Outside of school and college, I barely ever read for my own leisure or enjoyment, but I have started doing so now and was curious to see how long it typically takes to finish a 300 - 500 page book?
I can finish a 400 page book in 3 days (approximately 7 hours spent reading, mostly during commute).
How long does it take you?
Finished Forever War within a day, 11 hours listening to Pink Floyd's The Wall, Led Zeppelin's Mothership & Best of Pink Floyd.
What book was it?
a 300 page book usually takes me a few days. If I'm in a very busy period, a week. I don't read so fast, but I understand some people have real speed.
It really depends with me. A short novel can take anywhere up to two weeks, depending on how busy I am or how gripping it is. Longer ones can be about the same, maybe a week longer. Of course, if I'm reading a book that I've been waiting for for a while it will usually be over in a few days. Last year I read The Dreaming Void in 3 days (650 pages) and this year I've read Old Man's War in two days (320 pages). I'm reading House of Suns at the moment and I've been on it for around two weeks, only 2/3rds of the way through though, it's a bedtime read with a chapter or two a night.
Try reading this thread for a measuring-stick debate on this very topic...
http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showt...ighlight=pages
The book I finished is Throne of Jade (Temeraire/His Majesty's Dragon Book 2).
It depends not of number of pages, but of density of text. My best result many years ago was 950 in one day - Quo Vadis of Sienkiewicz - 700p. and 250 of one another book. I was about 17, with high fever, and with no interest in another doings. Today - 100 - 200 pages per day.
I usually read a book a week or so. I have a very low attention span so unless a book is really engaging me I can only read for a couple of hours at a time. Right now I'm in the middle of a very good book 500 page book and I expect to read the last 300 pages tonight when I'm in bed.
I can't read laying down. It puts me to sleep after 5 pages.
I read best in the morning.
I managed to read David Edding's Malloreon series (5 books in total) in two days when I was sick, way back in the day (was probably about 18 at the time).
I'm a voracious reader on the worst of days, but I can also drag a book out when I feel like it. Depends on a few things though, like the book, my mood, how busy my life is at the time, etc..
I love reading in bed! Many are the nights that I've stayed up until 4-5am reading because I couldn't put a book down, only to wake up the next morning, grab the next book in the series and start all over again (usually a weekend; though this was prior to returning to full time study).
That said though, I wouldn't bother with comparing yourself with other people too much. Read a book at your own pace, and don't try to race through just because you feel like you're in competition with the rest of the world. Life isn't a race, and it's possible that you might miss stuff if you read faster than you're used to, which can make a book seem less interesting that it rightfully may be.
Fung, I loved this paragraph from that other link.Originally Posted by Fung Koo
I'm mostly a "follow the flow and let the words drift through my brain" type-of-guy myself, which I guess is why I've always been such a fast reader, but occasionally something will click and I'll start "reading" the words instead of "absorbing" them (for lack of better description). Whenever this happens, I seem to slow down, and lose my concentration. It always takes me a bit of time to get back into the "flow", and the change is instantly noticable in my head.
I think for me, it happens when my mind starts drifting elsewhere, usually due to something I've read that conjures up memories which I then start thinking about. My brain then tries to force me back to reading by actually "reading" the words. How awful!!?
My mind wandered yesterday and I realized I'd turned a couple of pages and I had no idea what I had read!
Dude, that happens to me allllllllllllll the time!
A sign of a good book, to me, is how frustrating it is when you wander. If it doesn't much frustrate me, like I could have easily ignored what I missed while my mind was elsewhere... well then, the book just ain't that engaging! On the other hand, when my wanders that can be a sign of great writing, and I painstakingly search out exactly the place where my brain departed.
What's so interesting is that your eyes keep scanning and your hands keep turning the pages, but your brain isn't really aware of what you're reading. This is supposedly one of the secrets to speed reading. In theory, the information is in there... you just have to let it bubble to the front.
But when the writing is great, you wanna get every single word...
I finish on average 4 books per week 3-500 pages each. i tend to read more than one book at a time.Reading on the loo,in bed,in the car,having breakfast/lunch/dinner
I read pretty much all the time. I have even read whilst driving
I only read sci-fi/fantasy
This week so far i have read and finished
The Gone Away World
The Innocent mage
The Awakened mage
Rereading the Amtrak wars right now
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks