tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post4407758860845640322..comments2024-03-18T17:05:21.126+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Speed Readers and Slowpokes - Cathy ButlerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-69605839873596628972013-01-11T18:12:30.283+00:002013-01-11T18:12:30.283+00:00To quote the great Doctor Seuss "Some are fas...To quote the great Doctor Seuss "Some are fast and some are slow/some are high and some are low." etc.<br /> I'm very fast...my dad never believed that I'd read the books I said I had and used to test me on things!<br /> Wish I could come to your talk but alas busy that day. Good luck. adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-71282046084322229582013-01-11T15:55:00.393+00:002013-01-11T15:55:00.393+00:00As a fast reader sometimes my book habit feels lik...As a fast reader sometimes my book habit feels like a beast that needs feeding. There can never be too many books in the to read pile and I get anxious when that pile gets low. I do own a lot of books that I constantly reread but sometimes the book hunger wants new words.<br /><br />I absolutely love it when I have dense texts to devour. The Baroque Cycle, for example took me a good two weeks to read and it was glorious. I've already mentioned on Facebook that these days I like to slow myself down by taking the time to reflect on what I'm reading. However I read page turning thrillers at full speed. Something like a Sophie Hannah or Denise Mina where I'm equally invested in the solution to the mystery and the emotional repercussions on the characters puts me at full throttle.<br /><br />I don't actually know how fast I read, clock watching is too distracting. I agree whole heartedly that it is not a competitive sport.<br /><br />When I read I can become so immersed that I become oblivious to the world around me. I've missed bus stops because of this, I miss people talking to me. On a train I once missed the drama of one of my friend's children knocking out the tooth of the other one (it was a baby tooth and, yes, Mum was there). Is it the same for some of you slower readers? Or do you have attention to spare?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09804415680695738618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-77075736676607266092013-01-11T13:37:05.940+00:002013-01-11T13:37:05.940+00:00Thanks all for your comments. Perhaps the ideal is...Thanks all for your comments. Perhaps the ideal is to have a number of speed settings for different kinds of reading. Fast, if you're reading for information; slow, if you want to roll the language round your mouth like a Grand Cru; and somewhere in between for ordinary reading pleasure. I don't know that one can decide in an advance which is appropriate, mind.<br /><br />I too would be interested to know whether fast and slow readers tend to divide in terms of their preferences for long/short and leisurely/pacy books.Catherine Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17693526864905868829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-38642954728005340682013-01-11T12:20:55.966+00:002013-01-11T12:20:55.966+00:00Being a slow reader is one of the few things I out...Being a slow reader is one of the few things I outright hate about being dyslexic (which is usually more of a mix of curse and blessing, fairly evenly divided between the two, as far as I'm concerned). I love books and wish I had time to read more of them... or to be a faster reader so I could pack more into the significant amount of time I spend reading. My plan to compensate for being a slow reader is to be immortal, then I can read All The Books, and it won't matter that I have to do so rather slowly. I suppose the other thing that would help would be to narrow down my areas of interest, but the problem with that is that I'm legitimately interested in a huge range of genres. And I wouldn't really want to change that, so I just bumble along, reading as much as I can and wishing I'd read more. But, since I think this is a good way to live, I can't really complain. Just imagine - I could be one of those poor souls who think they hate books. Alexia Casalehttp://www.alexiacasale.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-26938398765339386192013-01-11T11:07:06.793+00:002013-01-11T11:07:06.793+00:00Great post, and something to be proud about imo. M...Great post, and something to be proud about imo. My daughter is a "slow" reader and in many ways I envy her. I'm sure I'd remember far more if I didn't gobble the books. <br /><br />If many professional readers & librarians (like Ms. Yingling) must use speeed reading, does this approach to language influence the kind of writing and type of books most "celebrated"? Pacy mode rather than reflective mode for example? Short rather than long?Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-36048883615889066712013-01-11T10:31:50.004+00:002013-01-11T10:31:50.004+00:00I'm a speed reader, because it's the only ...I'm a speed reader, because it's the only way I know to read a huge number of books so that I can tell my students what they are about. My blog is my auxiliary memory, because I forget a lot, but I can usually retain a one sentence description. I don't get a chance to enjoy the quality as much as I would like, although I do notice it. I sometimes feel bad about rushing through things, but it does help when it comes to pairing up students with books!Ms. Yinglinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17805324364289597178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-78914413957160180122013-01-11T09:36:46.025+00:002013-01-11T09:36:46.025+00:00I have this too, and as a professional Classicist ...I have this too, and as a professional Classicist feel a similar sense of shame about it. OK, so I mainly work with cities, not texts, but I still feel I ought to be able to read books and articles about them quicker than I do - and my rate of leisure reading makes yours look epic.