Harry Potter Speed Reading Association ?

T

thehill

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Hi,

Can anybody tell me how the hell children are reading the new Harry Potter novel in what seems to be a matter of hours - several have been on the radio in the last few days reporting that they had it finished on Sunday morning or whatever !!

What's going on ? am I missing something ? I read quite a lot, but little or no fiction. I will probably never read the Harry Potter novels but they look big - especially the new one - it looks like a real door-stop and even if I did have the time to dedicate to it I would say it would take me days to get through !!

As my "To Be Read" pile grows and grows I would love to be able to get through books that quickly but I just couldn't do it.

I am amazed at the speed with which these children are getting though this book - I just thought I'd get that off my chest !! any opinions would be appreciated
 
Well all I know is that Im approx 80 pages from the end...Im trying to read it slowly. It took all my might to put it down and not "speed read" it. Im going to be so upset when Im finished it. Strange I know. But they are very good and very readable.

This last one was smaller than the previous (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

cas
 
they are probably like me..........didnt put it down until i finished it took about 4 hours!!
 
Saw a creepy looking 30 something year old bloke reading it on the train yesterday. Completely put me off ever reading it (especially in public)!
 
I pre ordered it on Amazon months ago ( I know- I AM sad), but still havent got it- and its cheaper in Dunnes.
 
600 pages / (4 * 60 minutes) ~ 2.5 pages / minute
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and that's exactly the question I'm asking, HOW are you and others reading it so fast?

even if if took you 6 hours, that would still be 1.66 pages per minute, every minute, without a break for 6 hours - I'm not doubting that people are doing this but how are they concentrating for so long? is the print really really big so that, only a few words appear on every page? are there lots of pictures?

am I the only person who finds these numbers amazing - non-stop for 6 hours at 1.66 pages per minute - you must be starving and exhausted when you are finished !!
 
I find that I can read fiction a lot faster than factual books.
Never felt inclined to read Harry Potter (loved the Lord of the Rings aas a kid) but Mrs Purple loves it.
 
by Cahir
Saw a creepy looking 30 something year old bloke reading it on the train yesterday
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Had to laugh when I saw your post! Is 30 now considered old and creepy or was this particular person creepy or was it the fact he was older than 12 reading Harry Potter?

I appluad anyone reading ANY book as far too few people seem to read nowadays so if Harry Potter gets you into reading so be it!
 
fobs,

He could have been in his late thirties (I'm crap at ages) but he was a really creepy looking bloke and kept making odd noises!

I've nothing against people reading kids books - I just finished the "His Dark Materials" trilogy a while ago and loved it!
 
Vanilla said:
I pre ordered it on Amazon months ago ( I know- I AM sad), but still havent got it- and its cheaper in Dunnes.
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Hi Vanilla
That happened to me with the last harry potter and when I went in to cancel the order they wouldnt let me. I tried to cancel 2 or 3 days before it hit the shelves as I saw I would get it faster and cheaper in a local bookstore. Id to wait a week to get the stupid thing. I was not impressed with amazon.
cas
 
Well I've just finished reading it - I got lent it yesterday. Started at 9am this morning and finished at 11am - took me only 2 hours!!
But I do speed read, there's a bit of a knack to it. I'm now looking forward to leafing through it at my leisure over the next 2 days or so. Would never be ashamed to read it on the train though.
BTW, Mr Mo booked his on Easons.ie and we received delivery at 10am on the Monday morning via our local postman - Happy days
 
Started at 9am this morning and finished at 11am - took me only 2 hours!!
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2 hours !!! WHAT !?!!
I'm going back to school !!!

but first a few questions ... now be honest ...

1) you say you "speed read" - what exactly does that mean? 1st sentence of every paragraph or what ?

2) would you be able to answer detailed questions about the book after this 2 hour session?

3) WHY are you planning on browsing through the book again over the next couple of days? is it because you might have missed some/a lot of the details?

4) did you enjoy reading the book so quickly or is it a bit of a boast to able to read this book so fast?

... like I say, be honest !
 
Speed reading comes down to a few core techniques. The most important thing is not to "mouth" the words as you speak. This is one of the things that slows reading down most. Basically, what happens as you improve is that you start reading groups of words together, rather than reading each word individually. This means that the eyes are not movig around as much. Another thing is to reach a point where you only read everything once. Many readers actually look over the same word/sentences several times while they are reading.
 
thehill said:
2 hours !!! WHAT !?!!
I'm going back to school !!!

but first a few questions ... now be honest ...

1) you say you "speed read" - what exactly does that mean? 1st sentence of every paragraph or what ? - No I would read the whole book alright, just read it very quickly.

2) would you be able to answer detailed questions about the book after this 2 hour session? - Yes absolutely

3) WHY are you planning on browsing through the book again over the next couple of days? is it because you might have missed some/a lot of the details? - If I enjoy a book I would read it maybe 6 or 7 times!

4) did you enjoy reading the book so quickly or is it a bit of a boast to able to read this book so fast? - Yes I do enjoy speed reading, the better the book, the faster I read, simply to reach the end and see the conclusion. Not a boast at all.

... like I say, be honest !
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Honestly it's something I picked up by myself when I was younger. I read the full Lord of the Rings trilogy in the space of 3 days, the storyline gripped me and I couldn't put down the book. Granted it was a bank holiday weekend..........
 
FYI went to my local library yesterday and they had the new Potter book there. So if you don't want to pay........
 
This thread reminds me of the Woody Allen gag.

"I took a speed-reading class and read War & Peace in 3 hours ... it's about Russia" :)
 
TarfHead said:
This thread reminds me of the Woody Allen gag.

"I took a speed-reading class and read War & Peace in 3 hours ... it's about Russia" :)
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TarfHead ... excellent !!
 
Seagull said:
Another thing is to reach a point where you only read everything once. Many readers actually look over the same word/sentences several times while they are reading.
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Doesn't this defeat the purpose somewhat - Isn't leisure reading all about taking pleasure from the rhythm and flow of the author's language, rather than just taking in a storyline?
 
RainyDay said:
Doesn't this defeat the purpose somewhat - Isn't leisure reading all about taking pleasure from the rhythm and flow of the author's language, rather than just taking in a storyline?
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Youve answered your own question Rainy. This isnt leisure reading its speed reading. You are right leisure reading is all about taking your time to absorb the atmosphere created by the writer (which is what I try to do when Im reading HP), the flow and the rhythm and not just the plot.

Speed reading, generally used for reading large amounts of material over a limited amount of time, is used for taking salient points and plot but not authors language, flow, tone etc.
 
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