Bookstagram’s reading habits, and the benefits of slow reading

Why it’s okay not to read fast, even if everyone around you seems to be flying through books

Reading on your commute is good, but snuggling up with a book is even better...

(Photo by Kat von Wood on Unsplash)

Here’s the thing - and you might not know it if you’re not part of the bookstagram community - but people left, right, and centre seem to feel bad about reading slowly, not making progress through a book quickly enough, not reading enough books… The list of things we, as readers, judge ourselves about is endless.

But is everyone else as speedy as we think with their reading list? And is it so bad if we do take reading slow? Let’s dive into the world of reading habits and find out!

The votes are in

Instead of speculating how my fellow bookstagrammers read, I figured I would just ask them a couple of questions and hear it from the horse’s mouth, as they say. Some data journalists out there might shudder at my methods of collecting information - it’s hard to quantify reading - but for the purposes of grasping the bigger picture, my findings will do just fine.

Let’s start with the all-important question: how many pages do you read in an hour? What about books per month? This might vary for the same person depending on the size of the pages, how much writing is crammed on there, and the style of writing. But let’s take it as the average, and see what people said:

As someone who usually clocks out on the 50-page cusp, and four or five books per month, it was extremely gratifying to see that I wasn't a minority. And while part of slow reading might be actual speed limitations - anything from reading in a language that’s not your first language to dyslexia, ADHD, and other nuances of how your brain is wired, I propose that a huge factor is what you actually want to get out of reading.

With this in mind, I also asked my followers what they primarily read for, and here’s what they answered:

Over half of respondents are coming to books for the plot. That’s not entirely surprising - after all, we consume stories for… well, the story. But unless the plot is extremely convoluted and hard to follow, it’s much easier to breeze through a book quickly if you’re simply following the action.

Once you start trying to gain deeper insight into the psyche of characters, immerse yourself into the descriptions of the world, and soak up the ambience of the writing (fans of V.E.Schwab would immediately know what I’m talking about), your reading speed gradually decreases. You cannot read beautiful writing at high speed - this is a hill I’m willing to die on!

But there’s also another layer to reading habits which affects how quickly you devour a book - and that’s the external experience. In other words, how you approach reading as an activity. I only gave respondents two choices on this one, and the findings were staggering in favour of one option:

I hear you folks, I really do. When I was in my early twenties, I’d drag a book everywhere with me, and squeeze a few pages in any free moment I got. It’s an integral part of the book lover mindset, something we’ve all done at times (especially if we’re deep into a particularly gripping story), and a completely valid way to approach every book on your reading list.

However, maybe that’s my age showing, but these days I treat reading time as the most special time. I want to be snuggled up, relaxed, armed with a cuppa and some snacks. Anything less would simply not do if I want to really enjoy my book.

Taking all this into account, I’ve always believed myself to be a slow reader, though the numbers show that I’m more or less average. Similarly, a lot of my bookstagram friends whom I consider fast readers have marked themselves down as average. Which goes to show that our perception of how our own reading habits compare to those of our fellow book lovers is not always accurate.

So next time you’re feeling down about “only” reading a certain amount of pages or books, remember that the quantity doesn’t make you more or less of a reader, and there are plenty of others out there going at the same speed as you.

And if you do, in fact, read slower, there are actually a bunch of perks to your leisurely habits.

The benefits of slow reading

There’s a famous anecdote about a rich white guy, Warren Buffet, who claimed he read 200 books in a year by getting through 500 pages daily. This spurred on a wave of online articles with tips on how to read faster, and just as many pieces extolling the virtues of slow reading.

One source defines slow reading as “purposeful reading that allows the reader to surround themselves in that moment, noticing every enjoyable aspect of a book”. That same article makes the argument that reading slowly makes for a great antithesis of the fast-paced lives we lead.

Slow reading is also believed to increase our appreciation of the material. “Many speed readers … don’t absorb as much as they think,” argues Thomas Oppong. He adds: “[Slow reading] makes you question your worldview, perceptions and beliefs. It also makes you ask better questions.”

Oppong makes the argument that instead of focusing on quantifying our reading, we should be nurturing a habit of slow reading in order to get the most out of books.

Indeed, Stephanie Murray even quotes psychologist and cognition expert Keith Rayner, who claimed that it’s not possible to read more than 500 words per minute without sacrificing comprehension. And while some instances call for a fast read, or even just a skim, she suggests that good books are written to be read slowly.

Interestingly enough, alongside improved understanding of the text, these articles also point towards reduced stress, better concentration, and even an overall greater volume of books read.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff, for instance, says: “Getting at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted slow reading will have a positive impact on your anxiety. It also means putting away your phone for a while, which has a host of other benefits.” She also points out that the more pleasant the reading ritual is, the more likely you are to dedicate time to books, thus ultimately reading more.

So there you have it! While I’m sure that there are many genuine fans of making your way through a book at high speed, I’ve seen people stress about going too slow, or trying to cram a page count into their day. I myself have fallen victim to this many times - to the point where I have to pause, take a deep breath, and remind myself that I have bought all my books because I will immensely enjoy reading them, and therefore should make the most of the experience.

No matter which category you fall into - voracious binge reader, or a leisurely slow reader - I hope you’ve found the insight into the benefits of slow reading as fascinating as I did. And if you do decide to try this method out for size, let me know how you get on!