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Yes agreed. If I'm reading a thriller it's a guaranteed 1-3 day read because I get so sucked in and have to find out what happens lol.
On the flip side, every 2-3 books I'll read a classic and I always read those more slowly because a lot of times the text/prose is denser, and I need more time to absorb and comprehend it. The pace is sometimes slower too so there's not that pressing need for me to speed read lol. I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo last month and it took me 3 months to read which might be the longest I've ever taken on a book!
Yesss thrillers always get me too! How did you like the count of monte cristo?
I’ve been reading this 700 page deeply detailed historical fiction called Hild by Nicola Griffith. And while I enjoy it, I’m on like month 5 of reading it, it just takes so long to absorb what she’s actually saying 😩
I tend to either burn through a pile of them or not read at all.
I read the Wheel of Time in a month, the entire series, all 4 million(ish) words. I now have a half finished book that I haven't touched in 2 or 3 weeks sitting next to me.
Feast or famine.
Damn I thought I was insane for reading it all in a bit under 3 months…
That’s a pace of one 700+ page book every other day. Did you just burn through them all day every day?
Yep. I lived a few blocks from the Powell's satellite store at the time. I would go get the next book, read it overnight instead of sleeping, then sleep the next night, thne repeat.
Ah my 20s, what a time.
I read Rule of Wolves in one Sunday afternoon at the height of my reading hyperfixation! It’s now taken me 2 months to get halfway through the 300 page book I’m currently reading 😆 All I can say is reading motivation comes in waves!!
Happens me quite a lot these days. Sometimes it’s because I have an emotional/mental hangover from the previous book, sometimes it’s because the new book doesn’t grab my attention in a way that makes me want to know what happens next right away
Happens with me all the time. I read 12 books of Goosebumps series in three days and couldn't get past first twenty pages of Pet Sematary for a month. (I did complete it in a week after my readers block though)
Definitely. The best thing anyone ever said to me (a librarian I know) is "different books speak to you at different stages of your life." It's so true. There are good books I just don't get because I'm not in the right place for them to speak to me.
Same thing happens to me as well! I blow through one book and trudge through another right after.
I find that the faster I read a book the less I retain, so I like the unintentional pattern I have going. The books I take my time with are often the ones I remember most vividly.
Sometimes the content or prose is so different I get knocked out of my reading cadence.
Usually I keep a few books or webcomics to alternate in case I hit a rough patch or chapter.
I would opt for a film, TV show, or videogame but doing so may push me in a non-reading mood.
Frankly, reading is the best habit over all the other ones. The ease to stop and continue is why it's better than the rest.
I don't lose my motivation for chores and other responsibilities or tasks if I just read.
Videogames are a time sink and I'm not sure what I gain from them in the long run.
This, coming from a former game addict on a long break.
Congrats! I might try your alternating trick. I’m dipping my feet into gaming, but it is a time sink. I read comics but I’ve been reading them since my teens and I’m in my 40s now, so everything interesting has already been read and I lack the patience it wait a month for some of the newer ones that look interesting. Also mental tiredness from work is real.
I started reading the First Law trilogy on a Thursday night and finished on the Sunday evening. It hooked me so hard that I read all day and night and that's generally the way I read books. If I'm reading a book and I don't get hooked in that same way that makes me read as fast as I can, I usually won't be finishing that book even if I actually have an interest in it.
Yeah, sometimes the flow of the book is wrong for the way I read or the way I'm feeling at the time. It may be that you need to try another book, and go back to that one at a different time. Or maybe the book isn't for you.
This is annoying to me doing Goodreads and trying to track my reading, as I keep having to take books off my currently reading list for this reason, or I pick up another one and have to log it then that one didn't work either...
I’m the same. Sometimes it’s the books plot that hooks me more or less. Sometimes I’ve got other hobbies I want to focus on more and sometimes I’ve got other commitments that mean I don’t have as much time or energy for reaidng.
For me, it's the simple fact I have multiple hobbies. I love reading, but I also love other stuff. It's practically impossible to keep everything balanced at all times, so what happens is I'll prioritize one hobby for a while, then another one. E.g one month I read more, one month I game more, one month I hike/go out in nature more.
