This year, I've learned so much about myself as a reading. Coming into English I, and even before that, I had a need to gain knowledge from my reading. From the beginning of this year, I've been called a "scientific" or an analytical reader. I must have carried some initiative when reading that me think deeply, because I think it's important. This is because I once liked to absorb every aspect of literary devices or just information that sounded important from reading. Now, I have learned more about myself, and the best way for me to read, although it may not be the most effective.
Before English I, I really didn't know how to annotate, or I just wasn't finding the time to take notes after reading a significant passage. I don't want to say that all the analytical aspects of reading, like character, setting, and theme stress me out. But when reading, I find it kind of overloading to have to force myself to highlight those parts, and it's more of a burden when I can't sort out what's important from what isn't. Now I'm more grateful to know and accept that this slows down my reading, and I'm trying to force myself away from doing this when I read a book for enjoyment or even for class.
I'm still trying to find out how to be a successful reader. After having to annotate two novels throughout this year, with one of them being one of the most analytical ones I've ever read, Lord of the Flies, I've actually managed to pick it up as a force-of-habit when reading books that I just want to enjoy. I still can't decide whether it's a good or bad thing. It's been an obsessive thing where I have to highlight parts that sound important, though I am working through it. My biggest struggle as a reader has been learning to focus on easier aspects when I do want to annotate so that I can be a faster reader, or just find a way to enjoy whatever I'm reading.
Overall, I don't think I've always been a slow reader. However, I do know that it does take time for me to process information. After being forced to read so much throughout the year, you eventually learn something about the way you read. I will admit that I am slow when reading. I also know that the room for improvement here is for me to try and enjoy the book, and not take it for some kind of "double-meaning" story where you should find the infinite meaning behind the literal denotation. In other words, I'll just have to make myself focus on the big picture and read faster that way.
Reading Times for 4/30 - 5/6:
Tuesday 5/1
Macbeth: 10 minutes reading 1.7
Wednesday 5/2
Macbeth: 20 minutes reading 2.1-2.2
Sunday 5/6
Heaven Is For Real: 150 minutes (from prologue to Ch. 11)
Pages Read from Heaven Is For Real: 62 pages
Austin, your annotating is always significantly more than I'm expecting, so I'm not surprised it's slowing you down a lot. Shoot for a happy medium - a place where what you gain in understanding is worth the amount it slows you down.
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