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I have often wondered if there is such a thing as speed reading.

Now I know that it is possible.

Let me explain. I’m going through a phase where I’m reading a lot of books. And I’m reading them very quickly.

Don’t worry. I’m still a slow and careful reader at work. Proof reading is still a big part of the job here at the Daily Telegraph.

But reading a book at home is a different story.

As a newspaper guy who already spends a lot of time writing and reading, finding the extra time to read a good book has always been a challenge. That was until recently.

In the past, I normally bought magazines over books, because magazines are a quicker read.

However, I started buying and reading a lot of books when the pandemic began, and have only added to my collection in recent months.

We were all looking for answers when the pandemic began, particularly with all of the craziness that followed, much of which was the direct result of bad decisions by our elected leaders. Well, as it turns out, there are a lot of books out there now that proclaim to know why so many bad decisions were made during the first two years of the pandemic. Most of these books have to be taken with a grain of salt, but some do make for interesting reading material.

I have always been interested in politics, and when politicians do bad things, someone will always end up writing a book about it.

So I’ve been reading these and other books rather quickly as of late — mastering the art of speed reading if you will.

As an example, I purchased a book two weekends ago, and now I’m already 242 pages into it. This just by reading early in the morning before work and during dinner time in the evening after work.

I’ve always preferred a newspaper, and now a good book too, with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Now, I will admit, there are still quite a few intriguing books out there that I’m hoping to soon buy.

But one, in particular, is $32. Gosh. I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much for a book before. Inflation I assume? But this one is on my must buy list, as it takes a deep dive into a timely political topic that I’m interested in.

I’m reading mostly non-fiction, or those books based upon real events and real people. As I said earlier, you would be surprised by how many books have been written about the pandemic two years and 10 months later.

Of course, I also will concede that I still prefer reading any part of the daily newspaper that I missed earlier in the day during the evening dinner. The sports section, in particular, is one part of the newspaper I often find myself catching up on. So the book will normally follow the newspaper, unless I finished the newspaper earlier in the day.

As far as books go, I didn’t set out to start speed reading.

However, sometimes when you come across an interesting book, you want to keep reading it for as long as you can. Thus, sometimes you can find yourself 50 pages or more into a book before realizing that you’ve progressed so far so quickly.

At some point, you have to stop. I use readers while reading, so eventually I have to take the glasses off and give my eyes a break.

I’m sure I’ll probably buy some more books in the future. Maybe I will even try to slow down with the next book. Of course, the ultimate goal is to always make it to the final chapter, and then to finish a good book. So speed reading does come in handy, at least toward that particular goal.

Have you read a good book lately?

Charles Owens is the Daily Telegraph’s managing editor. Contact him at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens

PRINCETON[mdash] Loretta Clay Sheets, 80, of Princeton, died Saturday, October 8, 2022. Born October 22, 1941 in Davy, she was the daughter of the late Roy Clay and Madelyn Norton Newman. Mrs. Sheets was a member of First Baptist Church in Princeton. She worked as a secretary most of her lif…

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