No need to get all cerebral and plan an attack or anything. Just read shit you're interested in and you'll finish it. Don't be a backseat driver in your own head about how slow or fast you're going. Just read.

That said there are times when I can't focus enough and just can't find a fuck to give. And there are times (like this week) when I can plow through a book a day.

And you're going to forget a lot of what you read no matter how interested you are in the story. That's just how brains work.

Left to right, top to bottom.

But really, I never have really been the type of person to "hear" different voices for characters or anything like that. There's typically one little, quiet narrator voice in my head that's reading the words on the page and then my own thoughts kind of floating around in the background. I try to keep that to a minimum, or at least limited to thoughts about the book.

As far as understanding, if I come to a word I don't understand I usually whip out my phone and Google it. Sometimes I'll just breeze on by if I can get the rough idea based on context clues.

I usually retain most of what I've read until I move on to the next book. If you asked me to explain the plot of a book I read last year I couldn't do it beyond the equivalent of a dust jacket synopsis. Only exceptions to that are things I've read multiple times like Harry Potter.

>your not supposed to have that voice in your head that repeats everything.

I've never heard of this. When I read there's basically an internal monologue thinking the words that are on the page. I've never heard that you're not supposed to have a train of thought when reading. I do, and my reading speed and comprehension are high. But I don't know what you're talking about that's "repeating" things, it's just one train of thought.

I'm not diagnosed but highly likely ADHD. I have to go 5-20 pages usually before I can focus on just the book, read quickly, and absorb information. Sometimes I have to reread the same paragraph or page many times, that usually means try again later.

If I'm reading for pleasure, I read with "the voice" you speak of. If I'm just trying to get through something, and I don't need/want anything more than a cursory knowledge of it, I'll read quickly without the internal narrator.

I read out loud atm bc I’m recovering from a concussion and can’t comprehend much if I don’t (I don’t anyway) 😭😵‍💫

When I’m well, I have the voice in my head.

I have to re-read the same page 2-4 times to grasp the content. I could never skim a page and say I got it.

I don't read fast. I like to take my time, in my comfortable recliner, and read at a pace that enables me to savor and fully comprehend.

If I am engaged in a book, there’s no “translation process” which I’m kind of thinking may be my version of “your voice in your head that repeats everything”. I don’t have a visual brain so i end up “experiencing” the book more than seeing images or things as I read. Maybe a clip here and there but very brief. But the emotions are what get me. If the book is engaging I end up reading it very fast and I also have a hard time stopping.

If I’m reading something I dislike then I have to physically read all of the words and “translate them” into my brain and I agree that my comprehension is lower.

I think with practice you’ll find your own reading groove and find books that are easier for you personally to read. The more you practice “translating”, the easier it gets. It’s kind of like learning a new language: at first you translate the word into a language you know, but the more fluent you get the less you do that.

Sorry if this was a bit of a ramble lol. Hopefully it makes sense…Good luck!

It depends on fiction or nonfiction. I'll hear a voice, but I recognize the word faster than it would take to speak them about so it sort of.. lags behind? And I visualize the concepts where possible. Imagine the places being described. I can do this much faster for fiction than non fiction.

If it's really got me hooked I experience the story like a dream. Like the way a dream seems just after you wake up. It's not like a movie but I'll sometimes hear sounds or get flashes of images.

If I'm reading something informational I shut off the voice and try to absorb the information in an efficient way, but if I'm reading something for fun, some fantasy or the like, my voice goes all out and I literally have a full movie going on in my head. Is it fast? No, because I'm savoring the book, no need to go fast if I'm enjoying it, life isn't about going fast, it's about enjoying the ride.

However it suits you. There is no right way to read.

Wait... There are folks who can read without imagining the words spoken in their mind? How the hell does that work? If you're not "hearing" the words in some way, how are you receiving and processing their information at all?

Using something to keep track of the line helps. The voice goes away with practice when you are reading fast.

I'm relatively new to reading too it takes time and gets better main thing is to find the right books and perhaps try audiobooks aswell helped me at the start to grow my interest

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Been reading for years, as a super slow reader with the voice in the head. I just go along with it, can't enjoy as much per time as fast readers unfortunately, but I remember the content very well, sometimes when I wake up after reading for 12hours before sleep, I feel like I'm the protagonist of the story for a short time and forget the reality, and have thoughts like "Let's check out how's the dragon doing.", "Hopefully my wive's still alive." etc.

I don't really get a voice in my head. I'm not sure I ever have!

I'm quite a visual thinker, so it's more like a movie playing out as I'm reading. So if something keeps my attention, I tend to read a bit faster. However, if something doesn't keep my attention, it becomes a lot more of a struggle.

