I started reading again this year after a good 3 years of not reading any books and noticed my reading pace is much slower. My love for history has been reinvigorated so I have been reading again. I used to be able to read a 300 page book in 10 hours or so. I know this because during covid I still worked(was lucky enough to retain a job) and early on the building I was in was completely empty. So I was the lobby person for 12 hours before the building was demolished. I read a whole 300 page book in about 10 hours.(can’t leave building for breaks so basically paced around reading for 10 hours).
Now I noticed today I struggle reading 22 pages in an hour. So that’s 100 pages less if I was to read for 10hours. I’ve read 4 books this year almost done with #5 and the pace hasn’t picked up at all. I’m only 29 so can’t be cognitive decline right? My sight is fine I wear contacts. Just feel like I am taking things in slower and skipping words as I type had to reread this post multiple times before posting it. Am I overthinking and overacting to this? What is everyone else’s reading pace or do you not care or pay attention to that?
Lastly, since this is a book group here’s the books I’ve read this year if you are a history nut and want to check them out:
The Buffalo harvest by Frank H. Mayor
Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II by Adam Makos
A view from the turret by Bill Close
Washington’s Spies: the culper ring by Alexander Rose
Road to Surrender by Evan Thomas(currently reading)
And a whole book shelf of others in queue.
When I returned to reading for leisure, I realised how much slower my reading pace was. Take the time to yourself to just enjoy reading again. Don’t stress about the reading pace- I think it’s normal to be slower when returning to reading.