Reading, Fast and Slow

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Fast Reading or The Power of Slow Reading in the Age of Acceleration
Schnelllesen oder Die Kraft langsamen Lesens im Zeitalter der Beschleunigung

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We have different motives for reading a book; either that you enjoy it or that you can boast about it.
Siri Bookfayrie

You surely noticed there is reading and reading: Reading for fun and professional reading for quick information. For professional reading and the reading for showing off, speed reading is maybe appropriate, “but not at all for reading for fun“, as Selma emphasises.
By the way, we Bookfayries are reading for fun and – as you may have noticed, for showing off here 😉

Ihr habt es bereits bemerkt, es gibt Lesen und Lesen: Das Lesen zur Freude und Unterhaltung und professionelles Lesen, bei dem es darum geht, sich schnell zu informieren. Beim professionellen Lesen und beim Lesen, um damit angeben zu können, halten wir das Schnelllesen meistens für angebracht, “aber bloß nicht beim vergnüglichen Lesen!“, wie Selma reklamiert. Übrigens wir Buchfeen lesen zum Vergnügen und um hier anzugeben 😉

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The faster you read, the less you read between the lines.
Selma Bookfayrie

Fast reading correlates with our Age of Acceleration. Being fast makes you rely on conventional ideas and assumptions, being slow means being open to seeing the world in new ways. Slowness opens up for finding the afore unknown and the subtleties. The English philologist Sir Francis Meynell even suggested to print books in italic letters because this slows down the speed of reading and enhances the ability of the reader for seeing the text’s beauty.
You have to read slowly if you want to enjoy a book and for being touched by the author’s ideas and being able to learn from his experiences. Reading slowly you will understand the author’s creativity which inspires your own creativity. And don’t forget to switch off your smartphones and iPads while reading; being offline makes you more creative and sociable, social media not so much!

Schnelllesen entspricht unserem Zeitalter der Beschleunigung. Alles, was schnell gemacht wird, greift auf konventionelle Annahmen zurück; macht man etwas langsam, wird die Welt neu erblickt. Das Langsame öffnet für die Erkenntnis des zuvor Unbekannten und des Subtilen. Es gab sogar Vorschläge, Bücher stets kursiv zu drucken, da Kursivschrift das Lesetempo vermindert und damit “die Fähigkeit des Lesers erhöht, die Schönheit des Textes in sich aufzunehmen“, so der englische Literaturwissenschaftler Sir Francis Meynell.
Wenn ihr ein Buch genießen wollt, wenn ihr euch von der Idee des Autors berühren und sie zu eurer Erfahrung werden lassen wollt, dann lest langsam! Erst so wird euch die Kreativität des Autors deutlich, die eure wiederum anspricht. Und bloß nicht vergessen, eure Smartphones und iPads abzuschalten; im offline Modus liest es sich deutlich besser.

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Lesen macht nicht nur klug, sondern auch gesund und empathisch
Selma, Buchfee

Speed reading is addictive like everything fast. Especially people reading much don’t notice how they are reading faster and faster. They have to force themselves holding on. – We read faster nowadays than a couple of years before but less as well. Therefore Selma asked: „Has endlessly skimming short texts on the internet made us stupider?“ Intelligence research says “Yes!” The use of short sentences and texts in the internet makes us stupid. Being able to understand long sentences has to be practised, but it doesn’t only exercises our ability to differentiate but also guards us against Alzheimer’s.
Reading books seems to fall out of fashion. Reading was forbidden for some people up to the 19th c, and a “History of Reading” by Alberto Manguel was published twenty years ago. A history of something will be always published when this something is vanishing. “History means swan song” as Siri puts it, asking if the happy lingering reading is getting more and more a luxury of few intellectuals.

Schnelles Lesen macht uns wie vieles Schnelle süchtig. Wir Vielleser bemerken es gar nicht, wie wir immer schneller durch die Seiten hetzen. Wir müssen uns zur Ordnung rufen und bremsen. Wir lesen im Schnitt zwar schneller als noch vor wenigen Jahren, aber auch bedeutend weniger. Deswegen fragte gestern Selma: „Machen uns die immer kürzeren Texte im Netz doofer ?“ Die Intelligenzforscher nehmen das an. Der  Gebrauch des Kurzsatzes im Netz wie auch der des Kurztextes lässt uns zunehmend verblöden. Lange Sätze zu lesen ist zwar eine Fähigkeit, die ständig geübt werden muss, aber sie schult nicht nur unsere Differenzierungsfähigkeit, sondern wirkt auch vorbeugend gegen Alzheimer.
Bücher zu lesen scheint aus der Mode zu kommen. War es manchen Bevölkerungsgruppen wie Schwarzen in South Carolina noch bis ins 19. Jh. hinein verboten, so ist erschreckend, dass vor 20 Jahren “Eine Geschichte des Lesens” von Alberto Manguel herauskam. Die Geschichte eines Phänomens pflegt stets dann zu erscheinen, wenn es ausklingt. “Geschichten sind Abgesänge“, meint Siri und fragt, ob das genussvoll verweilende Bücherlesen denn zunehmend zum Luxus der Gebildeten wird.

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Lest, Leute, Lest!
Your Bookfayries

Flaubert mentioned “to read is for to live”. He didn’t know that elderly individuals who read regularly are 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than their peers. But not every kind of reading, only slow reading prevents Alzheimer’s and reduces stress. A Norwegian research found that texts read on screen are much faster forgotten than those read in print. We think that has to do with the higher speed of reading on a screen (f.e. Kindle).
Let’s read against Alzheimer’s!

The Slow Books Manifesto recommends to read half an hour daily at least and mainly classics. However, we think the difference between fast and slow reading is not so much a matter of the book but of the reader. Blogging and slow reading have in common that you decide how much time you are willing to spend doing it. The pile of unread books shouldn’t force you to read faster. It should give you a comforting joy.
We love most of all the very slow reading meaning to get read. Therefore we started comfy-slow-reading-afternoons in a Norwegian cafè as you see on Dina’s pictures here. You see, we are reading the same novel to each other.

“Lies, um zu leben“, schrieb Gustave Flaubert. Er wusste nicht, dass Ältere, die regelmäßig lesen, damit ihr Alzheimer-Risiko ums 2,5fache gegenüber Nichtlesern verringern. Aber nicht jedes Lesen wirkt gleich, nur langsames Lesen wirkt vorbeugend gegen Alzheimer und reduziert zudem den Alltagsstress. Eine norwegische Studie fand heraus, wenn auf einem Bildschirm wie z.B. bei einem Kindle gelesen wird, wir den Text weitaus schneller vergessen, als wenn wir ihn im Buch gelesen hätten. Das liegt u.a. daran, dass im Schnitt auf dem Bildschirm schneller als im Buch gelesen wird.
Also lasst uns gegen Alzheimer anlesen 🙂

In dem Slow Books Manifest wird empfohlen, mindestens eine halbe Stunde täglich Literatur zu lesen, vorzüglich Klassiker. Wir finden jedoch, der Unterschied zwischen Fast und Slow Reading liegt nicht beim Buch sondern beim Leser. Mit dem langsamen Lesen ist es wie mit dem Bloggen; ihr entscheidet selbst, wie viel Zeit ihr euch dafür gönnt. Der Stapel ungelesene Bücher sollte nicht einen Lesedruck erzeugen, sondern beruhigende Freude bereiten. Wir lieben am allermeisten das ganz langsame Lesen, nämlich vorgelesen zu bekommen. Deswegen haben wir, wie ihr hier seht, in einem gemütlichen norwegischen Café einen ‘lustvoll-langsam-Lese-Nachmittag’ eingerichtet, an dem wir uns reihum aus dem gleichen Buch vorlesen.

