Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bout of Books Days 1 & 2

I have never in the history of this blog posted on a daily basis, so I didn't think Bout of Books (when I'm trying to read more than usual!) was the time to start. Updates every other day are much more my speed, giving me more time for the actual reading :)

Monday

Time spent reading: 1 1/2 hours
Pages read: 63
Challenge: If you like X, Try Y



Tuesday

Time spent reading: 2 1/2 hours
Pages read: 63 + 1 hour audio
Books completed: 1 (Team Human)

Total books completed: 1
Total time read: 4 hours
Total pages read: 126 + 1 hr. audio

When I tallied up the pages, I thought it was quite funny to realize I read the exact same number each day so far without intending to. I've always known I'm a slow reader, but it was a bit of a reality check to look at those numbers and realize just how slow compared to most everyone else. I know reading is not about speed, but I always wish I could read more! I can't increase my pace without ruining the experience though, so I'll continue to plod along...

I'm still working on Dark Tide which was one of the books that spilled over from last week. I'm in the homestretch now and hope to finish it later today. On Tuesday, I finished the audiobook of Team Human for next month's book club. I must say it feels really good to be ahead of schedule for once! I also took a trip to the library because two of my holds became available. I'm adding these two to the pile of options for the rest of the week:


Since one is a graphic novel and the other is a short audio book for my Required Re-Reading project, they are definitely good candidates!

How's Bout of Books going for you so far (if you're participating)?

16 comments:

  1. For me, it's interesting to look at the pages/time ratio and compare my first day (and book) to my second. While reading The Target I was reading about 100 pages in an hour. But The River of No Return is going much more slowly - about 60 pages an hour - just because the story demands it.

    You're right, it's not about speed... but when I was hoping to finish my second book today, it's frustrating to know I need to make a lot more time for reading if that's going to happen.

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    1. I definitely agree that the type of book can affect how quickly or slowly I read it. Reading fast is not the goal here (for me anyway), but it's interesting to observe nonetheless. Finding the time in the day is always the most difficult part of me (read-a-thon, or not) which is what I really mean when I say I wish I could read more -- as the old adage goes, I always "wish there were more hours in the day"!

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  2. It doesn't matter how fast you read as long as you enjoy the journey.

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    1. That is definitely true & I do try to remember that always :)

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  3. High five to not updating every day :) I'm very much focusing on reading this time around and don't feel like doing daily updates.

    I think I'm a slow reader as well - maybe even slower than you. My 100 pages a day comes from several hours of reading, so that really isn't that much. And of course it depends what to read - the speed is so different whether it be a classic, a fantasy book or then a graphic novel. I jot down page count mainly for personal interest, I don't have any goal as such, it's just a piece of statistic, but I don't really wish I could read more because as long as I like what I'm reading, it doesn't really matter. Also it may sound a bit weird but sometimes I don't want to read fast at all; somehow reading slower makes me feel like I get more from the book - I guess it's something similar to what you mention about reading experience there.

    Have a nice rest of the week! :)

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    1. I'm trying to focus on reading, too. I'm participating in challenges, but only if they are not time-consuming and I don't think Twitter chats are really my thing.

      You're definitely right that the type of book affects reading speed -- I'd say I'm at about my average right now, but there are a LOT of books I would read more slowly (like classics, more difficult books, or ones that seem boring or dry, though I try to avoid those!) I would think for you the language might also makes a difference -- whether you are reading in Estonian or English. And I don't think it sounds weird at all to want to read slowly sometimes -- every once in a while I get so immersed in a book that I want to really savor it, wishing it would never have to end. My temptation to want to read more is just knowing how many other great books are out there! I don't think I really and truly want to read faster, but I do wish I had more time to read in general :)

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    2. Okay, I do understand the want to have more time to read in general :) I didn't think of the language difference because I've been reading pretty much exclusively in English for some time (also it might be worth mentioning that we speak English at home as well, so it's like my daily language), but it is definitely true that my understanding of English is not comparable of this to a native speaker! There are plenty of words I don't understand at times, and I am not sure if native speakers get that too (I guess you guys encounter a word here and there that you don't know the exact meaning of, though).

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    3. I think all of us bookworms would like a few extra hours in the day :) That is very interesting about the language -- I knew you read a lot in English, but didn't realize it was also your daily language. Though I never would have even guessed English wasn't your first language from your blog if you hadn't said it! There are definitely words I read sometimes that I don't understand and compulsively look them up in the dictionary (or on Dictionary.com more likely!) but it does depend on the genre/difficulty of the book how often that kind of thing will come up.

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  4. I've read The Hunger Games but hadn't come across that other series so will be sure to try that at some point. I'm working on clearing my currently reading list on Goodreads - there's like 20 on there!!

    Some days I read reems and can clear chapters other days I'm like a snail reading and it takes me ages.

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    1. I hope you get a chance to check it out! The first book in the Tomorrow series was published in 1995, so not as many people have heard of it. It's so good though -- thanks for stopping by :)

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  5. Having fun must be the main goal so don't bother with your reading pace. Of course, we always want to finish books faster than it is reasonable but, in the end, it's the pleasure that counts!

    My reading pile is diverse and I have a nonfiction book in French (my mother tongue) that I read at a slower pace than 'Where'd You Go Bernadette', even if I read it in English because it is an easy read.
    Outside such events, I never count the number of pages I read; I really don't care.

    Today was awful (in general, not only on the reading front) and the rest of the week should be the same: it's life but I'm quite happy with my special pile for this special week :)

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    1. You are definitely right that reading should be fun. I love having a diverse pile to choose from myself. I don't usually count pages either and probably won't when this is over, but finding extra bits of time to read throughout the week is a habit I'd like to keep up :)

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  6. Hi Christine,

    I'm the same way...I'm always wishing that I could read faster so I can read more books! I am definitely enjoying the read-a-thon, though, because just the fact that I'm participating has compelled me to set aside at least 1 hour every day to read...and it makes me happy!!

    Great job on your progess thus far. Have fun with the rest of this week's reading! :)

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    1. Thanks! I'm liking the read-a-thon for the same reason and I'm hoping this week of making it a habit to find more time in the day to read will stick long after it's over. Thanks for stopping by :)

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  7. That is weird that you read the same number of pages on both days! I don't think reading speed matters at all, I read quite fast as I'm impatient (especially if I'm really into the book), sometimes it would be better if I slowed down, but I'm usually too desperate to know what is going to happen next!

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    1. I think I sometimes speed up as the story really gets going -- especially for a thriller or mystery type book or a YA with a lot of action. I try not to let my pace interfere with my enjoyment of the story though -- if I start to feel like I am missing things, I make myself slow back down again :)

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I'd love to hear what you think :)