It’s Friday, so it’s time for the Book Blogger Hop again, hosted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer. I’ve made my own image from a stock photo (credit: Anna Shvets) to avoid adding images created via generative AI to my blog. Feel free to use it too if you would like!
This week’s prompt is about reading speeds:
What’s the fastest or slowest you’ve ever finished a book?
I’m not quite sure how to answer this one, honestly! I’ve read some manga and poetry collections incredibly quickly, like between 10-15 minutes, but… for a 300-page book, I’d say probably an hour and a half is about my usual. Maybe closer to an hour if it’s quite fast-paced and there’s illustrations or something — I’ve read some of my danmei collection pretty fast for that reason!
On the other end of things, it’s usually non-fiction that takes me the longest. I remember The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club took me a while in terms of hours, though I read it in quite big chunks, so I think I finished it within about two weeks.
If it’s in terms of how many sittings/how many days to finish, then one sitting is the fastest and I’ve finished many books on the same day I started them.
As for slowest… that’s more difficult. I have a semi-ongoing reread of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell that’s been ongoing for probably a couple of years now, but that’s because I mostly don’t pick it up, and then some days the whim hits and I’ll read 100 pages at a time.
You’d be surprised to hear though that War and Peace only took me seven days, and I’ve read the entirety of The Lord of the Rings in a single 24-hour period — in both cases, someone bet me I couldn’t do it, and I’m contrary as heck, so I did.
Wow, reading The Lord of the Rings in 24 hours is impressive! I love that you accepted the challenge and proved everyone wrong. Happy Reading!
Kat -Forever Book Lover recently posted…Book Blogger Hop: What’s the fastest or slowest you’ve ever finished a book?
I can hardly ever resist that kind of challenge, ahaha. At least that was a reread so I didn’t miss out on stuff through reading too fast or anything!
Whew! I knew you were a fast reader, but wow! Oddly enough, nonfiction books on average are my fastest reads or slowest – if you take out Stephen King.
Olivia recently posted…Book Blogger Hop – Fastest and Slowest Books
I often finish non-fiction books in fewer sittings than fiction, I guess because they fall into big natural chunks? But generally I’m slower at the actual minutes-per-page level.
Amazing speed! I’m a slow ready. I average 3 days for a 300 page book
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2026/07/24/book-blogger-hop-whats-the-fastest-or-slowest-youve-ever-finished-a-book/
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog recently posted…Book Blogger Hop – What’s the fastest or slowest you’ve ever finished a book?
I guess it depends on how much reading time you have during the three days! Realistically I often take a week or two, but mostly because I only end up reading a little a day…
Oh wow! That’s impressive! I don’t think I can read an entire book in a day anymore. Well, I suppose I could but it would like need to be a low 300 page one! Lol. Which might be harder to find in my TBR pile but I could likely find a couple! There’s always so much else happening during the day and I haven’t figured out how to go without sleep…that would solve a lot of TBR problems! Lol.
Thanks for visiting my BBH!
Admittedly I can mostly only manage that on weekends and holidays, haha. Though some of my danmei have been quick reads on a week night…
Ha! Wow, that’s a lightning fast read of War and Peace—it took me a year! I tend to be a fast reader, too. Oddly, I find the books I enjoy the most are those I read like I’m paddling a canoe, and the ones I enjoy the least tend to be those I read like I’m driving a speedboat.
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz recently posted…The Sunday Salon: Fun with Turtles, Snakes, and Alligators
I really find it depends on the book — they mostly find their own speed! With War and Peace for example, I was really fascinated and not reading it like a set text or something I had to read, I was genuinely riveted. I had a lot of time to put into it, and did, and loved it.