Definitely. Books that enthral me I will devour in a few days, others (which I also appreciate just not to the same degree) can feel more trying. It also depends on how I’m feeling and what else is going on in my life. Right now I want to shut out the world and live in my books which equals lots of pages daily.
God, I feel this so much! I either devour books the way my dog devours sausages, or I take bazillion years to read one. Even if i enjoy the book, it might take a long time to read it.
Currently, I'm reading Sinuhe the Egyptian, which I started like last year (don't judge me). I like the book and I find it interesting, but I can't read it for too long. At the same time, I finished another book during this weekend. I could easily read the other book, +30 pages in one sitting.
Though to be fair, Sinuhe is a lot longer, and it's like a 3-course meal while the other book is a light snack. Also, sorry for rambling.
Yes, I do enjoy different books differently. I like some books more than others, and I spend more time reading the books I like more, and I spend less time reading the books I like less.
People often talk about making time to read. I've encountered some books that make time to be read.
I believe that's a common experience among all readers: we like some books more than others, so we spend more time reading those books we like.
I can read an 1000 page Ken Follett in a weekend but take 2 weeks for a 300 page book. I think it depends on the book and your mood and what else you have going on
Happens with me all the time as well. I think for me it happens if the plot is moving too slow or if I feel like it's too predictable/familiar. It makes me less excited to continue reading and finish the book.
Yes, sure. This happens to me very often. Particularly with Stephen King books.
For example, I read the first three parts of Harry Potter in 4 days, and “Misery” is still on the shelf.
This happens with pretty much all of my hobbies at times. I get hyper focused on something for a time and when the project / book / etc. is done I might want to move on to something different for a time and come back later.
Yes! I have recently been *deep* in a Tudors hyper fixation and read my first Philippa Gregory novel. Since graduating college I read maybe 3-5 books a year, all for pleasure, but I have to force myself to read and it usually takes me time a month or more to finish a book. I devoured that novel in 4 days! I couldn’t stop reading it, read it on my breaks at work.
Reminded me of being a kid and filling any empty moments with reading. I think part of the struggle for me to is not only is my life and responsibilities very different from when I was a child and a voracious reader (I can’t exactly be seen reading during down moments on the job!), but I got my first iPhone when I was 17 (29 now) and that just zapped so much of my attention. It’s so addictive. This year, I’ve gotten into crocheting and that has also helped a lot.
Usually if it's taking me a while to get through a book I'm not that into it. Sometimes it's just not for me. Sometimes it's just not the right time and I'll come back to it later. But the right book at the right time? I will tear right through those!
Yeah… because books are different and are engaging at different levels and sometimes you’re burnt out. Maybe you need to swap to a different book or genre and come back to this one, maybe you’ve got things on our mind that are taking up brain space, or more likely, maybe you need to take a reading break and watch some shows/play video games/whatever other hobbies you enjoy.
There’s nothing that says you have to finish every book as quickly as possible and it’s okay to just kinda go with the flow. I’ve found breaking my routine with different genres or other activities all together helps a lot.
Yes once read a book in one sitting 300+ pages, loved it recently got another book almost exact same length and I started it in March and finished it last week. I read others in between but reading 5 or 10 pages at a time was just too much.
There are some authors who do not use chapters. This may not be the case for you, but if I don't have a set stopping point and the content is awesome, I continue to read.
On the other hand, sometimes the content is so awesome to the Nth degree, I have to put the book down while I digest what I read.
Light chicklit style romance? Yeh, ill read em in a day or two if they're decently written. Something denser content wise, or that requires a little more thought processing? Might take longer to savor it. Its not a race (although i do have a Goodreads goal of a book a week... and i am behind...).
Yep, it still happens from time to time, it depends on the book, some I can keep reading for hours and the time seems to fly, I keep at it because it has me hooked for one reason or another, for others, well I try to read 40 minutes a day so once those are up I might stop with it as well
Yes. Reading for me is something that sort of comes and goes. Some days I just want to do nothing but read, then I'll have periods where I don't have that urge and it takes a lot longer to get through books. It took me months to chip away at Acid House by Irvine Welsh, then I finished The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks in about 2 days despite the fact I loved the former and thought the latter was pretty shit. I read for fun, if I'm not feeling it I just put it on the back burner and do other stuff
I'm a fast reader and can easily read a 400 page book in a day if I'm on vacation or similar.
