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But what about someone like myself who is good at reading but doesn't get the same pleasure from it anymore and can no longer finish books?

imzadi 2y ago
I was wondering something similar from a different perspective. I love to read, but I'm actually terrible at it. My eyes don't track well and I jump lines constantly, get confused about where I am, and have to start whole pages over sometimes. My mind also wanders, and I can go several pages before realizing I haven't really been reading. It takes me twice as long to finish a book as it does my friends, but I still enjoy reading and love books.
- WalterBright 2y ago
  > I can go several pages before realizing I haven't really been reading. You're not alone there.
- mxuribe 2y ago
  Oh wow, i thought you were describing me for a moment there!
- feoren 2y ago
  > My mind also wanders, and I can go several pages before realizing I haven't really been reading. I think this is an under-rated benefit of reading. Would you feel like you failed if your mind wandered during a guided meditation? Can reading serve a similar function? This is one reason why I gave up trying to significantly increase my reading speed. Blazing through a nonfiction book at 700 WPM might make you feel like you've learned a lot, but you probably haven't really digested anything. Do you really want to uncritically ingest a nonfiction book? I've listened to enough episodes of If Books Could Kill (amazing podcast, btw) to no longer have any desire to quickly "absorb knowledge" from a book, with how likely it is that that "knowledge" is flawed in myriad ways. I now think it's much better to go slowly, ponder what you read, take time to let your mind wander (it's connecting the rest of your life to what you've just read), and be critical and questioning of everything you read. If a book isn't worth taking this time on, it's not worth reading. And for novels or reading for fun, why would you want to rush through it? It's for pleasure: go at whatever speed gives you the most pleasure. It's not a contest.
WalterBright 2y ago
Some years ago, I noticed that I read less and less, and it troubled me. Then one day I tried on a pair of reading glasses over my regular glasses. I was amazed. The trouble turned out to be it simply got harder and harder for me to read, and so I enjoyed it less, so read less. Getting progressive lenses fixed that.
- kbelder 2y ago
  My case exactly, except I'm still in denial.
- OJFord 2y ago
  Very similar with me - I've never been a huge reader (actually, I wonder in the opening stats how many are people like me humbly saying they 'don't read regularly' because although they absolutely do read a lot more than others it's not as much as they would like) but I noticed it was very fatiguing, I'd often barely read anything before I was yawning or closing/stretching my eyes, wanting to look away. Earlier this year I went to the opticians (it'd been a few years) and lo and behold I had a prescription for the first time. A very mild one, and I suspect it's the astigmatism that affects reading more, since it makes smaller fonts sort of 'fuzzy' around the edges, even though everything seems perfectly fine at that distance (or any other) without the direct comparison.
mandmandam 2y ago
Could this be a case of modern screen-based dopamine delivery systems affecting your attention span? From personal experience, I find it much easier to get absorbed reading books like I used to when I'm on a detox from the tyranny of the screen. It doesn't take long at all; a day or two and I start to feel some recovery. Taking even that much time away feels increasingly difficult... But like going to the gym, you rarely regret it afterwards.

imzadi 2y ago

I was wondering something similar from a different perspective. I love to read, but I'm actually terrible at it. My eyes don't track well and I jump lines constantly, get confused about where I am, and have to start whole pages over sometimes. My mind also wanders, and I can go several pages before realizing I haven't really been reading. It takes me twice as long to finish a book as it does my friends, but I still enjoy reading and love books.

WalterBright 2y ago
> I can go several pages before realizing I haven't really been reading. You're not alone there.
mxuribe 2y ago
Oh wow, i thought you were describing me for a moment there!
feoren 2y ago
> My mind also wanders, and I can go several pages before realizing I haven't really been reading. I think this is an under-rated benefit of reading. Would you feel like you failed if your mind wandered during a guided meditation? Can reading serve a similar function? This is one reason why I gave up trying to significantly increase my reading speed. Blazing through a nonfiction book at 700 WPM might make you feel like you've learned a lot, but you probably haven't really digested anything. Do you really want to uncritically ingest a nonfiction book? I've listened to enough episodes of If Books Could Kill (amazing podcast, btw) to no longer have any desire to quickly "absorb knowledge" from a book, with how likely it is that that "knowledge" is flawed in myriad ways. I now think it's much better to go slowly, ponder what you read, take time to let your mind wander (it's connecting the rest of your life to what you've just read), and be critical and questioning of everything you read. If a book isn't worth taking this time on, it's not worth reading. And for novels or reading for fun, why would you want to rush through it? It's for pleasure: go at whatever speed gives you the most pleasure. It's not a contest.

WalterBright 2y ago

Some years ago, I noticed that I read less and less, and it troubled me. Then one day I tried on a pair of reading glasses over my regular glasses. I was amazed. The trouble turned out to be it simply got harder and harder for me to read, and so I enjoyed it less, so read less. Getting progressive lenses fixed that.

kbelder 2y ago
My case exactly, except I'm still in denial.
OJFord 2y ago
Very similar with me - I've never been a huge reader (actually, I wonder in the opening stats how many are people like me humbly saying they 'don't read regularly' because although they absolutely do read a lot more than others it's not as much as they would like) but I noticed it was very fatiguing, I'd often barely read anything before I was yawning or closing/stretching my eyes, wanting to look away. Earlier this year I went to the opticians (it'd been a few years) and lo and behold I had a prescription for the first time. A very mild one, and I suspect it's the astigmatism that affects reading more, since it makes smaller fonts sort of 'fuzzy' around the edges, even though everything seems perfectly fine at that distance (or any other) without the direct comparison.

mandmandam 2y ago

Could this be a case of modern screen-based dopamine delivery systems affecting your attention span? From personal experience, I find it much easier to get absorbed reading books like I used to when I'm on a detox from the tyranny of the screen. It doesn't take long at all; a day or two and I start to feel some recovery. Taking even that much time away feels increasingly difficult... But like going to the gym, you rarely regret it afterwards.