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There is a blog about Slow Reading and the classic novel praising slowness is Michael Ende’s “Momo” also known as “The Grey Gentlemen” and Sten Nadolny’s “The Discovery of Slowness”.

Es gibt einen Slow Reading Blog und die beiden klassischen Bücher der Entschleunigung sind für uns Michael Endes “Momo“und Sten Nadolnys “Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit“.

Happy Reading
Frohes Lesen
Siri and Selma, the cookie loving, slow reading Bookfayries

 

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Norway and Cley next the Sea, 2016

177 thoughts

  1. It is my nature to do most things at a high rate of speed….walking (a slow trot) cooking (speed equals sloppy) and yes, reading! My slowing down would be a pleasure for everyone concerned at this point, I think. Perhaps the slow reading method would actually save some time, as I would not have to re-read the same page over again! Warm wishes to you all,
    Elisa

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Elisa,
      indeed, we found out that in the end we got much more read when reading slow. We remember better.
      On the other hand we found out that complicated texts with very long sentences are easier to understood if you read fast. Because with fast reading you don’t read word by word but from an overview and complicated syntax is easier to understand from this overview. Fortunately, except some philosophical texts especially older ones, most of the literature we read has an easy syntax structure like most novels f.e.
      Thank you for commenting.
      We wish you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  2. The Hurried Woman Syndrome; I can’t think of anyone not suffering from high speed living, working, eating, reading. It’s almost like being on a autopilot. I’ll try to slow down this weekend. What a pity I don’t have such a nice cafè nearby!
    Wishing the Fab Four a great weekend,
    Sarah x

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Sarah,
      unfortunately we have to struggle to slow down but it’s worth the try. It’s so deep in our mind that fast is better than slow theefore we need this efford to change it.
      Thank you and wishing you a slow weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  4. What a lovely place to be reading! And your treatise–manifesto–is right and needful. “Let’s read against Alzheimer’s!” Words to live by in a real way.

    I am a slow reader. Learning to read was laborious. Now I’m slowed by wondering about the writer’s (or the editor’s) choices in constructing a phrase in such-and-such fashion. I also had an early appreciation for Poe and marveled at the single, one-page sentences he could compose. He commanded writing.

    I do read fast when I have to. But, as has been noted, retention is a gamble. I agree about the screen as well. If I must recall and use text from a screen, I tend to print a copy. Waste of paper maybe–but it works.

    Thank you for your wise words and example. May we all slow down to savor. I’m not surprised to learn the Book-Fay-Folk favor this approach and are adept with it.

    Slowly and thus more fully yours,

    Christopher

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Christopher,
      actually we do both reading fast and slow. We are also more interested in the style than in the plot. Isn’t it exciting to find out how the author builds up tension, how sentences are constructed and which metaphors are used? If we need information about the plot only we don’t hesitate to read fast. Unfortunately the tendency in bestselling literature is the exciting plot. In Dan Brown’s or Keith Follett’s books the style is irrelevant everything is about the plot. And this suspense is designed to be read fast. If you look around in a bookshop most of the shelfspace is taken by suspense. But even the suspense has change from Agatha Christie to modern suspense literature. It seems to us that the structure of many modern books make you reading fast.
      Have a slow relaxed weekend
      wishing you
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Was für eine schöne und in der heutigen Zeit ungewöhnliche Idee, sich zu treffen, um sich gegenseitig vorzulesen! Aus diesem Post nehme ich die Idee mit, statt eines Hörbuchs, doch mal wieder ein gedrucktes Buch zu kaufen.
    LG, Conny

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Einen wunderschönen guten Morgen, liebe Conny,
      wir empfinden sich vorzulesen als einen Luxus, auf den wir nicht verzichten möchten. Und es ist ja für beide Seite schön, für den Hörer wie auch für den Vorleser. Wenn man etwas laut liest, merkt man viel besser die Stärken und Schwächen eines Textes. Unser Masterchen liest uns seine Texte immer vor, und da bemerken er wie wir, wo der Rhythmus oder der Fluss unstimmig ist.
      Schöne Texte vorgelesen zu bekommen, empfinden wir wie eine heilende Massage …
      Liebe Grüße, ein geruhsames Wochenende und vielen Dank fürs Kommentieren
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Dear friends,
    I like your advice about switching off smartphones and ipads; …”being offline makes you more creative and sociable, social media not so much!” … Well said. 🙂 I’m afraid the coming generation will be one reading less books, being less sociable. I still observe people reading on the plane and the bus when they are commuting, but the majority of the jung ones are glued to their smartphones. Will they be able to teach their children the joy and pleasure of reading a good book? Hardly. I can see your headline in 20 years;
    “THE DEATH OF READING”. 😉
    I’m very much looking forward to this weekend, nothing on the agenda, what a treat! 🙂
    Best wishes,
    HA DET
    Per Magnus

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend,
      we are not that pessimistic that we think the death of reading is coming. But as we wrote above the reading will change. We will surely read more online and for conventional reading we will nearly only choose literature with a high degree of suspense.
      The reading will change but everything is changing all the time. And maybe only we older folks see this as a disadvantage – like the older people always did.
      All the best
      Ha det
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Dear Fab Four,
    I feel inspired by your post and also the previous comment by Per Magnus;
    sad to say, in education today, focus is teaching students to acquire a list of skills so they can successfully complete an end of the year test. Is that really all it takes be an educated person? In today’s Language Arts classes instead of reading entire pieces of literature, the students read excerpts from novels, excerpts from speeches, excerpts from articles and answer specific questions that require the child to review the piece and select specific information. It is called closed reading. I call it closing minds. With little room for imagination. And I’m sure you agree: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. “ Albert Einstein
    Slow Reading sounds very good and healthy!
    Kram , Annalena x

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Annalena,
      we fully agree “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. We have the feeling we are more and more establishing a split in our society. The ‘normal’ people as the ‘normal’ student is not asked to be imaginative or to think on his own. They let the net think for them because they have to be quick. A small intellectual elite only is taught to read and think slow and on their own. They are the ones who keep the old culture alife. The others are taught onedimensionally being closed. Isn’t this the tendency in our post modern life?
      Kram xxxx
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  8. The biggest problem I have always had with books in my life is finishing the constant books I read. It is grief if the book is good. I dread the end and have no replacement sometimes, which leaves me book adrift, and generally not as happy as when I read a book I love. I can’t imagine reading a book quickly unless you are a student and it is assigned and you don’t like it or have time. Studemts are prisoners of their professors afterall and can’t read what they chose.
    By the time you are practising you read to stay on top of things and you may skim just to get information.
    This is not the same as a love affair with a book.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Cindy,
      we know this feeling very well: the fear that the book will end and there is no replacement. We feel this especially with long novels we drown in and all by a sudden there is the end. What a pity! Therefore we noticed we are reading slower and slower towards the end.
      Wishing you a slow relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Ach liebe Hanne und lieber Klausbernd,
    meine Mutter war eine typische Vielleserin und trotzdem ist der Kelch der Alzheimer Krankheit nicht an ihr vorbei gegangen.
    Nichtsdestotrotz, natürlich hält Lesen den Geist fit! Interessant finde ich, dass auf dem Kindle weniger intensiv gelesen wird, da habe ich ja Glück, dass ich einen Tolino besitze 😉 . Spaß beiseite. Es ist in der U-Bahn einfach einfacher, den Tolino zu benutzen. Ich nutze ihn gerne für die Uni Texte, denn er kann nicht nur Bücher, er kann auch pdf – Datein zeigen.
    Die Fotos gefallen mir wieder sehr gut. Was für ein nettes Modell ihr uns zeigt!
    Liebe Grüße sendet euch Susanne

