Do you read multiple books at once?

[Pushingfordream]

Do you read multiple books at once?
I am reading two books right now. One for a course I'm taking and one cause I want to. Is it common to read multiple books? I'm reading a historical recount and a memoir.

 

[Dandroid]

I usually have something fictional in hard copy, and then something non-fiction on my phone

 

[Kerosene]

Isn't kind hard to read more than one book at the same time?

 

[Amadan]

Isn't kind hard to read more than one book at the same time?

I assume the OP does not mean "at the same time" literally.

I'm usually reading several at any given time; an ebook, an audiobook, and something from my physical TBR stack.

 

[clee984]

As a teenager, I used to have two or three books on the go at any one time, now, not so much. Possibly because travel has made me more economical. Plus, I'm easily confused, lol.

 

[Rhoda Nightingale]

Not always, but often I'll have both a novel and a book of short stories going at once.

 

[moreferarum]

I do but I don't really like to if I can help it, sometimes I have to have two or three books on the go for different reasons.

 

[Vito]

I usually have one nonfiction book and one novel goin' on at the same time, not to mention all kinds of other stuff -- magazine articles, online newspapers, cereal boxes, etc.

 

[LJD]

heh. I was going to ask this question at some point.

I only ever read one work of fiction at once. Occasionally I read a non-fiction book at the same time, but I don't read a lot of non-fiction.

 

[Myrealana]

I often used to be in the middle of reading 3-4 books at once. It was a practical consideration. I'd have one by the bedside, one in the living room, one in my work bag, and sometimes another one near my computer.

Since I got a Kindle, and several devices that can read Kindle books and all synch between them, I tend to read only one book at a time.

 

[BethEllyn]

Right now I'm reading a non-fiction and a fiction at once, but no way could I do it with more than one fiction book.

 

[Chris P]

I'm working through two short story compilations, alternating between the two and a book I'm reading on the computer. But I got a hard copy book today that really needs to gotten to. I don't like having loose ends, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

 

[BigWords]

I'm about halfway through reading two non-fics, plus one tidbit style book full of little facts (it is easy to dip in and out of when I want to check something), plus I have three novels I have been rotating. Then there are the various short stories I have been halfheartedly reading. It helps if you stop reading at a chapter break rather than midway through a portion of the chapter.

 

[Roger J Carlson]

Almost never, since I rarely put down a book until it's finished.

The only time I can recall was (too-many) years ago in high school when I had to read The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway. It was so dull, I had to reward myself between chapters by reading a chapter of something else.

 

[Grrarrgh]

I'm the same as Myrealana. I used to have so many going at once, one in every room, but since I got my first Kindle, that hasn't happened as much. It still happens, though. But instead of 5 or 6 going at a time, I usually only have 2 or 3. One in paper that I keep on my nightstand, one on my Kindle and Kindle apps, and one in iBooks. And usually one in overdrive that I borrow digitally from my library. So, ok. 4.

 

[KSavoie]

I usually have multiple books, sometimes 3 or 4, going at once. This is not by choice. I am taking almost all English classes which require me to read tons of books in short periods of time.

Outside of school I will sometimes read 2 books at once, but rarely.

 

[shhhman]

I don't make much of a habit of it. I usually like to focus all my attention on the craft of the book I'm reading. Not a great multi-tasker.

 

[Brightdreamer]

Frequently.

I have upwards of four books at any given time, though it's usually two or three: one on Kindle, at least one elsewhere. I've never had a problem keeping them straight in my head, even when I'm reading more than one in a similar genre.

Right now, Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings is my "living room" book, Strunk & White's Elements of Style is my "bedroom" book, and I'm between titles on my Kindle.

 

[Quantum1019]

I usually have 3 or 4 books going at one time.

 

[Finis]

It is very rare for me to not finish a book in a single sitting. I'm a fast reader though. An average three hundred pager takes me about three to four hours. I only make time to read for pleasure about once a week anymore though. In my youth I would read six books a week.

So, no, I don tend to read more than one book at a time.

 

[Jess Haines]

Yes, often. I have a book I bring with me to work, a book I'm reading on my Kindle when I'm out and about, and at least one I read at home.

Probably why it usually takes me a couple of weeks to finish books these days. Used to devour a paperback in a single sitting, sometimes three or four a day, when I was a teen. The only time I do that these days is if I have a short one I can plow through before I get out of bed on a Sunday or something.

 

[thorjansen]

It's probably just me, but I don't feel I can give a fair reading to a particular novel unless I give it my full attention. Perhaps it's age, but if I try, I end up mixing things up too easily.

 

[SR Roddy]

I'm usually reading at least 2 books at one time. That way depending on my mood I can pick which I'd prefer to read.

 

[thehundreds]

It's probably just me, but I don't feel I can give a fair reading to a particular novel unless I give it my full attention. Perhaps it's age, but if I try, I end up mixing things up too easily.

No, I'm the same way. It just feels wrong to have one book open and have my mind off in some other world belonging to the book I just put down. Can't do it!

 

[RemaCaracappa]

Isn't kind hard to read more than one book at the same time?

Depends on the person. For myself, it's a rare thing to not be in the middle of at least three books and I have no issues with keeping them straight, I've read like this since I was a kid. It probably helps that I am usually reading several very different books concurrently.

Currently re/reading:

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
The Kalevala
Various and assorted bits of myth, mostly Hellenic (this is something of a constant for me)