When I was a wee little reader I used to read multiple books at one time. I’d read a chapter of Little House on the Prairie, then a chapter of an RL Stine book and then perhaps a chapter of the Babysitter’s Club. I’d literally sit there with a stack of books and just diligently read a chapter from each and then on to the next one until I finished one and then would put another into rotation. I have no idea WHY I did this. I can’t really recall if it was because I just wanted to read ALL OF THE BOOKS, if I couldn’t pick between them or if I just had an attention span like a gnat.
But now? I can only handle one actual book and an audiobook while I work out. Two years ago, one of my bookish resolutions was to read more classics. I thought perhaps it would be such a good idea to read what I was normally reading and then also read a classic too so that I could have something more fast paced while reading some of the classics that were a little bit more daunting.
I couldn’t switch back so easily between them because I’d prefer one more than the other and would just not pick up the other one or I’d like them BOTH so much that I just couldn’t pick which one to read at which time. Young Jamie must have had way more discipline.
You want to know what I’m blaming? College! So many nights where I’d be jumping from book to book to book reading anything from Old Testament history to business law cases to philosophy readings. My whole brain was just jammed with so much much stuff all at one time and now my brain is revolting and just wants to concentrate on a single story.
But all joke-blaming aside, I think that now in my old age I just like to enjoy and immerse myself in one story. There are so many more distractions in my life, at this age, that I don’t need to switch my attention to a new story because I’m always getting interrupted from whichever book I’m reading anyways. Either that or I’m just getting old and my brain can’t handle juggling more than one book?
(I will say that I’ve been able to read a chapter of a time management book every other day or so while also reading my normal fiction. That’s about all I’ve got in me.)
But I’m just curious about YOUR reading habits? Do you read multiple books at one time or do you need to just be reading one thing at any one time? Why or why not? I love learning about your habits — like about reading in the car or rereading or your bookish pet peeves!
Annette says
I’m a one-book-at-a-time person. Rarely do I read more. I did once in 2012, when I was reading 11/22/62 by King — it was SO long, that I took a couple of breaks to read other books. But still, I never go back and forth. I finished the “break” book and then went back to the King.
I do always have an audiobook I’m listening to in the car, though.
Karin @ My Life... says
Little Jamie was so cute! We definitely grew up during the same time (yeah, obviously we’re both 27-well, I’ll be soon). Your hairstyle and shoes could have been mine 🙂
Okay, my reading habits:
I can read multiple books! I’m not able to read quite similar books at the same time but I can read a mystery (which I’m not able to read at nighttime), a YA book, something I need to read for uni and one on my reader all at the same time. I also don’t get the stories confused. My brain just has the tendency to remember “unimportant” things. I can still recall a book I read as a teen in detail. Unfortunatly I can’t remember stuff I need to study so easily 🙁
I also love to re-read and visit my fav characters and books once in a while but reading in the car is almost impossible for me. I sometimes do it when I’m really into a book but I usually pay for it.
I’m really curious what others have to say about this topic. It’s a great question.
Janelle Downey says
I was always a one book at a time reader, but then I discovered nonfiction in my 40s. I discovered a whole new world out there, so for years I ready nonfiction almost exclusively. The call of fiction came back, however, and now I mostly find myself reading one nonfiction and one fiction book simultaneously.
Rachelia (Bookish Comforts) says
Jamie, you were rocking the reading and those awesome shoes when you were younger! 😉 Haha, it’s a great pic!
I used to be able to read 3-4 books at a time (although not in rotation like you) but now when I try it usually ends badly. I can sometimes read 2 at a time, but I think you hit the nail on the head when you said as you’ve grown up you really want to immerse yourself in a book. I read to relax, and have fun, and jumping back and forth between books can get messy and stressful. I really just like to commit myself to one book (although that is hard at times, especially if it isn’t keeping my attention, LOL) and have that experience.
Kristen @ My Bookish Fairy Tale says
I have always been a one book at a time kinda girl. I just don’t see the point in juggling more than one book unless you have to. I really like to get into the story and you cannot do that if you have more than one in your mind lol. Plus I think it would take longer to get any good reading done if you kept switching between books.
Ashley says
I actually have issues only reading one book at a time. On goodreads when I’m only listed as reading one book I worry. I’ve always been that way though. I’ve always been the person who is trying to read ALL THE BOOKS at any given time. That being said, I do tend to read one book faster than another in my currently reading list. But I really can’t stop reading at least two at a time. I also tend to listen to audiobooks while at work.
