Hacker News Reader

Comment by Expez | Hacker News Reader

The amount of books you're able to get through in a year is amazing! According to Goodreads, you're also able to do this consistently, which is even more incredible. How many hours do you spend reading in a typical week?

View on HN

It varies week-to-week, but I try to hit 30 minutes a day, minimum. I wrote more about these things at http://blog.fogus.me/2012/05/23/extreme-reading/

Curious about this too. I've always had to sort of verbalise in my head when I read, I think because of the way I was taught in primary school. This is extremely slow though.

I can however read code without verbalising, and with sheet music I can sort of directly execute the notes with thinking explicitly about the notes I'm seeing.

I can imagine some people can read prose in a similar manner, and I'd love to know how.

I've tried to sort of 'relax' my brain while reading, but then it seems nothing has actually registered!

I tried a number of things over the years, and the technique that finally worked for me was counting in my head as I read. By occupying the verbalising part of my mind I found I was able to train myself to read without it, and with a little practice I started to be able to read tat way without counting.

Interesting idea. May I ask where you found that technique please?

I'm afraid I don't remember. I read somewhere that when asked to count in their minds, people count in one of two ways. It's my understanding that the majority do so verbally, sounding out the words in their minds. But some people count visually, by visualising the numbers, picturing them scroll past on a tape, for example.

Those that verbalise couldn't simultaneously do another verbal task, while the visualisers couldn't do another visual task, suggesting that separate parts of the brain were involved, and occupied by counting.

Now that I knew visual counting was an option (I was a verbaliser) I trained myself to do it. Unfortunately I'm yet to find an situation were the ability to choose between visual and verbal counting has been useful.

"Surely you're joking mr Feynman" is where most of us read about it.

All those books and he still hasn't read A Fire upon the Deep! I recommend anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction reads it.

One of the things riding on the train does for me is give me two 20 minute segments to read. Which is I really enjoy but I was surprised at how much more stuff I got around to reading doing this. Something about the daily routine I guess.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com