[LadyLuna]

This is something I have really been wondering about. Do you think that this is something thats inherited or learned. Im not talking about speed reading here. Thats something entirely different. Im talking about just reading through a novel normally and how fast you can do it, just casually reading. Some people read very slowly while other people very quickly. And I don't have any idea what causes it one way or the other. I know I can read very quickly. So can my Dad who is the one that got me hooked on fantasy/science fiction in the first place. Literally I can get a book the length of a WoT novel, read it, give it to him, and be discussing it w/ him after he read it the same day. Its just something that both of us are good at, and we read all the time. My mother also reads all the time but she can't finish a book in a day much less a few hours even though she reads a lot. My brother doesn't read at all because he thinks its boring but if he does find a book that interests him he reads as fast as I can. I know that post was probably really boring to most of you but im trying to set up a scenario to go by. Im honestly curious what everyone thinks about this. I don't think that its a skill that can be learned and its more something that is inherited but I really don't know and i'd like some opinions on it.

[Keyoke]

Interesting.. I dont think it has much to do with genetics.. Both my folks hardly read, and if they do, they take their time in reading. Myself, I guess I am considered to be a fast reader, but, compared to most fantasy readers, I am not.

It seems to me that many folks who read scifi/fantasy read fast. I mean, really fast. Compared to most, I am slow. But, at work, I am considered to be a rather quick reader.

Personally, I think it is learned. We fantasy readers tend to read alot! The more we read, the faster we read. Plus, many of the books we read are part of series. Where as many other genre's tend to be single novels.

Just my thoughts. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Keyoke

[Alucard]

I'd say it's learned. I'm a good example here. When i first started reading I was, by no stretch of the imagination, a fast reader. But now that i do it so often, I'm considered by most who know me to be a very fast reader. I don't ever rush, but I can just process and visualize the information much quicker now. But this was certainly not always the case. It was a very gradual but steady process. But then again, I could be an exception. Who knows.

[estranghero]

I think it is inherited by the fact that your parents read to begin with.

My dad liked to read so I picked up this habit of reading from him. My mom didn't so much. From there, I started reading faster and faster to get to the next book such that rather than slow down, I decided to get books in advance. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

By then, I guess it's self-taught.

Hehehe it's the chicken-and-egg question. What's the term for that? Education or genetics? I forgot. Anyway, I think it's a combination of both.

[Lani]

I would tend to say that the speed a book is read depends on the level of interest the reader has towards the particular book. For example, I was reading Leo Tolstoi's 'War and Peace' which is known to be a pretty thick book and it took me about two weeks to finish that. On the other hand, I've read the whole Amber series in less than five days though together they are definitely no thinner than the first book. There are many examples like that for me. Though there might be another factor. It should depend on the level of language as well, because some author's make their books have a flowing language, when with other authors it's really hard to go through one page. IMO, genetics have nothing to do with it.

[Qin]

I'm fairly certain that reading speeds are somehow related to our early childhood years and the speed at which we read then.

Being a person who has a (timed) reading speed of roughly thirty to thirty-five pages an hour (regardless of the text), I can't imagine reading any book in the course of one day.

I've always preferred to spread a book out over the course of several days, regardless of the page-count.

[Caly]

As a former English teacher, I have a lot I could say on this subject. I won't bore you with a lot of detailed case studies and the like, but I will say I think it is a learned thing. The more you read the faster you will read. The sooner you start reading as a child, the faster you will read. The more you are read to as a child, the faster you will read. And so on. Of course, sometimes there are factors that interfer with reading speed like dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Those might be genetic. I have no idea what the current school of thought on LDs are.

It is so weird this question came up today b/c I have been thinking a lot about how important it is for parents to read to their children and prepare them for school. Yesterday I was at my friend's house and I decided to see if her 4-yr old daughter could tell me the colors. The mother was totally horrified, and I figured it must be b/c she didn't want me trying to teach her daughter Swedish words since I don't pronounce them very well. It turns out it is b/c she doesn't want anyone to teach her daughter anything. She wants to wait and let the professionals at school do it. I feel really sorry for her children b/c the first 5 years are essintial learning years. The 4 yr old can't even say the alphabet. I am pretty sure she will have a very slow reading speed. I just have never heard of that philosophy before.

Wow. Way off topic. Sorry.

Caleyna

[Lifino]

I'd argue it's partly inherited. At least for me it is. You see I read S L O W. As in Very Slow. Sorta like the Tortoise(famed from his 'Vs. the Hare' work, later to appear in many less well recieved works, and finaly enjoying the title position in an Indie-Rock band durring the mid '90s)

But then I also suffer from Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Strong A.D.D., and just about all the other Learning Disabilities in the book. Honest. Years ago I found a text book that dealt with this stuff, just to find out a little more about everything my testing found, I had stuff all over the book... Neadless to say, I read very little of it, mostly just skimming...8D

I inherited my LDs from my Father. That's the breaks. But after being diagnosed I got a tutor(Ms. Smucker) she worked with me through the summer after 6th grade, she challenged me to read a book a week for the whole summer. Don't know why, but I actualy did it. My first book that I realy read for fun was a Sci-Fi book, I got hooked after that. I'd read three of the Hitchhikers Guide series by the end of the summer! I've never stopped reading since then, and I still keep track of my towel.

Back in the day I was God-Awful slow. But I've learned/trained myself to speed up a little bit. I'm up to maybe 25-30 pages an hour now. A Jordon book in a day? Never for me. But I can work through one in about a week, if I've got lots of time and realy realy feel like it.


These days the thing that slows me down the most is my reading habbits. I usualy only read in bed, right before going to sleep. I rarely make it more than 10 pages before I'm falling asleep. Then about once a week I'll get the bug and read 130 pages, and a little extra on the weekends. Sure it takes me longer to read my books, and the list of completed books for me is probably shorter than alot of the people on this board, but by going slower I like to think I get to enjoy the story a little more...

This is long enough... Sorry to ramble like this. I'll be in the basement flogging myself http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

-Silas

[Elessar]

I think it's learned as well.
My friend, which lives with me in the same flat, watched how fast we were once, when we were both reading (he didn't tell me while he was checking); he said I was actually 4 times faster.
However, I know I am very slow when reading English, while I am pretty fast when reading in German (my native tonge). That shouldn't be a surprise, though, since English is my 3rd language.


-- Elessar

[saintjon]

I think it's something you pick up but I just want to say WOW!!! You can read a WoT book in a day? I was proud to finish one in 5 once, and I was reading ALL DAY.