Saturday, December 21, 2013

Speed Reading

Before the holidays, Luke gave me the book Culture Amnesia by Clive James. It is a 850 page monster of a text.


As I started reading this text, I was displeased at the pace of my reading. I started early last night and at this point, I've only read a little over 50 pages. Considering all the reading I have left, and all the books I want to read, and all the times my dad has patronizingly teased me for my slow pace, I decided it was time for me to learn the techniques of speed reading.

The key to speed reading is to eliminate vocalization. Often when people read, they verbalize the words in their head before they can create a mental image. This process takes time, and after a while it can become exhausting.

The quicker way to read is to digest the information straight through your eyes and into your brain. It is not common to most of us because we do not learn it in school. Therefore, it requires practice.

Thankfully, the practice is simple and there are a number of techniques you can use.


Maybe one day I will be able to catch up to my dad and read 3 books a week. A girl can dream.

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