I understand I have a problem, but there are just too many books, too little time!
Bailey says
I can only read one book at a time or else I screw things up with the stories. I wish I could read more than one book at a time though! My TBR pile would shrink a lot faster that way! Of course…only to grow again lol. I find it funny that you would rotate books. My brain could not handle that intense reading style. I’d confuse things so bad haha!
Erica says
I almost never read multiple books. The only time it happens is when I’m reading a book for pleasure and then I urgently have to read a manuscript we have on submission, but even then usually I’ll finish the manuscript and then go back to the book and not switch back and forth.
Ginger @ GReads! says
I may start one book, then put it down & start another. But I don’t know if that’s really considered reading multiple books at the same time. I guess it sort of is? I’m like you, the reading time I have now is suppose to be a distraction from everything else that needs to be done, or wants to get done. Throwing in too many stories at once creates a huge distraction for my distraction! haha
Elizabeth @ Don't Take My Books Away says
Usually I am a one book at a time person, just because I tend to lose my desire to finish something if I take a break from it. But occasionally I read multiple books at the same time, especially if I have something non-fiction or long in the mix. Sometimes it works for me, but other times it doesn’t and I’m not sure why! I have never been able to juggle books like you did as a kid, though!
Hollie @ Music, Books and Tea says
I can only read more than one book if the genres are completely different, because I have less to get confused with. (It’s easy for me to differentiate between fantasy and contemporary, for example.) I can’t just switch back and forth between them though, I have to take a proper break between reads doing something completely different (hello, tumblr!) otherwise nothing will sink in and I’ll just be staring blankly at several books, haha! I try not to read too many books all at once though, because I feel that I don’t appreciate the books as much as I should do, and that’s not fair on the book or the author. I find it interesting when people read so many books all at once AND retain everything that they read, I’m definitely in awe of those people!
Molli says
HEEE. Little!Jamie. Adorable. And considering I was nodding going, “yep, read those, too!” Little!Jamie and Little!Molli had the same taste in reading. 🙂
I used to read multiple books at a time. I think as I started writing more, I became a more critical writer and reader. Now I probably COULD read more than one book at a time, but I choose to just focus on one, so I can get lost in it.
Wallis says
I’m definitely a multiple book reader but I’ve cut back a bit as I got older. Now I’m usually reading one non-fiction and one fiction book (and usually a chapter book on the side with my first grader) at a time.
Tiffany says
I’m a one-book-at-a-time reader, and I usually have to wait a day or two before starting a new book so I can let go of the one book-world I was in to venture into a new book-world.
Judith says
Haha those shoes are gorgeous! In my experience, my reading habits are the other way around. When I was younger, I always read one book at a time, but now I switch between books a lot. I don’t want to. I never plan to. But somehow when I’m reading a really detailed high fantasy book and it’s late at night, I switch it up with a romance or light contemporary because I find it more relaxing then. And then I end up reading chapters from both of them, or I read the first half of the fantasy book, then the contemporary and THEN finish the fantasy one. And it’s really confusing to read two stories at once, but I’m afraid that long books wind up to be boring and I don’t want to read at all anymore. So…yeah.
The Bookie Monster says
I tend to read multiple books at once, but it is definitely not by choice. It seems I’m always reading something else for school or I have a library book that needs to be returned pronto. I have to confess that sometimes when a book gets boring I’ll be tempted to start another book, but I always regret it in the end. Because then I’ll never finish the one book I set down for another. I think it’s hilarious how you read as a child, though! I wish I could do that these days:)
Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit says
Little Jamie is way too cute. =)
I’m a multiple book reader, but only at the beginning. As soon as I get really engrossed in something, I stop reading the other book and focus. Then I go back and get into the other book.
Kelsey @ The Lost Book Reports says
I used to not be a book juggler, mainly because I thought it was insulting the book I was already captured in. However, since last year and mainly cause of book blogging. I have started mildly book juggling on occasion. Mainly when I have a few books for review, that I put off and now it is too close to the release date (it is a bad habit, I’m aware).
In other news, what an adorable picture and hilarious post! Great job Jamie!
Kelly.R says
Ha. Normally I am one book at a time, but in college I hated reading my text books so I used to stack them and read one section and switch to another subject. My roommate could not comprehend how anything sank in lol THEN I stole my mom’s library card and started checking out a couple books at a time which became 6 books at a time… AND I started reading the Harry Potter series and some of those books are so dang LONG I started reading other books while reading HP. I currently have 4 books stacked up where I read a chapter/section then move on to another… I will probably calm down once I get used to unlimited access to free books. Maybe.
