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Hi Reader,

have you ever wished you could breeze through your reading list without sacrificing understanding? Today’s issue dives into practical, research-backed techniques to help you read faster while keeping your comprehension sharp. While our primary focus is on mastering nonfiction books—from insightful biographies to thought-provoking essays—these strategies can also be applied to fiction to enhance your overall reading experience.

1. The science behind speed reading

Let’s break down what happens when we read:

Our brain’s role:​
Every time you open a book, your brain is busy transforming lines of letters into meaningful ideas. It’s a bit like an assembly line where each station quickly processes visual input and turns it into understanding. This transformation happens almost instantaneously, which is why reading can feel so natural—until you decide to ramp up your speed!

The dance of your eyes:​
Your eyes aren’t simply gliding over text. They’re making rapid, purposeful jumps known as saccades. Between these jumps, they briefly pause on groups of words—those little stops are called fixations. During each fixation, your brain captures chunks of information, not every single word in isolation. It’s this rhythm, this dance between fixations and jumps, that holds the secret to reading faster without missing the message.

Optimizing, not skipping:​
Speed reading isn’t about racing through the pages and losing the essence of what you read. It’s about training both your eyes and your brain to work in harmony. By reducing habits like silently pronouncing each word (subvocalization), you can start seeing and processing words in clusters. This is less about mechanical speed and more about smart reading—tuning your natural abilities to sift through information more efficiently while still catching all the key ideas.

A bit of scientific backing:​
While we’re keeping things conversational here, know that there’s solid research behind these techniques. Studies on eye movement and cognitive processing confirm that our brains can indeed process groups of words at a time, and that reducing subvocalization can free up mental resources. In short, these methods aren’t just trendy—they’re rooted in how our minds naturally work.

2. Techniques to increase your reading speed

Eliminate Subvocalization

• What is it? Subvocalization is the habit of silently pronouncing each word as you read.
• How to reduce it:
  • Try to visualize the content instead of “hearing” the words.
  • Practice reading groups of words rather than individual words.
  • Use a pointer (like your finger or a pen) to guide your eyes faster across the page.

Expand Your Peripheral Vision

• Technique: Train yourself to recognize groups of words at a glance.
• Tip: Focus on a central point on the page and allow your peripheral vision to catch the surrounding words. Over time, this broadens your visual span.

Use Meta Guiding

• What is it? Meta guiding involves using your hand or a digital tool to trace lines of text.
• Benefits: This method reduces unnecessary eye backtracking and helps maintain a steady reading rhythm.

Practice Chunking

• Definition: Chunking is the process of grouping words into meaningful units.
• How to practice:
  • Read a sentence and then pause to summarize the main idea in your head.
  • Gradually challenge yourself with longer chunks as you become more comfortable.

3. Tools and exercises to boost your speed

• Apps and software: Consider trying apps like Spreeder or BeeLine Reader that are designed to train your speed reading skills.
• Timed reading sessions: Set a timer and challenge yourself to increase your reading pace incrementally while checking comprehension afterward.
• Regular practice: Like any skill, consistent practice is key. Dedicate a few minutes each day to focus solely on speed reading exercises.

4. Balancing speed and comprehension

It’s essential to remember that reading faster shouldn’t mean sacrificing understanding. Here are some tips to maintain balance, especially when tackling different types of reading material:

• Preview the material: Skim headings, subheadings, and summaries first. This primes your brain to absorb the details.
• Adjust for density: If you’re reading something dense or highly technical, consider slowing down a bit or pausing more frequently to ensure you understand the concepts. Lighter or narrative-driven texts can often be approached with a slightly faster pace.
• Periodic reviews: After finishing a section, pause to reflect or write down key points.
• Adapt techniques: Recognize that not every text is suited for speed reading. Tailor your approach to the type of the content—using speed techniques for straightforward material and a more deliberate pace for complex topics.

5. Practical next steps

Ready to put these ideas into practice? Here’s a simple checklist to help you start your speed reading journey:

1. Choose a book: Pick a nonfiction book you’re eager to dive into.
2. Warm-up: Spend a minute or two doing a quick eye exercise—try focusing on a distant object, then shifting your gaze to a nearby one.
3. Apply a technique: Start with one technique (using a pointer) and read a short section while consciously applying it.
4. Review: After your reading session, write down the key points to check your comprehension.
5. Reflect: Consider what worked and what didn’t, and plan to adjust your approach in the next session.
6. Mix it up: As you grow more comfortable, integrate additional techniques like chunking and peripheral vision expansion.

6. Further resources for deepening your knowledge

If want to learn more about speed reading, here are a couple of resources to explore:

Books:

• "Breakthrough Rapid Reading" by Peter Kump
• "Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour" by Kam Knight

Websites:

• ​Spreeder.com – An app and resource site dedicated to improving your reading speed.
• ​BeeLine Reader – A tool that uses color gradients to guide your eyes through text.