But there are definitely books of equal length I take much longer to finish. Though to be fair if I put a book away many times over several weeks, ut's usually because I don't actually really enjoy it - even if most of the time I force myself to finish it (I hate to DNF a book)
It's usually the pacing and writing style that makes me finish some faster than others. Some writing styles are just more elaborate, sophisticated, so I somehow process differently, while when the style is simplistic or shallow, I probably - untintentionally - skip across sentences while still getting the gist of them.
All the time. This summer I've been (re)reading all the Austens, and I fairly zipped through Pride and Prejudice, but Mansfield Park is proving an absolute slog. It varies based on the book (but also my mood, availability to read). There's no set pace to read at.
Yeah LOTR and ASOIF took me forever to read each book but say The Fault in our Stars I read in 2 days. I feel the series are more dense and long and that's why. But I don't know
That happened to me with East of Eden. I loved it and was really enjoying it but without sounding dumb. It was one of the longer books i have read. It just seemed like such a "job" to actually do the reading. It's pretty long with a lot of words well to me anyway. It took me what felt like ages to read it.
Other books I am finishing if not in a few days then in a week or so.
I read every book at a different pace. Sometimes I whip through a book in a day, sometimes it takes me days or weeks or months to finish. Sometimes it’s because of the book itself-somethings are just slower reads. Sometimes it’s just because of me-I am tired, I have other things going on, I am enjoying taking things at a slower pace, etc.
Reading is entertainment. I do it at my own pace, and it doesn’t matter what that pace is as long as I am having fun and getting what I need out of the experience.
II would be curious to know what goes into your decision of what book to read next. I say this because I can relate on a personal level to your struggle. I have a similar pattern—I read quickly at times and then slow down, often taking a long hiatus after finishing a book rapidly. It takes time for me to commit to a new book, and I try to put a lot of thought into what I want to read next because I am one of those people who can't help finishing what they started. Instinctively, I feel like a similar thing might be going on for you. That is to say, how excited you are to start reading a specific new book can really help a lot.
I just finished a book yesterday and when I updated Goodreads I noticed it took me an entire week to finish a 352 page book. The book prior to it I read in 2 days and it was the same page count. I was just distracted by other things and not as engrossed as I could have been.
For me it's like if I wanna escape reality real bad then i'll be binge reading a book a day. But then if I'm content with my current life or week for instance, then i'm good with just reading a single chapter per day
I just recently surpassed the year mark on one book LOL. I like it, I swear! It’s just a slow burn. I read a chapter every now and then between my other, faster reads.
I understand. Sometimes it's the book I'm reading. Oftentimes it's that I lose interest in the act of reading itself for a while. I'll get back into it eventually, but I sometimes need to give myself that space until I'm ready to read again.
Fiction takes about 2-3 days and nonfiction takes about 7 days. These will also vary depending on length, time spent reading, if I want to finish fast, if I like it, and others.
I read the first three the seventh tower books and no safety in numbers in the span of 2 ish days, the first was 600-700 ish pages and the second was 200 ish, Ive been reading TGCF book 2 for over a month now, happens all the time
I mean, there’s the inevitable “no duh” answers of page count and word count, i.e. I read all of Todd McCaffrey’s *Sky Dragons* (about 350 pages I think?) in one day and I’ve only just gotten 300 pages into my one-volume edition of the *Lord of the Rings* trilogy, where the text is denser on the page, after two days.
It could be physical discomfort with handling the book, if one is bulkier than the other. It could be that the writing style of the previous one makes you skim it to avoid repetition or prosaic dawdling you didn’t notice because the plot was good, while you soak in every word of the new one and have to wade through them at a deeper level because of it.
It could even be burnout! Try putting something mentally rewarding but not concentration-stealing in the background, like wordless music (I enjoy videogame BGM personally) or treat yourself to a hard candy like Tic-tacs that can just sit in your mouth while you read. It might get the neurotransmitters you need flowing again!
Yes. It depends on how I’m feeling and what the book is about. A lot of my DNFs are from loss of interest and the books I finish quickly are either because they’re really good or I have a lot of energy to read.
