Reading

Saw this reading task over at Shaky's site.

You read between 550 - 600 words per minute. Highly efficient reading level. (The average rate is between 200 - 250 words per minute.)

It is assumed that you did not skim the words nor fail to understand the meaning of what was read.

I've always been a fast reader, in fact a devourer of the written word. I remember back at school during English Lit having to share a book with the person next to me, the teacher ended up shuffling through the class to find the next fastest reader to sit next to me so I didn't spend quite so much time doodling while waiting for her to catch up. Of course it was probably the least nice person in the class. Ah well.

I like reading, but its not something that I consciously do as fast as possible, I just read that fast naturally. Of course the down side of this is that it costs me a fortune in books.

But I've been very restrained recently, I've set new boundaries on my reading costs - I'm only allowing my self to buy 3 brand new books a month. All the rest come from Flow* where I'm greeted as a great friend every time I go in there. But then again I do usually but between 10 - 15 books each time.

Today however I got a little carried away, I came out with 23 books. BUT that only cost me $900 so I'm pleased. And in that pile there are 3 hard backed biographies.

*Flow - 2nd hand book store above Cafe Siam/opposite Gelato shop off Lyndhurst Terrace.

They sell and buy 2nd hand books at good rates, I usually pay about $30 for a paperback which they will buy back for 1/3 price when your done with it. I'd say about 80% of the stock has only been read once or twice before and is still as good as new.