like I missed something important I’ll go back but otherwise I skim narrative. I hate narrative
I read fast…I read one book yesterday–in about four hours–and yep, I got all of the textures of the story, all the description…etc. . HOWEVER it is someone I read often and I think I know the rhythm of her writing and that makes a huge difference. I am reading another book now and in the same amount of time I have only read about 1/6 th of the book.
And I will re-read books and get stuff I may have overlooked–like watching a movie where you didn’t realize things that may connect better once you have the whole story…
I’m a fast reader with fiction, with nonfiction it takes longer. But I still get the full impact. I also will reread if it’s particularly good.
Hi, Sandy, nice to meetcha!
Everybody DOES seem to have their own way of doing it, don’t they?
Then I re-read it, maybe two or three times.
Muy gawd, Bernita!
When do you find time to blog?!
Bailey, there’s something rather obscene about that smiley…
…big books make me take my time–ie Dean koontz…
Trixie would appreciate that.
Dennie Mac, speed-reading demon.
Ann, you and everyone seem to be getting the goods with a fast reading.
Interesting.
I read really fast as well. I think I do get all the nuances, textures, etc. otherwise for some of them I wouldn’t be as emotionally charged as I get. For example, tears, anger, frustration with a character or situation.
One good thing about it is I get more reading accomplished.
Bad thing is I get more reading accomplished, which means less time working on my own MS.
Funny how that works…
I don’t think I read fast or slow, but the better a book is the more ‘dedicated’ I am in reading it. I’ll have my nose stuck in it every single spare minute I have, staying up well past my break time, reading while I stir the pasta, in elevators, in the bathroom, etc until I’m done. In that way you could say I read ‘fast’ beause I’ll have a 400 page *really good read* book done within two days max.
Funny how that works…
Isn’t it, Lynn? LOL!
In that way you could say I read ‘fast’ beause I’ll have a 400 page *really good read* book done within two days max.
Ahhh…different category…
The PERSISTENT reader.