Multiple books at the same time?

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It's just that sometimes I'm impatient and not willing to wait until I've finished one book.

Fair enough.
To be honest, my impatience shines through in a different way. If I want to get it over with and move onto the next book (a sure sign I am not enjoying the book) I skim through it, rather than a full dedicated reading.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Karellen

Fair enough.
To be honest, my impatience shines through in a different way. If I want to get it over with and move onto the next book (a sure sign I am not enjoying the book) I skim through it, rather than a full dedicated reading.

I sometimes do this with the last 2-3 chapters of a book, but not always. When I've gotten so far in the book, then I've been enjoying it at least to some extent, otherwise I DNF long before.

When I was younger, I very seldom left a book unfinished, but these days it's not at all uncommon.

[Aleron Ives]

Originally Posted by Karellen

I don't really understand why you would read 2+ books at a time? What does that achieve?

For me, I prefer to read difficult books that will teach me something during the day while my brain is fresh, and at night my brain is too tired to continue, but I'd still like to be able to read something, so I may have a second, easier book going for that purpose.

[Uncle Robin]

I don't do it as often as I used to, but if I'm reading some denser nonfiction, or heavy fiction, I will oftenhave some fluff fiction on the go to take a break

[Apache]

A book had to be really horrible read for me to abandon it when I was reading on paper. With eBooks I find myself needing less of an excuse to dnf.
Apache

[Asawi]

I usually have at least two, sometimes three books going at the same time. One non-fiction and one or two fiction. Two fictions would be if one of them is a bit heavier for some reason (could be because of content or in a language I'm not fluent in). In that case I might have something light in my own language (Swedish) as well.

[afv011]

No, though on occasion while I'm reading a book I might also be reading a technical one on the side, but I do not consider that "reading multiple books at the time". I like to feel immersed in the story I'm reading, and having multiple books in progress at the same time would detract from the experience.

[305869]

I did this for a while and it was nice having two books with different moods to switch between. But then I would sometimes favor one over the other and by the time I returned to the other I had forgotten some chunks and need to reread it. So I stopped.

[jviscosi]

I almost never do this, although currently I sort of am ― I've been reading a Seabury Quinn story collection called The Horror on the Links at the rate of about one story per week while also reading other novels one at a time. The intro to the Quinn omnibus suggests reading it this way, in order to make the experience more like it would have been if, say, one were subscribing to "Weird Tales" back in the 1920s, so I'm just following instructions.

[BionicGecko]

I also normally read multiple books at once, as different media lend themselves more naturally to different devices and different times of the day. I tend to have:

1. A non-fiction book which I read on the Scribe (especially if there are images and diagrams), typically during the day
2. A fiction book which I read on the Oasis, mostly in the evening (good size for reading in the bed)
3. An audiobook to listen to while in transit or when I walk the dog

Sometimes 2 and 3 will be the same when the audio version is not too expensive, but it does mean paying twice for the same book so often they'll be different books.

[kandwo]

I have many books going on at the same time. I read in many different languages, so I typically have one book open in each language. My main devices are Android ereaders, so I can just use one app per language. How many I'm actively reading any given day/week depends on my mood and energy level. Usually, it's 2-4 different books (fiction).

Additionally, I use my Libra 2 for English literature and non-fiction. Mostly for relatively light reading in the evening when I'm too tired for anything else.

[BionicGecko]

Originally Posted by jviscosi

I almost never do this, although currently I sort of am ― I've been reading a Seabury Quinn story collection called The Horror on the Links at the rate of about one story per week while also reading other novels one at a time. The intro to the Quinn omnibus suggests reading it this way, in order to make the experience more like it would have been if, say, one were subscribing to "Weird Tales" back in the 1920s, so I'm just following instructions.

This reminds me of another use case for reading more than one book at once: reading epistolary novels "as they happen". A good example of this is Dracula Daily, essentially a mailing list where any letter or note in Bram Stoker's Dracula is posted "in real time" on the actual date of its appearance in the novel.

I have to say that, as interesting as the concept is, it probably works better for novels with frequent activity; in Dracula, sometimes several weeks will go by before a new letter appears, and it's easy to lose the momentum.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BionicGecko

This reminds me of another use case for reading more than one book at once: reading epistolary novels "as they happen". A good example of this is Dracula Daily, essentially a mailing list where any letter or note in Bram Stoker's Dracula is posted "in real time" on the actual date of its appearance in the novel.

I have to say that, as interesting as the concept is, it probably works better for novels with frequent activity; in Dracula, sometimes several weeks will go by before a new letter appears, and it's easy to lose the momentum.

It's easy to lose momentum reading Dracula like a normal book because it's just so darn boring.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's easy to lose momentum reading Dracula like a normal book because it's just so darn boring.

It's pointless to say a book is boring without giving reasons.

"It's boring."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."

Saying why a book is boring might spark a discussion. It might even win people over.

Now me, you'd have to pay me a significant sum to slog through a Star Trek novel. I also find the franchise to be unendurably and offensively sexist, yet others are willing to overlook it. I realize that's me and there's no point in going down that road.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by BionicGecko

A good example of this is Dracula Daily, essentially a mailing list where any letter or note in Bram Stoker's Dracula is posted "in real time" on the actual date of its appearance in the novel.

I thought The Dracula Daily was Transylvania's #1 source for news...