<br /><br />Like you and some of your commenters, I cling to the hope that I am getting greater value out of what I do read, and sometimes I can actively feel that what's holding me back is an obsessive parsing of the nuances of each sentence, the possible relation of what's just been said to other parts of the text and its wider allusions. But as you say, speed-readers seem to be able to pick up on that stuff too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-59862943084519611192013-01-11T09:13:39.295+00:002013-01-11T09:13:39.295+00:00I'm a speed reader, but I'd agree with Sue...I'm a speed reader, but I'd agree with Sue Purkiss - I don't always retain what I read as well as my husband, particularly non-fiction. On the other hand, I often re-read books too, multiple times over the years, so the ones I love really do stick with me. (I'm sure you re-read too.) Nothing wrong with either way - and as we all know, 'slow and steady often wins the race'. Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-87109784696363225662013-01-11T09:00:59.648+00:002013-01-11T09:00:59.648+00:00Like Jenni, I read fast naturally. It's handy ...Like Jenni, I read fast naturally. It's handy in a lot of ways, but I certainly don't remember books as well as my husband who reads much more slowly, and I do find that's a drawback.Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-90945294744561883402013-01-11T08:49:09.527+00:002013-01-11T08:49:09.527+00:00I'm what you would call a 'speed reader...I'm what you would call a 'speed reader' I guess but it's not something I do by choice-where you read naturally slowly I read naturally quickly. It's never been an issue for me to not understand what I'm reading because it's not that I'm skimming the words, I'm just reading them at a quicker speed. The only time it trips me up is when I'm tired because then my eyes move much faster than my brain and I realise I'm looking at the end of a sentence with no idea what the words in the rest of it were. Most of the time though it doesn't stop me appreciating a beautiful sentence or story though!Jennihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18377247649626004165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-74855250737314909342013-01-11T08:48:38.946+00:002013-01-11T08:48:38.946+00:00I'm married to a speed reader. It's very a...I'm married to a speed reader. It's very annoying. I read more slowly in my old age, and I like it. I feel I notice what's on the page, and I can even find things to criticise. : )bookwitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05237519763315026629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-91009993250425230532013-01-11T08:48:24.300+00:002013-01-11T08:48:24.300+00:00A side note, but I read more slowly and carefully ...A side note, but I read more slowly and carefully on my Kindle. I think it may be because my eyes don't have the option of whipping over to the opposite page the way they like to do with a paper book.<br /><br />Love the Aristotle defence!Joan Lennonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15763862159032836768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-12843649528682504102013-01-11T08:27:24.891+00:002013-01-11T08:27:24.891+00:00I wonder why speed is so valued - it certainly mak...I wonder why speed is so valued - it certainly makes life difficult for kids with processing difficulties when schools equate quick with clever. Don't apologise for your thoughtful, thorough approach - I am a speedreader and I quite often feel as though I'm missing a lot as I hurtle through a book.Keren Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13121027210783177857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-7932990986009523732013-01-11T08:14:51.887+00:002013-01-11T08:14:51.887+00:00You're right, it doesn't need a defence - ...You're right, it doesn't need a defence - but it's hard not to feel inadequate, sometimes, amongst all those book-bustin' speed readers.<br /><br />I do hope you can make it to Homerton, Stroppy. It would be lovely to see you!Catherine Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17693526864905868829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-81220369811325788142013-01-11T07:13:56.729+00:002013-01-11T07:13:56.729+00:00I'm with you on this, Cathy. I *can* speed rea...I'm with you on this, Cathy. I *can* speed read, but I don't like to so I usually don't. I enjoy books more if I read them slowly. And I love the idea of reading at the speed of Aristotle - that's a great defence! (As if we needed to defend a choice that harms no one...)<br /><br />And thank you for the plug - I'll try to get to your talk, too. It's only two miles down the road, and I go to quite a few of the Homerton events. It's good for them to know there is a children's writer in the room, rather than always talking behind our backs!<br />Stroppy Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16560035800075465845noreply@blogger.com