Here's another question that sprang from a random query on the SBTB Facebook page: What's the longest period of time you've ever spent reading, nonstop?
I think my record is 6 hours. I've been on longer flights, but I think I made myself sleep. What's your record? And what were you reading?
What's the longest stretch you've ever read nonstop?
8-10 hours.
Harry Potter books 4-7 were like that.
The first time I read The Scarlet Pimpernel, I did it in one sitting. I remember thinking ‘boy my eyes are getting tired.’ Looking around and realizing it was the sun going down and I needed to turn on some lights. Then my stomach start growling, I’d also forgotten to eat the whole time, and I could use some water.
Blush. The 12-18 at a sitting was kind of an average for my current reading jags. As a kid, I remember taking 12 books into my room one morning (of the Trixie Beldon/Hardy Boys genre) and finishing them well before bedtime. Most people who know my family of creation are shocked (some 40 years after I left home), that I existed. Those who did know I was at least marginally connected to that particular family, reminisce that they only remember see me from the eyes up; it was all that was visible when I carted a stack of books to my room—or if I were forced to be public, it was all they could see above the book in front of my face. These days (probably 50 years post Trixie, Honey and the gang), my time reading is limited by how long I can focus on the print. These days 18 hours is the limit, after which even the biggest font on either of my e-readers will no longer focus. Drat. I’m old enough that I have no kids to feed, no pets to walk, and (on occasion when my beloved is elsewhere) no one to keep me from reading for days on end, and my effin’ eyes won’t cooperate.
I routinely read from 6 pm or 10 pm or midnight until 4 or 5 or 11 am (thought I do try to time these when I don’t have to be at work early!). And on lazy lovely saturdays from 11 am to evening… Plane flights, of course are lovely.
Harry Potter, Dune, Lord of the RIngs, Little House book marathon, George RR Martin (I read the first one in one EPIC sitting after the first few chapters, though I managed to space the second one out over 3 days. I have yet to read the others because I haven’t found the stretches of free time that make me feel comfortable starting.lol.) Romance marathons (of course!) of a half a dozen books, Pern, Darkover, etc and etc.
I will cook one handed with my nose in a book, I have always read on the toilet, I will eat one handed, let the animals in and out one handed, walk up and down stairs and through and around the house or into the house from out under a tree when the mosquitoes get to me – with my eyes on the book and my feet feeling the way as though I were blind or it were pitch dark out. My poor husband. lol.
So, three day weekend, lounge chair in the shade, new JAK, new Elizabeth Lowell, new Sherry Thomas, The Rook due back to the library on Tuesday and no social obligations until Monday. You do the math.
Some years ago, I used to vacation around the time that Tess Gerritsen’s new book came out. One year, I was reading into the night in our tent. My head lamp started to dim. My eyes were so tired I kept pushing at the lids. I found myself rereading paragraphs, but I just couldn’t put the book down—and didn’t, until the battery finally died. I was so groggy and happy the next day.
I slurp books. With my favorite writers, I wait until I have a day off to begin reading because I will not stop until I’m done: 8-10 hours easily.
I’ve got a side question for people: How fast a reader would you say you are? I’ve been an avid reader since whenever (2nd grade when the whole class ordered copies of Little House on the Prairie). Nowadays, I’m someone who reads and writes as a big part of my job. I devour words and books. I’d say I read between 3-5 books (or their equlivant online) per week. I can finish 200 pages before lunch if I need to…How fast do you read?
There’ve been times when I’d read four or five books in one day, haven’t done it in a while though. Reading speed, I’d average 80 to 100 pages an hour.
Harry Potter marathons for sure…I’d get the books at midnight from the local bookstore, risk a speeding ticket home, and read until I was finished. Probably about 8 hours, except for the last one when I had to keep getting tissues, probably closer to 9 hours.
I’d say I average 5 hours a day though, which in hindsight seems crazy…I may need a hobby or I’m going to need glasses before I hit 30.
I’m so addicted to reading that sometimes I’m afraid of picking up a book and not being able to let it go… therefore missing my commitments and such. It was so easy back when I was a carefree teenager, but now as an adult my compulsive reading must be done on days off.
Like many readers, I’ve marathoned Harry Potter books. It’s not that I was obsessed with HP, but the books were so exciting! But I have no idea how many hours straight I spent on HP.
I do remember this one time that I decided to read “The DaVinci Code”… I opened it and didn’t put it down until I finished it… 9 HOURS later (no breaks whatsoever, not even bathroom).
