Speed Reading

A sideways look at age, Colin McQueen - writer, Getting Older, Humour 2 Minutes
Photo by John Michael Thomson on Unsplash

It is my considered opinion that there are two kinds of people: those who read fast and those who actually read, and that those who read fast, whilst undoubtedly able to get the ‘drift’ are far less adept at judging nuance.  It is to do, I think, with not leaving sufficient pause for full stop, comma and all other ancillary punctuation marks.  I am a proficient, but slow reader.  When I speed up to anything above my habitual lope, I cease to understand.  I read what the characters say – word perfectly I would say – but I do not hear them.  They talk, but do not speak.  As I ratchet up my words per minute, books become politicians: I hear almost every word they say, understand about fifty percent and believe none at all.

If I’m honest, I am yet to be convinced of the desirability of reading quickly anyway.  I know that there are lots of books out there waiting to be read and obviously you can’t get through them all without swallowing up the pages with the speed of a paper shredder, but a little perspective here, there are few good books and even fewer great books: most of what you read will be pants and there cannot be much justification in cramming more of that into the memory bank than you have to.  The ability to read, for instance, Ulysses in a super-quick time (in my case, anything under 64 years) would be welcome, but would it make the whole overblown ragbag any more understandable, more readable, more entertaining?  No, it would be none of the above, but it would, at least, be over quicker.

When I read a book that I like, I want to know what happens, but not too quickly.  I don’t want to reach the end before I understand the beginning.  I have more than enough problems in holding down the nuances of plot without ripping through them like Usain Bolt on a pogo stick.  I realise that I should be able to retain details of carefully drafted characters, but on a single read I find that quite often I cannot.  This is just me – it has always been so – but ‘scanning’ always makes it worse.  Without taking the time to read each word and punctuation mark correctly, I find myself grasping the wrong end of the stick more often than a fishing lake carp.  At least by reading at my own pace, I don’t have to keep going back to remind myself who people are and why they did whatever-it-was they did to whomever-it-was they did it.

I am definitely camped in the ‘slow’ school.  I might not find out whodunit first, but when I do work it out I will, at least, remember how, why and possibly – providing I didn’t miss one of those dratted nuances back in chapter two – wherefore…

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Published by colinmcqueen

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33 thoughts on “Speed Reading”

  1. i am in your camp, Colin. When I read it is for relaxation. I like to enter into the story as if I am an invisible bystander (some of the books I read I most certainly would not want to actively participate!) If you speed read, you miss the atmosphere, the setting, the character of the participants. So I plod and enjoy it.

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  2. I tend to find a middle ground speed-wise. That way I can get pick the best out of a book, and if it resonates I can linger over it when I re-read it. Which I will if it makes the first cut. Then again, I recall trying to read ‘Don Quixote as a late teen- there is not enough time in this realm or the next one to try to wade through that leatherbound crusty fusty load of old parchment.
    Sorry to anyone of a Classical bookish mind.

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    2. I skipped through a lot of Lord of Rings journey and I was always muttering, “please let this be the end”, even though I knew the book had…say two more parts…My father trudged through the book at a relaxed pace and loved it! How do some people find so much patience?

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      1. Sadly I never got on with LOTR, which really made me the odd one out as a teenager. Overblown nonsense! I have a very low tolerance level for anyone who takes themselves too seriously 😳

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  3. So true. Whenever I read quickly, I stop enjoying it or grasping its meaning or reflecting. I also find that listening to audible books is not as enjoyable as reading, but sometimes I have no choice since audible books allow one to work on chores while listening.

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  4. I’m a little of both. While I savor a good book if it’s well written, I’ve also been known to scan and skim over parts I find long winded and tedious. If there’s a 3 page section on the inner workings of a diesel engine? You know I’m going to turn the page…
    😉

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      2. I also have a trick I learnt in uni:
        Get hold of the new books in the library and gently tap the spine to see where they fall open. Check all of each of the recommended books. These pages are the pages the lecturers have photocopied and are most important.

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  6. I am a speed reader. I agree, I miss a lot through the first reading. But on the up-side, when I return to it…if I return to it at all (I’ve read Harry Potter series eight times and Twilight part-I at least 5 times, and I carry Three Men in a Boat every time I travel to read my favorite parts)… I have loads of fun because I don’t remember anything and everything is a surprise! 🤣 I know it is sort-of stupid but can’t help it

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    1. I don’t even really see myself as particularly slow – just everybody else as unfeasibly fast. Also, other people seem perfectly capable of reading without mouthing the words…

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      1. Oh, we got in trouble at elementary school for mouthing while reading silently. Broke me of that habit pdq. My brother still does that, though. And I still mouth my prayers before bedtime. 🙂

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    2. And I really thought I’d mastered my ‘commenting’ issue on your site today, and then the bloody thing disappeared before my very eyes. I will persevere. Sooner or later I will prevail!

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      1. I’m going to assume you were anonymous, Colin. I’ve got a call into a professional to see what is going on with my site. I’ve never used him before (found him on Google) and he’s actually having trouble with “connection issues” on his end. He said he’d call me back. This, I fear, doesn’t bode well. Either way, at least you were able to comment even if it wasn’t under your own name, provided that was you. If not, oops! I wasn’t able to comment on someone else’s post today. And I’m having people tell me they’re also having trouble getting through. Ugh and double ugh! We may be in the throes of an AI takeover! Mona

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  8. I have always been a slow reader and thought there was something wrong with me. I’m glad I’m not the only one who reads the punctuation and imagines the voice. Thanks for this post.

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  10. I also read slowly, otherwise I don’t understand anything. I tend to skip sentences or read faster when I want to finish a book I don’t like, or when I put my eyes on another book that I can’t wait to start. Some time ago, I used to read 2 or 3 books at once, fiction for entertainment, non fiction for learning and one about writing or such to improve my skills. I did this because I wanted to read as many books as I could, but it didn’t last long 😅.

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