When I was in middle school and high school, I would take classes at the local community college during the summer (mostly because my mom didn’t want me around the house, I think). In about 7th grade, I took a speed reading course. We were tested on our reading speed and comprehension at the beginning of the course and then again at the end. Our grade was a combination of absolute speed (and comprehension) and improvement at the end of the course. I had a B at the beginning of the course. Because I spent so much of my time reading (while hiding from my mom), I found that I had instinctively developed many of the techniques that were taught during the class. While I do not do the looping “scan pattern” that was taught, I do drop (or infer) most of the supporting words in sentences. Novels usually take me 2 to 3 hours to read, depending on the complexity of the plot (lots and lots of characters or subplots require that I slow down and pay more attention), non fiction works take longer since I must focus on new ideas and vocabulary. An unfortunate result of the way that I read is that I do not sound out new words to myself, so I have larger written vocabulary that I do a verbal one – I’ve never figured out how to pronounce many words. (By the way, the adult level biology course when I was 15 and the film that the instructor showed of natural childbirth was the cementing of my opinion that I would never have children. There were some things that I was just not prepared for at that age.)