I read pretty slow since I like to reread certain sentences or paragraphs multiple times. Reading is something I do to relax and get a break from things so I don’t want to rush it.

The only wrong way to read a book is if you read the final pages first.

For me it depends on the book and how complicated the language is. Sometimes I can read without saying most words and still get the whole story other times I have to slow it down and read with the head voice.

Maybe take it a piece at a time. Then Stop and reflect on what you read. Like 5 seconds at the end of a paragraph, a minute after a chapter.

I read as if I would read it out loud. If I try to go faster, I lose stuff.

I'm very much a movie goer when I read. The characters all have different voices and I'm completely absorbed when it happens. My kids learned to touch my hand if they wanted to ask me something since I'd be absorbed. I couldn't read when they were toddlers for safety reasons!

I will say reading isn't a competition and you should read how you retain and enjoy. If the voice is helpful for you don't worry too much about it.

If you are reading the book and you find yourself reading because its there and you can find your self inside the narrative, the book is not for you.
The only way I feel a book worth reading it is when I get caught on its descriptions and the characters. When you are mostly reading and finding your self discovering something unique, landscapes, people, background, anything that makes the book come alive.
This is my personal experience, yours could be very different, because that's the funny thing about being a human being, we all perceive the world differently.

Who says you’re not supposed to have a voice in your head while you read? Who even knows whether you’re doing it or not? I mean read the way you want to read. Understanding what you read is more important than following some stupid rule than someone told you.

I don't have the voice, but I've taken to sometimes summon an actor's voice to spice it up. I didn't really like Dickens until I started doing that on the dialogues.

If I don’t have that voice in my head that reads it, I don’t retain anything I read

I hear voices for people who comment on Reddit posts. Mostly they sound how I think that person would sound based on what they type.

When I get into a book it’s like I’m in a relationship. It has to draw me in, be interesting, appealing, and immersive. I look forward to getting back to it, and I’m a bit bummed out when it ends.

On an ipad in the kindle app if you own both formats you can listen to an audible audiobook narration as it highlights the words on your screen, caps out at 2x audiobook speed, kind of neat way to force yourself to read at a constant speed and see if it’s uncomfortable to sustain.

I find that it's more tiring (requires more focus) and less enjoyable to read quickly (can't imagine the scene as well), so I reserve fast reading for non fiction or less enjoyable fiction that I'm just trying to finish. I could probably train myself so it's less tiring, but I haven't had the motivation. It's nice to just relax and read at a leisurely pace, especially before sleep.

Usually, I do audiobooks since I can do something else at the same time like preparing food/shopping/gaming

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I usually have a voice in my mind. I sometimes like to read aloud to get a better sense of the book. In my mind the book is more of a play than a movie just because I can't see and so it's more based on the audio than any pictures I imagine.

1. There’s that voice in my head always. There’s no escaping that voice. The voice has emotions too!

2. I squint my eyebrows a lot. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s just an automatic happening. You know, the geeky look!

3. Pace is the same slow and steady, except when reading an intense nail-biting part, I rush!

4. If there’s something in there that makes a whole lot of sense to me personally, I read it over and over again like 5 times until it gets tattooed in my brain cells.

5. Last but not the least, when there’s something very emotional, my eyes water! Lol

When speed reading, it's important not to "say the words in your head." But speed reading isn't fun—you blaze through it so fast that you hardly get a chance to even understand the words, let alone enjoy them. Don't try to speed read unless you're being forced to read something boring and you just want to get it over with.

Find a speed which is comfortable for you. Speed up when you're feeling eager, slow down when you're going through a particularly good bit and you want to savour it. There's no one right speed for every context, much less one right speed for every reader.

I read really slowly too. I read at a really fast talking pace. Like it’s still possible to read out loud but would be impossible to keep up. I noticed how slow I was while I was in school and had to read 6 novels a term and it took an ungodly amount of time outside of class. People say reading more makes you faster, but I think they’re full of shit because I was an English major and read a metric shit ton during and after schooling. If I actively try to read faster my speeds improve but it gets exhausting and I find it way less enjoyable. The problem is, I also find reading a 600 page book in 30 hours or something really unenjoyable too. Like, I want to read faster, but my comprehension drops and I lose the writer’s voice.

I’ve always had that voice in my head, I can’t read without it.. I won’t be about to grasp anything that way

I read quickly, but that’s how I read. Always have. I was that asshole kid in class reading 2 chapters ahead while Melissa was stumbling over the word ‘ledge’.

I remember the gist of what I’ve read, but couldn’t generally give specific details unless I read it a few times. I don’t care though, because im reading to enjoy the book in the moment; im not writing about what I’ve read.

I understand most of the words, but I have a pretty large vocabulary. If I don’t know a word I look it up (both kindle and my phone have the tap and define feature).

