I see online and in this exact subreddit about people reading multiple books at a time, and I’m wondering how do you read and still able to enjoy multiple books at once. My situation is that if I end up picking up another book when I’m already reading one I feel the urge to return to that previous book and quickly rush through it before I end up moving to the next one. But, if both books are books I’m interested in and really want to enjoy I just end up not enjoying neither of them that way. Any tips of how I can change this behavior? There are so many books I want to read but I still want to enjoy what I’m reading and not feel rushed to read the next one on my list.
by OriginalAccording995
11 Comments
I also can’t do the multiple books at a time thing. I always end up just focusing on one over the other. Everybody’s different I guess
I usually read very different books at the same time so that I can keep the plots straight (like a horror novel at the same time as literary fiction, or I usually read a nonfiction book while I’m also reading a novel), and also on different formats (I have a bunch of print books on my shelves, and I also get ebooks and audiobooks from the library). But reading multiple books at a time does take some dedication. When I sit down to read, I usually start with the book I read the least recently. That said, I have ended up DNFing books because I either forgot about them or lost interest.
Nothing besides intentionally slowing down imo.
You could also do highlights and annotations to increase retention.
You could summarize chapters and/or concept map things in a PKM software like Obsidian.
I only do those things for studying right now, besides for highlights as the Kindle makes it easy. Some people say this takes away the enjoyment of reading for them, but for me it is very enjoyable. I’m thinking to extend it to my personal reading as well.
Also if you have the ADHD… yeah lol just gotta wiggle with it, its tough for me too. I’d read 10 books at once if I didn’t know myself well enough by this point.
For me it helps to have multiple books with vastly different genres. I’ll usually have one contemporary fiction and one contemporary nonfiction. Sometimes I’ll throw in a wild card fantasy/sci-fi or poetry. It helps me juggle more books when they’re vastly different and I can go to a different one when the mood strikes.
I often read multiple books at a time, but occasionally one of those I’m reading will strike me as good enough to warrant my full attention. So, I can enjoy decent books reading a few at once, but I focus on books that are on another level.
Books that are different. Nonfiction and fiction are a good combo to switch between. Different authors, genres. Always stopping at well-defined moments before switching. Two hours each per day or maybe two days in a row of one then switching to another. Changing the rules as they suit you to get the job done too
It’s not really something I set out to do. If I get tired of one book, I just start another and when I get tired of reading that one, I either go back to the first one or start another. After awhile, I’ll close out any that I haven’t been back to for several months or longer. This is all e-book reading.
I also always have an audiobook going for my morning walk
What got me back into reading was alternating 2-3 books at a time. Generally just fiction/non-fiction. Sometimes fiction/non-fiction/’light’ reading like a graphic novel or book of short stories. I feel like it gives my brain room to breathe if I’m not 100% engaged but also am not at the point where I just want to DNF a book.
I accomplish this through differentiation.
Book 1 — ebook, read on lunch breaks at work.
Book 2 — paperback, read in a chair in the living room during the weekend or if I have time after work.
Book 3 — ebook, read in bed before I turn the lights off.
Book 4 — audiobook, listen to with SO in the evenings 3 days a week.
Book 5 — audiobook, listen to during my commute.
Having specific physical locations and different formats helps me to keep them different in my head. As others have mentioned, I try to select different genres as well so they don’t bleed too much.
Not perfect, but works okay for me.
I always have multiple books going, and one thing I do is have certain books for certain times/places. For example there is one book I always read in the mornings with coffee and breakfast. One book I read throughout the day in my office. A third book, usually an audiobook, that I listen to in bed and when I do my nighttime routine.
Eventually I start associating each book with it’s “setting” so to say, to the point where it feels wrong to read the wrong book in the wrong place. Now when it becomes bedtime I start craving my bedtime book, when I wake up I want to read my morning book.
Major in English. I may no longer derive joy from reading, but I can read up to four books at a time without losing track.