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Smiling Shelves

Breaking My Bookish Monogamy

3/19/2015

6 Comments

 
Image from http://www.greatergallatinunitedway.org/news/one-book-time-1st-annual-book-drive-results
I have mentioned many times on this blog that I am a one-book-at-a-time kind of reader. I pick one book, I read it until it's finished, and then I pick up another one. And I've never been any other kind of reader - through childhood and college, this was the way I would read.

And yet, I'm discovering there are situations where reading two books at once can be useful (I'm not sure I could handle more than two quite yet!). About a month ago, I picked up The Little Book by Selden Edwards. I loved the first fifty pages so much that I knew this would be a book I wanted to savor and read slowly. And then the next day, we had a snow day, which usually involves a lot of time spent reading. Since I didn't want to rush through The Little Book, I set it aside and picked up The Tale of Applebeck Orchard by Susan Wittig Albert. It was the perfect book to read curled up in my library during my snow day. So sometimes having a book to savor and a book to zoom through works for me.

The second situation came up last week. My book club decided to read In the Woods by Tana French as our selection for March. Murder mysteries are one of the last genres I would ever choose to read, but how could I just skip out on a book club book? So I read In the Woods during daylight hours, and switched over to Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott once it got dark outside. It worked perfectly. I got through my scary book without a single nightmare.

So I guess I can't always say I'm a one-book-at-a-time kind of reader anymore. Turns out reading two books at once can occasionally work for me.

How about you? Are you a bookish monogamist? Or do you have lots of books going at once?
6 Comments
Monika @ Lovely Bookshelf link
3/19/2015 06:50:15 am

I tend to have a fiction and a nonfiction title going at the same time, but once in a while I'll have two fiction books... like you said, if one needs to be savored and another is a light, quick read. They have to be different in some way, for me.

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/21/2015 12:18:41 pm

I think difference is the key. Fiction and nonfiction would probably work for me, except I think I would neglect the nonfiction book if I got really into the fiction one. I'll have to try it sometime. :)

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Kathryn@theBookDate link
3/19/2015 07:48:17 am

I pretty much just read two books at a time. One that I am reading and one that I listen to while walking etc. I also could pick up a non fiction book. Other than that, I rarely read more at a time. I can understand though wanting to make a book last!

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/21/2015 12:20:40 pm

Good point - it makes sense to read more than one book at a time if one is an audiobook. That would definitely make it different enough that I could keep track of what's going on. Maybe I just need to start exercising more so I can listen to a book. :)

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Carrie @ Other Women's Stories link
3/19/2015 09:29:03 am

These days I usually have three books going. I have an audiobook for when I'm getting reading in the morning, my "main" book, and a book that's easy to pick up and put down for right before bed or in the car (this is usually poetry, children's fiction, or a decorating book). I feel like I get more books read--even though my attention is split.

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/21/2015 12:22:03 pm

That sounds like a good way to do it. These couple of times when I've been reading two books at once has definitely made it feel like I've gotten more read. I get to check two books off at the same time! Hooray for the sense of accomplishment! :)

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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

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