The one thing I don’t do is overthink what im doing. Just read. If you enjoy it and want to read slow, great. If you want to give every character their own voice, great. It actually sounds like you might enjoy audiobooks more. Give it a try, if you hate it, go back. There isn’t a wrong way to read.

Who on earth says there's a "right way" to read a book? Just read and get lost in it.

And if books keep stumping you and losing you, start with the first novel I ever read, at 12 years old, that made me go "fuckin' A, books are awesome": Tom Sawyer (not the Rush song, the book by Mark Twain). It really holds up into adulthood.

I have your EXACT same problems, like exactly the same. All I know is that sometimes every now and then I do get in that zone where I don’t focus so much on “reading” each word in my head, but somehow instead I just take the info in without pronouncing everything. It’s weird cause I also don’t know how it happens, but mostly just happens when I get really invested in a book, and even then it takes me a few pages or minutes to really get in that zone each time I pick up the book to start reading for a bit

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Non-fiction in the morning and during the day. Fiction before bed.

My favourite way to read a book is alone in a room with a lil more than dim lights and no DISTURBANCE at all... atleast 3 to 4 chapters to be read at one stretch..all nighters isn't mah thing!

Well written books play in my head like a movie. Books with a writing style that doesn't flow as smoothly get only my inner voice, which is the same steady voice with no inflections.

After thinking about it for way too long I bought an ebook. An ebook is amazing when reading books with lots of words to look up. It's so ridiculously easy to lookup the definition of a word. The other benefit is that it can quickly confirm if a word is made-up (no definition).

The other thing I wanted to mention is that it's okay to go through times (days or even weeks) when you don't want to read. Just don't read, and do t feel bad about it.

Last thing: I usually try to finish each book I start. But I found that if I don't feel like reading, it is often because I am no longer interested in the book. I am happiest reading when I quit those books and find another one to read that I'm more engaged with.

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As far as good books are concerned, you should absolutely avoid speed reading them. Perhaps you are too much exposed to only one kind of perspective. In which case, I encourage you to seek an alternative point of view. You may start from here.

Benjamin Mcevoy

Typically at the top of the page, left to right, slowly working my way down.

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I do have a voice in my head but "it" skips words quite often. When I really get into a book the visual imagery takes over more and I don't think about the voice, or maybe it dissappears, I actually haven't thought about it.

You shouldn't worry about how you read or how fast your read. The important part is that you enjoy it or digest the information, depending on what and why you read.

I also really enjoy listening to the audiobook while I read, matching the speed of the narrator to a reading speed I'm comfortable with.

i also have adhd and its not a problem so long as i read books i actually like. if i'm not interested by page 50 its an immediate dnf

What you heard is a speed reading technique which from what I read, it's not a replacement to normal reading. Speed reading is like skimming to get gist of the content and the comprehension rate seems to be low.

Interest, less distractions, focus and practice should be fine to get better and reading I guess as long as you do not have dyslexia

I read Schindler's List and the names of people slowed me way down!

I read pretty fast, but when I started reading for pleasure many years ago I read very slowly, and I enjoyed it just as much. I think the only real way to speed up your reading (if you even want to) is to make it a habit and read on!

I tend to pretty much read half a line on a page with one glance, and move on to the next vs examining every word. This is much easier in some texts than others and relies on a well formatted book. I will read the left of the page, then the right of the page with only one eye movement and I find the narrator in my head will not be able to keep up, so he gets lost.

Just for a data point:

I read pretty quickly - I did some informal tests throughout grade school, and I could consistently read/reread a book 2.5-3x before the next fastest readers finished.

With that, I always have an inner monologue/voice going.

I don't have an inner voice, I only recently learned that a lot of people do have that. I can read pretty fast, but it's very easy for me to get distracted if I'm not 100% invested in the story. I have autism.

Read however works for you - reading is for fun :)

Read how you want to read. If someone is telling you how you should be reading a book, ignore them.

Well, I read fiction for my own entertainment and enjoyment. I could easily just blast through it but why? I read with a steady pace, and sometimes re-read parts, and I use that “voice” in my head, and sometimes I’ll have voices for characters, sometimes not, or I’ll stop and reflect or imagine things.

This thread is weird.

The people who actually answered the question OP raised have all been downvoted, the people who chimed in with no actual answer but saying they're the same as OP got upvoted. Like, I get supporting someone in their reading, but they literally asked a question that presumably they're interested in the answer to, but the people who gave an actual answer get downvoted?

I don't believe in reading fast. I don't mind taking a year to read a book as long as I enjoy it and have a good time. I like treasuring the experience of reading a great book for the first time because it only happens once.

