I can read 100 books…
My son and his school (3rd – 5th grades) are involved in a great program to encourage reading called “I Can Read 100 Books.” The idea is to get the students to read one hundred books throughout the school year. And it’s very flexible. You can read picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, magazines, etc. To put everyone on even par, the rules are:
One Book is:
* a picture book,
* 25 pages of a chapter book,
* 30 minutes reading “other.”
To encourage kids even further, they’ve asked the parents to join in. Of course, I gladly accepted the challenge. The rules for parents are a little different:
One Book is:
* 100 Pages,
* 60 minutes.
I was going along great, using pages if it was a book and minutes for ebooks. That is until I decided to time myself for fun. That’s when I found out that I read a 375 page book in 6 hours!! Wow! I’m a slow reader if 100 pages and 1 hour are “one book” (and I’m getting screwed if I use page count instead of minutes!)
I read about a page per minute. That got me wondering – what is the “average” time for an adult to read a “for pleasure” book? Am I a slow reader? Am I average? I know for me it depends on the amount of time I have to read in a single sitting. For example, if I can spend 1 to 2 hours reading a book, I get through faster than 1 page per minute. But if I only get 20 minutes here and there, the speed goes down. Complexity is also a factor: if I have to spend time re-reading or looking up information, the speed diminishes. Finally, if I am reviewing and I need to take a lot of notes, the speed decreases.
So I’m asking you: do you know how fast you read? What are factors that impact your reading speed? Do you think you are slow, fast, average? Let’s chat!
I only know that I read fast, and like you, if I read for 2 hours the speed goes up. I think I read something about how people read and the fast ones reads the middle or something, well it does goes fast 😉
Two and half day and that depends on the book…if its a really LOL book then a day and half…
I must be a slow reader as well. Because I write as well, I sometimes have that “critic” in me doing a totally unnecessary “edit” process sometimes when I read. I’ll read a paragraph pondering if something could have been done to tighten things up, heighten the tension or add a respite for the reader if things have been going really, really fast. So, yeah, definitely a slow reader.
I think that’s wonderful that the program encourages parental involvement. Kind of a “lead by example” opportunity.
Awesome program to promote reading. Much better than the Accelerated Reader program my kids’ district does.
I’m a pretty fast reader. When reading to myself, I can lop off about 80-100 pgs in an hour. I have to be ‘into’ the book, and I cant have interruptions, however. With interruptions or a storyline I’m meh about, it takes longer.
I can read about 18pgs per half hour aloud, using voices. That should count for something….
My girls are ‘contingent’ readers as well. Fast if they like, slower – and potentially painfully -if they’re not keen on the content. My son… yeah. He’d rather be playing Black Ops. Wish I could get him to read graphic novels.
Last time I checked I read a little faster than a page a minute. I read the second book of The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind in about 8 hours and that was 979 pages… Whew.. Of course, Shakepeare slows me down.. ����
I honestly don’t know how fast I read, but I know that it seems to be slower than most peeps. I agree with all of the above, though, that I’m a lot faster if I’m into it, and there aren’t many interruptions. Typos and such throw me into editing mode, which slows me down. I get very distracted with technical, historical, theological, etc. tidbits in stories, and can get lost for ages looking things up. One weird thing I catch myself doing, though, is slowing down during dialog, so that I can really hear the characters’ “voices.” My brain seems insist on slowing the conversation down to a believable tempo. Sigh. So, with all those factors in play, it’s safe to say I’m definitely a slow reader. And I’m just fine with that. 🙂
I’m the same as you, I’m also a slow reader. But I also notice that at my book club that I tend not to miss as much details as others that read faster. For some reason even if I try to read faster, I just can’t do it. Doesn’t bother me though 🙂 I’m used to it.
I’m a slow reader and I know it. However, if I’m reading for pleasure, I tend to savor every word. I take the time to create the movie in my head and enjoy it along the way. I do read ebooks faster than paper ones.
You sound like you’re about average. I, on the other hand, am a freak of nature. I read anything & everything fast (sadly). My average is 500 pgs in 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I wish I could read slower, actually, because then I would be able to savor books more. Aw well, everyone’s different. 😀