“I read it in one sitting” ...really?!

[Offred2]

I often see claims like this in the blurb on the cover of books or in book reviews. And every time I wonder - is this the truth? Is it even possible?

I’d say I’m an average speed reader and I read approx 25 pages an hour. So let’s be very generous and say someone can read twice as fast as me, so 50 pages an hour. I saw this claim on a novel that is 400 pages long. That would equate to 8 hours of solid reading time. Is that really possible in one sitting, even getting through it in one day works be a push wouldn’t it? Plus I think your reading speed would slow down over the course of that many hours.

Probably I’m being overly pedantic and it’s just an easy way of expressing how much you loved reading a book, but for some reason it always irks me! Anyone else ever thought this?

In one sitting was usually my default, until I had DC. I'm assuming that getting up for a wee or to make a cup of tea still counts as one sitting. I'm not sure how fast I read, but I would guess somewhere over 100 pages a minute for a novel. I didn't learn to read quickly, I just always did it. It used to drive my parents nuts when I was young because it was impossible to have enough books to get me through a holiday.

I’ve been reading Anna Karenina since 2013.

Just thought I’d add a bit of balance to the thread 😂

I have read other books in the meantime- just to be clear. Not one a day, though.

I meant the The Diary of Anne Frank lol.

I can read a book in an evening, if I'm in the mood. I don't read as much as I used to, pre-DC. I tried getting back into it during nap time but I found it too hard to stop once DS woke up, and I'm quite often shattered by the evening and can't muster the mental capacity.

I read the latest Chronicle of St Mary in about 6 hours on Thursday, but that was because I really wanted to know what happened. Mostly I read history, where I know what happened & want to concentrate on the why, so I read that more slowly.
Also it was on my Kindle - I think I read faster on the Kindle than a paper book.

I just did a couple of speed trading tests and got around 680wpm with between 90-100% comprehension so it must be sinking in!

In fact, when I was in my twenties I used to read the same comment in the blurb but have the opposite reaction to the OP, I used to wonder why they were even mentioning that as most books are read in one sitting/not put down.

I used to do it every time a new Harry Potter came out.

PaulHollywoodsSexGut (urgh - I can’t believe I just typed that!). The one I read recently despite baby and toddler that I couldn’t put down was ‘The Promise’ by Leslie Affrossman.

Offred2, I was 'studied' at school to see how I read so fast (university researchers). So I can tell you the two main characteristics of my reading are that I:

• fall into a state of light hypnosis, taking long slow breaths and being in a state of obliviousness to the world around me;
• read 'straight down' the page without moving my eyes from side to side.

What I can't tell you is how to do that... I started reading age 3 (learnt from looking at my older brother's books) and grew up without a telly or any close friends, so I spent literally thousands and thousands of hours reading. My parents would call me for dinner at 5.30pm, and I wouldn't 'hear' that call until I'd finished my book... Usually hours later when a cold congealed dinner sat waiting for me on the table!

@MonaChopsis sounds v similar to me!
I read at around 1500wpm and 80% comprehension (tested at university as part of a study)
I don't hear a voice in my head as I read or picture the characters. But if I look at a book open, I can read both pages at once
Was never taught to read or speed read, it is just how I've been since I was tiny, and it caused nothing but problems

I always read them ata sitting when young. Now I don’t read at all.

Oops. Anyway the answer to the question is a chick lit type novel would take me around an hour to read

I just did some reading tests to check what my reading speed is, and its around 870 words per minute for high complexity, full comprehension.

I didn't learn to speed read, but my mum and grandmother were both fast readers too.

I can read upside down faster than most people can read normally too. This is a great advantage in meetings!

CMOT
I'm impressed with your reading speed

I read at least 100 pages an hour and my 12 year old reads faster than me (Philip Pullman level YA fiction, sci- fi and fantasy).

I read quite fast. Probably not a great,get every single detail in reader though. At my worst(best?!?) I finished several books in one day,especially if something I'm really into.

I also developed an ability to read on my kindle while cooking/doing laundry/dishes etc so I don't feel as bad foe getting lost in a book and doing nothing for a day.

Oh lord I feel embarrassed now. I take forever to read a book, especially now that age and the internet has ruined my concentration level.

As I'm now an established slower reader here I am proud to admit I do know when to give up on a book

Panda, what was that book? Sounds good

Do quick readers read all the words? I realise I read in my speaking speed (I think). I can read a book in a day on holiday but I couldn't read a book in an evening after work.

Yes. You may not retain all the information like if you had read it slower but you get the shape of it. I stayed up all night with the last Harry Potter book!

In the past it was rare if a book took me longer than one day. Going on holiday was a nightmare. Nowadays I faff about on the internet too much, or am too busy, so I seem to take longer.

I've just tested my reading speed. 409 words per minute with 100% comprehension but the first one I tried I got a speed of 1500 words per minute with 0 comprehension. I reckon I'm somewhere between the two. I definitely miss stuff out of gripping books because I want to get to the good bits. For example, I'll gloss over 'the ocean was a blue as blue things and the shiny sun danced off the water etc etc, ' because I want to know who bopped John on the head with a candlestick.
I read the latest Harlan Coben in 6 hours.

@SwedishEdith I think I do but apparently I miss out words like and/the/I etc

I got sick of being challenged about not having read things and my old manager gave me a procedure to read. A sheet of A4, I read it and passed it back
"You haven't read that already"
Me "if I had a bloody pound.... fine, what bit do you want me to tell you"
Him "all of it"
Me < quotes back entire procedure >
Him "Er....ok"

I had a teacher accuse me of lying when I was about 5 and that carrier on through school, even as an adult I have had constant people looking at me reading and asking if I'm "really reading it"
No I'm just turning the pages fast