Teresa says
I tried, several times, but I’m unable to read more than one book at a time (and never was). It’s not that I like one more than the other, it’s simply very stressing to me, having to read several books. It just doesn’t seem fair, like I’m abandoning one for the other xD
Jackie B says
I’m DEAD at that picture of lil Jamie! So cute!
I’m more of a one book at a time reader but then I’ve been listening to audiobooks on my long drives to work.
PS I’m STILL regretting my decision to give away my BSC collection. I wish I still had it for nostalgic purposes.
Jen @ Almost Grown-up says
I attempted to juggle last year, but… wound up dropping everything (if we stick with that juggle metaphor lol). I’d move on bit by bit, but not really FINISH anything. I think I’m better off with one book at a time. And maybe an audiobook for car rides and exercise…
(PS, your old classics resolution is one of my resolutions this year!)
Ashley says
I always mean to read only one book at a time, but I get distracted way too easily and I’l wind up with three or four on the go. Of course, one never gets finished, I forget the details of another etc. I should really only focus on one.
Kaitlin Michelle says
Normally, I prefer to read one book at a time, however lately I have been reading multiple books (one I just wanted to read, one for book club, and several for publishers or authors wanting their book reviewed on my blog). The only good thing about reading so many at once, is that when I have to read books I don’t enjoy, I at least have something entertaining going on at the same time.
Emma @ Hopeful Happiness says
Ahh! I did that exact same thing when I was little and I remember my parents asking how I could keep everything straight. I’ve noticed that I can no longer juggle quite as well as I once could. Instead of a four book rotation I can only handle two and sometimes not even that. I think my problem is that I’ve read so many books that they are starting to sort of blend together and I can’t keep everything completely straight. Despite this setback I keep trying to juggle because I feel like I am a faster reader when I finish multiple books around the same time and I do have the attention span of a gnat so I need to switch it up.
Christina Booktasty says
Great post! Love the picture of you as a little! I may have 2 or 3 books going at once. I may only read one for a few days then switch to the other for a few. 🙂
Melissa says
I generally prefer to read one book and have one audiobook while commuting…so I have two going at once….but somehow the fact that one is narrated seems to help me with the separation. Sometimes I do end up reading another if I don’t have my book with me and end up resorting to my iPhone or Nook to kill time and then end up with three going…
Jenn @ Give a Hoot, Read a Book says
I usually have 3-4 books going at a time: one at work, a Baby-Sitters Club book for “light” reading, and a “bigger” book or two. Maybe a classic thrown in. But I’ve never done the one chapter at a time like you, that’s pretty cool! I will usually stick to one regular book + maybe the BSC in an evening, depending on what’s holding my interest and if it’s too suspenseful/scary/sad right before bed, I might switch to something lighter.
Elena says
I usually mix academic readings for college with pleasure readings, but it is weird I get to mix two pleasure readings.
Linda says
I read one book at a time. I get confused and prefer to keep it less stressful for me. My husband reads 3-4 books at one time. I don’t understand how he does it. I can’t even read a graphic novel while reading a novel.
roro @roro is reading says
i can read 3 at a time . cute
kit says
I was a lot like that as a kid too (and forever yay for the BSC!). In the last couple of years it’s more likely that I would just be reading one book at a time, but I just got a Kindle and now I have one ebook and one regular book on the go at the same time (mostly because I like to read in the bath, and that calls for a real book!). It’ll be interesting to see how this affects my reading habits!
DeAnna says
I”m like you. I have a really hard time juggling multiple books. I’m listening to an audiobook right now and considering picking up a regular book for when I’m not working out, but I don’t know how well that’s going to work. I’ve tried it before, and I still had a hard time concentrating on multiple books!
Kim @ A Dutchie on Books says
When I was I kid, I was just like you and could read multiple books at once. I think it stopped when I was like 13 or something and I have no idea why, except that that was the time that I stopped reading regularly for a few years. When I ‘came back’ to reading I found I couldn’t do that anymore. My mother, who’s a voracious reader as well, even used to ask me how I could read so many books at once, because she sure couldn’t! Right now, I mostly read only one book at a time (with a few exceptions) but I don’t really mind, because I love it this way. I’m fully immersed in a story and won’t be distracted by the other book.
And, how cute is that picture?!
