I finished reading Kristin Lavransdatter this week. All 1,124 pages of it. 

And I have to say that I truly enjoyed immersing myself for two months in Kristin’s world (14^th century Norway), following her from childhood to old age (50ish!).

I usually read fast. There are so many books I want to read that I tend to gobble them up as quickly as possible. However enjoyable that may be, there are times, maybe more times than I want to admit, when I would benefit from and enjoy slowing down my reading pace. Maybe to savor the images or language, to learn something, or to spend time with characters I like, getting to know them better.

A longer, more complex book naturally makes me slow down. I’d like to intersperse more of these types of books with my lighter (and quicker) reading, but sometimes I’m loathe to commit to a longer book—if I get bogged down, I might not read anything, and that’s unacceptable!

Good reasons to read more slowly

Our culture encourages the fast and the surface, skimming and sound bites rather than in-depth study and understanding. We are drowning in “content,” and not necessarily better off than before the internet and the 24-hour news cycle. I’ve noticed a drop off in my ability to concentrate on longer pieces of writing. Conditioned by social media and blog posts, my ability and patience to read a longer work—online or off—has suffered. Partway through, my attention wanders and I start skimming. I don’t like that.

I also want to read slowly for the sake of pure enjoyment more often. Allow a book to fully sink in before moving on. How many times have I loved a reading experience, and by the end of the year, forgotten the main point of what I read, or at least the details of it? I’m hoping that reading slowly more often will improve my reading comprehension and sustained attention.

My slow reading game plan  

I was able to enjoy Kristin Lavransdatter slowly, while at the same time reading other, lighter books because I made a plan. When I commit to a book I know will take me a while to finish, I know I’ll want to read some of it every day in order not to lose the plot or momentum. Since I also want the freedom to read other things at the same time, I divide the length of the longer or more complex book into the length of time I want to commit to finishing it and come up with a number of pages to read every day. If I read more sometimes, that would be fine and would make up for any days I might not be able to read my page allotment. (I am also willing to abandon books altogether if I find I strongly dislike them. Life’s too short to read books you hate.)

Happily, I loved being immersed in a different place and time. Visiting snowy Norway every day has helped me pass the hot Florida summer more pleasurably. I loved getting to know a character more deeply, in this case, seeing a personality develop over a lifetime. I found peace and comfort when I sank into Kristin’s world every day.

Reading slow and fast

I won’t entirely give up on reading fast. Some books are tasty snacks, meant to be ingested quickly. Much of what I read is strictly for entertainment. But I enjoy knowing that I can commit to a longer or more complex book and still be able to enjoy quicker, easier, and/or more “fun” reads along with that deeper read. It feels good knowing I can stick to a plan and conquer a big book.

What’s next? Right now, I’m reading a few pages a day of Native Nations, and in future, I’d like to tackle a one-chapter-a-day slow read of War and Peace, as mentioned by Laura Vanderkam. I’m happy to have rediscovered how much pleasure there is in a long, slow read.

Do you enjoy reading longer books? What does your reading life look like?