I have been curious about so-called “speed-reading” off and on throughout my life. My interest was renewed recently by an article on one of my more favorite blogs, Lifehacker. It recommended a particular book, Breakthrough Rapid Reading by Peter Kump. Happily, I was able to find a copy via BookMooch and request it from someone who had it available.
I’ve begun the book this past week. I’ve always had a nagging suspicion that I don’t read fast enough, as most people I know can read faster than I can. Testing myself according to the book’s instructions, I was a little relieved. I found that my reading speed was about 200 words per minute, considered “average”—but still plenty of room for improvement!
Since I’m only a few chapters in, the only significant lesson I’ve learned so far is to read while pacing myself with a finger. That’s already produced a significant jump to 300 WPM.
But comprehending what I’m reading, that’s another matter. Fortunately it looks like that will be covered further along in this book as well.
