The Struggles of Being a Slow Reader

I like to savor books.

Contrary to the title, I read at a pretty average pace. However, if I'm completely engrossed in a book, I like to take some time to enjoy the experience. This may mean pausing to process what's happening during a busy scene, rereading a paragraph or quote a couple of times, or just taking a moment to let the feels take over.



With these habits come some minor inconveniences that can get in the way of my reading process.


1. Finishing a Book Takes a Small Eternity



Lately, it's taken me at least one, but sometimes two to three weeks to get through a book. Believe it or not, the older I get, the harder it is for me to just sit down and read for hours on end. There are exceptions where I can't seem to put down a book, but those are few and far between, and I've started to prefer reading in baby steps rather than sprinting.


2. Reading Challenges are...a Challenge...



All of the Readathons and reading challenges in the blogging and Booktube communities baffle me. It's all I can do to stay up to date on my Goodreads reading challenge, and I'm both amazed and slightly intimidated whenever I see that someone has read multiple books in the course of a week or even a weekend.

3. Interruptions=Total Derailment



This might be the case for a lot of people regardless of reading speed, but if someone interrupts me (which is frequently, since I live in a house where no one else relates to my reading addiction), I can't quite seem to get back into the world as I was before.
...But that may be a result of my short attention span instead of my reading habits!



Even though it would be nice to plow through books day after day, I think I prefer being a slow reader because it allows me to take in the details of books and (hopefully) have a better understanding of the plot and its characters.


Are you a fast reader or a slow reader? How does this affect your reading habits? Let me know in the comments!


Thanks for reading,

Annie
Indoor Sojourner
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2 comments:

  1. So, I am just enjoying reading and re-reading this blog post! I can relate to you, Annie! I think my propensity toward re-reading passages is directly related to my habit of not watching live TV. I even attempt to rewind the car radio on occasion.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, we're so used to rewinding that it's become a habit, for sure.

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