On the other hand, I take a LONG time reading sad/depressing books. Since I get really absorbed with the stories it’s too painful for me to read long. I need a few days’ breaks from the emo fest!
I’m not sure about the time, because when I lose track of time, I really lose track of time. I know I read the last Harry Potter on a 6 hour train ride.
In college, I took a women’s lit class where we read a novel every 1 to 2 weeks. Instead of reading a little bit each day (as I now recommend to my students) I’d wait until the weekend, spend a day reading the entire book in the library, and emerge, feeling like George Elliot or Virginia Woolf had taken over my brain and was narrating my life. I went to a campus party after binging on Pride and Prejudice – poor Jane was just appalled at the vulgar behavior and I had culture shock.
Yeah, that’s me, too. Much-lusted-after big fat books (like Harry Potter) are read non-stop, pausing only to eat and sleep, etc.
I can easily finish an average length book (say 400pgs) in a day, and have finished longer ones in that time frame, but I generally don’t read that fast.
My mother finished The Land of Painted Caves in about four hours. (That’s her normal speed.)
I took one of those speed reading classes when I was in college. When I started the class, I was reading about 1200 words/minute and I was up to 3000/minute by the end. So I can read really fast. I tend to speed through a book to get the plot then go back immediately and re-read for the joy of the written word. Sometimes I’ll read my favorite parts a third time. When I put a book down and call it done, I’ve read it at least twice. Why, yes, I was an English major….
12 – 14 hours straight through, the mists of avalon in 1987 – then threw it across the room. Since then if not working 8 – 10 hours straight through fairly common. If working, more likely 4 – 6 hours straight through. about 100 pages an hour in English, 50 pages an hour in French, genre fiction. Someone like Dorothy Dunnett slows me right down though. Happiness is finding glorious authors of big fat lovely books. JK Rowling being a case in point, and Deborah Harkness.
When I was in high school I stayed up all night reading The Love Machine by Jacqueline Susann. I think I started about 9pm and read straight through till 6am. Luckily it was during summer vacation, because once I picked it up I could not put it down!
I read all the HPs straight through except for 7. Because my baby was 10 days old and I was actually so friggin’ tired I fell asleep four hours after the midnight release. Where I picked up my copy. Because I am crazy.
Personal record was Maia by Richard Adams. It’s something like 1300 pages and I read it straight through.
I once read for about 10 hrs during plane ride from Europe back home. 😛 Read Princess in the Spotlight, cover to cover, and mythology dictionary :d
Agree! This happens to me more than I’d like to admit 🙂
I read very, very quickly. The longest I’ve read one book would be one of the HP. We’d all go to the midnight release (as soon as the kids were old enough—-book 4) I would get to read the book Right Away which meant sweet husband got the three to bed while I devoured the book in a number of hours.
The longest I’ve read in one sitting was this past winter. I was the last of the family to fall victim to a nasty lose-your-appetite, lose-all-motivation, run-a-low-grade-fever-for-days virus. I sat in a chair reading three library books then purchased and read two just-released books (hint: get sick on a good Tuesday release day!). All of a sudden it was getting dark and people were returning home from school and work…
10-12 hours. I was a college student on a beach during spring break. I had a big bag of M&Ms and James Michener’s CENTENNIAL. Afterwards, the M&Ms, the book, and I were done. (Wore a hat and was fully dressed, since this was the _Oregon_ beach in March and wasn’t very warm, so didn’t need sunscreen). I think a two-liter jug of soda was involved, but since I took the book to the restroom with me, wasn’t interrupted.
You _have_ seen that one old Twilight Zone where Burgess Meredith survives a nuclear war, finally has all the time he wants to read, and has his glasses fall down and smash, haven’t you? (though if he had access to a sporting goods store, should have tried all the binoculars and gunsights and camera whatsits before giving up entirely, but that would have ruined the irony, I expect).
Back before husband and kids, I would every now and then have a Saturday when I would never really make it out of bed. Just grab some books and hunker down for the day in PJs with the occasional foray to the kitchen for some junk food.
Can’t do that much anymore, but still there are days where I intend to get quite a bit done but then I look up and it’s time for school pick up and what happened?
I picked 18-24 but I was reading textbooks, class notes and possibly a computer screen and this was during college. Probably not what you were thinking though.