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Susanne,
      ja, dass Lesen die Wahrscheinlichkeit an Alzheimer zu erkranken reduziert, ist leider nur eine statistische Aussage. Da gibt es außer deiner Mutter noch einige Beispiele. Spontan fallen mir Iris Murdoch und Terry Prachett ein.
      Ja, Dina und unsere Buchfeen kennen nette, schöne Leute! Die erste Person ist eine Französin, die nach Norwegen zog, und die letzte ist Dinas beste Freundin.
      Liebe Grüße vom heute grauen Cley
      The Fab Four

      Liked by 4 people

  10. Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit habe ich sehr gerne gelesen. Und die Idee mit Slow Reading Cafè finde ich gut. Das fehlt in Frankfurt! 🙂
    Liebe Grüße,
    Jürgen

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Jürgen,
      da “slow” gerade sehr exklusiv ist, wäre es doch der richtige Zeitpunkt, so ein Café in Frankfurt zu eröffnen. Das könntest du dir glatt von der Buchmesse sponsorn lassen.
      Liebe Grüße vom heute rauen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Vielen Dank, ihr Lieben, für den sehr anregenden Artikel. Ich oute mich als relative Schnellleserin. Und jetzt wo ich so darüber nachdenke, wie ich lese, stelle ich fest, dass ich oftmals nicht alles Wörter in einem Satz lese. Ich extrahiere quasi nur die Aussage des Satzes, aber nicht die Poesie eines Satzes. Da ist gerade eine sehr eindrückliche Erkenntnis für mich. Vielen Dank für das Draufstupsen.
    Interessant finde ich, dass man e-books schneller als Bücher liest. Ich lese in beiden, habe dies so aber noch nicht beobachten können. Die Idee mit dem Slow Reading Café ist eine schöne Idee, um vielleicht auch ein paar mehr Leute zum Lesen zu bekommen, welche bisher mehr auf Hörbücher stehen. Ich habe Hörbücher schon probiert, kann mich aber jedesmal schlecht an den Rhythmus des Vorlesers anpassen. Was wahrscheinlich wieder daran liegt, dass ich normalerweise schneller lese, als der- oder diejenige vorliest. 😉
    Hach, alles sehr interessant. Mit dieser Anregung verabschiede ich mich ins Wochenende.
    Liebe Grüße von der sonnigen Ostseeküste. 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Guten Morgen
      uns geht’s wie dir, auch wir haben Probleme mit Hörbüchern, einmal weil wir oft beim Hören nicht bei der Sache sind oder gar wegdämmern, zum anderen weil wir nichts anstreichen können und es umständlich ist, wieder zuvor gelesene Passagen zu finden.
      Masterchen hat noch als Student professionelles Schnelllesen gelernt, d.h. so zwischen 300 bis 400 Seiten pro Stunde. Aber das ist harte und äußerst konzentrierte Arbeit – also kein Vergnügen. Er benutzt das fast gar nicht mehr, bemerkt jedoch, dass, je länger er liest, desto schneller liest er, und wie du sagst, bekommt die Feinheit des Textes nicht mehr mit.
      Heute lesen wir vier langsam, die normale Lesegeschwindigkeit von 60 bis 100 Seiten die Stunde, bei der wir auch die Subtilitäten des Textes noch mitbekommen und auch einmal zurückblättern können. Wir sind zu Genusslesern geworden 🙂
      Das freut uns, dass wir dir etwas zeigen konnten 🙂
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom heute ziemlich rauen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Da ich beruflich “schnelllesen” musste, habe ich jetzt auch zu den Genüsslichlangsamlesern gewechselt und lese jeden Tag nur eine Seite.!!!
    liebste Grüsse von Laura

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, liebe Laura,
      wow! Das ist ja etwas ganz Besonderes. Nur eine Seite pro Tag – das ist eine Ehre, die du den Text erweist, die wir bewundern.
      Ganz liebe Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I’ve been reading Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet for an hour or so every night (I know you Fab 4 admire this work). The books lead you into another time and place, continually showing you people and events from differing angles.You have to read them with attention. And that’s the other thing about slow reading of classics: they somehow create new ‘geography’ in one’s mind – fresh places to wander in, situations to consider. Another work of this quality is Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet set in World War 2 India. And then I enjoyed a novel of more recent vintage since it was like nothing I had ever read before: Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Travel for the mind and all without taking a taxi or plane 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Tish,
      We love Murakami’s “Norwegian Wood” as well. That makes the quality of a book that it creates a new geography in the reader’s mind as you said. We very much agree. We learn by being confronted with new situations in our our mind. And this is partly the differene between classic and post modern bestselling literature. Only the classic literature creates a new space the reader can identify with, most of the current bestselling literature is creating characters and situations too extraordinary to identify with.
      Paul Scott’s book we don’t know but we will have a look.
      Thanks and cheers.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Happy weekend to you too. I love what you said about classic literature creating ‘a new space’. I’m almost sure that when this happens it also expands one’s breathing too – to take in all the new fresh air. Fascinating, isn’t it 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Have you read any of David Mitchell? I’m a naturally slow reader and it’s taken me a long time to get through ‘The Bone Clocks’, but nearing the end I am amazed at the journey.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Tish
      Thanks. We are fans of David Mitchell’s novels and read them all and enjoyed them. Only “Cloud Atlas” we found a bit overconstructed.
      Greetings from the sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  17. I love this post, FF. Slowing down helps me focusing on what really matters. That’s why, whenever it’s possible, I go for the scenic way. It refreshes me and I feel less tired.
    I have to visit this lovely cafe next time I’m in Fredrikstad! ❤
    Take care.
    Ha en god helg,
    Hjerter

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  19. I perhaps read too slowly. I start, then stop, often having to re-read what I have read before, to reacquaint myself with the story.
    Nonetheless, I prefer this to fast reading, where books are consumed, rather than savoured.
    Love from Beetley. Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Pete,
      is there a too slow concerning reading?
      We do have to read and re-read quite often as well. We suppose if we would read highly concentrated we didn’t need to re-read, but that would be hard work.
      Maybe that’s the privilege and luxury of age: we are allowed to be slow. Isn’t that great!
      Lots of love to you and Ollie from the rough sea today
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Fab Four,
    I once read a book that said we should read a book like a writer and that broke me from reading through books as though I was in a race. I can appreciate what your article is saying here and thank you.
    Have a great weekend, friends….
    GP Cox

