I know that I am probably reading too fast too much of the time.
I struggle with this because, as many do, I sometimes confuse reading as a contest rather than an idle joy.
A reading life should be more similar to a meandering breakfast or luxuriously long – and necessary – lunch.
How unfortunate it would be to have a read a book, to have finished a book, and to not have considered a book.
This trepidation is what I am beginning to feel when I see all these new tips and tricks on speed reading.
For if one is reading and simultaneously
See, speed reading kind of misses the point of reading in the first place.
I read to learn, of course, but I do it also because I find pleasure in it.
If in doubt, refused to be influenced.
And read widely.
And read it at your own pace, without pausing even for a second to think about what your rate of words per minute is. You probably read too fast anyway.
-Alan Jacobs, The Pleasures Of Reading In An Age Of Distraction (Amazon)