I belong to a book club, called the Omni Book Club, based in Huron, Ohio. It's an unusual book club. We don't have assigned reading; the idea when we meet once a month is to simply go around and each person says what he or she has read recently.
I remember at one meeting, a fellow who has since passed away advised us to read only one book at a time if we want to finish books.
I have to admit that I seldom follow the advice. I am currently concentration on My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, but I also have been dipping into Selected Poems by James Tate, a re-read of Robert Anton Wilson's Cosmic Trigger 2: Down to Earth and and the Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. Is this odd behavior? What do other people do?
7 comments:
I tend to read a lot of books at once.
Good question!
I read multiple books at the same time, depending on the location and time: i.e. prefer e-books at night (due to illumination), phone while commuting and paper books at the beach or in the bathtub. Also listen to audiobooks while washing dishes, walking the dog and doing other chores that require eyes.
Used to think that it is a bad idea, but hey - it works, so don't care much about the fact that GoodReads shows 18 books in the Currently Reading shelf. Sometimes have to backtrack few pages to re-establish the though thread :)
I used to be a one book at a time person. Now, my neurodivergence sees me with several at once. I have, usually a fiction, and a non-fiction, ie: Seven of Infinities and 12 Gateways that I read on my iPad. As well I have something usually going on my phone, for when I am not at home. Right now, sort of bouncing between Liber Null and Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. I tried to explain this once in a job interview and felt like the person thought I was flexing. Rather it's mostly ADHD, I feel.
I tend to have one main book I'm reading, but will take breaks from it to read other. With more difficult books I'll read one or two or thee commentaries alongside it. I did that Finnegans Wake last year and am currently doing so with The Cantos by Pound.
Many at once camp, for sure. Don’t always finish a book either. It has to sit in a stack near me, competing for attention, if it gets none for a long time I will finally shelve something as a no go, even then I’m probably vainly planning to come back to it. I make copious use of used book stores and the library. Will buy new if motivated enough.
3-4 at a time, on average I think. I wanted to say '23 at once' but, well, you know... :D
Currently reading 4 books. Paglia's Sex, Art and American Culture in the bathroom. Lafferty's Fourth Mansions in bed. Lakoff and Johnson's Metaphors We Live By and Illuminatus during the day. The Lafferty makes an interesting counterpoint to Illuminatus. Lots of things in common between these two.
Post a Comment