Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
I found on the internet that the average reading speed is 200–250 words per minute in non-technical material–about 2 minutes per single-spaced page. In technical and scientific material, the average reading rate is approx. 50–75 words per minute–roughly 5–6 minutes per page.
Go ahead and test your reading speed and post it as a comment. Probably the easiest and most accurate way to do this would be to copy/paste some of our blog material into a Word document and set the timer for one minute. I’m pretty sure our blog would be classified as non-technical reading. Read as much as you can in a minute and then highlight what you read and use the word count tool to see how many words you read in that minute. We can compare reading speeds! 🙂 I’ll post mine too!
The benefits of reading…
Reading is relaxing! It helps you lose stress and also puts stressful things out of your mind. You’re able to get involved in a story that’s not your own, directing your attention and emotions toward something less personal and stressing.
Reading makes you smarter. Reading is a way to expand vocabulary, and it’s also a way to learn about things beyond your own walk of life. Through experiencing life via a character’s eyes, you can learn empathy and gain understanding for people who are going through situations similar to the character’s. The same is true for nonfiction projects. You learn about experiences beyond yours, and you can see how other people have dealt with real-life situations.
Reading keeps you informed. When we read the Books & Such blog, magazines, newspapers, and books, we’re learning about the publishing industry, world events, national events, historical events, and much more. Of course particular genres of books inform best in these different areas: biography, historical fiction, history books, text books, satire, etc. Some examples are: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama; I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert; and Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter.
Reading is FUN! It’s one of the things I enjoy the most, and I know I’m not alone in that. I sometimes take mini-vacations (not from work, but from home and responsibilities) so that I can enjoy a book without interruptions.
Have you ever planned an escape from life to read a good book? Thought so.
Reading helps you write. Through extensive reading you pick up grammar techniques, you learn how to use different sentence structures, you learn about point-of-view, and you learn how to write effectively–getting your point across without losing your audience. When you read a lot, you gain the ability to pick out good writing and bad writing. This ability will help you notice if you’re making the common errors you see in the bad writing you’ve encountered, and through that you’ll improve your skills. Plus, you could always read books on writing and grammar like those listed on the Books & Such recommended reading page.
Why do you read? And don’t forget to test your reading speed!
I decided to use the first chapter of my novel for the test. Here’s the good news- it didn’t put me to sleep! My speed- 286 WPM. Not bad considering I’ve only had a few sips of the first cup of coffee and I woke at 1 a.m. with an allergy attack.
I agree completely about reading. When I go on my summer residency, I take great joy in choosing the books I’ll bring along. I read four to five books in a two week period. I do a lot of writing too, don’t get me wrong, but one of the most beneficial aspects of that time is its restorative properties. Reading things I enjoy while I’m working on my own project (that may or may not be giving me trouble) is a great way to recharge and learn at the same time. I notice more of the good writing when I read on residency or vacation. It must have something to do with being away from your own daily grind.
The timer went off when I finished this blog piece (pasted into Word). 529 words a minute–but then I’m a professional reader. 🙂
My AP English teacher back in the dark ages once told us we read because we can never experience everythin, particularly before it happens; but reading can help us understand how to react when we encounter “life” situations.
I thought about his words years later when my mother died and I somehow “knew” what to do–this felt familiar. Obviously the Holy Spirit was at work, but I’d read enough books and novels about dying, that it wasn’t as unfamiliar as it should have been.
I read for knowledge and escape; for information and for work; to know what to wear outside and where to go. The two times in my life I could not read (visiting the former Czechoslavakia and the current China), I felt like a life-size doll walking in innocence and ignorance.
All stuffing and little insight. I didn’t like it.
Great post. I read to escape reality. To jump into the unknown and unlikely. Love that. To be honest, I live a fairly repetative (but good) life. Work, write, sports–work, write, sports—you get my drift…so when I read, it draws me to an exciting world where unexpected and crazy things happen. Maybe that’s why I like the paranormal/supernatural genres so much 🙂
Oh, so, I copied your blog post into a word document and set a timer. In one minute I got to word number 298 when the beeper went off.
What a fun experiment. I’ll be back to see how everyone did on your challenge.
I like how you point out that reading makes you smarter. Very true.
The brain is working while you are reading–processing words, visualizing settings, composing music for a scene–where as TV gives you everything you need, and you don’t really have to think at all. Turn on the tube, turn off the brain.
I came in at 250 words a minute. Guess I’m average today.