Nope, I missed that one. I was probably reading…
I always thought that was one of the scariest endings. I remember going, “Oh, No!”
the longest was probably 8-10 hours. when i was in high school, my dad would drive from CA to NYC to pick up my brother and me. the first time we went, I had a whole suitcase just for books. the first day i read an entire Harry Potter (HP 2) and the second day I finished HP 3. We drove for about 13 hours at a time, stopping for lunch and dinner, but I’m a really slow reader, otherwise I would have finished both books much quicker.
There have been times, however, when I’ll read all day long, even through meals, and then stop for a few hours sleep before starting again. Of course after marathon reading sessions, I need to unwind and I spend hours just watching television. For instance, I read every book in the Pink Carnation series between March and early May, then I went on to the latest Francesca Cahill novel before starting that series over. I’m pretty burned out right now, although I am technically reading Don’t Tell by Karen Rose (which means it is on my kindle somewhere around 10% finished), and I started rewatching Buffy to come down.
I have insomnia so I’m awake all night (reading) at least 2 nights a week—often more—so a 6 hr stint is pretty routine.
I’ve also been known to take the better part of a weekend off, with the cat and me hanging out on the bed/sofa reading one book after another, getting up only to to go to the bathroom (and I can last a loooong time without a break). This is especially lovely if it’s raining or snowing hard.
My first and only reading frenzy, back in school during winter hollidays. I got as a present the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I got hooked up. Couldn’t stop reading. So the whole week of the vacations I just read the books non stop, taking short power naps and sometimes something to eat/ drink.
Since then I improved (somewhat) my reading habbits and if it’s nearing 3am now I just force myself to sleep. But I read a lot, during the work hours, when there is no rush, in the subway to and from work, so I really can’t say. On average it’s 4 to 8 hr probably…
I’m pretty sure I read HP7 in about 8-9 hours, I remember our A/C went out and I just sat in front of a fan and just read……I know I had marathons with the other HP books but with some I was at work so I know it wasn’t one long reading session, only HP7. I read all the Twilight books while our power was out after Hurrican Ike, so I could only read till the sun went down, but I did read all day while there was sunlight, so I may have logged in more marathon time with that series. I agree with another poster, I tend to read on my iPad now so I go in spurts, picking up my iPad here and there, unless I really get into a book then I will not put it down for many hours!
There’s only been two times I’ve completely devoured books, in one whole sitting. I think it ranged from 6-8 hours. The first was, as a teenager, Dana Davidson’s “Jason & Kyra.” The second was about a year ago, “32 Candles” by Ernessa T. Carter. They were both great romance novels.
–RivaFlowzDOTcom
When I was really depressed, I would stay in bed drinking tea, eating graham crackers and reading straight through – book after book until about 24 hours were up, then get 8 hours of sleep, make a trip to the library for more books, tea & crackers plus a meal out and then repeat.
ThaT’s my idea of a perfect weekend…!
If I don’t have to study and my family leaves me alone (which is rare) I can read for 18 hours straight, only getting up for bathroom breaks and to grab a snack to eat while reading on the iPad. I don’t get “Me” time often so when I do I make the most of it. 🙂
I picked up the trade paperback of Nora Robert’s first Bride Quartet novel Vision in White at an airport bookstore in Sidney AU. Read the book cover to cover on the return flight, maybe 10 hours? My apologies to the passengers around me who were trying to sleep! LOL
I read The Lord of the Rings in about 12 hours once trying to distract myself from really bad period pains when nothing else was helping, not even codeine. The reading made it possible for me to tolerate the pain by concentrating my attention away from the pain. (The next day I made an appointment with a gynaecologist and got on the Pill, which helped a lot).
For me the question is hos long I can go without reading. I even listen to audiobooks all during work & commuting, so it’s a rare waking hour when I’m not book connected. I can remember a few all-nighters of recent years. HP7 was 9 hours or so, The Passage longer than that.
You guys stop reading to make food or go potty? Armatures! 🙂
Easily 10-12 hours, the first time I read THE TALISMAN by Steven King and Peter Straub. It so captured me that I could not stop reading until I fell asleep, and the minute my eyes opened I grabbed it and started reading again. As an author, when I occasionally hit writer’s block, I get it out and read a few pages and it energizes and inspires me. I’ve read it at least 12 times and listened to the unabridged audiobook at least 7 times.
Charlene Keel
I know what you mean, although I have a cat. Once I’ve given her food, water and clean her litterbox, I can read for as long as I like.
Anne Rice has tested my reading endurance often with The Vampire Trilogy and The Mayfair Witches Trilogy. Once you start you can’t put them down.