Do you have a photographic memory James? The pace that you read at is astounding. I can skim a book at a pretty good pace, but my information retention is not even close to yours. As a student this must have come in very handy.
Michael On Dec 24, 2011 10:32 AM, "James Young" <[email protected]> wrote: > Actually as toothrottingly sweet as some of those cards can be, it's > perfectly reasonable to be proud of making it through some of those. > Provided of course, you weren't in the bathroom retching because of said > card. > > -James > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jason Green" <[email protected]> > To: "feistfans-l" <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 6:26 PM > Subject: Re: Possible answer > > > I once read an entire Hallmark greeting card in one sitting. >> >> Not quite as impressive, but I was quite proud. >> >> Plus, there was nothing else to read in the bathroom. >> >> >> >> On 12/23/11, James Young <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I don't max out my reading speed for things I want to enjoy. Reading at >>> top >>> speed is like running >>> an engine on a red line. I can do it for a fair length of time, but >>> there's >>> a limit and I'll pay a >>> price for it later, usually a splitting headache. Generally I won't do >>> it >>> for more than about 3 or >>> 4 hours, enough to read an entire college text book (ugh, that was an >>> awful >>> cellular biology text), >>> but no more. It's not for "pleasure", but for "purpose". >>> >>> My comprehension rate does drop some the closer I get to maximum speed, >>> but >>> I'm still generally >>> between 75% and 85% depending on the technical difficulty. At top speed >>> I'm >>> absorbing enough to >>> pass comprehensive exams with good marks or discourse on a subject that's >>> covered in the material, >>> but I'll lose a portion of the specifics particularly in cases where it >>> the >>> writing isn't stellar. >>> I suffer the most drawback with the high end technical writing in >>> scientific >>> journal articles since >>> the information density of those works is very, very high and often quite >>> specialized. >>> >>> I slow down to savor stuff that I want to enjoy, roughly 120 pages per >>> hour. >>> My retention at that >>> level is remarkably good, to the point I basically commit entire books to >>> short term memory and >>> running a very high comprehension rate, in the 95% or better range. >>> Since I >>> can reread items >>> regularly, I can commit longer and more complex works to long term >>> memory. >>> I can probably quote you >>> half of Tolkien just off the top of my head, but I've also read it >>> several >>> dozen times. As to my >>> enjoyment of the story, it's quite alive and well at any speed, in fact >>> it's >>> the author's skill that >>> will set my pace more than anything. Really good, fluid authors like >>> Ray* >>> will allow me to kick >>> into high gear and finish a book quite quickly because they have a flow >>> that >>> other authors haven't >>> mastered. >>> >>> -James >>> >>> *Fantasy authors I read very quickly include A. Lee Martinez, Raymond E. >>> Feist, J.R.R. Tolkien, >>> Trudi Canavan, Tanith Lee, and Markus Heitz. Authors that I find more >>> jarring include J.K. Rowling, >>> Christopher Paolini, Fiona McIntosh, and David B. Coe. >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Josh Hessel" <[email protected]> >>> To: "feistfans-l" <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 4:22 PM >>> Subject: Re: Possible answer >>> >>> >>> Hey James, >>>> >>>> I know a couple of people that read very quickly. I can read quite >>>> quickly if I actively focus on the task, but I find that I don't >>>> absorb the story/content as well or enjoy the experience as much as if >>>> I am reading slower. >>>> >>>> Do you find this? At the speeds you mentioned, are you still able to >>>> absorb and enjoy the content as much as if you took more time? >>>> >>>> Josh >>>> >>>> On 24/12/2011, at 4:12, James Young <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> >>>>> My official speed is 1,434 words per minute on paper; 1,076 words per >>>>> minute on a screen; with >>>>> comprehension. The average mass market has around 250 words per page, >>>>> so >>>>> I'm just shy of 6 pages >>>>> per minute on paper. >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >> -- >> Sent from my mobile device >> >> > >
