I'm going to go out on a limb and make the speculation that you're a reader. I mean, if you're hanging around a blog written by six authors, in all likelihood you like to read. Am I right? :o)
I'll go a step further and assume that you've enjoyed reading for a long time. Maybe as a kid you haunted the library. When the teacher said, "Take out a book and read," you secretly cheered. You had special hide-away spots (the closet, up a tree, behind the garage, under your brother's bed...) where you'd sneak off and wile away the afternoon with your nose in a good book.
Have you recognized yourself in there somewhere yet?
I'm always astounded when I hear people say, "I finished your latest book in a day!" My first thought is Wow... followed by Stop that! After all, if it takes me four months to write it, the least a reader can do is take four days to read it. Right? LOL (Okay, go ahead and read as fast as you want to and I'll do my best to keep up.) But it got me curious...just how fast does the average person read? And then I thought, maybe the bloggers can help answer the question!
So let's take a test. Click on the link below. Take the test. Then come back and share your speed with me. While you're at it, I'd love to know if you had a special reading spot when you were younger. For me, my favorite place to read was in a tree. The second favorite place was our clawfoot tub, but with a blanket and pillow instead of water. :o)
Okay, ready to test? Let's go!
God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim
P.S. -- Noreen, please contact me privately here and share your friend's snail mail addy with me so I can send a copy of When Hope Blossoms to her. :o)
Good morning, Kim! Great exercise! My score: "You read 281 words per minute. That makes you 12% faster than the national average."
ReplyDeleteNow, I did try to slow down a little because I accidentally clicked the "finish" button early and saw there were questions at the end.
Yes, I can finish most books in a 2-4 day time frame, depending on how much time I have. This summer, when I do my quick chores around the house and have nothing else to do, I can read books in a day. However, I do have trouble comprehending (which is why I slowed down my reading a bit), so I've been known to pick up a book a year later and remember very little about it. Just one of the reasons I love buying every book I plan on reading!
Whew Kim! What are you trying to do to me ??!! I did learn speed reading when I was MUCH younger, mainly to help me in my exams. The number of text books we had to study during the year was huge!
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest. My competitive nature got the better of me tonight and I did the reading three times to compare and race against myself, but came up with 183 words in 18 secs,183 in 29 secs and 183 in 24 secs. Overall, I should be able to read War and Peace in 15 hrs 46 mins..but guess what? I'm not even going to tackle THAT one!:0)
Both my sister and I were exposed to books from a very early age, with our parents reading to us as toddlers and we learned to read very quickly ourselves. Dad had an impressive library in his study, so we were very fortunate.
I used to read anywhere I could, but my favourite spots were in our treehouse in the jacaranda and our playhouse. Of course we also used to get sprung by Mum after "lights out" as we read by torchlight under the blankets and I caught two of my grandsons doing exactly that,when they stayed with us last week. They thought they were in BIG trouble.:0)
An interesting and fun post Kim ,if a trifle taxing for my grey matter.:0)
I clicked on the link but it came up to Staples. Is there something on the Staples page with the reading test?
ReplyDeleteKim, fun exercise. I ended up with 357 words per minute. I could read War and Peace in 27 hrs 25 min. I did have a favorite spot to read as a young girl. It was a closet built over basement stairs which provided natural seating. I would crawl in there, turn on the light, shut the door and everyone just let me read the hours away.
ReplyDeleteCatherine and Rosie, thanks for playing! I could relate to Catherine picking up a book later and feeling as if it were new--I always find something I missed previously when I re-read a story. And Rosie, guilty on the under-cover reading! LOL Too much fun...
ReplyDeletefreddikb, did you click in the center of the icon? It should bring you to a reading test opportunity. Feel free to try again. :o)
Anonymous, closets make great hideaways, don't they? And I wish I could type as fast you read! LOL
ReplyDeleteI checked again after my post and found it. Guess I should have looked closer before :)
ReplyDeleteI can read 234 words in a minute, which is 6% slower than the national average. My mom was surprised, thought I'd be faster. Oh well. I still finish books within 3 days(using the Bethany House, Thomas Nelson companies for reference)
My favorite reading spot as a kid, hmm....I dont know if I had one. I read everywhere, in the car, walking, in trees, hammock, bed.... I was just(and still am) happy to have a book to read.