Allison says
I used to be just like you, Jamie. I could read multiple books with no problem. I was able to keep all the characters and the storylines separate so I never got confused. Can do I that now? Not so much. I have no idea why either except for the fact that I became really lax in my reading towards the end of high school and the majority of college (especially graduate school) so once I returned to it I seemed to have lost the ability to multi-task when it comes to books. I do try though! I’m just usually not very successful.
alicejane011 says
I’m fine with reading multiple novels at the same . I have to jump back and forth between books for school anyway that reading other books on the side for my blog isn’t really an issue. However, I do notice that I don’t read as many books at the same time as I used to.
Emily O (ReadingWhileFemale) says
When I was a kid I used to read up to four books at a time. I remember that once I was reading two books from the same series at the same time. It was a little confusing, but I didn’t want to wait to start the second one. I was (and still am) a very impatient person.
Now that I’m an English major I have to read multiple books at a time, usually one for each English class plus whatever my other classes assign (textbooks, homework, whatever). It doesn’t really cause me any problems because everything is on a schedule, so I know how much of what I need to have done and by when. On breaks I tend to read just one book at a time, but I think that’s because I have a hard time concentrating while I’m on vacation, so one book is all I can manage. If it weren’t for school I think I would multitask much less than I did as a kid. I just don’t have the attention span that I did back then.
Jael says
I want those shoes!!! Little Jamie, so cute. I’m a juggler but it’s been really hard since I started grad school. I have to read a lot for my classes. Sometimes I have reader overload and I won’t pick up a book for two days. I like to read multiple books at once. Sometimes I really get into the plot of one book, but I like having another one ready to go in case I get bored.
Jaime says
I’m with you- one audiobook and one paper book at a time is all I can handle. If I try to read more than one book at a time, I usually end up never finishing all the books I’m partially through.
Also- The Babysitters Club totally rocked. : )
Stephanie Sinclair says
I used to read multiple books at once, but it’s harder now! If I do read more than one, it’s an e-book and print. But I usually end up finishing the e-book way after the print. >.<
Dana @ Little Lovely Books says
So funny that you posted this. I was curious about this myself. I can read a fiction at the same time as a nonfiction but not two fictions. I’m *trying* to listen to more audiobooks but am finding that I just can’t get the story. I need to see it….which is weird because my fondest memories from school are when teachers read books to us. Maybe it was because I was literally just sitting there so I could concentrate? Who knows. Great discussion question, Jamie!
Anne says
I can only read multiple new books at once until one of them gets interesting. Then I tend to put down whatever else I’m reading in my desperation to find out what happens lol.
I can however do a re-read and a new read at the same time. Don’t ask me why – for some reason I’m better at disciplining myself to pick up the re-read when I need a book for those 5 minute windows in the day than I am at picking up a different new book each time I go out. Go figure!
Antonietta @ Afternoon Reads says
I didn’t read multiple books at once as a kid, mostly I guess because the books I read were short and usually part of a series so I was already really interested in the story (I read a lot of The Baby Sitter’s Club!), but once I got older and started reading other books, I started reading a few at a time. Now I’ve usually got at least four or five going at a time, either because I start one and get a bit bored and leave it for a while and pick up something else, or because I pick up new books from the library or bookstore and want to start those. Then when I actually finish one of those books, I pick up a new one instead of turning to my started pile. I can’t seem to stop!
erlynn says
i read multiple books at a time. i have to because im always in different moods. i have to have a collection going so i can just pop back into whatever im in the mood for. of course when i get stuck on something i wont put it down though.
Sara says
I can do an audio book and one physical book it that’s it. I recently put a book completely down and read two more in between it which is a new one for me.
Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook says
Lol. I’m the opposite of you. When I was younger, and even all the way through college, when I read for pleasure (not boring text books) I would always just read one book at a time. Now I sometimes will be reading 3-4 books at once. I have the audiobook in my car, the audiobook I listen to in the house, the main fiction book I’m reading, and then sometimes I have a book I either read at break at work (a book that I can’t seem to get myself to read, but I devote my 15 minutes to it everyday) OR a book I need to read for work.
Right now I am reading 4 books. Cinder (audiobook in my car), Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (audiobook in my house), East by Edith Pattou (fiction book), and The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCammillo (for work). I find that my books need to be quite different reads. Other wise I get confused.
I always get a kick out of how I won’t be finishing anything for a bit, and then all of a sudden I have finished 2 or 3 in what feels like hours.
Sara (of the Page Sage) says
When I was little I used to juggle, though not as systematically as you! haha I would read up to three books at a time. Now, though, I only read one. The only time I “juggle” is when I have to read books for school, but I find it easy to keep the plots separate in my mind in those cases.
