While I wish my reading speed were better, I don't like the idea of using speed reading techniques for my recreational reading, either. It seems like it'd take the fun out of it. I'd have loved to have those skills when I was in college, though, or when I'm asked to go through a very long technical report at work.
That's also what I thought it would be useful for, but the book especially stated that it's not meant for college books etc, which leaves me to wonder what it is meant for...
I have to mentally break/organize technical reads. Depending on subject matter I have in mind a checklist (engineering specifications, sample test, economic analyses, computer coding...), a flow chart, outline/index, or index cards intended for pieces of information I am looking for and I drill the found bits into place on one of them on first or second read.
If new to me material or less familiar subject, I speed read first and just let it sponge in until I can create a framework for a second, deeper reading. Some books have new concepts or sections that I will treat that speed/sponge-for-frame-of-reference/re-read method while the rest of the book I read like normal.
If hands on exercises or lab work, I absolutely do not speed read those sections.
I'm the slowest reader. Ever. I like to read each word and take it all in. I don't get many books read but I'd miss too much if I was racing though it all.
I think I read most fiction books at the pace of the story; the slow bits really drag down my reading time and faster bits blur by. Some writing/language just begs to be savored so I may deliberately slow to do so (or go back and savor once the big exciting moments are over). I don't ever skim or skip words unless an incredibly monotonous or dull book (and I will do very little if that before either DNF'ing or learning to recognize those parts to skip over. It's different for me with non-fiction of technical things where I'm after the information, not the prose or the story.
If new to me material or less familiar subject, I speed read first and just let it sponge in until I can create a framework for a second, deeper reading. Some books have new concepts or sections that I will treat that speed/sponge-for-frame-of-reference/re-read method while the rest of the book I read like normal.
If hands on exercises or lab work, I absolutely do not speed read those sections.
I should probably get some system in how I read certain things. Sounds like a good system you're got...