One book, two books, three books, four…

How many books do you read at a time?

When I was a teenager I used to have a stack of books sitting by my bed. I’d read four or five at a time and never get the storylines confused. Looking back, I think it’s because really my life was easy – I didn’t need to work, I had no kids to look after, I was smart at school and had a lot of free time on my hands.

When I got to university, my reading dropped back dramatically. One book at a time only. If that. I was reading so many text books that there didn’t seem to be a lot of space left over for fiction, as much as I loved it.

Then I had kids, and it just seemed easier to read one at a time. My brain was busy with a million other thoughts and if I tried to read multiple books at a time, I’d lose track of where I was, forget chunks of stories and get plain confused on occasion. Not to mention the fact that taking multiple children to bookstores is a recipe for irritation. I love browsing books, taking my time, but I spend more time child-wrangling than actually looking at things if I take them out.

Since getting my Kindle, I’ve been like a kid in a candy store when it comes to my reading. There are just so many books to choose from. I could try this, and that, download a sample here, and a sample there, oh look, free books! My stack of ‘to-reads’ is now bigger than it’s been in a long time, but I think I have finally hit the point where I can slow down – after all, the books aren’t going anywhere 😉

Which isn’t to say I read less. I’m still getting through a couple of books a week, but I’m no longer actively hunting out books on a daily basis. I’m reading 2-3 books at a time again, depending on where I am, what mood I am in, and whether one in particular has taken my fancy over the others.

So how do you read? Several books on the go, or one at a time? Has the number of books you are reading changed over the course of your life so far? I’d love to know.

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8 thoughts on “One book, two books, three books, four…

  1. I’m one of those really weird people that regularly has five or six books going at a time, if not more. Those are normally regularly rotating out. I have learned not to read too many of the same type of books at a time – too many dragon rider books, too many historical highlander books… because get more than three of those going at a time and it can be easy to get confused. But an epic fantasy, a murder mystery, a non fiction book, and a few romances? Easy stuff there. Getting the Kindle has only made me more crazy. XD

    • Yes, the Kindle was the doorway into reading many books at a time for me too! Can’t imagine life without it now 🙂 Makes sense, to only read one of each, would make it easier to keep the stories straight.

  2. I love to read and I found it really hard when I had a child to read – I had other responsibilities. It is only since he went to school that I have started to get back into reading.

    Since getting the Kindle, like you Cassie, I have three or four books on the go again, plus two paperbacks which I read a couple of chapters (or pages), but my reading hasn’t sped up, it still takes me a week or two to finish a book, depending on what I am reading.

    • Oh yes, my reading speed is determined by what I read – some books need to be savoured, some devoured 😉 I’m so glad you got your Kindle, Karen!

  3. When I’m in the middle of writing, my reading definitely slows down… but it’s still there. But like you…. since the digital age, I never run out of books! In fact – they seem to be getting thrown at me to read! That must be the sign of a good book blog though, Cassie. *wink*
    Anyway – I had better potter off and write up some more reviews.

    • Ah yes, I should write some more too 😉 Now you just need a Kindle, I bet you’d read even more then! maybe for Christmas?? Start dropping hints 😉

  4. I can have several books on the go at once, though they need to be in different genres, or fiction and non-fiction. I read the one that interests me the most.

    This doesn’t work with shallow, weak books, as I lose interest and never get back to them. But for strong, interesting books, it’s fine.

    • I’ve certainly found that the more I read, the less tolerance I have for weak books – it’s very easy not to go back to something! It’s interesting to see that you read different genres or fiction/non fiction. Definitely liking that idea for keeping story lines straight!

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