Originally posted by: ThaneOfElsinore
@Bold: So true! Reading books is transformative experience. And therefore, I believe in choosing and reading books that I know would touch me. That's why reading a summary or the "about" section in a book becomes essential as it will tell you whether you'll be interested in reading it for a long period of time if you're a reader with low or moderate speed and long hours if you're a fast reader. One little trick I use to ascertain this is that I ask myself and predict whether I can binge-read the book sometime later. If I believe I can, then I'll most probably be able to finish the book in lesser time since I know I am interested in it and therefore will read it again after some time. That's a personal thought process so it might sound a bit quirky.
Writing styles, like Shirsha said, are also important for the reader to connect with the book. It's very important since it either builds the connection or it repels the reader, drives them away. You'll realise your interests and choices after exploring different genres and topics a bit.
My personal tip: Try reading anything and everything you can. Billboards, signboards, stupid manuals, pamphlets, back of the toothpaste box or the shampoo bottle! Anything! Along with books of course.
Also, if you're interested in any of these: news, sports, cinema, politics and current affairs, you should read the newspapers everyday. At least a short article or a fun column. Trust me, this improves the reading speed a lot. I can read an entire heavy novel in maximum 3.5 hours if I sit at a stretch. All thanks to this childhood habit of reading newspapers and every single thing around me. Reading something all the time would make it a subconscious habit and you wouldn't have to force yourself into sitting and consciously read a selected number of pages in a paperback copy.
Also, reading is at its most enjoyable when the flow is uninterrupted, when you get absorbed in a good story or an interesting article, when time flies by. Try reading when your mind is at peace or needs peace since books can be the best healers too! Speeds also increase. Quiet spaces help a lot for the introspection books provide :)
We seem to be kindred spirits Pavithra I even read the paper in which samosas are wrapped because it is usually a newspaper clipping of some sort 
@r : couldn’t have said it better. Reading is a pleasurable and enjoyable experience. If you read what you enjoy & vice versa, then speeds automatically improve if you are regular.
And I agree. I hate to get up when I’m intently reading something. Sitting at a stretch and completing a book hits totally different! 
stupid Ganja and their nasha … I can continue but I don’t think Lizzie would appreciate her forum being insulted 
Very original
Arjun
52