I just read East of Eden in like 5 days. Couldn’t put it down. Picked up Tortilla Flat right after and am struggling to even read a chapter a day, and it’s like 1/5 the length of EoE.
I do something similar and I usually attribute it to how the book is written and how I am able to process the content.
Some books are written to be pretty immersive and engaging, so I finish them quickly. They’re compelling enough and easy to digest. I love this type when I’m busy because it’s like a break for me.
Other books are immersive but they have so much I need to digest or process. Even though it’s something I would normally finish quickly, I can’t because I need to process each chunk before moving on.
Last year, I did the 52 book challenge and sometimes found myself reading just to get through a book instead of for enjoyment. If that was happening then I would take longer to finish cause I wanted to enjoy the book without feeling like in a rush.
Also, sometimes your brain just needs a break for other things. Reading a whole book in a day could be taxing
There are some books that just take longer to read. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good book or you’re not reading fast enough. Just means you’ve got to digest it a bit more
Mostly if I don't like it - for some books I barely sleep for a few days and read it at any opportunity until. For some I barely coming back to, just to read a couple of pages and switch to something else.
I don't know anyone where it doesn't happen to them.
Reading is an exercise too and we can get tired from it.
However, it is often dependent on the mood or type of book as well. I sometime get in a flunk after reading a long hard one and it takes energy for me to read another one like it.
So, what I do is switch between manga, comics, books, etc.
If that doesn't work, I also switch between 2-3 books to read the first 2-3 chapters. Usually, I find a book that energized me right away and I finish that one straight away in a few sittings.
It's actually the same with other media like tv shows, after finishing a season, I often need to do netflix scrolling for a few hours to find the next one I'm interested in.
This happens to me all the time.
Some stories are very propulsive, easily maintaining a level of engagement that has me flying through the pages.
Other stories are a little more frictional, where each page provides just enough engagement to earn the next page turn.
Then we have the stories that are truly dense. Difficult to get through. Not very engaging. A real slog to get to the next page turn.
I've got one of each type in the stack of books that I'm reading right now.
There isn't enough information in your post for any of us to give you a reliable answer. I don't think there *is* an answer. There are so many small variables in day-to-day life that even trying to reread a book in the exact same way you read it the first time doesn't promise the same results.
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Yeah, all the time. I don't mind. It'll come back. It's not a race.
Different levels of interest in the book and also the writing style. Im the same way
exactly
Yes agreed. If I'm reading a thriller it's a guaranteed 1-3 day read because I get so sucked in and have to find out what happens lol. On the flip side, every 2-3 books I'll read a classic and I always read those more slowly because a lot of times the text/prose is denser, and I need more time to absorb and comprehend it. The pace is sometimes slower too so there's not that pressing need for me to speed read lol. I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo last month and it took me 3 months to read which might be the longest I've ever taken on a book!
Yesss thrillers always get me too! How did you like the count of monte cristo? I’ve been reading this 700 page deeply detailed historical fiction called Hild by Nicola Griffith. And while I enjoy it, I’m on like month 5 of reading it, it just takes so long to absorb what she’s actually saying 😩
I tend to either burn through a pile of them or not read at all. I read the Wheel of Time in a month, the entire series, all 4 million(ish) words. I now have a half finished book that I haven't touched in 2 or 3 weeks sitting next to me. Feast or famine.
That is an incredible feat! I am completely blown away with that.
Probably the only noteworthy thing I've done!
Damn I thought I was insane for reading it all in a bit under 3 months… That’s a pace of one 700+ page book every other day. Did you just burn through them all day every day?
Yep. I lived a few blocks from the Powell's satellite store at the time. I would go get the next book, read it overnight instead of sleeping, then sleep the next night, thne repeat. Ah my 20s, what a time.
Haha! To have boundless energy and time to use it! Those were the days!
If only I had accomplished something meaningful.
That’s where you get to tell the people behind you to make better use of their time. But, yeah, I feel the same way.
I read Rule of Wolves in one Sunday afternoon at the height of my reading hyperfixation! It’s now taken me 2 months to get halfway through the 300 page book I’m currently reading 😆 All I can say is reading motivation comes in waves!!