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear GP Cox
      we like the idea of reading a book like a writer. So we can enjoy books much more, especially books written in a good style.
      We wish you a happy relaxing weekend as well and say thank you to our dear friend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  21. Traumhaft das alles, was ihr da schreibt und fotografiert habt…ein Japaner schreibt also zur Zeit das schönste Englisch laut Wikipedia…
    Ein langer Satz: Der Sinn des Lebens ist…weil…und…nachdem….obwohl….und außerdem…..verglichen mit …..und somit…..aber…..gerade weil…..ausgenommen natürlich……damit…….u.s.w. allerdings dann…..es sei denn……
    So, jetzt gehe ich in den Tanzraum, erst mal putzen…ich sage euch, dieser Straßenkehrer aus “Momo” ist mein bester Freund!
    Herzliche Grüße sendet euch Pia
    Manchmal denke ich mir: Was eine werdende Mutter in 260 Tage Schwangerschaft schon alles fühlt und denkt, kein Wunder, dass wir langsam machen müssen…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi Pia
      es wird so gesagt, dass Kazuro Ishiguro das schönste Englisch schreibt. Hmmmm, das ist immer schwer zu sagen, wie will man das messen? Wir lasen kürzlich die Behauptung, dass Goethe ein besserer Autor als Shakespeare sei, da er mehr doppelt so viele unterschiedliche Wörter benutzt. Ob das das Maß aller Dinge ist?
      Besonders Siri und Selma liebten auch gleich den Beppo Straßenkehrer aus “Momo”.
      Ganz liebe Grüße und ein rundum schönes Wochenende wünschen dir
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rundum schönes Wochenende zurück, Bissel viel Wasser kommt hier herunter….ist das die Reinigung Deutschlands?
      Was ich fürchterlich fände, wenn eine Krankheit nach mir benannt würde….
      Schreiberitis.-Dotitis…
      Manche Bücher muss man wirklich langsam lesen, sie verändern so viel und das braucht einfach ihre Zeit,
      Herzliche Grüße von Pia

      Liked by 2 people

    • Klar doch, liebe Pia,
      es gibt langsam zu lesende Literatur, bei der es sich auch lohnt, und Literatur, die man einfach hurtig überfliegen kann.
      Keine Angst, nach dir wird sicher keine Krankheit benannt 😉
      Hier war’s bis eben stark nebelig, aber jetzt kommt die Sonne durch.
      Mit lieben Grüßen und hab ein schönes Wochenende
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Hallo Ihr Lieben,
    mal wieder hochinteressant, was Ihr da schreibt. Vorweg: Euren Artikel habe ich “mittelschnell” [oder soll ich sagen “halblangsam”?] gelesen. Will sagen, nichjt unbedingt bewusst Wort für Wort, aber doch ohne etwas zu übergehen.
    Meine Lesegeschwindigkeiten/-gewohnheiten sind ganz unterschiedlich: bei Nachrichten online meistens schnell, die ersten, wichtigen Sätze, und danach überfliegend. Bei Büchern ist das normalerweise anders: da eher langsam, Alles erfassend. Aber auch da ertappe ich mich manchmal dabei, nur den ersten Satz eines Absatzes eingehend zu lesen, und danach den Absatz zu überfliegen. Kommt aber ganz auf den Text an. Manches lese ich auch langsam und genau, und möglicherweise sogar mehrfach. Wenn es nämlich kompliziert ist, den Inhalt zu erfassen, oder wenn ich einen Text genieße.
    Ich glaube, die Beobachtung, dass man am Computer schneller liest als bei einem gedruckten Text, stimmt.
    Hab’t ein feines (Lese)wochenende, und liebe Grüße,
    Pit

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Pit,
      du machst auf einen wichtigen Punkt aufmerksam, es kommt u.a.auf die Textsorte an, wie schnell man liest.
      Wir lasen gerade gemeinsam den unterhaltsamen Roman von Alexander McCall Smith “The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”. Dort lasen wir einige Stellen genau und vergnügt, andere haben wir nach dem Kapitelanfang nur kurz überflogen, da uns Afrika nicht unbedingt so interessiert. Und dennoch hatten wir einen feinen Lesegenuss. Jetzt lesen wir gerade sein Buch “The 21/2 Pillars of Wisdom”, das wir als ein köstlich ironisches Werk über deutsche Intellektuelle lieben. Da wir uns hierbei mehr identifizieren, lesen wir viel langsamer – auch weil wir manchmal Tränen lachen müssen.
      Besonders moderne Romane sehen wir ein wenig wie eine Werkzeugkiste, wir nehmen uns heraus, was uns gefällt, und das lesen wir genau. Grundsätzlich lesen wir genau so etwa die ersten 60 Seiten eines Romans und entscheiden dann, in welchem Tempo wir ihn zu Ende lesen.
      Texte im Netz sind oft stilistisch eine Katastrophe, da lohnt sich ein langsames Lesen nicht. Es ist das Problem, dass es dort keine Lektorin gibt, die den Autor korrigiert. Übrigens wir lektorieren gegenseitig unsere Texte und Dina und Siri sind da sehr genau. Hemingway bearbeitete und schrieb seine Texte bis zu 50mal um, da lohnt es sich genau zu lesen, aber im Netz werden oft Texte einfach so schnell niedergeschrieben. D.h. schnell geschriebene Texte kann man auch schnell ohne Verlust überfliegen. Es gibt allerdings Ausnahmen, “Die Schatzinsel” wurde von Robert Louis Stevenson wurde in einem Rutsch niedergeschrieben (der Autor wollte seinem Bruder beweisen, dass er schnell ein lesenwertes Buch niederschreiben kann, was ihm auch gelang. Aber das ist eine Ausnehme.)
      Dir wünschen wir auch ein gemütliches Lesewochenende. Hier herrscht gerade das ideale Wetter dazu: kühl und leichter Nieselrege.
      Ganz liebe Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hallo Klausbernd,
      “Texte im Netz sind oft stilistisch eine Katastrophe”: da musst Du wohl an meine Texte gedacht haben, oder?! 😉 Im Ernst: wenn ich mein Geschreibsel [trifft übrigens nicht nur für meine Blogtexte zu] so lese, dann habe ich den Eindruck, ich schreibe nach dem Motto “je länger und je verschachtelter der Satz, desto bsser” – eine Parenthese jagt die nächste, und ein Nebensatz den anderen. Sogar bei “offiziellen” Briefen ist das so. Es ist schon vorgekommen, dass ich einen von mir selbst geschriebenen Text mehrfach habe lesen muessen, um ihn zu verstehen. 😉 Schlimm oder? Aber da bekanntlicherweise Selbsterkenntnis der erste Weg zur Besserung ist, besteht ja noch Hoffnung.
      Habt ein feines Wochenende, Ihr Fab Four, wo auch immer Ihr gerade seid bzw. herumschwirrt,
      Pit

