One Book At A Time?

[chaplin]

I recently found myself in a real low point in reading. I was about a 1/4 of the way through about eight books, and they were all starting to merge into one amorphous mass of confusion. At another point I read Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island at the same time, essentially switching off each chapter. I still briefly confuse certain points of both of those (which pirate or seaman was on what side, what adventure happened to what character etc.)

I've generally found that reading one book start to finish without any other intrusions is the best way to retain what you read. Of course I will never be able to do that. I've weened myself to 2 or 3 at a time, and I don't think I'll ever get it lower.

Do you feel that reading more than one book simultaneously is a harmful reading habit? If not why, if yes why. And what do you do personally?

[Weisinheimer]

I don't usually more than one book at the same time, unless they are very different genres. I've tried reading multiple books at once, but I found myself getting really into one and not reading the others very often. Then I kinda forget what's going on in the others.

[barbara0207]

To me, reading a (good) novel means getting involved in the world that is presented to me and to feel empathy with the characters. Living in my own reality and in one "parallel universe" - that's enough at a time. If a novel doesn't get me, I quit and look for something else. But once I sink in, I don't want to deal with any other universe. I would get confused -just like you, chaplin. Could you tell us why you read several books at a time?

[grace86]

Eight books at one time definitely seem like too many. When I have time to read, I usually leave it at one book; sometimes I will put in a second if it is a different style or genre. To me, it is hard enough to find time to concentrate on the details of one novel, so to add a few more would be extremely hard.

Try narrowing down to one or two, you might get less confused. Why do you read so many at a time, I would think it would be horrible to try and absorb that much.

[BlueSkyGB]

I don't find reading multiple books a problem, although I do admit that I tend to not read lots of the same genre at the same time, right now I'm reading 5 novels and 3 non-fiction titles. The only time I ran into any trouble:blush: was when reading 2 mystery/thrillers by Patterson and Sandford, and both main characters had the same first name.

[Il Penseroso]

Since this has been asked a couple times, I'll answer it for me. As a college student I'm constantly required to read books pre-selected by an instructor, and when breaks come I want to cram as much of my own reading in as I can, often becoming over-anxious to start something before finishing others. It's a nice filtering mechanism so that I can find stuff that really interests me to complete, and since my attention span is a bit limited I get various authorial voices to choose from when I sit down to read. Recently I've had two plays going (one old and one modern), a book of poetry, and two novels(one easy one quite difficult). I would absorb more if I concentrated on one at a time, but I like the variety and my anxious temperament makes that difficult.

[PeterL]

I've never figured out how to read more than one book at the same time. Do you read a different book with each eye? That would work with two at once, but how do you manage three?

[tudwell]

I used to read just one book at a time, but recently I've kicked it up a notch to two at a time. Sometime in the future I'll probably start reading three, then four, and on and on. I've never gotten anything mixed up, though, because so far the books I've read simultaneously are pretty disparate in theme, style, and plot. I actually like reading multiple books more, because I don't get so bogged down on the boring parts of books. If things get too boring or difficult, I just switch over to another book.

[Nossa]

I normaly read one book at a time actually...unless I'm reading something for the Novel or Drama courses in university. I find it hard to concentrate in two different plots, characters and all, at the same time!

[godhelpme2]

I always read two books at one time, for I need refreshment after reading some chapters in one book to open my mind, to breathe or i don't know.
But i find there's some preference in the depth of reading. I may be very intrested in one and less interested in the other. Then i will spend more regular time in reading the one i favor more. And consequently, i forget most plots of the other. But I don't regret, for i think comparison makes you define which one is more worthy reading.:yawnb:
But i haven't experienced reading more than two, since i don't have the ability.

[Tuesday]

Usually I only read one book at a time and concentrate on this. There are times, though, when I get so fed up by one book (especially certain required reading nonfiction) that I switch to a nice novel or some short stories for a break and continue afterwards.

[Literature<3]

I can only ever read one book at a time because I like to give it my full attention and really get involved which I have trouble doing if I am reading more than one. A book has more effect on me this way because I feel as though I am living the book and not just reading it.

[Annamariah]

Sometimes I'm reading even five books at the same time, sometimes just one. Most usually maybe two.

[Taliesin]

We use an old pack of cards as bookmarks. So far, we haven't run out of them which means we have not read more than 52 books at a time, but We are quite certain that the number has been more than seven occasionally.