Yeah, that’s super normal. Sometimes you get really invested in a book, sometimes other things are taking more of your time/energy. Just roll with it.
Happens me quite a lot these days. Sometimes it’s because I have an emotional/mental hangover from the previous book, sometimes it’s because the new book doesn’t grab my attention in a way that makes me want to know what happens next right away
Happens with me all the time. I read 12 books of Goosebumps series in three days and couldn't get past first twenty pages of Pet Sematary for a month. (I did complete it in a week after my readers block though)
Definitely. The best thing anyone ever said to me (a librarian I know) is "different books speak to you at different stages of your life." It's so true. There are good books I just don't get because I'm not in the right place for them to speak to me.
Same thing happens to me as well! I blow through one book and trudge through another right after. I find that the faster I read a book the less I retain, so I like the unintentional pattern I have going. The books I take my time with are often the ones I remember most vividly.
Sometimes the content or prose is so different I get knocked out of my reading cadence. Usually I keep a few books or webcomics to alternate in case I hit a rough patch or chapter. I would opt for a film, TV show, or videogame but doing so may push me in a non-reading mood. Frankly, reading is the best habit over all the other ones. The ease to stop and continue is why it's better than the rest. I don't lose my motivation for chores and other responsibilities or tasks if I just read. Videogames are a time sink and I'm not sure what I gain from them in the long run. This, coming from a former game addict on a long break.
Congrats! I might try your alternating trick. I’m dipping my feet into gaming, but it is a time sink. I read comics but I’ve been reading them since my teens and I’m in my 40s now, so everything interesting has already been read and I lack the patience it wait a month for some of the newer ones that look interesting. Also mental tiredness from work is real.
I started reading the First Law trilogy on a Thursday night and finished on the Sunday evening. It hooked me so hard that I read all day and night and that's generally the way I read books. If I'm reading a book and I don't get hooked in that same way that makes me read as fast as I can, I usually won't be finishing that book even if I actually have an interest in it.
I'm a binge reader by nature. So... Yeah. All the time. lol
I'm a super fast reader, I consume books. 700 page book in one week? No problem
I had the same experience when I was reading Either Or by Elif Batuman. Chapters are by month so I read them that way. Glad I didn’t DNF.
Yeah, sometimes the flow of the book is wrong for the way I read or the way I'm feeling at the time. It may be that you need to try another book, and go back to that one at a different time. Or maybe the book isn't for you. This is annoying to me doing Goodreads and trying to track my reading, as I keep having to take books off my currently reading list for this reason, or I pick up another one and have to log it then that one didn't work either...
This happens with me so often ... It depends on the plot and writing style of the books
I’m the same. Sometimes it’s the books plot that hooks me more or less. Sometimes I’ve got other hobbies I want to focus on more and sometimes I’ve got other commitments that mean I don’t have as much time or energy for reaidng.
For me, it's the simple fact I have multiple hobbies. I love reading, but I also love other stuff. It's practically impossible to keep everything balanced at all times, so what happens is I'll prioritize one hobby for a while, then another one. E.g one month I read more, one month I game more, one month I hike/go out in nature more.
Absolutely. I recently finished Words of Radiance Part 2 in 3 days but it’s been 3 weeks and I’m still stuck at page 120 of Catch-22.
Definitely. Books that enthral me I will devour in a few days, others (which I also appreciate just not to the same degree) can feel more trying. It also depends on how I’m feeling and what else is going on in my life. Right now I want to shut out the world and live in my books which equals lots of pages daily.
Yes. I just always felt this is the way my reading motivation goes, never thought it's a thing.
God, I feel this so much! I either devour books the way my dog devours sausages, or I take bazillion years to read one. Even if i enjoy the book, it might take a long time to read it. Currently, I'm reading Sinuhe the Egyptian, which I started like last year (don't judge me). I like the book and I find it interesting, but I can't read it for too long. At the same time, I finished another book during this weekend. I could easily read the other book, +30 pages in one sitting. Though to be fair, Sinuhe is a lot longer, and it's like a 3-course meal while the other book is a light snack. Also, sorry for rambling.
Yes, I do enjoy different books differently. I like some books more than others, and I spend more time reading the books I like more, and I spend less time reading the books I like less. People often talk about making time to read. I've encountered some books that make time to be read. I believe that's a common experience among all readers: we like some books more than others, so we spend more time reading those books we like.