Melissa @ Writer Grrl Reads says
That is the cutest picture of Little Jamie! You were (and still are) so adorable! Love the shoes too =)
I don’t know if I read multiple books as a child, but I do recall being able to finish several books in a single day (probably the same mix as you, a little BSC, a little R.L. Stine with a dash of Sweet Valley added in for extra flavour!) But now I’m the same as you — I have one book on the go, plus an audio book in the car for my commute. Occasionally, I’ll put a book down because a library book with short loan period comes in, but it’s SO HARD to go back to the book that I put aside, so I try not to. I think my problem is that I forget what’s happening in the first book, and then I feel like I have to start the book all over again, so I just end up DNF-ing.
Nikki H @ Take Me Away... says
As a little kid and now I couldn’t read two books at once. I’m not sure why but I just can’t concentrate on too many things at once lol Then if I try reading two at once, the stories seem to start blending together and it gets really hard to stay focused!
Michelle says
Old age? Pshaw! You’re still a young whippersnapper yet! 😉
As a little girl, I only read one book at a time. I started reading more than one book at a time in high school thanks to the required reading from lit classes, stopped after I graduated high school, started reading multiple books again when I started blogging but stopped doing so within the last month. It is nice to be able to focus on one book at a time. Will I stay this way or revert back to book polygamy? I’m not certain. It is nice to take a mental break every now and then I find.
Chrystal @ Snowdrop Dreams of Books says
Love the pic!
I read multiple books at one time – or at least I seem to start multiple books at once, but then tend to pick one to focus on. I’ll start with three maybe and then pick one to finish, then I’ll finish the next best book and finally the last one. Weird, but true.
Kristianne says
I try not to juggle books too much but sometimes you just have to, especially during school. I love the pic you posted! A few months ago I went on some website (can’t remember the name), where you post things you are looking for and people can respond back if they are selling what you are looking for. I ended up buying two lots of Babysitter’s Club books and Sweet Valley High Books. I want to have them on hand for when my niece gets a little older AND to give them another read through. It’s been too long!
Lori says
I only read one book at a time and I usually have an audiobook going. Just like you! My reasons are the same too. I will prefer one book over the other and just not pick the less desirable up. =/
I LOVE THAT PICTURE! 🙂 Your shoes are so awesome! Oh, and we had that same living room set when I was a kid lol.
Johannah says
Damn, I was going to ask this as a discussion question. Ha ha.
I guess I can ask my readers where their favorite spot was to read growing up.
I use to read in the car when my parents would go to grannys on the weekend. When I was little ivtried to read more then one book but would find myself liking one more then the other. I still catch myself doing it now especially if I get bored with a book. I’ve tried not to do it as often or at all.
Anna says
That picture is THE BEST!
Jennifer says
I’m the same way — when I’m reading two books at once, I’m always thinking about/wishing I was reading the OTHER book, even if I’m enjoying the one in my hands! I like to focus in on just one book at a time so that I can be fully immersed in that story.
I read in the car all. the. time. as a child, but now that I have my own family, I find that I rarely do. My husband is a sleepy driver, so I spend my time in the passenger seat talking and keeping him entertained, lol.
Sharon @ The Book Barbies says
Aw, Little!Jamie is so adorable. ♥
As for juggling when I was little, that’s a huge NO FREAKING WAY. I was very much a one-book-at-a-time girl. That changed in high school, though. I was homeschooled my entire life until I went to college, and in high school, both my English (obviously) and my History (which used the teaching history through literature approach) courses were book-intensive. And I enjoyed the majority of them, so I didn’t always separate them in my mind as “school” or “fun” books. So I got accustomed to reading 3 books at a time. Now, while I still prefer one at a time, I sometimes find myself reading 2. Especially if I started one on audiobook but don’t want to wait for my next long car ride to finish it, LOL.
(Also, LOL at your Charlie GIF. 🙂 )
Rachel says
When I was younger I used to be able to read multiple books, but now that’s nearly impossible for me. I find that if I’m reading more than one book, it’s difficult for me to fully invest myself in them. I like to put all of my attention into one rather than splitting it between multiple books.
Ashleigh says
Sometimes I can read multiple books at once but then other times I can’t. Right now I am reading 3-4 different series (HP, Jaz Parks, A Song of Ice and Fire, Stephanie Plum, and probably one more.) It just depends on where I am and how much time I have. If I am at work and things are slow I want to read something light and fun. At home I can read more intense plots because I have the time and energy to focus. I would say that most of the time I am only reading one book but only because I devour them in hours.