Next week's book releases

In the 1880s, control over northeastern Africa was a political minefield into which Prime Minister Gladstone did not want to step - until his emissary Charles Gordon was besieged in Khartoum, and the city became the focal point for war. It was the height of European colonialism. Injustices were administered, bloody battles fought and civilians caught in the crossfire. Among the British officers were figures who would later adopt starring roles in the First World War, such as Egyptian Army sapper Captain Herbert Kitchener. Get your copy here

From your window you can see the stars and distant planets: light years away, it's easy to think that our existences and theirs will never intersect. Yet meteorites - mysterious, irregular rocks of sometimes immense value - connect us with the vastness of the universe. They may have brought the first life to our planet, and today they still reveal extraordinary scientific insights. Get your copy here

Like a John Le Carré novel updated for the digital age, Chasing Shadows provides a gripping account of how the Citizen Lab, the world’s foremost digital watchdog, has uncovered dozens of cyber espionage cases and protects people in countries around the world. Called “essential reading” by Margaret Atwood, it’s a chilling reminder of the invisible invasions happening on smartphones and computers around the world. Get your copy here

Brea and Mallory, passionate bibliophiles, and hosts of the Reading Glasses podcast are not too shy to admit that the book-lovers community can easily get a bit snobby and pretentious. Many people with the desire to read get lost in the smog of countless sources commanding how much you should be reading and what you must keep on your shelves. Take in a breath of fresh air with The No-Pressure Book Journal. This journal is carefully designed to help people read better by finding and achieving their reading goals without any guilt, shame, or pressure. Get your copy here

In Compendium of the Occult, readers will delve into the full history of this fascinating, often secretive belief system from its ancient origins to contemporary practices, gaining insight into the beliefs that underlie the occult throughout history. Explore alchemy and hermeticism, demonology, and medieval grimoires using symbols, maps, archive photography, and ancient texts. In seven themed chapters, the book examines the use of talismans and charms, the practice of casting curses, secret societies and sacred sites, divination, rites, and rituals across the world, starting with an introduction to occult practices. Get your copy here

Literary Theory for Robots reveals the hidden history of modern machine intelligence, taking readers on a spellbinding journey from medieval Arabic philosophy to visions of a universal language, past Hollywood fiction factories and missile defense systems trained on Russian folktales. In this provocative reflection on the shared pasts of literature and computer science, former Microsoft engineer and professor of comparative literature Dennis Yi Tenen provides crucial context for recent developments in AI, which holds important lessons for the future of humans living with smart technology. Get your copy here

Renowned performance scientist and bestselling author Steve Magness reveals a new path to sustainable success. In Win the Inside Game, Magness argues that excellence and fulfillment are not mutually exclusive; we can and should seek both. When we measure our worth by our achievements, cement our identities to our careers, and sacrifice our well-being in the pursuit of external validation, it backfires. We default to survival mode, protecting and defending ourselves instead of being free to fulfill our potential. Get your copy here

Cybersecurity incidents make the news with startling regularity. Each breach—the theft of 145.5 million Americans’ information from Equifax, for example, or the Russian government’s theft of National Security Agency documents, or the Sony Pictures data dump—makes headlines, inspires panic, instigates lawsuits, and is then forgotten. The cycle of alarm and amnesia continues with the next attack, and the one after that. In this book, cybersecurity expert Josephine Wolff argues that we shouldn’t forget about these incidents, we should investigate their trajectory, from technology flaws to reparations for harm done to their impact on future security measures. We can learn valuable lessons in the aftermath of cybersecurity breaches. Get your copy here

Written with infectious enthusiasm and irresistible curiosity, Ends of the Earth blends travel writing, science, and history in a book brimming with surprising and wonderful discoveries. Shubin retraces his steps on a “dinosaur dance floor,” showing us where these beasts had populated the once tropical lands at the poles. He takes readers meteor hunting, as meteorites preserved in the ice can be older than our planet and can tell us about our galaxy’s formation. Readers also encounter insects and fish that develop their own anti-freeze, and aquatic life in ancient lakes hidden miles under the ice that haven’t seen the surface in centuries. It turns out that explorers and scientists have found these extreme environments as prime ground for making scientific breakthroughs across a vast range of knowledge. Get your copy here

What I've been reading

This week, I wanted to take a short break from nonfiction, so my main read has been The It Girl by Ruth Ware. I loved this one because the chapters alternated between different timelines. It had the perfect pacing, in my opinion—fast enough to keep you hooked but not so fast that it felt like a YA novel. This is my third book by this author, and so far, 2 out of 3 have been right up my alley. I’ll definitely check out more of her work.

I also made some progress on The Bill Gates Problem. So far, I’ve learned about how the Gates Foundation finances Big Pharma, how Gates treats women, and how the foundation’s money influences U.S. politics. Still a very solid read—I hope to finally finish it this week.

Another book I’ve started is Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday. I picked this one up because it’s this month’s book pick in my book club on Fable. If you’d like to read along with me, you can download Fable for free and join my book club here.

Thanks for reading! I'll be back in your inbox next Sunday. Let me know what you'd like to see explored in future issues.

Talk soon,
Elena

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