People have often commented on how many books I am able to read. Yes, I read fast but there are other factors here too.
First, I am retired. My time is my own to do what I want and I want to read. So I don't have to spend hours commuting to work or working. While I was working I would have been lucky to read a book a week.
Second, I am not a daytime TV person, no distractions from game shows, chat shows and cable news. So my morning is usually spent doing chores, running errands, meeting someone for lunch. The afternoon is usually reading time, evening is TV. Exception to daytime TV is weekend for sports.
Third, I take time to read. No, I MAKE time to read. My afternoons, after lunch is my time to sit down with a book. If the afternoon is quiet I may get in 2-3 hours worth of reading. I have one friend who is an early riser. She reads when she gets up before her husband gets up for the day. Another reads before bedtime. Whatever works for you, just make the time to do it, even a short time.
I know with our library reading program they have us log how many minutes we read. There goal for adult readers is 3 hours per week. So just 30 minutes for 6 days in week. Overall the challenge is to read 1000 minutes, same goal for teens. Kids in the reading program are supposed to log 800 minutes in 8 weeks.
My reading truly increased as the pandemic started. Heck, had to stay home, needed something to keep me busy. So books helped fill the time. Plus crochet projects! Here are my totals since I started keeping track in 2014.
2014 55
2015 63
2016 82 retired in July
2017 95
2018 120
2019 129
2020 151
2021 181
2022 so far!
Back in grade school we had to keep track of books we read too. I am sure there was a minimum but I don't know what it was anymore. Each page allowed you to put on 25 books per school quarter, I usually made it into the second page for each quarter. Obviously I was reading age and reading level appropriate books, but still many more than some of my class mates. What did I read, anything with horses, so Walter Farley for one. Mysteries, like Agatha Christie. Classics, Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy.
I was taught to speed-read in elementary school, and have continued the practice. Especially when it's a good book, then I read even faster!
ReplyDeleteI also have the speed up on audiobooks; if I read fast, then I can listen fast too.
And yes, each person reads a different book; they see the characters a bit differently, find some morsel that others miss. It is all good!
When I was in Junior school I would read every horse book I could find. The English teacher soon realised how much I read and started bringing me some of her books from home. When I got married I was sorting everything I wanted to take to my new home and realised I still had one of her books, "Thunderhead" by Mary O'Hara. I felt guilty that I had never returned it and went back to my old school with it. I found that the teacher had died a few years previously so asked if they could put it in the library for others to read. I hope she didn't feel to badly of me and approved my decision to put it in the library.
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely - reading is a way of life for me and a source of great joy. I participated in a speed reading course in primary school too. I don't push myself to read quickly these days, but I think I read faster than most people even so.
ReplyDeleteMegan
Sydney, Australia
Is tomorrow Mo Cats Day? 9/9/22?
ReplyDeleteWe totally agree ; Claire wishes she has more time to read ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteWe totally agree ; Claire wishes she has more time for reading ! Purrs
ReplyDelete