As for re-reading books, I just can’t do it. I’ve tried but it’s normally impossible for me. I think I have re-read HP 1 and 2 but only because I read them in like 3rd grade and couldn’t remember what was actually in the books.
Alexa Y. says
It is SO INTERESTING to read everyone’s comments on this post! We all work in different ways, and I think it hits home when I see what different people have to say about this particular topic.
As for me, I really usually only read one book at a time. It’s something I like doing, because that way I end up fully immersed in a story, a world and a set of characters. Plus, I never usually have to make much effort to get involved if I love a book.
HOWEVER. If I’m finding myself bored or not too interested in what I’m currently reading, I almost always crack another book open. Book #2 often helps distract me, giving me mental “breaks” from Book #1… And funnily enough, I almost always end up craving to read more of Book #1 when I get part way into Book #2 and return to it. My mind is a twisted place apparently…
Also, cute photo! I like how there’s a photo of you reading as a kid – I wish I had visual proof!
Caro says
I used to be a one-book-at-a-time sort of person until I started blogging. Then I was reading half a dozen books at once, and barely finishing one. I’m trying to get back to the one-book-at-a-time approach, because juggling several books at once clearly doesn’t work for me.
Mel@thedailyprophecy says
I actually always read multiple books at the same time. I’m not sure what it is, but I like it better that way. I love to switch between stories, but there is almost always one book I read the most. I’m not struggling with the different stories, I can keep them very easily apart.
Mel@thedailyprophecy.
Ashling says
When I was little, I used to juggle multiple books with no problem. And I can still do it now if I want to, but I really prefer to read one book at a time. This way I’m able to give each book my undivided attention and get completely caught up in it. Also, I’m a fast reader, so if I only read one book at a time, I can usually finish it in a day and start the next one immediately.
And my little sister, who’s 11, is like a mini-me. She reads very fast and juggles books like crazy. Just yesterday, I was reading a couple of chapters of Lord of the Rings to her, and afterwards she pulled out three different books and just went back and forth between them, depending on what room she was in.
Ashling says
I forgot to add – One of my reading habits that drives people nuts is that I love to reread. I have read all of my favorites multiple times, and even the ones that I didn’t love, I’ve read more than once. The only books I don’t reread are sad ones or ones I hated. People thinks it’s crazy, since I have so many books that I haven’t read yet, but I just can’t help it. Almost every time I reread a book, I get something different out of it.
Princess Ash @ Paranormal Indulgence says
I have nothing important to say.
Other than that YOU WERE JUST SO DARN ADORBS!! <3
That is all.
Jenny says
I used to do the very same thing when I was younger. I actually borrowed a ton of books from the library (you just had to peek under my bed to see them all)! I would read one chapter each until I finished. There were just so many books I wanted to read. I thought this was the best plan! I also didn’t want to take the chance that I wouldn’t be able to read the book when I was ready, hence the 15 books under my bed! Now I can sometimes juggle two, but only in certain circumstances. Usually it’s when I’m reading a book and a book I have reserved comes available at the library and I’ve been dying to read it. I’ll put the first one on hold and read through the other as fast as I can, which usually isn’t too hard since I’ve been excited to read it! The challenge just is whether I can get back into the first one! Usually I can. One book at a time works best, but I am frustrated I can’t do what I used to! Great topic!
Tammy says
Hiya Jamie
More often than not, I find myself reading more than one book at a time (usually about 4 books max). I often find that this works very well for me because, believe it or not, helps me to manage my review pile. Because I work with books and review them for both work and blogging purposes, I find that switching between books forces me to slow my reading down so that I can focus on finishing a review while between books. It is tough enough as it is to manage my review pile, so reading in this fashion definitely helps take off some of the pressure – if that makes sense? 🙂
Ciska (@_Ciska_) says
As a kid I could not juggle books. I always picked the big ones and hid in the corner getting totally enthralled in the story.
Since last year I have been trying on several occasions to juggle books but found I started it while reading a book I did not really like so I would end up with a DNF. Later on I once tried reading an English and Dutch book and found out that if necessary I would be able to juggle books with two different languages but I prefer the one book at a time.
Debbie @ Snuggling on the Sofa says
I loved the Babysitters club! Your post just made mourn them a little bit. I try and stick to one book, because I’m really bad at abandoning a book halfway through, and then it gets stuck like that for months. At which point I either give up entirely or have to start from the beginning again!