I do play out the character's voices in my head. I make all movies out of it!

I get into a flow state of reading, where I'm reading the words with my internal monologue, and I see visions of what's happening in the book, with their clarity depending on how well-described they are. My advice: don't think too much how you're "supposed to" read, just go with the flow.

I’ve never heard anything about worrying about a voice. I find when I read I have an internal narration that puts my conscious thought on the subject. Sometimes I’ll read a line, realize the inflection should be something different and kind of reinternalize it like that. Every once in a while something I read will kick off an other thought that distracts me but I’ll come back and realize I’d kept reading for a bit while thinking of something entirely else and have to go back.

I have to do audiobooks, it’s just how my brain works for some reason

Fellow ADHDer here. Audiobooks have been life-changing. Might work for you too!

ADHD (and dyslexic) reader who managed to focus enough to get a history degree and reads a ton for pleasure these days- are you reading for pleasure? Try audiobooks, then you can tinker/do stuff and listen. Sometimes I read the book and listen. Some books, having an actual book where I can turn pages helps. Sometimes I just let the internal narrator voice in my head do it’s thing and take forever. I usually can’t last too long before switching out to something else though unless I’m SUPER into whatever it is and then I’m stuck reading until it’s done. I also find I do much better late at night.

Reading for content (work, school, skills acquisition): usually these kinds of books have highly structured chapters (nonfiction especially). Focus and spend some serious time on the introduction and conclusion chapters, then go back to the main body of the text. The first paragraph or so of a chapter is the important part. This will tell you what the point of the chapter is. The last paragraph of the chapter is an important part. This will review what the chapter covered and tell you what’s happening next. Read those carefully and slowly with the internal narrator doing it’s thing. Then go back and skim the chapter, reading the first and last sentences of every paragraph with a ruler or bookmark. If you don’t understand what they’re talking about, read the whole paragraph. You’ll find with practice, you get through material really fast.

Some things you might just never get fast at- I cannot read poetry for the life of me without actually reading it out loud. My brain just 🤯.

Try some stuff and figure out what works for you. Other people have great suggestions for you too.

Okay, wow. I never realized I did this until reading through this thread. How did I not know this about myself before....

My work requires that I plow through a lot of very dry non fiction stuff daily (court cases, etc.) Through 80% of that, I don't hear the internal voice. When I find something I need to focus on, extrapolate from, etc. I slow down and the monologue comes back.

When I'm reading fiction or non fiction out of interest, the monologue is always there, and in the case of fiction it's quality changes.

With fiction it's like that monologue is part of engaging with the substance of writing and language as a thing itself, not as a carrier for something else.

With non fiction being read out of interest,nthe monologue helps me slow down and more fully grasp things

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May I introduce you to audio books. Both my boys have ADHD so I understand the inability to just sit still and reead. With an audio book you can move around, pause, actively engage in a physical activity. Also, your brain processes audio differently so you will retain more.

Serious question, does anyone know how to get rid of that internal voice because I always have it when I’m reading, typing, and having conversations

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>To you guys who dont hear voices in your head, how do u read a book.

I have never had that "voice" in my head. Even as a kid.

I see the letters and I understand the words. I have Typoglycemia. A viral meme a couple of years ago of a paragraph of jumbled letters and the challenge was to read the entire passage in one go. And I read through it without pausing. (Sidenote, the purported origin of the study was incorrectly cited.)

The most basic explanation of Typoglycemia is the brain processes words just by their first and last letters. Provided that the first and last letter are in the correct place. Even if the letters in between are jumbled, cognitive process will fill out the rest. Like a form of auto-correction.

Yes, I'm a fast reader with great retention. (I'm also pretty good in jumbled word games.) Typo errors actually bother me a lot, because I'd be staring at a word blankly. Unable to "read" it.

To answer your question, I call it "skip reading", I'm not sure if thats the correct term for it. I kinda browse down the page and my mind just picks up whats going on with the words. I don't quite get a movie in my head, but its like that. It seems like I'd miss stuff, but rarely. At school I picked up and retained what was going on in fictional books better than the rest of the class despite finishing before them and not actually reading the words. Text books and such I sometimes find I need to go back and read word for word though.

I get "voices" for characters, but weirdly they all seem like minor variations on my own. I've really gotten into listening to audio books now, and I love the good narrators who can really bring different characters alive with varied voices. Interestingly if I then read that book (or one in the series) I generally do "hear" the narrators voice for them, so its probably something I could work on.

I find it much more engaging. Things seem a lot less "alive" when I slow down and read word for word. I guess for me it makes the story move at real world speed, instead of slowing things down to reading speed. For whatever reason I really feel the emotion more too. Its kinda like I'm living the story, rather than reading it.