Speed Reading

dansmudge

I love reading and until recently had considered myself a reasonably prolific reader.

I've just got back from a week long beach holiday where I didn't actually do a great deal of reading but by the end of the week I'd just started my second book.
My girlfriend on the other hand had finished 4 books and was half way through her 5th!

Now call me a typical man but I felt the need to thoroughly interrogate her on the plots of the books to check she'd read them properly.
(This may seem a little petty but I deserve a small amount of credit for not demanding a word count and point size comparison, which were my first thoughts)

Anyway it seemed, much to my surprise, that she had digested the all books properly.

Which leaves me thinking, am I actually a bit of a plodder when it comes to reading, or is she just very quick?

Also, can you really enjoy a book when reading it that fast?

How many books would you guys get through on a week long holiday?

Curb_It

depends on the quality of the book... anyone can read a Jilly cooper in a day!

WSS

was she reading cat in the hat?

suzisausage

i went on holiday for a week and read most days by the pool and only got through 1 book. it was an epic one tho, gone with the wind.

those 30something girly books, i can normally whizz through those, at least 2 in a week, but probably 3. if you asked me what happened in a book i read that quickly in about 6 months time, unless it was any good, i wouldn't remember reading it or what happened.

dansmudge

[cite]Posted By: WSS[/cite]was she reading cat in the hat?

no that was the book i spent the week reading, and a cracking read it was too.

[cite]Posted By: Curb_It[/cite]depends on the quality of the book... anyone can read a Jilly cooper in a day!

off the top of my head a few of them were...

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

The Horrific Sufferings of... by Carl-Johan Vallgren


can't remember the others but not really in the Jilly Cooper mould!

Curb_It

no! jilly cooper is top holiday reading or something in that mould ... nothing to tax the brain but just clean (dirty) honest fun.

Charlton Dan

Mate wait until youve got kids! You'll be lucky if you get through more than 200 pages!

Salad

I'm going to start reading Anna Karenina on holiday, but given the font size I doubt I'll get past page 30 by the end of the week and it will tkae me a year to read.

dansmudge

[cite]Posted By: CharltonDan[/cite]Mate wait until youve got kids! You'll be lucky if you get through more than 200 pages!

Sound advice!

i noticed on holiday that there seem to be 2 distinct parental styles...

the constantly fretting re-applying suntan cream, blowing up arm bands, adjusting sun hats etc etc

or the slightly too chilled, fast asleep and dribbling after a few beers on a sun lounger, while everyone else worries about they're 2 year old exploring the deep end of the pool


i like to think i'd find a happy medium but would probably end up being in the first camp.

Wilma

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

I gave up on this half-way through, how anyone can read that in a day or two is beyond me!

I didn't even manage to finish one book on my holiday as it was too hot and reading kept making me fall asleep in the sun, not good when you're as pasty white as me!!

Charlton Dan

[cite]Posted By: dansmudge[/cite]

[cite]Posted By: CharltonDan[/cite]Mate wait until youve got kids! You'll be lucky if you get through more than 200 pages!

Sound advice!

i noticed on holiday that there seem to be 2 distinct parental styles...

the constantly fretting re-applying suntan cream, blowing up arm bands, adjusting sun hats etc etc

or the slightly too chilled, fast asleep and dribbling after a few beers on a sun lounger, while everyone else worries about they're 2 year old exploring the deep end of the pool


i like to think i'd find a happy medium but would probably end up being in the first camp.

I always try and be somewhere between the two but end up at the 1st...Mind you she can swim now so it isnt so much of a concern.....

Ledge

[cite]Posted By: CharltonDan[/cite]Mate wait until youve got kids! You'll be lucky if you get through more than 200 pages!

200 pages blimey that would be a miracle.