The Time It Takes: Reading 100-200 Page Books

Is your new book stash making you anxious because you didn’t get a chance to read from it? When you see your new book collection eating dust, it may be because you’re experiencing a lack of momentum. And it doesn’t matter if you read too fast or too slow; if you’re not getting all the details and not enjoying reading a book, you’re surely making some mistakes.

Let’s not forget the biggest hindrance: time! No matter what we do, we are all strapped for this scarcest resource. There are tons of outlets clamoring to have our attention. Therefore, committing to reading a book like before seems more difficult now than ever.

To address this problem, many print and electronic publishers include ‘read time’ in their pieces—     print books usually give this at the back of the cover. Amazon Kindle has this feature, too, that tells the individual reader the time left to finish reading the book. You can preset this accordingly and adjust your reading routine.

If this still needs to be clarified, and you want to learn how long it takes to read a book, keep reading!

In this blog, we will:

• Discuss the different reading times for different book lengths
• Share the hybrid reading strategy
• Explore if it’s possible to read a book a day

How Long Does it Take to Read 500 Words?

How many pages can you read in an hour? What’s your reading capacity for 500 words? How long to read 200 pages? If you’ve ever wondered about any of this, you’re about to get your answers!

Whatever numbers we state in this article are derived from average reading time. It does not incorporate individual considerations and circumstances. Let’s say an average reader will spend around 7.5 hours reading a 300-page book (assuming there are 275 words on a page). The average reading speed, in this case, will be between 238 and 260 words/minute. But if your reading speed is more than this average, you’re likely to finish the book faster and vice versa.

Therefore, these statistics can only be taken as an example and do not have to be relevant to you at all. But if you’re trying to readjust your reading time or routine, these numbers can serve as an average standard to which you can try and match up.

How Long Does It Take To Read 300 Words?

There are numerous factors that could affect how many words you can read in a minute, one of which is the language of the book. If the words are too difficult to read, with fancy vernacular and alien vocabulary that could take a while to pronounce, it may take longer. Another factor is the type of book you’re reading. Books that have a better flow when it comes to writing can be read much faster than books with a bad flow.

Here’s a table to give you a better idea about the reading speed based on your skill.

These average reading speeds may only be achievable by some, despite their skill. Some people prefer reading at a slower pace even if they’re highly skilled, while a beginner may start reading at a higher speed and finish a book much quicker.

Apart from the word count, there’s a whole different aspect of reading speed that you must take into account. Let’s dig deeper to learn more about it.

How Long Does it Take to Read 100 Pages?

If you’re a slow reader, your reading range may fall between 125 and 200 words per minute. So if you’re wondering how long it takes to read a 200-page book—assuming each page has 300 words –  it will take between 12.5 and 20 hours to finish the book. This may be the ‘normal reading speed’ for you if you’re able to comprehend and connect with the book. If you push yourself to read faster but keep losing the plot, it will be useless.

Generally, slow pace reading is the right way to go when you’re learning, memorizing, or internalizing what you read. So even if you have to go down to 100 words per minute or lower, but you’re hitting the goal, it should be cool. The slower pace gives you the liberty to understand without re-reading the sections repeatedly. You are also in more control for making mental notes to recall later.

Pros of Reading a Book Slowly

Slow reading may cost you more time, but there are some amazing benefits too:

• More Than Consuming Information: When you read slowly and more comfortably, you can form new ideas instead of just consuming the text. Your brain has the capacity to process and absorb information and put it to use. If you engage your brain to catch up with faster reading, it may lack the formation of new insights. As a result, you also experience reflection when you read slowly, taking natural pauses in between.
• Immerse Yourself in the Experience: Reading involves imagination and world-building, whether you’re reading a fantasy novel or a non-fiction book with scientific information. Slowing your reading can help you truly immerse yourself in the reading experience and capture nuances of the book’s content. 

How Long Does It Take to Read 1000 words? What if I am a Fast Reader

If you’re a fast reader, you shouldn’t even be concerned about 1000 words. You can read closer to 400-700 words per minute as a fast reader. On average, it means you will only need around 6 hours to complete a 300-page book.