[kenikki]

I used to read loads of books at the same time as I was excited to start some so would read several pages of each and then start to forget or lose interest in others. So nowadays, I stick to reading one book all the way tot the end then pick up another one even though my book queue is very long. I think it is important to maintain concentration and interest in one book rather than several

[Takeahnase]

*hands up* I also have the terrible habit of starting too many books at once... Like kenikki, I get excited when I have them all lying around and I just can't resist not reading them until I've finished off the first. I suppose it goes hand in hand with my library addiction - I continually promise myself that when I pop down there I'll only bring back 1 or 2 books, but I almost always come out of the place with armfuls :blush:

That said, I'm not doing too badly at the moment... I'm only in the middle of reading four. Two are non-fiction so I can pick them up at any time really and not have a problem with continuity and such. I'm usually ok in terms of following plot lines and having a general grasp and understanding of what's going on in a novel, even if it's just one of many I might be reading... but I dare say that if I could manage to stick to one, it would be a little more rewarding in the end. I think it's probably easier to fully emerse yourself in the character's world, if you like. Whereas if you're switching to and from various novels, it's sometimes harder to become as involved with the story and it's progression; due to the constant changing of setting, characters, storyline, etc.

(...all those poor little books staring at me and pleading with me to read them, every time I walk into the library... :( )
Must... resist...

[NickAdams]

I would read about three fiction books at a time, but stopped. I found that I never finished any of them. Now I read one fiction and one non-fiction book.

[Demona]

One at a time! I really enjoy being sort of involved with the book...so that characters became familiar and close :).
At the uni, when I was forced reading several books...it was such a problem recollecting what had happened in the last couple of chapters whenever I switched books.... I'm glad this is over :D

[malwethien]

I usually read 2 or 3 books at one time with the goal of finishing all of them...but every once in a while I neglect to finish one....

[Bakiryu]

I'm always reading two or more books at the same time, one that i'm supposed to read for school, one i just bought, and one i have to return to the school library. Sometimes I get a bit confused, but only when I don't like the books (Like when I told my english teacher Pip won the Triwizard Tournament *blush*)

[kiz_paws]

*hands up* I also have the terrible habit of starting too many books at once... Like kenikki, I get excited when I have them all lying around and I just can't resist not reading them until I've finished off the first. I suppose it goes hand in hand with my library addiction - I continually promise myself that when I pop down there I'll only bring back 1 or 2 books, but I almost always come out of the place with armfuls :blush:

That said, I'm not doing too badly at the moment... I'm only in the middle of reading four. Two are non-fiction so I can pick them up at any time really and not have a problem with continuity and such. I'm usually ok in terms of following plot lines and having a general grasp and understanding of what's going on in a novel, even if it's just one of many I might be reading... but I dare say that if I could manage to stick to one, it would be a little more rewarding in the end. I think it's probably easier to fully emerse yourself in the character's world, if you like. Whereas if you're switching to and from various novels, it's sometimes harder to become as involved with the story and it's progression; due to the constant changing of setting, characters, storyline, etc.

(...all those poor little books staring at me and pleading with me to read them, every time I walk into the library... :( )
Must... resist...

This post basically sums up where I am at for reading habits, well put, Takeahnase. Also, interesting thread, thanks for bringing this up! :)

[Thatch]

Yeah, I read one at a time. Everyone else who reads one at a time sums up my opinion. However, I'm slightly different in that my lack of vocabulary has a heavy weight in making my choices for me. This irritates me a lot, for if I hadn't this problem I'd like to read more than one at once. Not too many, but I can imagine myself giving it a shot.
If there's one regret I have growing up, I should have spent more time becoming familiar with words. I have this kind of scientific approach in reading where if I don't know a word I have to look it up, and sometimes I have to look up over tens words a page! It's a pang on my conscience because what goes through my mind is that if I don't know a word, or fully comprehend its meaning, then I'm not grasping all that an author has put in. It's a vicious cycle that I don't like. I don't have a book I can pick up and not need my mini-dictionary also. :bawling: :rage:

[Annamariah]

I suppose it goes hand in hand with my library addiction - I continually promise myself that when I pop down there I'll only bring back 1 or 2 books, but I almost always come out of the place with armfuls :blush:

(...all those poor little books staring at me and pleading with me to read them, every time I walk into the library... :( )
Must... resist...

I always go to library thinking "I'll just return these books and go home without any new books, because I already have at least ten books I should read waiting me at home." Somehow it never works :blush: :lol:

[Lyn]

I've started, and intend to finish reading, about 30 books at this present moment in time. Does that mean I'm 'reading' them? I pick them up at random, read a bit more, leave it a while, start where I left off.. I am a true scatterbrain, maybe this helps in my reading strategies. I have piles and piles of books that I've not completed. There are a few books that I know I'll finish in the next week however. So what constitutes 'reading?' Am I 'reading' the Bible? Cos I certainly haven't read the whole thing yet, but now and again I pick it up and read another bit. Or does it have to be restricted to those books that I read every single day/ have a short time frame in which to complete?

[JuggleDoug]

I always have a couple books started at one time, but I don't consider myself to be "reading" them.


Work reading
Books friends have written (I'm blessed to have several friends who are writers).
Personal interests.


But what usually happens is I read until something hooks me (a good plot preferably, or a good deadline!) and I focus on that one book for a couple days devouring it. Then the search begins for the next book I'm going to read.

[kratsayra]

Like many posters here, I usually have one (or several) books that I'm reading for school, and usually one or perhaps two that I'm reading for fun on the side. How long it takes me to actually get through those non-school books varies, but I generally finish them, eventually.