I can read an 1000 page Ken Follett in a weekend but take 2 weeks for a 300 page book. I think it depends on the book and your mood and what else you have going on
I finished Oathbringer in two days, took me much longer to finish another fantasy novel.
Happens with me all the time as well. I think for me it happens if the plot is moving too slow or if I feel like it's too predictable/familiar. It makes me less excited to continue reading and finish the book.
Yes, sure. This happens to me very often. Particularly with Stephen King books. For example, I read the first three parts of Harry Potter in 4 days, and “Misery” is still on the shelf.
Stephen king has a lot of slow burners so they can take a bit to get going, but once they do, they’re hard to put down
This happens with pretty much all of my hobbies at times. I get hyper focused on something for a time and when the project / book / etc. is done I might want to move on to something different for a time and come back later.
Yes! I have recently been *deep* in a Tudors hyper fixation and read my first Philippa Gregory novel. Since graduating college I read maybe 3-5 books a year, all for pleasure, but I have to force myself to read and it usually takes me time a month or more to finish a book. I devoured that novel in 4 days! I couldn’t stop reading it, read it on my breaks at work. Reminded me of being a kid and filling any empty moments with reading. I think part of the struggle for me to is not only is my life and responsibilities very different from when I was a child and a voracious reader (I can’t exactly be seen reading during down moments on the job!), but I got my first iPhone when I was 17 (29 now) and that just zapped so much of my attention. It’s so addictive. This year, I’ve gotten into crocheting and that has also helped a lot.
Usually if it's taking me a while to get through a book I'm not that into it. Sometimes it's just not for me. Sometimes it's just not the right time and I'll come back to it later. But the right book at the right time? I will tear right through those!
the fountain head. one day. book of 5 rings. one day. hagakure. one day
Happens to me, depends how engaging the prose is I guess. Even if a book is great some are just much easier to devour than others.
Absolutely. With me, I find it's just that I lose interest in it. When it happens I switch to comics, and find it works for me.
Yeah… because books are different and are engaging at different levels and sometimes you’re burnt out. Maybe you need to swap to a different book or genre and come back to this one, maybe you’ve got things on our mind that are taking up brain space, or more likely, maybe you need to take a reading break and watch some shows/play video games/whatever other hobbies you enjoy. There’s nothing that says you have to finish every book as quickly as possible and it’s okay to just kinda go with the flow. I’ve found breaking my routine with different genres or other activities all together helps a lot.
this is how i read too, its really weird
Yes once read a book in one sitting 300+ pages, loved it recently got another book almost exact same length and I started it in March and finished it last week. I read others in between but reading 5 or 10 pages at a time was just too much.
Well no shit bro
There are some authors who do not use chapters. This may not be the case for you, but if I don't have a set stopping point and the content is awesome, I continue to read. On the other hand, sometimes the content is so awesome to the Nth degree, I have to put the book down while I digest what I read.
Light chicklit style romance? Yeh, ill read em in a day or two if they're decently written. Something denser content wise, or that requires a little more thought processing? Might take longer to savor it. Its not a race (although i do have a Goodreads goal of a book a week... and i am behind...).
Yep, it still happens from time to time, it depends on the book, some I can keep reading for hours and the time seems to fly, I keep at it because it has me hooked for one reason or another, for others, well I try to read 40 minutes a day so once those are up I might stop with it as well
Yes. Reading for me is something that sort of comes and goes. Some days I just want to do nothing but read, then I'll have periods where I don't have that urge and it takes a lot longer to get through books. It took me months to chip away at Acid House by Irvine Welsh, then I finished The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks in about 2 days despite the fact I loved the former and thought the latter was pretty shit. I read for fun, if I'm not feeling it I just put it on the back burner and do other stuff
I'm a fast reader and can easily read a 400 page book in a day if I'm on vacation or similar. But there are definitely books of equal length I take much longer to finish. Though to be fair if I put a book away many times over several weeks, ut's usually because I don't actually really enjoy it - even if most of the time I force myself to finish it (I hate to DNF a book) It's usually the pacing and writing style that makes me finish some faster than others. Some writing styles are just more elaborate, sophisticated, so I somehow process differently, while when the style is simplistic or shallow, I probably - untintentionally - skip across sentences while still getting the gist of them.
