Misadventures of the 10lees

the GREAT SKIMMER! :)

I'm sure that you read the most important parts.

It used to take your Dad a couple weeks to read the trilogy The Lord of the Rings - I never kept track - but he was a fast READER.

Love,
Mom

I wasn't skimming, skimming is what you do to a book when you just want the ending or to find a piece of information contained in it.

The Lord of the Rings is harder to read than Harry Potter. It's hard to compare the two since Harry Potter is geared for Juvinile readers and LOTR geared, not only for Adults, but for 1960's adults. Like comparing Dickens and LOTR, it would take me longer to read a Dickens novel than a Lord of the Rings novel. But that's just me!

i'm with ya 10 - i read very fast, but it's not skimming. certain styles of writing are easier to read fast, and juvi lit is one of them. i think it has something to do with word size and shorter paragraphs. i'm sure Lo could enlighten us.

books with "non-english" in them (like lord of the rings), are a lot more difficult to plow through. usually there is a reason for the "non-english" words, and so it's helpful to mull them over, hence slowing the reading process. :o)

dont have my own copy, but what's new? bran is finished, and upstairs neighbor is 1/2 way done. i'm still 200 pages from the end of book 6, so i've got patience. i do think though, that 3 HP books in the busy month of july has been a whirlwind.

I had my copy delivered on Saturday afternoon -- then I had to finish it quickly so that Greg could read it. I thought I was fast finishing it in about 7 hours, but Greg finished it in 4! Maybe he used some sort of spell?? Can't wait to chat about it!

Wow, you all read way faster than I do. I find that I always get distracted and end up daydreaming when I read so I often have to reread sections over. I don't know why but I've always been like that. I haven't started the book yet but I imagine my read time will be measured in days and not hours.

Well it takes me FOREVER to read Dickens or LOTR - I can listen to the c.ds or cassettes of the dramatization of it though - very easily. :)

Still have never read a Tolkien or Dickens book - very sad - have read Narnia - several times - but then again - it's rated for 5th graders of which I am one.

Reading 125 words a minute when rushed in a test just makes me envy/jealous of ALL OF YOU all that more. I retain almost every word though and never - well hardly ever (except Narnia) re-read a book as it's so fresh to me. Also, I hear every word in my mind - that makes reading a torture. Tolkien is tedious - I don't know how your FATHER did that - you take after him. THANK GOD both you and R took after him.
Love,
Mom

Even your Dad admitted to skimming over sections of text that were monotonous - but that's an avid LOTR reader for you. ;)

J.V. lit books are generally easier to read because the font is much bigger and the words are (mostly) much easier. Additionally, there is far more white space (margins, etc.).

I'm sure there are actual literary reasons why they are easier to read, but I've forgotten them. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that they appeal to our inner child and most have the classic characteristics of previously ordinary, parentless people (or people with either uninterested or otherwise occupied parents--think Wrinkle in Time, Series of Unfortunate Events, Inkspell, Eragon, etc.) doing amazing or special things, which appeals to our inner desires to be special and to be free to do amazing things even though we are, so far, ordinary. That's a pretty common J.V. lit theme, actually. It's part of what makes J.V. lit books so popular and compelling, even among adults.

Harry Potter is easy to read for reasons of its own, which I will not explain here so that I don't spoil things for people. Though I didn't finish it nearly as quickly as all of you--I think I must have read for over 14 hours to finish it.

Tolkein is nowhere near as tedious as Dickens, in my opinion. One of my teachers said that Dickens was paid by the word, and I have always said that you can tell it by how long and wordy his novels are. (Many of his works were also serials, so the chapters end on huge cliffhangers, too.) The only Dickens novel I've read that was not for class was Hard Times.

Font size and margins alone would shrink HP by a fourth, though I think it says at the back that it was printed in 12 pt. garamound font (so maybe just the margins and leading). I don't have it on me right now, but I looked at the description.

Oh no! I gave away the font size!! I know you were all waiting to get to the end so you could see what typeset they used.

Dang you Lo!! hehe. I think it's the same in every Potter book.

Jess, Greg must have been using some special magic! Maybe some special lawyerly magic that also enables you to work 20 hour days nonstop? :-)

Jeff, the point is to daydream about the book and let the words paint the pictures of your daydream. Maybe this is just me, but every book I pick up has a different setting. If I think about it I can picture every world I've ever read, especially the serials like Babysitters Club, Nancy Drew, and Sweet Valley High. Some end up similar, but if the writer is good, most end up different...

And yes, mommers, I don't hear every word in my head. I let the words wash over me and am there. It's hard to explain...

I read the same way you do, Ten. I don't see the words, I see a picture and hear the conversations. The funny thing is, the pictures I see now look very movie-esque.... lots of big explosions and panoramic shots. I think the movies have really shaped my mind's eye for this series, but I am not complaining... I think the movies are a great suppliment to the book.

(we rarely work 20 hr days --- we don't like to average more than 16 hrs of work a day, it isn't healthy) :)