      Liked by 1 person

    • Also lieber Pit,
      an dich hatten wir gar nicht gedacht. Es kommt ja darauf an, welchen Anspruch man an sich hat. Masterchen als Autor muss einfach “schön” schreiben und uns Buchfeen liegt das gut im Blut. Wir lieben das Zelebrieren des anmutigen Textes mit Wortwitz und einem leicht zu lesenden Rhythmus. Allerdings, ehrlich gesagt, nicht, wenn wir hier wie jetzt die Kommentare beantworten. Um den schönen Text zu schreiben, bedarf es natürlich mehr Zeit als man benötigt, etwas eben hinzuschreiben. In vielen Situationen ist ja das “einfach hinschreiben” genügend. Unsere Einkaufslisten konzipieren wir auch nicht wie ein Gedicht wie es Friedrich Rückert tat.
      Also, don’t worry! Außerdem gibt es doch zwei unterschiedliche Tendenzen von Expats, entweder sie pflegen ihre Muttersprache noch mehr wie Heine, oder sie werden nachlässiger mit ihrer Muttersprache.
      Dann mach es dir mal fein gemütlich. Hab ein feines Wochenende and take care
      The Fab Four of Cley

      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  23. I enjoyed your post. As a writer, I embrace your idea of slow reading. Each of the sentences in my books has been placed for a reason. Fast reading may get the idea of what is written but not the essence of why. Good post, fab four.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear John 🙂
      as Pit commented above (in German) the ideal reader reads like an author. “The essence of why” that is the soul of text and we are sure you get this only by slow reading. But unfortunately not every texts has a soul 😉 latest since the age of easy cheap publishing.
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend, warm greeting from Norfolk to Texas
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  24. Great post. I am a slow reader…always have been. I figured out later in life it is because I am slightly dyslexic. This was a slight problem in school, because it took me forever to read my lessons. But, now that I’m grown, I don’t mind it at all. I’ve always loved to read. As a child I would climb the tree in my front yard, sit on a crooked limb, and read a book for a couple of hours at a time.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • It’s great hear about your joy of reading 🙂 As many commented slow reading makes you enjoy a text much more.
      All the best and wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  25. I agree – a pile of books is comforting. I have several books going at the same time. And I am a slow reader. And now I have added the audio format which adds a new dimension. As I was listening to poetry one night, I decided to record my own voice reading poetry. Now that really changed everything. When my son was 13, we read The Lord of the Rings together – I would read 5 papers aloud and then he would take his turn at five pages. You can imagine how slow that process was. But what a joyful time for me. Thank you for another marvelous post – truly a joy to stop by. Hugs and love to the Fab Four of Cley.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Clanmother,
      we love to celebrate reading out loud. It gives us a much better insight in a text than any other way of reading.
      We have been speed readers and we had to re-learn reading slowly. In speed rading you don’t speak the words you read silently because that slows you down. It means you don’t honour the word by celebrating it. F.e. you don’t get neither the rhythm nor the sound of the sentences. And especially we Bookfayries think that’s a pity. As we wrote in the comment to John you don’t touch the soul of the text.
      Thomas Mann was an author writing like you read “The Lord of the Rings” – mostly not more than five sentences per day.
      Thank you for commenting and we are happy that you like our post, very much! 🙂
      Have a relaxing weekend.
      With a big hug and xxx
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Rebecca, dear all,
      I know you are a fond reader and a fond friend of art and nature. When you do your morning walks in Vancouver, your photos transport your jubilant feeling of joy and thankfulness. It feels good, it looks good, because you are connected and you see. As is a novel, as is art; the more time you take, the more you slow down, the better it get and the whole experience expands. Some years ago I spent a day at Louvre with some friends in an art group. We saw 3 paintings (and Mona Lisa, of course 😉 ) and it was magic and it has changed the way I look and observe in a museum ever since. I was thought that if I do choose to slow down — to find a piece of art that speaks to me and observe it for minutes rather than seconds — I am more likely to connect with the art, the person with whom I’m touring the galleries, maybe even myself. And I just might emerge feeling refreshed and inspired rather than depleted.
      The professor’s summit: spend at least 20-30 minutes in front of a single painting that speaks to you in some way. Thirty minutes these days is what three hours used to be. In my little book of gems I quoted him: “But what happens, of course, is you actually begin to be able to see what you’re looking at.”
      Don’t you think “The Art of Slowing Down in a Museum” is a good title? 🙂
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
      hugs, Dina x
      In the Rhine Valley, we’re quite battered with some ill-tempered weather

      Liked by 4 people

    • Thank you for your insightful words on savoring the moments. It seems that humanity’s preference is quantity over quality, which probably relates to our basic need for survival. The more we have, the safer we are. I especially appreciated your words: “I am more likely to connect with the art….and I just might emerge feeling refreshed and inspired rather than depleted. I have found that achieving that wonderful balance of “slow” comes from a determination to live in the present. We have been trained for future happenings, whether it is studying for an exam or planning a vacation. There is a belief that something that happens tomorrow is somehow more valuable than the events of the present. Here is a quote I think says it the best. “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Gandhi.

      I have read this most excellent post several times over, along with the wonderful dialogue that follows. I have been off line a couple of days attending a Highland Games where there was sporadic Internet connection. I do enjoy our conversations. Have a wonderful week. Life is so very good…

      Liked by 2 people

    • Good morning, dear Clanmother,
      thank you for making this connection between quatity over quality with survival. We never thought about this aspect but of course “much” means security, means a bigger change of survival.
      We agree it sems that for us nowadays life is always tomorrow. The old slogan “Be Here Now” from the sixties is long forgotten. We suppose this has to do with our lack of ability to let ourselves in. We always need the distance (time or space) to feel secure. Abandonment is seen as danger in our culture. Don’t we miss something important? Well, we can enjoy it in the safe historical distance by romanticising.
      We like our “talks” very much too and don’t want to miss them.
      Enjoy the Highland Games 🙂
      With big hugs xxx
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Wie fast alles habe ich auch Euren Post wieder langsam und genüsslich gelesen. Es ist mir schon immer ein Graus gewesen, etwas schnell lesen zu müssen. Was bin ich froh über Euren Post, ich weiß nun also, dass ich mir als Langsamleserin doch täglich etwas Gutes tue 🙂 Aber Lesen hatte für mich schon immer etwas mit Gemütlichkeit, Ruhe und Entspannung zu tun. Schon wenn ich ein Buch zur Hand nehme, ist da eine freudige Erwartung, die ich auskosten möchte. Wer will da schon hetzen?
    Das war wieder einmal ein Beitrag so ganz nach meinem Geschmack.
    Liebe Grüße schickt Euch die Silberdistel