I'm "cursed" by the fact that I like to read in my spare time, even though I have to read full time as a graduate student! I'm sure many people are in a similar position. If I didn't have those fun books to turn to when I really needed a break, I'd be quite upset.

[CaptureLife]

This year, I developed a system: the books for schools are read only during school hours, fun books are read after homework, and then I read plays in bed before I go to sleep, mostly because plays tend to be lighter reading (we're talking Neil Simon- type, not Shakespeare). I get the most reading done this way, even though the 'fun' books tend to get the least attention. However, everything goes out the window whenever I sink my teeth into a good Agatha Christie novel. Yeah, I've stayed up all night just to finish. Oh well, I suppose there really aren't enough hours in the day...

[Bebbin]

I read just one book at a time. I feel that if I read two or more books simultaneously the plots and characters would melt together into one pot of confusion that my brain probably could not comprehend. Also I believe that I interpret and reflect better if I just read one book at a time. :)

[Moira]

One book at a time.........
I only start the second one if the first is not interesting enough. But i end up finishing the one i like and then return to the other one.....

[SteveH]

I often read more than one at a time, and am doing so now (Scott's 'Kenilworth' and Shakespeare's minor Tetralogy: Hal VI - Dick III.) I don't think I've ever read eight at once, though - my upper limit's five, I think. Also, I don't usually read more than one novel at once - I read books in different genres at the same time, which helps avoid confusion. (Mind you, until Monday, I was breaking that general rule, as I was reading Sidney's 'Old Arcadia', which, if not exactly a novel in the modern sense, is at any rate a proto-novel - at the same time as 'Kenilworth'.) I usually find that I read one of the books I've got on the go - usually the novel - rather more often than I do the others.

It's a silly habit really, because you don't get through the books any faster: it takes just as long to finish three books read together as it would to read them consecutively. It happens because I'm impatient to start on another book before I've finished the one(s) I'm on.

[SteveH]

I've never figured out how to read more than one book at the same time. Do you read a different book with each eye? That would work with two at once, but how do you manage three?
Oh, very droll.:rolleyes:

[Stieg]

At the moment I think I will stick with one but often read more than one at a time.

I have just purchased several books and picked additional titles up from the library.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Heinlein
Light by M John Harrison
Viriconium by M John Harrison
Strangers On A Train by Patricia Highsmith
The complete Ripley trilogy (Everyman's Library) by Patricia Highsmith
Candide and Other Stories by Voltaire
The Golden Bough (author's abridgement) by Sir James George Frazer
Moonchild by Aleister Crowley
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

And the current one I am reading, The Ghost Writer by John Harwood.

[Jennyfrijole]

The only times I read two books at once is when I have one I read at work on lunch (not allowed to leave so it's what I do) and one for at night before I go to bed.

Or sometimes I'll start a book expecting it to at least be okay but then I'll hate it (example: Anne Rice's Vittorio), but I just can't not finish a book, so I'll take mini-breaks from it and read something light and easy to make it seem like less of a pain.

[ejarg7]

Short answer is yes. But they are of different genres and I rarely go over 4 books. Right now, I am reading Freakonomics, Lord Hornblower and The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln through his Words... I am also reading Tintin, does that count? :)

[chasestalling]

one book at a time definitely. if i'm reading more than one at a time then it means i'm not engrossed and that i won't read any of the books that i'm reading to its conclusion.

[Behemoth]

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I usually have 3-4 going on at one time. Apparently I get it from my gran. :D

[poofyhead15]

I almost always stick to one at a time. Occasionally I'll have two going at once if one is on the lighter side, or if one is non-fiction.

[applepie]

I'm almost always reading at least three different books. Normally it is one challenging or thought provoking read, one is a text book, and the others are of an easier nature. At the moment I'm reading Atlas Shrugged, again, but I also just finished Innocence in Death, by J.D. Robb. It's never going to make a classic but it was still entertaining. I am also always reading one text book or another.

[Enchanted]

I always only read one book at a time. I feel that I cannot give a book its due respect if I try to multitask. Also, even when I read, I have a tendency to leave the book for a few days and chew on the concepts and the authorial vision...this really helps me appreciate a book.

I've tried reading 3-4 books at a time before, but I felt I couldn't really think about all of them simultaneously. I ended up favouring one over the others and instead of truly "chewing upon them"...I sort of sped read through all of them to finish them quickly.

[Mortis Anarchy]

I normally read 1-3 books at a time. If the book really has me hooked, then I just read that one. Other books are really intense or have my emotions running high or my brain working really hard that I have to put it down and read another one.

[Dark Star]

I tend to read three books at one time with the acceptance that one of the three is going to be relegated to 'side reading' so I can focus on the other two. It's generally one history text, one novel, and one philosophical or science text or something along those lines. If it's two fiction text they'll be of different genres (say Faust and Dune) so I don't get the characters, world, or atmosphere mixed up.