ADHD (and dyslexic) reader who managed to focus enough to get a history degree and reads a ton for pleasure these days- are you reading for pleasure? Try audiobooks, then you can tinker/do stuff and listen. Sometimes I read the book and listen. Some books, having an actual book where I can turn pages helps. Sometimes I just let the internal narrator voice in my head do it’s thing and take forever. I usually can’t last too long before switching out to something else though unless I’m SUPER into whatever it is and then I’m stuck reading until it’s done. I also find I do much better late at night.

Reading for content (work, school, skills acquisition): usually these kinds of books have highly structured chapters (nonfiction especially). Focus and spend some serious time on the introduction and conclusion chapters, then go back to the main body of the text. The first paragraph or so of a chapter is the important part. This will tell you what the point of the chapter is. The last paragraph of the chapter is an important part. This will review what the chapter covered and tell you what’s happening next. Read those carefully and slowly with the internal narrator doing it’s thing. Then go back and skim the chapter, reading the first and last sentences of every paragraph with a ruler or bookmark. If you don’t understand what they’re talking about, read the whole paragraph. You’ll find with practice, you get through material really fast.

Some things you might just never get fast at- I cannot read poetry for the life of me without actually reading it out loud. My brain just 🤯.

Try some stuff and figure out what works for you. Other people have great suggestions for you too.