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Herzlichen Dank, liebe Silberdistel,
      für uns ist es genauso, ein Buch zu ergreifen und dann es zu lesen zu beginnen, ist Gemütlichkeit pur. Das war allerdings keineswegs immer so. Als unser Masterchen noch für große Verlage schrieb, schickten ihm seine Lektorinnen ständig Stapel von Pflichtlektüre. Das war – leider – nur mit Schnelllesen zu bewältigen. So erfreuen wir uns jetzt um so mehr, dass wir gemütlich, teils verweilend und nachsinnend lesen können.
      Liebe Grüße vom heute nebeligen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  27. There are some books that I read slowly and don’t mind to go over the same page a couple times. Others, I read as fast as I can. Your beautiful post makes me slow down…
    Thank you so much for the wonderful post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Amy,
      actually we read like you do: Some books we read slowly, we take time to think about and feel, and others we read as swift as we can. Those are these books we just want to read for some information only.
      Thanks you very much for your kind words 🙂
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, we do this as well. And if we have finished in the end there is always a little sad feeling until we find a new book that is gripping us.
      All the best and happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks, we are happy that you like our post. And that you share our feeling of being blessed with piles of unread books.
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  30. I race through the newspaper (blah blah, arrgh, horrible, blah) and compulsively flick my finger, like getting rid of mosquitoes, to skip even faster through the never-ending internet snippets on my phone. But books and things I like, like this blog, I sit down and stop hearing outside noises, and just listen to what is being read in my mind. That keeps me at a calm pace. But I cannot say I find the piles of unread books comforting — if this comes to be a privilege for a few cossetted intellectuals, that leaves me out, and I may not ever have the leisure time to enjoy all sorts of classics? I am enjoying reading your essays, thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Robert,
      we feel honoured that you like our essays 🙂 Great!
      Oh dear, we are maybe these cossetted intellectuals you mention 😦 Well, we are retired and have the luxury of time. In our working life we made our living with reading and writing.
      But we can see your point very clearly, slow reading all sorts of classics needs the privilege of having enough time for it. On the other hand our beloved Bookfayries say it’s better to read less and to really read it than to read a lot. There we are back to quality over quantity.
      Thanks you very much for commenting and wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      By the way, many years ago we lived for some time in Vermont and travelled quite often to Upstate New York we liked very much!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good grief, no, I certainly did not mean you when I wrote that. Retirees have earned the time to enjoy whatsoever they desire to do and spend it however they want – enjoying and really savoring a book seems like top of the list. And it is an intellectual’s job to read books, that was just jealousy speaking, working hasn’t allowed much reading time lately. “Cosseted” was my word-of-the-week on my vocabulary calendar, so I had to use it somewhere. I hope you folks have a wonderful weekend and looking forward to your next post. Meanwhile, I’ll try very hard to practice my writing, so I communicate more clearly and respectfully.
      I’m so glad to hear you liked traveling in Upstate.

      Like

    • Hi, dear Robert,
      you wouldn’t believe it, we have to say thank you. We didn’t know the word “cosset” neither and had to look it up in our dictionary (oh dear, we still use a printed one). Now our English vocabulary has grown by one more word 🙂
      Don’t worry we didn’t feel insulted or something similar.
      We are writing on a new essay for this blog and Dina has already chosen some photographs – it’s partly about a Norwegian island, dreams and stones. But more we don’t say. It has to be a surprise …
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  31. I have always been a slow reader, compared to others. But then again, I don’t have a problem with being different. You might have noticed that by now, little fairies. 😉

    When I write dialogue, it is usually short and choppy. When I write narrative, it is usually longer and more structured. This style of writing comes naturally to me, but I think it also reflects true human nature. Speech and action are rapid in the mind’s eye. Listening and thought appear slower, even though all these functions are performed at lightning speed across our synapses.

    Thank you for another provocative post Fab Four. Enjoy your “slow” weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Thorsaurus,
      well, you love being different as we do – anyway Bookfayries are different per se as Thorsauruses are.
      You characterise dialoque as short and choppy, well, it depends on who is speaking. We met quite a lot of people who did speak like they would write. Ferdinand de Saussure was the first who clearly saw the difference between the spoken and the written language. And we see this difference too. It seems to us that the differences are on the level of grammar and on the level of structure, especially the syntax structure. Of course we know German and Norwegian better than English, in those two languages the spoken word, if you would write it out, is usually much longer, especially longer sentences. But that’s of course elaborate code of the intellectual middle class. The restrictive code is very short and choppy indeed in all the languages.
      Anyway, sorry for this short linguistic detour.
      Wishing you a slow relaxing weekend as well
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  32. Such amazing captures as always and the Bookfayries can show off at anytime. It sure is fun reading, especially when you have a lovely cup of coffee/tea and something to eat. 😀 ♥

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  33. So many takeaways from this post – like 3 cheers for the print text! Love digital – but good to know those studies – and I agree – let’s read to prevent Alzheimer’s –
    Oh and the photos – love all the prints with the lady and her book – her shirt – the wall – the couch —
    All photos were tasty –
    Have a good day – I am off to speed read – um, I mean slowly read some more blog posts – 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Lady Fi,
      yes, we can see that using a Kindle is easy on the eyes, especially if one has eye problems like our dear Master’s sister. In this case it is a great help. But we are old fashioned, we need the touch and the smell of the paper.
      All the best and happy reading
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  36. Yes, in a world of quickening, it a joy to peruse your thoughtful post. And as you point out, there is reading and there is reading. Slow increases comprehension, which certainly is a goal: to understand and remember what one reads.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Post Scriptum
      It is the trend of the perception of media to do it without understanding and remembering. There exist quite some studies about watching TV. Nearly nobody really watches and hardly anybody remembers what they have seen. Therefore advertisment in TV has to be repeated very often. And it seems to be that some people read like they are watching TV. It’s pity but a fact.

      Like

    • Hi, dear Sally,
      thank you very much for your commentary 🙂
      We fully agree: to understand and to remember are the goals of reading. Without them reading is worth nothing.
      Lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  37. I read very slowly these days, a function of my MS, and unfortunately, I have poor retention so when I found myself reading and re-reading the same pages endlessly, I pretty much stopped reading for pleasure which has always been a huge part of my life. Perhaps sometimes there is too slowly. There is certainly too fast I’d argue. A very enjoyable and informative post as always from you guys. Enjoy the rest of the weekend! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Chillbrook
      Sorry, we didn’t think about how MS and other health problems affect reading.
      Although we know a person very well who liked to read a lot but she got severe eye problems when she got older and now she can read not more than half an hour in one go and this with a Kindle only. For her e-reading was the answer – but not really solving her problem. She has learned now over the years how to accept her problem and we are very much amazed how well she can cope.
      Thanks for commenting and we wish you a great week to come
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • That’s OK, it’s not a problem. One gets used to one’s limitations and just makes the best of what we can, photography for example. I do miss reading the novels I used to so enjoy for sheer escapism though, Eric Van Lustbader, James Clavelle, Robert Ludlum. Certainly not highbrow litereature but cracking good reads nonetheless.
      Have a great week ahead. We must think about dates for a visit perhaps. This is something I am very much looking forward to. All the best! 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Chillbrook
      Dina will come the day after tomorrow and then we will think about a date for a visit. It seems to me that we are actually free from now until the beginning of September. But we will have guests in the middle of June for one week and we are busy with guest, Cley Fair etc. from the end of July to the middle of August. The rest of the time seems to be free. But as I wrote, Dina will mail you exactly when she would like you to come. We are very much looking forward to your visit 🙂 🙂
      By the way we don’t read intellectual literature only! Now we are very much enjoying the books of McCall Smith, fun to read, and before we all four read together all the novels of the Swiss author Martin Suter we enjoyed very much as well.
      Okay, you will hear from us soon.
      Warm greetings from the cold sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  38. Wieder ein sehr spannendes Thema. Und auch sehr aktuell.

    Kindle und co. waren noch nie meins. Auch wenn das bedeutet jetzt im Urlaub extra Gewicht für Bücher zu reservieren, lese ich immer noch ausschließlich auch Büchern. Jeden Abend. Und auf dem Weg zur Arbeit. Und überhaupt, immer in der Bahn. So habe ich eigentlich die Bahnfahrten – kurze oder lange – lieben gelernt.

