I get a lot of questions on ‘How to Boost one’s reading speed’ and honestly, it depends completely on the book you are reading. You can never speed read a classic, or fantasy with complex world building because you will have to grasp the book in its entirety.
So here are a few genres that will help you increase your reading speed, but first- a few essential points to keep in mind:
- Even with an easy book, it is sometimes difficult to speed read it. It depends on the reader.
- Books with complex vocabulary will always be a hurdle unless you have a fabulous vocab and the dictionary is basically your junior in college.
- If you want to critically analyze a book, speed reading will be your biggest enemy, because when you try to read fast, you miss out on valuable information. Our mind tries to filter out information that is irrelevant to the actual plot.
- One of the best ways is to sit with a timer and keep a count of how many pages can you read in an hour. However, don’t make it stressful or you’ll end up in a slump.
Genres that will boost your reading speed:
- Thrillers: Binge-read your thrillers, but stay away from the one with too many characters or too much information.
Recommendations:
- The Lie by C. L. Taylor
- My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
- Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
- The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
- Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
- Fantasy: Some light fantasy, free of complex world building can always be a fun way to finish your reading goals and challenges.
Recommendations:
- A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
- The Binding by Bridget Collins
- Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
- Teens and YA: Choose books that look simple, and doesn’t include complex issues. Feeling close to the book in a deep way can slow down your reading. Go for contemporary romance or themes that you are most comfortable with.
Recommendations:
- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
- The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary
- There’s Something about Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
- Romanov by Nadine Brandes
- To All the Boys I Have Loved Before by Jenny Han
I would like to mention that this post is based on my opinion on things, and may or may not be helpful to each one of you at a personal level. If you want to add anything, feel free to say it in the comment section and I will make sure it reaches the relevant audience.
Great post Mridula. I have read quite a few of these and can definitely vouch them. Would definitely check out the others.
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Thanks so much 🙂 So happy to have your seal of approval
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Completely agree with you, Mridula. 🙂 Thrillers are the best book for binge-reading.
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haha. Yes. Thrillers are the best of the lot.
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Great one Mridula! I completely agree with Thrillers and Teens/YA. Coming to Fantasy, like you said everyone has their level of understanding. It does change with person to person! Would definitely check out the books from this list 🙂
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Thank you so much 🙂 I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to pick.
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This is a very informative post. Thank you! Though I have half of the above books, I have read only Romanov. And since I read it as a part of a Readalong, I don’t know about my reading speed. We read a few chapters every day, so…
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Sit with a timer 🙂 That’s the best. You can see how long you take to finish those few pages.
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I never thought of that. Thanks!
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I guess now most of them will have a rough idea on how to go forward with their reading habit and also it has tips for improvement. Good one Mridula:)
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