How long does it take you to read a book?

[Exterminas]

That depends on the text and the context, really.

I read the last Harry Potter Novel in a single day.
But it took me almost half a year to get through something like Thomas Mann's "Der Zauberberg" (obscure german novel, about the same lenght in pages as Harry Potter).

The funny page says I read at 589 wpm with 82%. Although I have to say that english is not my native language. I am one of the fastest readers at my university.

 

[TheFinalFantasyWolf]

I once read the entire "Deltora Quest" series in 12 straight hours.

8 books in one, all with a page count of 120, so thats 960 pages.

I got hooked. Plus I'm a quick reader.

 

[Liudeius]

That's interesting, I got 291 with 100% comprehension. I should have skimmed.

How quickly I read books depends on my schedule at the time and how much I'm interested in the book.

I read the sixth Harry Potter book in a day and a half, because I was reading almost constantly, and in general I finish books that I like in a few days. More than a week and I usually just start reading again from the beginning.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

It takes me a while to get through a book. Sometimes I can blast through them, but more often than not I will be on the same book for months.
It doesn't really have anything to do with how much I am enjoying them. I am just too tired to read most of the time.

When you've been reading the same paragraph for over an hour and you still don't have any fucking idea what it says, it is time to put the book down and cry.

 

[GrimTuesday]

So what I'm wondering is this: Is other people finishing books in days just a product of my imagination, or is that how normal people read? How long does it take you to read an average 500 page novel?

I read at just over 500 words per minute and with a 91% comprehension level according to that test, I am aware that I read about twice as fast as most people around me so I'd guess you're about normal pacing wise with good comprehension.

I finish books at different paces but it's not often I have the leisure time to read a book solidly. last time I did was the final Harry Potter book which I finished in around six hours.

Are you secretly me? because what you just said, is almost exactly the same for me, even the part about the last Harry Potter book.

 

[Hashime]

My reading speed is entirely dependant on what I am reading. Skimming a textbook for important information I read quite fast. Reading a novel for recreational purposes, slow. Plus reading a tom clancy novel with simple sentences easier than reading a conrad novel.

 

[Hoplon]

500 page novel? Well if it's not to slow going... a day? a day being the 4 or so hours after the normal work day.

I read fast though.

 

[infohippie]

Yeah, I tend to sit down with a book and stay there for the day. Means I zip through a 500 page book in a day, sometimes two if I have other things to do. First time I read Lord of the Rings, about 1400 pages, I was in year 6 and it took me about two weeks since I had school taking up most of my time.

 

[Error Syntax]

According to the test I range around 750 wpm with 90% comprehension rate. I've always read rather rapidly when compared to my peers in school or at the university. I usually read one book per day, but what you've described fits well with my own experiences.

 

[Drizzitdude]

Depending on the length of the book and how interesting it is, if it was a 500 page book and interesting I would say maybe 3-4 hours tops.

Also what if its a crazy philosphical peice? Like I spent 5 days reading 'atlas shrugged' just because I was taking notes and going back to reread various parts

 

[Scarim Coral]

From my experience, on average I tend to finish a book within to weeks. I normally read the chapters in the evening for an hour or two which I isn't good for my eyes (I prefer natural sunlight's). I suppose I could put more hours into reading on that evening but I usually have game I want to play.

 

[Cybele]

It depends on the book and how much time I have.
If it's a good book and I have lots of free time then I'll probably finish it in a day or two.
If it's a boring book then it may take anywhere between weeks and months for me to finish it no matter how much time I have.

 

[Je Suis Ubermonkey]

701 wpm and 9/11 questions correct.

I can read good 6-700 page books in an afternoon. My family dragged me to Ireland for a week and I read 9 500 pagers.

 

[spartan231490]

I read a 500 page novel in a day. If it's slow going, I might have to finish it the next morning. According to your little test, I read a 273 wpm, with a 82% comprehension rate. I think that the comprehension rate is higher when I read novels because that test sequence was boring, and because I rarely forget much of anything that's happened in a book, even if I read it years ago.

This is exactly why I try to find books that are almost 1000 pages long, and that are part of a series, that way I can be entertained for a while. Still, it never takes me long, I read a book series that was over 10,000 pages long in less than 2 weeks.

To answer your question, yes this happens because I sit down to read the book for hours at a time and actually read the book for that entire time(most of it, I occasionally stop to think about the book). If this isn't just some bad joke, and you really read like that, you either need to find a better book, or you need to go get checked out for ADD or ADHD.

 

[DonMartin]

Depends, really. I've read shorter books in a day, as those I have read have been more intense and kept my attention, but then again, Ive been reading a 389 page book for about a year now. So it depends, really, on what the book is about and how much else I am doing at the time.

As for reading speed, 264 wpm: oral reader. Not very surprised about that, sort of what I expected.

 

[Raognerrrm]

It'd take me about 3 hours to read a 500 page novel.
Note this is on average. If it's really good (like Ian Irvine or David Eddings), maybe 90 minutes. If it's really bad (like Jane Austen), around 5 hours.
According to the test I got 1054 wpm and 100%.
So I guess you could say I read fast.
But then I'm not really a normal person, so that's not really a good indicator of what is.