    “Der Stapel ungelesene Bücher sollte nicht einen Lesedruck erzeugen, sondern beruhigende Freude bereiten. ”

    Sehr schöner Gedanke 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi,
      ach weiß du, das Gewicht sollte einen nicht avon abhalten, echte Bücher mitzunehmen. Die früheren Forschungsreisenden wie Nansen und Amundsen, aber auch die Erforscher Afrikas und auch Humboldt in Südamerika hatten alle ihre Bücherkisten dabei. Ohne die reist man einfach nicht! Das nennen wir Kultur.
      Jedes Mal, wenn es zu befürchten steht, dass wir warten müssen, haben wir ein Buch dabei und bei Bahnfahrten, auf Fähren und bei Flügen eh. Wir können uns gar nicht vorstellen, ohne Bücher zu reisen. Und wir wollen auf Reisen gemütlich lesen, deswegen würden wir nie zu so etwas wie den Kindle greifen.
      Genieße die kommende Woche 🙂 frohes Bücherlesen
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much 🙂
      We hope that more and more people see that getting faster and faster is not the answer to a good life.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  40. This is wonderful. I hadn’t heard of the “slow reading” movement, but I love the concept!
    For those of us who really love books, it is something of a dilemma. I want to read slowly and deeply absorb a book, but at the same time I know there is a large stack of unread books calling out to me to hurry up!
    I had a professor once who required that assigned books be read slowly. He enforced this by requiring students to mark up the books as they read them, underlining, taking notes in the margins, etc. I cringed at the idea of defacing the book that way but I’ll admit it did force me to read more slowly and thoughtfully. It’s not something I do regularly though.
    Thanks for this great post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Bill,
      well, your professor recommended a kind of reading we do for many years now. We cannot read without a pencil in our hand for marking up and writing commentaries in the margins. So we make every book we read really to our personal book and it helps very much when we look for an idea, a quote or whatsoever later. We have a bit of a problem doing it in really beautiful or very rare books of ours. There we we write comments on small pieces of paper we deposit on the according page.
      It’s funny, when we buy old and used books we always look for underlinings and comments. We find it very interesting to read other people’s ideas. And we think a book without comments and underlinings is either a boring book or a book waiting desperately to be used.
      Thanks a lot for commenting and wishing you a relaxing week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  41. Hello, heute habe ich ein tolles Wort gelernt: Böotisch…..
    Langsam lesen lohnt sich!
    Liebe Grüße, manchmal wünscht man sich vielleicht etwas zu vergessen, aber nicht als Krankheit, sondern um geistig gesund zu sein.
    Dass man dann sein Wissen jederzeit abrufen kann, ist für mich noch ein Traum, wenigstens wissen, wo man suchen muss….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi, liebe Pia
      liest du jetzt Alt-Griechisch?
      Übrigens hast du Recht: Nach neueren Forschungen ist für die geistige Gesundheit das Vergessen wichtiger als das Behalten. Klar doch, man will doch nicht seine innere Festplatte zumüllen!
      Ganz liebe Grüße aus dem sommerlichen Cley
      The Fab Four

      Like

    • Oh dear!
      But you must have read this post at least. So we can feel honoured.
      It’s a strange world, we know people who don’t like to look at pictures and don’t read articles with pictures. They think it’s un-decent. And we know people who try to get all their infos they need from pictures like films. And there seem to be people who immediately forget what they saw on a picture and pictures don’t have any impact on them and there are people who have problems to concentrate to read a text. Both, of course, are extremes but not that scarcely neither.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  43. It applies to blogs, too. Every day I ask myself- do I read 2 or 3 blogs that I really love, properly, or try to whizz through the Inbox. And now, I really must fly! 🙂 🙂 Have a happy, slow, week!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Frederick,
      we are no fans of Victor Hugo either. We find his realistic texts especially boring. Only “The Toilers of the Sea” we found okay, but because we are interested in all literature about the sea.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  45. Beautiful photo to open with 🙂 And then the content followed suit as well as it was just as wonderful as well. What is so important, and especially for me now as I enter a very busy season of work, is to focus on “being slow.” As what you say may be the best piece of advice a person could ever give “being slow means being open to seeing the world in new ways.” And this means life will be more interesting as well 🙂 Cheers to the bookfayries ~ enjoy your day!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Dalo,
      our beloved Bookfayries, Dina and me are very happy that you like our pictures and our ideas about slowing down 🙂 In the modern Fench philosophy our times are called “age of acceleration” and the acceleration of life is seen as close connected with alienation. We experienced slowing down as healing for us and our surroundings as well.
      Have a happy slow Sunday
      Klausbernd and the rest of the Fab Four

      Liked by 1 person

  46. Guten Morgen, wie schön, der kleine Kuchen lag noch da, ein Glück, den habe ich in Gedanken schon so oft verputzt…ist der lecker!
    Lesen ist das Besteste findet Pia und wünscht euch eine schöne Woche!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  47. I love to read books but find myself increasingly distracted on land with the internet. I find most peace on long sailing passages where we are forced to unplug. That is when I savor books, often returning to old favorites time and time again.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  49. I’ve been browsing online more than three hours today, yet
    I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all website owners and bloggers
    made good content as you did, the web will be much more useful
    than ever before.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  50. “The faster you read, the less you read between the lines.”
    Selma Bookfayrie
    A post to my heart, as usual. Interesting scientific results about reading – about elderly people reading against Alzheimers.
    Nowadays I mostly read the combo of classics and books for young adults. (My job) I have found a favourite there, Markus Zusak, living in Australia. Especially in “The Book Thief”, but in his other books as well, he has this way with words and combination of sentences that speaks to me. Speaks to me in pictures, and I can feel his love of words in every syllable. A kind of reflective symfony. Exceptional in someone so young. Libraries are places I have always loved, especially old libraries and book stores with a dedicated owner or assistant, an old man wearing round glasses sitting among his treasures, or a white haired woman lovingly touching the rows of books on the dusty shelves…
    I wish you all a beautiful and reflective Midsummer!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  52. I so TOTALLY agree with this. I have long thought that texts and short business emails (much less Twitter) leads to a curtailment of the thought process. And your quote “A Norwegian research found that texts read on screen are much faster forgotten than those read in print.” also rings true to me. i have been called a Luddite at work because I prefer (nay, insist) on hard copy text when I’m proofing a specification, because I ‘see’ it differently in my eyes and mind than when I scan it on a screen. And pleasure reading? I love books….printed books. Ink on paper. Pages to be turned, Heft to be held. Tactile on hands and eyes.
    Nicely done 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Jeff,
      I worked full time as an author for more than 30 years and in my trade it was a must that corrections are done on paper and not on the screen. You notice much more on a print out than on the screen.
      Thanks and cheers
      Klausbernd and the rest of the Fab Four

      Liked by 1 person

  53. Hello, Fab Four! We only wish we could read our WordPress “reader!” All is blank these days, sigh… But thank you for promoting many things paper. It has enormous advantages, including the ability to dry out after a thunderstorm or clumsy drop in the bath and be just fine, if a tad crinkly. Seriously thinking about going analog over here! 🙂 🙂 J&A

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning dear J&A 🙂
      Oh dear, problems with the reader 😦 We keep our fingers and wings crossed that you soon get it sorted out.
      We love paper!
      Lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  54. Pingback: Slow Reading « Practicing Resurrection

  55. Hey Klausbernd,
    It is fantastic & cool to see a lovely post reaching out to people to read better! I think that is great to hear! Lovely cool photos too. I read a lot of books, yes, they are all not cookery books! 😉 I love poems too. I read mostly in my own language Dutch but also in English & in Spanish! 😉 I read at least 2 hours /per day. Because I am learning to play the piano now too, so I read a bit less now!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Sophie,
      wishing you good luck with learning to play the piano. Have fun 🙂
      We read a lot as well, mostly fiction or books about the Arctic. We read regularly to Siri and Selma as well. I think reading loud is something special, not only to the one who listens but also to the one who reads. I love to read out loud.
      Two hours every day that’s quite a lot of reading. So you are not only a great cook but well read too.
      Love from us at North Norfolk coast
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  56. Dear Fab Four of Cley,

    This is truly something always puzzled me, ‘to read at a slow pace’, as I always does, or ‘learn some techniques to practice speed reading’ ?