Annie says
OHMIGOD, that was a perfect description of little me!!! I would read one chapter of Horrible Harry and then one from Junie B. Jones, one from Geronimo Stilton, and then once I had finished all the Chapter Twos, or Chapter Fours, I would start from the very first book and continue on.
I don’t do this anymore but I do still juggle books. Three, at the most. I don’t go through each of them like I did before – I kind of pick up whichever book I feel like. This, of course, always ends up in me ditching one book. 🙂
Melissa @ Book Nerd Reviews says
haha Jamie that is the cutest pic! Babysitters Club was IT back then… I was obsessed with that as well as Goosebumps!
I sometimes juggle books. I too am finding as I get older that it’s trickier, because you’re juggling other things with reading, such as work and family, so there’s other factors at play too. Occasionally I will juggle two reads.. usually if I am finding one book not so engaging, I find breaking it up easier to get through them both. But lately, I have found listening to an audiobook and reading an actual book helps me get through even more reads, and it’s easier for me to separate the two and not get muddled.
Kat (AussieZombie) says
So many books, so little time is obviously a lifelong saying 😉
I never used to read more than one book at a time, but e-readers changed that. I hate carrying a huge paperback/hardback around with me, and I love reading on the go, so I’ve usually got one e-book, one DTB and one audio on the go. Three is definitely my limit however, any more than that and I start to get things all confuddled! I also find that picking three very different books helps, e.g. I can’t have YA contemps on the go at the same time .
I’m in awe of anyone who can juggle 5 or 6 (or even 10!) books at the same time – I’d spend so much time switching I’d never get anything finished!
Angelica @ Paperback Princess says
Jamie I cannot believe you posted this as I was just thinking about the same thing the other day.
Like yourself I was a huge reader when I was a child, I’m the opposite to you. When I was a child I’d only read one book at a time but most of the time I would read said book in one day. Now as an adult I can have up to 3 books on rotation, at the same time, most of the time I’d have 2 fiction and 1 non-fiction/classic.
There’s no particular reason as to why I do this, I guess there’s just so many books I want to read LOL How do I choose which book to read at any given time? It just depends on which I feel like reading at that particular time.
My strangest reading habit is that when I get the next books in a series whether it be 2nd-10th I have to re-read the books prior to that book #. So for example, I’ve read book 1-3 of a series and book 4 is released, I have to re-read books 1-3 again prior to reading book 4, I’ll then repeat the process for book 5 etc. Unless of course if I just recently read the series and the story is still fresh in my mind, then I won’t re-read.
My biggest pet peeve is people not looking after their books, I’m a bit selfish with my books, don’t want to really lend it out because I feel like people don’t look after it as well as I do 🙁
Tara says
OMG Jamie your face in that pic is classic 🙂
I honestly rarely juggle books, unless it’s an audio and a print at the same time. My brain can only handle so much 🙂
Karen says
I am a MASSIVE book juggler. I usually have at least 5 ongoing books to read at a time.
One reason is that I do sometimes get bored if it isn’t fast paced enough for me or if a character is annoying me but I have to admit my main reason is convenience. I literally have a book stationed at every place I usually read. There’s one beside my bed, one beside the couch, one in my backpack, one in my locker and sometimes at the kitchen table.
Maybe it’s because I’m young but I can handle the multiple plots and characters. It also might be because I read so fast anyway so it’s that same as picking up another book as soon as I finish one. Just so long as the characters have different names, I’m golden.
Allison says
I can usually read multiple books as long as they are quite different otherwise it gets too confusing! I usually read one or two books on my kindle while i read an entirely different book on my kindle app on my phone(usually a light-hearted book to distract myself while waiting in public). I also sometimes have a physical book i will read if someone lends me one.
Fiona says
I am definitely a one book at at time person, unless it’s the semester when I have to juggle several. I find that if I feel inclined to start another book, I don’t like the one I am currently reading and should set it aside.
Jess says
I juggle in the sense that I read multiple books until one really grabs me then I stick with the one story. I don’t like reading multiple books and one time because I like to stay in the story and world even after I leave reading it for a while.
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) says
I typically am reading three or four books at once: two physical books (one is my main book that I power through, but I take periodic breaks to visit the second), one on my e-Reader, and one on my iPod Touch, which can be with me all of the time, so if I’m super desperate, I can read from that.
Daisy says
I would do the exact same thing as a kid! I’d rotate 2-3 books and I still have no idea why! Or how I could keep track of them!
I can’t do it anymore, I stick to one book, I like to fully immerse myself in one world and I can’t when I’m reading more than one book at the same time.
