Improve Reading Speed and Comprehension? (top, great, plot)

[Garfunkle524]

I've been a slow reader all my life and my comprehension is average on a good day. It has caused me to avoid reading for fun ever since I was a kid. This is unfortunate since there are so many great books out there. I hate sitting down for 2 hours and only getting through a hundred pages of a quick read. On top of my slow reading speed, I'll forget entire sections of what I just read since I was zoning out and my mind was wandering.

My comprehension seems to improve the more I read, but my reading speed is stuck on "slow." Any advice and suggestions on increasing reading speed?

Not particularly interested in "speed reading." I'd rate speed reading software/courses on the same level as snake-oil salesmen. Any suggestions are welcome, of course, but I'm more interested in recreational reading than anything else.

For anyone insterested in their own reading speed, Staples has a quick test:

Staples eReader interactive infographic.| Staples.com®

I scored an abysmal 232 words per minute, almost as slow as a grade schooler.

[Cida]

Apart from my conviction that modern life is destroying our concentration and attention span...are you reading things that genuinely interest you? Maybe you're reading things you feel you "ought" to read, so aren't that interested.

[Garfunkle524]

Originally Posted by Cida

Apart from my conviction that modern life is destroying our concentration and attention span...are you reading things that genuinely interest you? Maybe you're reading things you feel you "ought" to read, so aren't that interested.

Yes I usually read by choice and I enjoy what I read. The more I enjoy it the better my comprehension, but my reading speed is so slow that it's still frustrating for me.

I've been doing some research and found that there are 2 ways to increase reading speed: eliminating subvocalization and using peripheral vision. The peripheral vision thing has been ok for me so far, and I feel like I could get used to it with practice. Eliminating subvocalization is substantially more difficult though.

[itsideal]

Eliminating sub-vocalization is close to impossible. I think since you've never read for fun before as a kid, you're building up to that level which an avid reader would have. Don't focus so much on speed, but comprehension, trust me, you'll enjoy it more. My GF skims through the pages and hones in on inciting incidents. She blazes through paperbacks but would forget about the plot or lose out on some valuable vocabulary she could have picked up.