    I am a slow reader and I don’t miss even a single word in between, but my brother is a fast reader and reads books at less than half the time I take.

    He tells me that, he could remember almost all important aspects of the content, though he skips many a words or lines in a page.

    I think, it has something to do with the contents as well, he reads mainly technical books, self help books and fiction… at the same time, I read literature and non-fiction…

    I think, I should try to practice a few things to, ‘enjoy reading’ and ‘to read more’, I should be able to take a call to ‘stop reading a book’ even half way through it, when I feel that it’s not worth my time.

    Now a days, I never quit before completing a book.

    Next, I should be able to switch between the fast and slow mode, according to the content and context, this also saves time, I feel.

    Anyway, now a days I am using my 2 hours of commute time in train daily to read books and I really feel great about it 🙂

    Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful post and I am really sorry that I couldn’t spent enough quality time here …

    Things are getting back on track 🙂

    Have a nice day 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Sreejith,
      we suppose that’s the best idea to read something relaxed and slowly just for fun and if you only need the information to read fast.
      There are different way to learn speed reading. They all have one idea in common: don’t speak silently what you are reading, because this slows you down quite a bit. But if we read fiction we love the rhythm of the language and its sound and then we speak silently what we are reading. That’s part of the fun.
      With lots of love from the sunny sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • You are absolutely right , dear KB 🙂

      I have tried the same last week in hospital 🙂

      Don’t worry, I have only a good news to share, I have become a dad to a baby boy, our elder kid is a girl,
      hope you have already seen some of her images here 🙂

      Also we had our most important festival called ‘Onam’ on 14th sep, so it’s been truly a very busy month 🙂

      I am so glad to share this good news with the fab four 🙂

      Have a beautiful day 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Good morning, dear Sreejith
      CONGRATULATIONS to your sun! We Fab Four are very very happy to read that you became father of a sun 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      We wish him all the best!
      Lots of joy for you and your family
      wishing
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  57. We need your help!

    I’d like to ask everyone to please take a few minutes out of their hectic holiday schedule to learn about our project, the #giftofreading project. We are raising money to benefit a local school and community center by giving more kids better access to books.

    You can learn more about our project at https://startsomegood.com/gift-of-reading. Even the smallest donation would be appreciated. Please share this post, fb it, tweet it, blog it, email it and tell some friends, and help some deserving kids get the #giftofreading.

    Thanks for your time and have a wonderful holiday season.

    Like

    Reply

    • On one hand we have to say that we don’t know this project, on the other hand we had the feeling that it is worth that the Fab Four publish this comment. From reading the website of this project, we just felt like publishing this commentary.
      We wish you good luck and a great holiday season as well
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  58. The Age of Acceleration. I had not heard it expressed like that but I totally agree. I think some people want to read reviews of books instead of the book, such as in The New York Review of Books. Their reviews are very good, but it’s not like reading the whole book. Some people want reviews of reviews, or even more condensed reading. The Harvard Business Review, as I understand it, was designed to give business executives whose time was full, the essence of numerous works. Not a bad idea. I think the dilemma, without getting totally existential and saying read whatever you feel like because it doesn’t matter, is how to choose what is good reading (because it matters to you). Modern man, and woman, will be grappling with this for awhile if not forever.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • We agree the problem is on one hand choosing the book 📚 that matters for you. We are maybe old fashioned, but on the other hand it’s as well important really to read this book and not only what the media tell you about it. With this second hand information we delegate our thinking.
      Thanks 🙏 for your comment.
      The Fab Four of of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Here the background to the expression “age of acceleration”: If I remember correctly it was first used in the French neo-structuralist philosophy – it was Jean Baudrillard, I suppose. Afterwards it was used by the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk and so this expression spread worldwide.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Wikipedia has an informative page on Baudrillard (and just about everyone). My pursuit of philosophy extends primarily to Ayn Rand and Werner Erhard, but don’t quiz me.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear John,
      what a beautiful morning, sunshine, crisp air, blue sky and some snow 🙂
      I have to admit I don’t know much about American philosophy. Like you with Baudrillard I had to look up Ayn Rand and Werner Erhard in Wikipedia. Thanks, now I know a little more 🙂
      When I studied in Germany, Canada and Finland it was the high time of structuralism. I even wrote my thesis about it. But that’s a long, long time ago.
      This is the advantage of blogging one learns a lot. Thank you.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      Klausbernd

      Liked by 1 person

  59. I’ve really enjoyed this blog post about slow reading, thank you. I had to read fast for college and I didn’t really like it very much. Although, when I do read I tend to read kind of fast because I read all the time. I don’t watch TV very much and instead I read so I read faster than some but slower than others. Thanks again for the interesting post! Have a good one 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for commenting 🙂
      We are quite like you. We don’t have a TV, we are reading instead. We suppose TV steals a lot of time, just the ideal time for reading in the evenings.
      We know the problem as well, if you once learned speed reading it takes an efford to slow down again.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  60. Pingback: Lapham’s Quarterly Winter 2017: Home | John's Space …..

  62. I don’t even know how I ended up being here, but I thought this post was great.
    I do not know who you are but definitely you’re going to a
    famous blogger when you aren’t already
    Many thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi,
      thank you very, very much 🙂
      In a way we are quite famous, but as people are we want to get more famous 😉 We try our best.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  64. Pingback: Lapham’s Quarterly Winter 2017: Home | free to think, free to choose

  66. Pingback: My favourite Reads of Last Year | The World according to Dina

  68. I don’t know if I read fast or slow. I think both. Anyway I’m reading every day. Nadolny caught me though :-). I’m always thinking of the German “lesen”. “Aehren lesen”, “auflesen” In English this is not showing. One would say “to pick” or to “take up”? “Und als sie (Ruth) wieder aufstand, um Ähren zu lesen, gebot Boas seinen Knaben und sprach: Laßt sie auch zwischen den Garben auflesen und schmähet sie nicht!”. For the moment I’m (slow)reading “Milkman” by Anna Burns. Very good book! Thank you for the this article anyway. Reading remains!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi Hibouh,
      the German word ‘lesen’ comes from the Middle High German ‘lesana’ which means gathering. It merged with the Middle Low German ‘lezen’ which means reading. And so we have the same word in German for reading and gathering.
      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

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