Reader Come Home - deep reading vs skimming

[cucumbergin]

Came across this article today www.theverge.com/2018/8/27/17787916/reader-come-home-maryanne-wolf-neuroscience-brain-changes which has me realising that although I do read a lot, most of the novels I read are fairly unchallenging and I basically skim read them pretty fast.

I do feel like my ability to utterly immerse myself in a book, to the point where it stays in my head over the next few days while I think it over, has definitely reduced. Especially since DS was born!

How much "focused reading" do you do, vs skim reading?

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

I struggle to make myself read 'proper' books nowadays, despite being a complete bookworm when I was younger. I know it's because my smartphone holds the allure of all of the internet in tiny chunks of easily accessible information and pictures, but can't seem to make myself focus on a book instead. Yet when I do, I feel calmer and more like 'myself' after a long read.

I'm also terrible for skim reading - I've missed important information in emails because I skimmed. It's a useful skill, but not when it means you never read anything properly!

You've inspired me to take the weekend off the internet

I 'focus read' books, but this does mean i dong read a lot (numbers wise), because a book would take me time. I always have a book on the go, but have only read about 30 odd this year.

I skim read screens though, I know as I don't take in as much information. (Also do with newspapers, find it hard to focus on them for some reason. I can focus on them, but it takes effort.)

'dong read a lot (numbers wise)' would make more sense if I'd manage to write it right: don't read a lot (numbers wise)'!!

I've been trying to buy some books in actual paper form again, as most of my reading is done on the Kindle app on my phone, and I don't think that I read as closely on that.

But then I end up browsing Twitter (ironically where I saw the link for the above!) instead of reading them, because it feels like hard work to get into them. I think I've got too used to "getting" something immediately.