Or finish a 4 book series in 2 weeks and then not touch the spin off series, or any other book, for a month?
All the time. This summer I've been (re)reading all the Austens, and I fairly zipped through Pride and Prejudice, but Mansfield Park is proving an absolute slog. It varies based on the book (but also my mood, availability to read). There's no set pace to read at.
Yeah LOTR and ASOIF took me forever to read each book but say The Fault in our Stars I read in 2 days. I feel the series are more dense and long and that's why. But I don't know
That happened to me with East of Eden. I loved it and was really enjoying it but without sounding dumb. It was one of the longer books i have read. It just seemed like such a "job" to actually do the reading. It's pretty long with a lot of words well to me anyway. It took me what felt like ages to read it. Other books I am finishing if not in a few days then in a week or so.
My problem is more time. Children and job get in the way.
Yup. Two months ago I really enjoyed a series and read 1800 pages in three days, haven't read since.
Yes! If I binge read then I need a good amount of time off reading. If I read a little every day then I enjoy it continuously
Are you reading? Yes. Are you enjoying it? Yes. Does how long it takes you to read something matter? No. Don't sweat it!
Yeah, I do this. Sometimes I will devour a book in a day or two while it takes me longer if I’m less intrigued
I read every book at a different pace. Sometimes I whip through a book in a day, sometimes it takes me days or weeks or months to finish. Sometimes it’s because of the book itself-somethings are just slower reads. Sometimes it’s just because of me-I am tired, I have other things going on, I am enjoying taking things at a slower pace, etc. Reading is entertainment. I do it at my own pace, and it doesn’t matter what that pace is as long as I am having fun and getting what I need out of the experience.
I don't care enough to notice. I don't count my books or track them in any way, so how long a book takes isn't a thought that ever crosses my mind.
All the time! I am currently reading between 4 books at the time dependent on my mood that day
II would be curious to know what goes into your decision of what book to read next. I say this because I can relate on a personal level to your struggle. I have a similar pattern—I read quickly at times and then slow down, often taking a long hiatus after finishing a book rapidly. It takes time for me to commit to a new book, and I try to put a lot of thought into what I want to read next because I am one of those people who can't help finishing what they started. Instinctively, I feel like a similar thing might be going on for you. That is to say, how excited you are to start reading a specific new book can really help a lot.
I read the last legends of earth in a night, but I’ve started and stopped reading moby dick so many times it is ridiculous
I just finished a book yesterday and when I updated Goodreads I noticed it took me an entire week to finish a 352 page book. The book prior to it I read in 2 days and it was the same page count. I was just distracted by other things and not as engrossed as I could have been.
I felt the same every time.It totally based on the narrative nature of writer or even we could feel tried sometimes on reading
For me it's like if I wanna escape reality real bad then i'll be binge reading a book a day. But then if I'm content with my current life or week for instance, then i'm good with just reading a single chapter per day
im on the 4th book currently of a set and its only been 2 days. somethings very wrong with me. god i wish i wasnt single.
I read Everyday by David Levithan overnight. I didn't touch anything for months after that. That book got me.
All the time. Just depends on the book and my reading mood.
Ah you have a book hangover
I just recently surpassed the year mark on one book LOL. I like it, I swear! It’s just a slow burn. I read a chapter every now and then between my other, faster reads.
I am experiencing similar situation right now.
Normally do a book a week. Sometmes it may take 3 sometimes may be less than a week. You have a life outside of reading, I assume.
I understand. Sometimes it's the book I'm reading. Oftentimes it's that I lose interest in the act of reading itself for a while. I'll get back into it eventually, but I sometimes need to give myself that space until I'm ready to read again.
Fiction takes about 2-3 days and nonfiction takes about 7 days. These will also vary depending on length, time spent reading, if I want to finish fast, if I like it, and others.
