[Bane]

Ever tried speed reading? It takes the concept or reading the word as a whole to the next step. Instead of reading left to right along every line of text try looking at the center of the page and moving your eyes down with very minimal movements to the left/right. Once you get used to it you can cruise through a book in no time. The recall of that info is the bitch... it's usually a bit less than reading in the typical fashion. The physical width of the page is also a factor in how well you can speed read.

Of course this is only one method... the one that was taught to me. There are others I'm sure.