Wow, mine was up at 500 words per minute. I’ve always been a really fast reader though. : )
I read because it’s almost like breathing to me. it’s the only way I relax. When i read, for a while I can go into someone else’s world, and forget about the troubles in mine. It helps me come back and take on things with a new attitude, and sometimes adjust my way of thinking if I’ve had a negative outlook on things in the past.
I read 398 words in a minute, although I think I was reading faster than I usually do.
I enjoyed your comments about how reading helps you write. Besides just learning to distinguish between good and bad writing, I find that it also feeds my desire to write and my creativity. Especially reading books on writing, when I read them it helps my mind think through my own writing and story while teaching me how to improve. Reading is definitely a great tool to motivate writing.
My reading speed wasn’t as slow as I expected–219 words in a minute.
Because I read to escape and relax, I tend to read slowly, painting each scene in my imagination. I noticed that reading assignments in school took me longer than most, but I rarely had to re-read for the details. Mixed blessing, I guess.
I agree with each of the benefits you listed. In addition, people who read tend to incorporate a broader vocabulary in their own speech, making them stronger communicators. And because readers regularly look at the world from someone else’s point of view, I wonder if it might not also build empathy for others?
So much for the myth of the “unsocialized” bookworm. 🙂
532 wpm for me. (Like Michelle, I read for a living.) I wish I could type as fast as I read!
This is a lot of fun! Thanks for participating. I hope we get a lot more participants throughout the day.
Ame, I feel the same way about reading! It relaxes me and allows me to remove myself from my life enough to take a fresh look at whatever problems I might be having.
The book doesn’t even need to be related to what I’m going through; I just need to be drawn into the story and then the book works its “magic.”
“And because readers regularly look at the world from someone else’s point of view, I wonder if it might not also build empathy for others?”
Wow! Great insight.
I’m really surprised by my result. I picked a story online that I haven’t read before and read like I do when I read for pleasure. My result was 590 words per minute. I can speed read, but I usually only do that for school stuff (I’m in high school). I was a little skeptical, so I tried again with something I wrote and got 596 words. I guess I read quickly even when I’m not intentionally ‘speed reading.’
Um. I got 861 words per minute — the blog post plus the first two comments. I’ve had people tell me that I’m a speed reader, but I actually didn’t think I was that much faster than average until now!
I’m a lawyer.
298 for me.
C.S. Lewis said: “We read to know we are not alone.”
I’m not sure what the context of that quote was. But if he was talking about reading to connect with others who think like we do, I’d agree that this is why I read nonfiction. I want to learn, but I want to learn from someone who is on the same page I’m on. It’s validating to read others who share your beliefs on a given issue.
I love to read novels, though, because they take me places, both physically and emotionally, that I can’t get to in real life. There are all kinds of benefits to be had, as you point out, and I’m glad of that because I can justify my novel reading by looking at the benefits. But I WANT to read novels because they’re exciting.
Wow, Carrie! I’m impressed. I wonder if reading all of those legal documents makes reading blog material really easy. 🙂
Sally, I agree, great novels are exciting! Thanks for the reminder of the joy we find in reading.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to time my reading speed, but I wanted to reply to this thread anyway.
I think I read for the same reason that I write. Removing either of these makes me feel like I’m suffocating. Perhaps that sounds dramatic, but there’s something about Story–about reading a good one and writing one myself– that just breathes life.
And it’s fun!
-Kristen Torres-Toro
Oh, I forgot to answer the “why I read” part of the post! Because a good story is magic. My parents said I used to go deaf when I was reading a good book as a little kid — I honestly did not hear them talking to me from a few feet away in my doorway. Reading can take you to another world, it can teach you knew things, or it can show you how to best express something you already knew but could not articulate…
We have hundreds and hundreds of photos of our daughter (now 2) with her books. Nothing makes us happier than seeing that see already loves her books more than any other toy she has (okay, except for Green Turtle).
I’ve tested my reading speed before and can’t remember it… I do remember that it’s easier to read faster when the words are in columns, such as in most blogs and newspapers, then in wide pages of words. In fact, if I flip to a blog where the writing goes from one side of my screen to the other, I’ll likely keep flipping, because it’s harder to read that.
Excellent post. I did the online speed-reading test at: http://www.turboread.com/light_read.htm and scored 355 wpm (I took speed reading in 8th grade, believe it or not, along with typing). I only missed 1 on the comprehension test.
I’m with Lynn… I read fiction to ESCAPE and non-fiction to be INFORMED. Most of us natural-born introverts love to read and think and enter another world. God wrote a book, so he must be a reader, too.