On 1 January I started "The Dark Forest", which is a sci fi book. It's about 600 pages. I am reading on kindle, so I don't look at page number a lot. Today, after about 6 days of reading, I check out the amount of pages I've read, and it's 200. I have read about 1 to 2 hours every morning, and I'm still not even halfway through the book. So I'm just wondering how long does it take you guys to read a book of similar length?
by Black_Bird00500
17 Comments
I often hear about people finishing whole novels in 2 to 3 days. And I just can’t comprehend how that is possible. Do these people not have school/work/responsibilities?
I have a couple books I’ve been reading since 2023. A few weeks ago I finished a 1300-page book in ten days. It just depends entirely on what you prioritize.
I have read books in a single sitting and I have read books that took me 6+ months, it really just depends on what youre reading and how youre vibing with it. Don’t worry about speed it is pointless to worry yourself about it, just enjoy what youre reading.
It very much depends on the book. For example, I once read all of Sherlock Holmes in 5 days. That’s around 1100 pages. By that logic, I would be able to read The Dark Forest in 2 or 3 days. But that’s not accounting for how it’s written and how busy I am. I wasn’t terribly busy in those 5 days.
Not that long. But that is literally my favorite thing about books. I can read a sentence or paragraph 10 times if I need to to make sure I got every detail, concept, thought, etc… to really know everything.
Doing that with any sort of video or audio is just impossible.
It would take me about 20 to 30 days reading a book like that if I read about 30 minutes each day. You can also compare to the duration of the audiobook. Which is a great speed for comprehension in my opinion
I can usually finish a 500-600 page book in about a week. If work is slow or if I’m not watching a series or playing through a game, I can finish in 3-4 days. Books longer than that take me a little longer unless I get super into them. I just started playing Elden Ring last week so I’ve been slacking on the reading a little bit.
It depends on the writing, I usually read classics longer than contemporary literature. My regular pace is 2-3 books a month.
About 3 days to read the first ~10%, 2 days for the rest. Less if it clicks faster
Honestly, I know this isn’t a helpful answer but I think you’re best caring more about what you get out of it. If you read 5 books in a year but enjoy each and every moment of it, you’re better off than someone who reads 50 but hates half of them and half are just short ones to make up the quota.
Try not to let gamification get you down.
First hundred pages: 4 months
Second hundred pages: 2 months
Last hundred pages: couple hours
Going by the “Time left in chapter” counter on kindle, I seem to read about a page a minute.
Just read at whatever pace feels good for you. Don’t sacrifice comprehension for speed.
Varies on my mood, the content, how much I’m liking the story, and what kind of book it is. I’ve read quite a number of medium length books (about 400ish pages) in a day because I really liked them. But I’ve also had 200 page books take me like a week because I either wasn’t super interested, or my attention span was elsewhere.
Adult books also take me longer than YA, since they’re denser and not quite as easy to read (I’m trying to branch into more adult stuff.)
Typically books over 600 pages can take me 2weeks- a month to read. Really depends on the book, like the flow of it all, how much time i have and/mood. I tend to read everyday but i work overnights so sometimes I’m too tired to read more than a page or two.
Also some people listen to audio books which goes faster, I’ve seen some ppl say they listen to it on 1.5 or 2x speed lol i wish i could do that but for some reason audio books put me to sleep.
It takes me anywhere between 6 and 8 hours to read 600 pages. So, if I was reading for an hour every morning, by day 6 I’d at least be close to the end.
I am not a fast reader due to ADHD/Dyslexia, I manage around 100 pages a week. Sometimes a little more. typically I read 20-30 pages per “Session” and that can be anywere between 1 and 2 hours.
I usually take 1-2 months on a book, depending on its length. It’s a bit sad, but as a writer, I can’t help to read like a turtle, taking note of the words used by the author, plot structure, characters…
I really wish I could use the best of both worlds, reading a bit faster while keeping the enjoyment. But to me, it’s one or the other. Working on it this year.