Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Discussion-- Do You Ever Read Too Many Books At Once??




I read THIS post from Kristy Chronicles-- and it got me thinking about my book starting habits.  I really liked her list, so I decided to make one of my own.

Admittedly, I start a lot of books before I've finished the book I'm currently reading-- and I do it for a number of reasons:


1.  Because the book I'm reading is BLAH.

  • So, basically I do this because I'm going the DNF the book I'm currently reading, but I'm not ready to ADMIT to myself that I'm going to DNF it.  I'll start a new book and TELL myself that I'm going to go back to that other book-- and then I don't.


2.  I promised that I was going to read X book by X date.

  • If you're a book blogger, then you know.  We get books and we're supposed to read/review them by the release date (or a week or 2 after).  Also, we sign up for blog tours and have other personal deadlines we like to make for ourselves to finish and review books.


3.  I just like variety because-- MOOD READER.

  • Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to read my current book.  But that doesn't mean what #1 on this list means.  It's not that I'm trying to stealthily DNF, it's that just at THIS exact moment, the fluffy contemporary is not doing it for my dark mood.  But then I read a darker book for a few hours and I'm all refreshed to go back to that fluffiness.


4.  It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing things.

  • When I read 3 (or 5) books all at once, I feel like I'm somehow reading faster than I am??  No, I'm totally not, but I just feel that way because books are getting opened instead of sitting on shelves.


5.  My mom brings me a library book.

  • I make lists of backlist books I want to read and I give them to my mom.  Since she's a regular library goer, she picks up books for me along her way, and it's really worked out great.  But when she shows up with a book, I feel like I should do my best to read it in the 2 week allotment that the library gives.  It's worked out really well because I've read SO many older books that had slipped through the cracks.


6.  Format problems.


  • Sometimes I'm reading a book on my Kindle and it needs charged and I'm about to go somewhere-- and OMG, I am not going without some sort of book.  So, I grab a physical copy of something to start.  OR sometimes the opposite happens.  Sometimes I'm going somewhere where I feel that reading an eReader would be better-- say it's going to be darkish??  Or I don't have a ton of room in my bag and my Paperwhite would fit better?



Throughout all these reasons, sometimes I just end up being overwhelmed by the amount of books I've started and haven't finished.  When that happens, I go into this weird panic mode where I feel like I can't start ANYTHING until I finish what I have going on.  But then I get sad because that means a new book being started is so far away.




So, the struggle of a multi-book reader is real!!


Let's Talk:

Do you read many books at once?  Do you ever use it to super-secretly DNF?  Does multi-book reading work out good for you, or do you go to the bad place sometimes where you get overwhelmed (like me)?  Or are you just an Organized Oliver and can keep them all straight?  

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22 comments:

  1. Hi! I used to read in an organized manner. Now it seems I don't have enough time. So I start multiple books at the same time. It's a disaster. haha. I really now think I do it to super-secretly DNF a book!
    :) Leslie

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    1. LOL it really can become a bad thing!! I think it's too funny when I try to "Trick" myself by starting a new book, when I really am just DNFing.

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  2. I usually read 2-3 books at once. I like being able to switch between stories (also a mood reader yay!) but I have 5 books on my currently reading shelf on goodreads right now and I'm definitely not actively reading all of them >.<

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    1. Yeah, I think I have 13 books on Goodreads Currently Reading--- FAIL!!!

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  3. I am such a mood reader and sometimes I will read more than one book at the same time. Also, there are books that I like to savor slowly and will read a few chapters at a time instead of reading it in one sitting. I totally agree about the formatting of e-books. Sometimes the e-ARCs that I receive are not formatted well for my Nook so I will read another book at the same time just to give myself a break.

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    1. Ohhh, I didn't think of THAT reason. Savoring a book is a very good reason to start a new book!! Plus you won't have to worry about the book hangover-- because you'll already by INTO something else. And I totally feel you on the giving your eyes a break. I've been getting headaches lately from staring at screens too much :(

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  4. I do the format thing a lot. I have epub books that go on Google Books so I can read them at my desk at work in my browser or my phone. I have Kindle books from Amazon, the library, or Netgalley that I can only read on my phone and I can't always use my phone. I have hard copies. I have audiobooks for mindless tasks at home.

    The one constant is I always have something to read and that's what's most important! lol

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    1. So true-- it's always better to have something to read and more formats are easier to make that happen!! I don't do audio, but I bet it is nice to do when you're driving or doing other tasks where you can listen while you work :)

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  5. Love this! I think my number one reason for reading multiple books is format-related. I refuse to read more than one book in the same format at once! I might be reading three books, but one will be on my Kindle, one will be a physical copy, and one will be an audiobook. I like having variety so I can use whatever book is appropriate at the time!

    The other time is when I'm like whooooops totally forgot that my book club meeting is in three days, I guess I'll get going on that one ASAP!

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    1. That is so cool that you always have a book going in each format! That sounds a lot more organized than what I do!! Also, OMG book club totally should have been one of my reasons. I'm always squeezing in those books.

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  6. I am definitely a mood reader so I do this a lot too. I try to balance things out a little, I'll have a light a fluffy book, a darker angsty one, and a steamy romance just so I get a little bit of everything. If I'm reading a blah book and switch to another I have a hard time going back to it. I'll usually finish the other one before going back...if I go back. LOL! Great discussion post!

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    1. Yes--sometimes it's SO hard to go back!! That's when I usually DNF and actually admit that I'm DNFing :( I like how you read all the different types of books so that no matter what mood you're in, you have one to pick up!

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  7. I love your list! I'm actually the opposite. I won't start anything new unless I'm finished with my current book or I DNF it. It means that I get super impatient and end up DNFing books that might not always deserve it.

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    1. Yeah but that sounds much more organized than what I have going with all the books. It can get overwhelming and it would be nice to just focus on one thing!

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  8. The format issue is big for me. I'm often reading one book on my Kindle and another physical copy. And I'm pretty much always listening to an audiobook as well!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I'm kind of re-thinking my "I don't read audio books" stance. It seems like a great way to fit in extra books!

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  9. I used to rarely read multiple books at a time until I read Kirsty's post and suddenly I'm reading three! I definitely relate to not being in the mood for your current read, I find then that if I pick up something else for a few hours I'm less likely to DNF a book I might have enjoyed at another time.

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    1. HAHAHA!! I love that!! Kristy definitely got me thinking too-- I loved her post & asked her permission to do this one.

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  10. I very rarely start reading another book before I finish the last one, but that is probably because I will easily DNF something I am not enjoying, and I almost always have two books going at once, one book and one audiobook. So, I have a little variety.
    Sam @ WLABB

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    1. I feel like I'm really missing out with the audio books!! It seems like a great way to read books when you're doing random things or just don't want to start at print!

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  11. Kirsty had a great post and I got thinking about this too, as I try to only read one book at a time but it doesn't always work? Ha ha love your thinking on #1- so true! I'm not DNF'ing it- honest. lol yeah right. And I'm totally a mood reader, so there's that too. Sometimes you just gotta find the book that fits the mood! But generally I read one (or at most two) at a time- any more and I might get confused.

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    1. I'm kind of overwhelmed at the amount of books I have going right now, and I'm going to try really hard not to do this again!! Also, I'm totally not DNFing any of these books, I promise (LOL, yeah right).

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