Booking Through Thursday asks – What do you think of speed-reading? Is it a good way to get through a lot of books, or does the speed-reader miss depth and nuance? Do you speed-read? Is some material better suited to speed-reading than others?

The BBT question went up late yesterday so I didn’t get a chance to participate. I thought I’d put something up today since I so enjoy these questions.

No, I don’t speed read. I’m a pretty speedy reader and have been known to finish a book in one day but if it’s a book I’m loving, I try to slow down and savor the ride.

I think speed reading has a place and will admit to doing it at work when I need to get through things on my desk. The problem with speed reading, at least for me, is that I don’t always remember what I read and I like to remember what I read so I don’t do it often. I also think it takes more concentration to speed read. I feel I have to focus more so I can take the words in and have them mean something to me in the end instead of being a blur of words on a page. It takes away the fun of reading for me. Although, at work, sometimes it pays to read fast because no matter what you do, it won’t be fun reading and it’s just best to get it out of the way fast. 🙂

So, my answer is no, I’m not a huge fan. It’s the little quirks in books that I adore. You miss so much when you fly by instead is take the long route.