Thanks for this test, Kim. I consider myself a slow reader, but it turns out my score of 279 makes me 12% faster than the national average. But like Catherine, stories tend to be forgotten rather quickly. I always remember if I loved or liked the stories but seldom do I remember much of the details. I'm amazed by my friends who can rattle off detailed info about books they read years ago.
ReplyDeletePS I forgot to say my favorite reading spot as a kid. I was known to climb an apple tree and sit reading and eating. But I suppose I usually was found reading while lying on my belly on my bed.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun! I read it in 23 seconds, which put me at 495 words per minute and I'm 98% faster than the national average!
ReplyDeleteI didn't really have a special reading spot when I was younger unless you count my bed!
freddikb, glad you found it. And the speed isn't as important as the enjoyment. :o)
ReplyDeleteRobin and Abbi, a bed a perfect spot to read! Hubs and I read every night before falling asleep...great way to end a day. (Robin, did you pitch apple cores at passersby beneath the tree? )
Gasp! Kim, how did you know that apple tree was near a road? I don't recall ever tossing a core at cars but I can't claim that I didn't. I do remember jumping down from the tree and almost getting hit by a car. But rather than being scared and realizing I could have gotten hurt, I thought how my mom would've gone after them if they hit her daughter. Oh, how invisible the young feel!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLOL Robin. I just know if there'd been apples in the tree I was using as a reading perch--and if there no chance of being seen--I'd definitely pitch a core or two. :o) Yes, kids think they're invincible. That's why God invented mothers.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting, Kim! However, *sigh*, just as I suspected I am a "slow reader" (9% slower than the average) but I do comprehend and retain well *grin*. But even if I am a slow reader...I still LOVE to read! Thanks for sharing this today. Hugs, Patti Jo
ReplyDeleteKim and Robin, you have just triggered a memory of Andy (my son) doing exactly that. He thought it was hilarious to throw applecores at passing cars until.. one driver stopped and gave him a piece of his mind! NOT so LOL for him after that, OR his mother! :)
ReplyDeleteNow with his two little boys,(the "apples of his eyes") he is very watchful of them. Strange how situations reverse themselves down the track isn't it?:)
My mom tells the story of how she and her brother created a giant slingshot with an old inner tube and a Y-shaped tree. They fired rotten crabapples at passing cars until one stopped and came after them. They hid out in the barn until suppertime. When neither of their parents said anything, they assumed they'd escaped unscathed. But the next day they went out and discovered their dad had cut down the tree. LOL
ReplyDeleteHow Fun!
ReplyDeleteI thought I was fast but I was only like 402 or something, below 11th graders, which is my grade! :)
I was still a little above average. Haha
Thanks Ms. Sawyer!
Hi Kim, what an interesting thing this speed reader. I had never done this before and mine on first try said 300 wds per min with 2out of 3 answers so guess I retained most ot it, I have loved to read from an early age and at first no fav place to read, Now I have special spot in bedroom for "My chair" near windows with lamp behind the chair (for nighttime reading) and I am well prepared to read happily for hours. I love to read your books so keep them coming.
ReplyDeletePaula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)
Hi Kim, I did the test and read 555 words per minute. Yep, I recognized myself in all those places, but I guess my favorite was on my bed. You could always find me there when everyone else was outside playing. I still wish I would have started keeping track of the names and how many books I read in High School. I read one every night back then, and yes, I do read your books to fast, that's why after 6 mo. or so I go back and read them all again. I don't think I can even count how many times I've read all your books. Looking forward to the newest one.
ReplyDeletePol, your "reading spot" sounds lovely. :o)
ReplyDeleteAnd Cherie, you're one of my best readers! Thank you for your continued faithfulness and encouragement. Love ya, lady!