I have noticed lately that when I start reading a new book my pace is veeerrrrryyyyy ssslllooooooooow! After I get about halfway through, the pace picks up a little. Then by the end of the book, I am reading as fast as I can, and the pages are flying by. I can feel my pulse quicken as I find out what's next.
Part of the reason for this is that i have such a limited amount of time to read. Since I work all day, my "reading time" is usually before I go to bed. This could be part of the problem too. By that time in the day, I am tired and it takes me a while to get to the "meat" of the story.
I'm sure I am not the only person who has stayed up too late to finish a book or wait to see what happens in that major conflict that you find yourself in the middle of.
But on the other hand, does anyone ever slow down at the end of a book because you don't want it to end?
What is your reading style?
When writing, do you ever take these things into consideration?
I'm pretty consistent throughout, with the only exception is that I might slow down a bit in the middle. But just a tad. :)
ReplyDeleteI might be a little more consistent if I had a longer window of time, but it never seems to happen.
DeleteI do seem to get going at the end though :)
I think I am somewhat like you. I have been trying to get through a book that I think I started reading after Christmas. It isn't that it is boring, I just can't seem to get past a few pages before it is time to go to sleep. Life for me seems to be on repeat mode, and there seems to never be enough hours in the day for me. : (
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling! I try to read at least a chapter or two a day but it seems to be a fight to stay awake on some days. I agree, there are never enough hours in the day :)
DeleteI'm a pretty fast reader once I get into a book. I will try and start a book but if I don't have enough time to "get into it" I lose interest. I do have a break most days at work and try to eat lunch & read at the same time. :)
ReplyDeleteI am with you on on the sloooow but I pretty much stay at that pace throughout a book. I think of it as savoring. ;) Plus, I too read before bed and usually it only takes a couple paragraphs before I'm out. Time is definitely the biggest deterrent. A couple summers ago I instituted reading hour w/ my kids, whereby for one hour during daylight we'd grab a book and do nothing else but read (without feeling guilty about it). It was great - we'll have to do it again this year.
ReplyDeleteBethany, do you finish the book if it doesn't grab your attention in the beginning? I almost always finish but sometimes it takes a while to get to the good stuff :)
ReplyDeleteNicki, I love your idea of reading hour! With my schedule that would be hard to do, but I have been going to bed earlier to get more reading in. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. ha ha