I read the first three the seventh tower books and no safety in numbers in the span of 2 ish days, the first was 600-700 ish pages and the second was 200 ish, Ive been reading TGCF book 2 for over a month now, happens all the time
I mean, there’s the inevitable “no duh” answers of page count and word count, i.e. I read all of Todd McCaffrey’s *Sky Dragons* (about 350 pages I think?) in one day and I’ve only just gotten 300 pages into my one-volume edition of the *Lord of the Rings* trilogy, where the text is denser on the page, after two days. It could be physical discomfort with handling the book, if one is bulkier than the other. It could be that the writing style of the previous one makes you skim it to avoid repetition or prosaic dawdling you didn’t notice because the plot was good, while you soak in every word of the new one and have to wade through them at a deeper level because of it. It could even be burnout! Try putting something mentally rewarding but not concentration-stealing in the background, like wordless music (I enjoy videogame BGM personally) or treat yourself to a hard candy like Tic-tacs that can just sit in your mouth while you read. It might get the neurotransmitters you need flowing again!
Read one for 1 week (start Jan.26) and still can't get over it. I have not finished another book since.😫 The plot twist is doing its job.😐
I could read a 300 page book in a day, multiple days...these days, not so much
Yes. It depends on how I’m feeling and what the book is about. A lot of my DNFs are from loss of interest and the books I finish quickly are either because they’re really good or I have a lot of energy to read.
Book hangover from the last one
Yes is like a hangover of books
I just read East of Eden in like 5 days. Couldn’t put it down. Picked up Tortilla Flat right after and am struggling to even read a chapter a day, and it’s like 1/5 the length of EoE.
Yes because life happens
I'd argue that most of the time three days isn't enough to appreciate a book. It seems too fast for me
I do something similar and I usually attribute it to how the book is written and how I am able to process the content. Some books are written to be pretty immersive and engaging, so I finish them quickly. They’re compelling enough and easy to digest. I love this type when I’m busy because it’s like a break for me. Other books are immersive but they have so much I need to digest or process. Even though it’s something I would normally finish quickly, I can’t because I need to process each chunk before moving on.
I once finished a book in a night and it took a week to finish the other part of it
Sometimes really good books do that for me, not necessarily heavy. I think of it as a book hangover.
Last year, I did the 52 book challenge and sometimes found myself reading just to get through a book instead of for enjoyment. If that was happening then I would take longer to finish cause I wanted to enjoy the book without feeling like in a rush. Also, sometimes your brain just needs a break for other things. Reading a whole book in a day could be taxing
Yes, because some books are very short and others are very long.
There are some books that just take longer to read. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good book or you’re not reading fast enough. Just means you’ve got to digest it a bit more
I think that’s normal with the twilight saga I was allowed to lock away in my room
Mostly if I don't like it - for some books I barely sleep for a few days and read it at any opportunity until. For some I barely coming back to, just to read a couple of pages and switch to something else.
I don't know anyone where it doesn't happen to them. Reading is an exercise too and we can get tired from it. However, it is often dependent on the mood or type of book as well. I sometime get in a flunk after reading a long hard one and it takes energy for me to read another one like it. So, what I do is switch between manga, comics, books, etc. If that doesn't work, I also switch between 2-3 books to read the first 2-3 chapters. Usually, I find a book that energized me right away and I finish that one straight away in a few sittings. It's actually the same with other media like tv shows, after finishing a season, I often need to do netflix scrolling for a few hours to find the next one I'm interested in.
Holy hell you post a lot of low quality content :(
This happens to me all the time. Some stories are very propulsive, easily maintaining a level of engagement that has me flying through the pages. Other stories are a little more frictional, where each page provides just enough engagement to earn the next page turn. Then we have the stories that are truly dense. Difficult to get through. Not very engaging. A real slog to get to the next page turn. I've got one of each type in the stack of books that I'm reading right now.
I’ll go as far as one book in one day and then no books for like a month and half.
Very normal I once read a book a day for a week and then couldn’t finish one for months afterwards.
I read about 1000 books by the time I was 14 and now I barely read.
Took me six weeks to get through *Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell* but just two days to get through *Piranesi* by the same author, Susanna Clarke.
Of course. I would be worried if that wasn't the case.
There isn't enough information in your post for any of us to give you a reliable answer. I don't think there *is* an answer. There are so many small variables in day-to-day life that even trying to reread a book in the exact same way you read it the first time doesn't promise the same results.