The more you read, the better you’ll be at reading. As we discussed in a previous post, there are several reasons why people who read a lot are more likely to be speed readers:

– they know more facts, so they don’t have to struggle to learn new information
– they know more vocabulary, so they don’t have to stop and look up words all the time
– they’ve exercised their brain and eyes and are in top reading shape
– they’ve learned all the speed reading techniques and use them daily

Because these benefits come from reading a wide variety of books, and from reading a lot of books, in order to be a top speed reader you need to have access to entire libraries at a moment’s notice. Thanks to modern technology, you’ve got it. As long as you have an e-reader, you’ll be able to download ebooks any time, on any subject, and get all the advantages you need from the text.

Free ebooks are available through most libraries these days, though in general you still need a library card and number, and there might be a charge for that. Usually, you’ll have a choice of formats, so even if you don’t have a separate e-reader like a Kindle or Nook, you’ll be able to download the book. Some books are also offered in an audio format, and while listening to a book isn’t going to necessarily help your speed reading practice, it’s useful to have the print book and follow along to help you overcome the habit of backtracking.

Amazon offers a free Kindle app that you can download to your laptop, if you don’t want to have a separate device just for reading. There are also lots of free ebooks available through Amazon’s sites, ranging from modern authors who want to attract an audience to older books now in the public domain that have been converted into electronic format. These “public domain” books are also available through free ebook sites like Project Gutenberg or the University of Pennsylvania’s Online Books Page.

With all the wealth of the world’s libraries at your fingertips, what are you waiting for?