I started slow reading a few years ago, and it changed the way I experience books. It’s not just about reading better, it’s about reading differently. Here’s what I’ve learned from the practice, and why I think every reader should give it a try.
1. Slow Reading Builds the Habit of Reading
When you commit to slow reading a book, you’re making time for it every day. (See my essay The Art of Slow Reading.) The continuity matters. You stay connected to the story, the ideas, the voice. This daily reading builds a rhythm, and that rhythm builds the habit. It’s not about racing to the end; it’s about showing up.
By the time you finish a slow read, you’re not ready to stop reading, you’re ready for your next book. That’s the power of a habit built with intention.
2. It Improves Focus, Vocabulary, and Confidence
The benefits of reading are well-documented: improved concentration, a broader vocabulary, sharper thinking. But slow reading amplifies those benefits. You’re not skimming for plot points or key ideas; you’re sinking into the language. You notice the author’s craft. You pause to re-read a sentence because it’s beautiful, or strange, or true.
And something surprising happens: you grow more confident. I used to be intimidated by big, complex books: The Brothers Karamazov, House of Leaves, even Infinite Jest. But now? I’ve read some of those giants, and I know I can tackle others. I don’t fear the size or the structure. I have a strategy. I slow read.
3. It Alleviates the Pressure of Time
One of the biggest sources of stress in modern life is time, or the sense that we’re always running out of it. When you slow read, you opt out of that mindset. You give yourself permission to linger. There’s no rush, no reading challenge deadline, no comparison to how fast someone else read the same book.
Instead, you get depth. You get intimacy. And you enjoy the experience in a way that racing through a book just can’t replicate.
4. It Gets You Out of a Reading Rut
Ever feel like you’re reading just to check off boxes? Or like every book is blurring into the next? Slow reading can break that cycle. It gives your brain space to engage with the material in a deeper way, whether that’s fiction or nonfiction. You start to notice things you’d miss otherwise. And more often than not, you start to care again.
5. It Makes You Brave (and Maybe a Little Bit Cool)
Here’s a secret: slow readers often read some of the most “intimidating” books out there. Not because we’re trying to impress anyone (although let’s be honest, there is a bit of swagger in saying, “Yeah, I read that”), but because we’ve learned that the mountain isn’t so scary when you take it one step at a time.
Slow reading gives you the courage to go after the big ones. To explore the weird ones. To meet people (in real life or in book clubs or online) who are also drawn to the deep end of the reading pool. And when you do that, you grow, not just as a reader, but as a thinker, a conversationalist, a person.