Lucybird says
I read two at once, one paperback and one kindle. I don’t take my books out the house generally, and my journey to work everyday lasts about an hour so I read my kindle on the bus. I do sometimes find one will overtake the other, but I only tend to switch to just reading that one when it’s on my kindle.
I do occasionally get muddled up when the stories are similar, but generally it works out ok.
Aislynn says
I’m a multiple book reader! I have one at work, 2 or 3 at home, 1 in my purse, plus a few ebooks on my phone. I never know what type of book I’m in the mood for, so I make sure all my bases are covered!
Rachael @ Rachael's Blog of Many Random Things says
I used to always read 2 or 3 books at a time until the beginning of last year. I really don’t know where it started, but I just started reading one book at a time and I must say I like it this way better because I was always putting down one book and saying I would come back to it later and it lead to more unfinished books. It took me an entire semester to read 82 pages of Eat Pray Love because I was reading several books and I have yet to come back to that book, but it is on my TBR for this year.
I just prefer the simplicity of immersing myself into one story.
Cass (Words on Paper) says
Ha! I did EXACTLY the same thing as a child. I had a phase when I sat down on the floor, stack of books right beside me, and I’d go through a chapter of each at a time and then alternate. No idea why. My older sister looked at me funny.
😛 I still juggle books but I think it’s because I feel that since I’m such a slow reader I need to be reading more than one book to keep on top of things. It doesn’t work out TOO well, because books end up getting neglected in the end. Right now I’m only reading two books (Harry Potter & a review book that I want to read but isn’t nearly as ‘exciting’ as Harry Potter)…
kay says
I am a have 3 – 4 book on the go at once type of girl.
I like to challenge my mind with all different styles of books.
Rachelle says
one book at a time! you are doing the book injustice if you are reading something else at the same time!
Stephanie says
Always two for me. A physical book and an e-book that I generally just read in bed on my Kindle before going to sleep.
Katy says
I always read more than one book at a time…I call them my “at home” books and “while I’m out” books. Usually the “at home” books are too big and clunky to carry around with me, so the “while I’m out” books pinch-hit.
Leticia (@osoordinary) says
love your strategy Katy!
meg says
If the girl in the opening picture had shorter hair and gigantic ugly glasses, that could have been me. I still sometimes find myself jumping from book to book although usually only when a book gets too intense or too annoying and I need to take a mental break.
Leticia (@osoordinary) says
I usually juggle several books at a time. They always differ in genre. I think I agree with several other posts which have mentioned that you sometimes get that feeling that you want to read ALL THE BOOKS! Once I start reading a book and reach a certain point, I get the urge to pick up another and then another.
Vivian says
Lol, awww, BSC! I loved that series so much! I nvr used to juggle books. I thought I could only concentrate on only one book and I’d get all confused if I read a bunch at a time. Then, when my TBR pile got crazy, I knew I’d never beat it and plus, I would get bored of a book and look longingly at the others. So I decided to give it a go & I am now a PRO at it. I try to balance like 2-3 review books for every 1-2 of my own books at a time. I think the most I was “reading” at one time was like 6-7, lol. That was a crazy time! Anyways, usually it’s 3-4.
Stephanie B says
I read multiple books at a time for a couple of different reasons. Sometimes I start something and I don’t feel like reading it so I go to something different. Lately, I’ll start an ebook for when I’m at work (options, people, options while the toddlers are sleeping) but then I’ll go home and read a physical book or an ARC on my PC. If I’m really immersed I’ll go back to the ebook, but since it’s easier to read books on my NOOK while I’m at work or babysitting, I usually save those.
Rereading is a very particular thing for me. I have to really be in the mood for a certain. At the moment I’m in the mood to reread The Fellowship of the Ring (it’s been three or four years) or Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But I haven’t decided yet. So I started Plato.
Lauren @ Love is not a triangle says
I saw someone else use this term first, but I’m totally a monogamous reader. I prefer to read one book at a time and immerse myself in it. HOWEVER, sometimes I can read a paper book for review and a book on my phone kindle at the same time for fun. But usually, if I try to read 2 at once, I end up getting caught up in one of them and neglect the other. Great question!
Bri says
I can totally relate here! Except when I was a kid I could only read one book at a time and if it was a series it had to be in order. I still feel the same way about series *obviously* but I caught a bad book reading bug in late high school/early college years where I read multiply books at a time. I’m currently trying to break the habit and I often blog about it here: http://www.briliterarygiants.blogspot.com