You read fast if you’re naturally skilled that way or if you’re running short on time. For instance, when you have a shorter deadline and lots of reading material at hand. Some people also read fast because they cannot contain their curiosity and want to know what the book is about, its conclusion, the basic ideas, or to get some inspiration.

Pros of Reading Book Quickly

Reading fast is a great skill but may only be suitable for some. Reading 1000 words is one thing, but if you plan to chomp down a 1000-page book in a couple of hours, chances are you will miss a lot of detail. It becomes more difficult to comprehend a lot of reading content if you’re finishing it too fast. On the contrary, you may have a wonderful experience reading a book at your fast pace if you’ve built the skill with practice over time.

Here are the top benefits you can experience:

• Saves You Time: Of course, the biggest benefit of fast reading is that it takes less time and encourages you not to drop reading completely. Even if you have other commitments and a long list of things-to-do daily, you can always spare a few minutes and read a book without wasting time.
• More Information and Ideas: If you read a book faster, you can read several books in a month. If you have a blog where you talk about books or a podcast where you speak with the authors, you will have more material to cover in a shorter time.
• Always Up To Date: For fast readers, it is hard to miss out on the latest and popular additions. You will probably end up reading all the books without letting them pile up on a table. Also, as a fast reader, you will be able to read more books than average and slow readers, which is quite impressive on its own.

How Long Does it Take to Read 200 Pages? Understanding the Hybrid Reading Strategy

Generally speaking, adopting a different reading speed and style according to the book and your goal should fix the problem. Instead of following a set rule of example and fretting over “how long does it take to read a 200-page book, 500 pages, 1000 pages, or more,” strategize your approach for a more rewarding experience.

Reading is not a rat race that you have to win. If you’ve been an avid reader and cannot continue because of other commitments and time constraints, it may take a toll on you. So instead of giving up reading entirely, following certain rules to get back to reading can save the day.

Before you decide on your reading time, we advise you to assess the book and your approach. For instance, if you’re reading a book to internalize ideas and get inspiration, slow down your reading pace. This will give you more time to absorb and appreciate every idea you come across. On the other hand, if you’re only trying to grasp the idea from the content or reading in the gist of getting to the conclusion, go ahead and finish it faster. The best part is that there are no hard and fast rules.

To experience the real fun of this hybrid reading approach, follow your natural reading style and then try the other style to see if it makes a difference. For example, you can speed read a book and then adjust your pace and read it slowly the second time around and see if it offers a better reading experience. This strategy is recommended by famous book reviewers around the world.

Reading a Book in a Day and its Possibilities

You may meet many people boasting about reading lengthy books in a day. If you’re not one of them, you may wonder if it is possible to do that. Well, it is possible!

Over the years and with lots of practice, people develop the skill and reading speed that enables them to finish reading lengthy books in a day. If you’re passionate too, the good news is that skill is learnable. To become an accomplished reader, you first need to inculcate a regular reading habit. Practicing on a daily basis and pushing yourself to read more words without losing the meaning per minute can help you develop the skill with time.

That said, no matter your reading speed, don’t forget the ultimate goal of reading: to comprehend what you read. If you only focus on reading the maximum number of words per minute, you may only read empty words that make no sense in your head. Therefore, take this at your own pace and build a reading habit to become the accomplished reader you want to be. 

Final thoughts

Before starting the quest to improve your reading, know where you currently stand.

Fast reading doesn’t always mean it is the right way of reading. Just because you utter the words faster than before doesn’t guarantee better understanding. At the end of the day, you’re reading to comprehend and learn what’s written in the book, so it’s important for your reading frequency to match how fast your brain can process it.

And while you do not have to finish a book in a day, if you’re keen to improve and learn that skill, we recommend you start slowly. Don’t try to push yourself too hard. It takes time and practice as you experiment and explore different types of book genres.

Motivate yourself to read everything and strategize using the information in this blog for better results.