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[Archibald]

I like reading. Imo, it is one of the highest forms of art, if executed properly and with passion. Maybe I am the only one here, but I like having a "to read" list with (seriously) hundreds of entries. I want to read as much of them as I can, but the problem is my slowness in doing so. You see, I dunno why, but it takes me really long to finish a book and I wish it was a problem with reading comprehension. But it isn't. It takes me at least half an hour to read 5-7 pages (depending on the book of course). Even the most recent book I read, "The Mayor of Casterbridge", took me a whole month to finish (it's an edition with ~300 pages). How can read more without sacrificing comprehension of what I read? I don't want to just pass through pages and then forget the title one week later.

[Quaksna]

Hmmm... Well, I think it depends on the book, at least partially. When I read Dante's Inferno, I had absolutely no idea what's happening  . Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart, by John Amos Comenius, was written in really old language, but I really liked it, for it was full of edification. Stendhal's The Red and the Black, that was pain in the neck. Really, five hundred pages that were so boring, gave me nothing, and the story could be summed up well in two paragraphs. I love ancient stuff, like Gilgamesh, Nibelungs, even Illiad, even when it's written completely seriously I find it so hillarious. Illiad had six hundred pages, I still remember it, along with some good lines. This is thing of taste, but that's personal matter, so not what you're searchin' for. Well...

What helps me with keeping concentrated while reading, is to project the sentences in my head. We know that people remember stuff better when they read it out loud. I think it doesn't need to be read out loud, I am like recollecting, repeating the words in my head, just after I saw them. It's like reading out loud, but in the spirit. I do this when I am praying alone with the breviary, it saves me time, yet I concentrate on the prayer. But again, if something's so bad and hard to read (you don't agree with the stuff or whatever), it's pain in the neck to do this, and it's inefficient anyway.

May I ask you question? How often do you read?

[Doomblade187]

I know that personally, I slow down a lot when I focus too much on reading comprehension.

This may seem counterintuitive, but I look at it this way:
1. There are a lot of filler words, and to be honest, filler paragraphs
2. More books = More fun

I would recommend taking the pressure off of yourself to remember each book you read. If you want to read hundreds of books, as is fun and happy in life, you're going to forget parts. That's normal.

[Archibald]

May I ask you question? How often do you read?

Tbh, I started reading around 4 years ago. I generally despised reading because it was forced upon me by school. Then I met Balzac and his Goriot. Today, I am on my 103th book (even if my collection has 250+ titles, probably, didn't count). I read as often as I can. Sometimes it's all days of the week. I'm on a work written by Zane Grey, his riders of the purple sage.

[Quaksna]

Oh, that's different story, then. If you read that often, I don't think I can give you solid advice  .

I am travelling a lot by underground, every day, since I hate time wasting, I try not to just sit there and wait but I'm reading or writing Tales of Kudarkalur. So that's it. I don't read that often.

Doomblade187 has a point. Pressure is good for getting things done, but in case of reading, not good.

[anewaname]

I read to decompress... it is like this... it has already been written and nothing I consider or contemplate can lead to a choice where the outcome of the narrative is different. Sometimes, I can relate to characters but the narrative follows a rhythm too similar to another book, and I push hard until past that part without losing the details. Sometimes I cannot relate to the characters but the narrative is new so I force myself to stick with it and try to see it as the author intended. But, either way, I let the events and interactions of the book remain in my mind as I look around at things in my life and look for parallels. A real-life person, that I do not know well, will do something and I suddenly recognize an aspect of a book's character in them, and am able to talk with them easier.
 
The concept I'm selling is that you don't need to "read more", but to continue to work through the ones you are reading and to hold the narrative as a whole. If the book is considered to be a "good book", you'll hold it for a long time and not need to have read some of the other "good book"s. At some point, you'll talk with other reader's and you'll be able to walk them through the narrative of a book over a few hours and some beer, then they won't need to read that one.

[MikeMurphy]

Quite an old thread, but I find it interesting.

And how is your progress with reading for the time being?

I also love reading, but can't say that I read quite fast. Not at all. At some point I've become interested in different practices of fast reading and from my experience I would like to say that it doesn't worth it. The main purpose of reading is to enjoy this activity that makes you thinking, imaging and reflecting. So just get along with that none of us will be ever able to read all the books that exist, even those of them which are good, even those that we have already have in our "to read" list, then relax and enjoy reading. It's all about quality, not about quantity. That's my opinion. 

[gamerboy3456]

I like reading. Imo, it is one of the highest forms of art, if executed properly and with passion. Maybe I am the only one here, but I like having a "to read" list with (seriously) hundreds of entries. I want to read as much of them as I can, but the problem is my slowness in doing so. You see, I dunno why, but it takes me really long to finish a book and I wish it was a problem with reading comprehension. But it isn't. It takes me at least half an hour to read 5-7 pages (depending on the book of course). Even the most recent book I read, "The Mayor of Casterbridge", took me a whole month to finish (it's an edition with ~300 pages). How can read more without sacrificing comprehension of what I read? I don't want to just pass through pages and then forget the title one week later.

A tip that helped me a lot with this problem: TALK TALK TALK!!!!!

You should try to talk more about what you read. Tell your friends or family regularly about a book you have read. That way you will not forget the contents so quickly.

[Quaksna]

I like reading. Imo, it is one of the highest forms of art, if executed properly and with passion. Maybe I am the only one here, but I like having a "to read" list with (seriously) hundreds of entries. I want to read as much of them as I can, but the problem is my slowness in doing so. You see, I dunno why, but it takes me really long to finish a book and I wish it was a problem with reading comprehension. But it isn't. It takes me at least half an hour to read 5-7 pages (depending on the book of course). Even the most recent book I read, "The Mayor of Casterbridge", took me a whole month to finish (it's an edition with ~300 pages). How can read more without sacrificing comprehension of what I read? I don't want to just pass through pages and then forget the title one week later.

A tip that helped me a lot with this problem: TALK TALK TALK!!!!!

You should try to talk more about what you read. Tell your friends or family regularly about a book you have read. That way you will not forget the contents so quickly.

Yeah, that definitely helps a lot. As far as my reading experience goes, this works.

[Robot Parade Leader]

Do you have anything easy to read that is preferably accessible online and if possible free?

I don't know, but I probably should read a bit more and maybe we all should.