Two novels at the same time

[K. Molen]

I almost always have one fiction and one non-fiction on the go, and occasionally a second fiction joins the line-up, but never more than that.

Right now I'm reading A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons at the same time, as the books are set concurrently. I'm following a reading order I found using Google, where someone went through and organized the two books in chronological order. Right now I'm about a third of the way through that reading order and I'm really enjoying it.

Looking over what I would've read had I only been reading A Feast for Crows I think this way is a big improvement, as there's just so many good characters left out of that book. I don't think I would've liked having to wait an entire book to find out what happened to Tyrion, Bran, Daenerys and others.

[Mike L]

Whenever I'm reading an exciting can't-put-down sort of book, I make a point of having something less enthralling on the go as well.

The second one is for reading in bed. If I didn't do that, I'd never put the light out.

Mike

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by K. Molen

Right now I'm reading A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons at the same time, as the books are set concurrently. I'm following a reading order I found using Google, where someone went through and organized the two books in chronological order. Right now I'm about a third of the way through that reading order and I'm really enjoying it.

I did the same thing only instead of reading in chronological order, I realized it would have been too much of a headache to do it that way so I just alternated chapters between books.

It worked until about halfway through A Dance with Dragons, when there was a chapter about Princess Arianne Martell that occurred after the final Arianne chapter in A Feast for Crows, which I hadn't read yet. So I just read a few chapters in AFfC so I could catch up with the chronology.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

@carpetmojo. I would put a little pillow on the floor ..........Helen

"....little..." ?

It would need to be on a mattress/duvet scale - my aim isn't that good when I've drifted orf !

And with my luck it would bounce out the window, anyway....

[Quelch]

I thought I was a clever little Vegemite reading three eBooks at once

Now I realise through this thread that nearly everyone is doing it and I'm just ordinary !

I find three eBooks at once is my limit, I've tried more but can't keep on top of them all

Down to just two at the moment, EXTINCTION by B. V. Larson the second book in a series of four

and

Connie Willis’s LINCOLN’S DREAMS, I've read her novels about the WW2 in London, Black Out and All Clear, it was like living in the war myself but without the danger of being killed by a bomb !

[Staked]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Whenever I'm reading an exciting can't-put-down sort of book, I make a point of having something less enthralling on the go as well.

The second one is for reading in bed. If I didn't do that, I'd never put the light out.

Mike

I do that as well. For instance I'm currently reading the first Twenty Palaces novel and I know I'm going to have to leave it in the living room when I head to bed. SuperFreakonomics has been my bedtime reading of late. It's an amazing book, but not one that makes me want to stay up all night reading it. :-)

[JSWolf]

I have one book in the works on the 650 and another in the works on the iPad.

I wanted to try the iPad in bed and didn't have the same book as on my 650. On the 650 is the latest Star Trek book and on the iPad is Mockingjay.

[jbcohen]

I must admit the reason why I do this is I read very fast (I can typically read approximatly 100 pages a typical day) and I like to slow myself down to a point where one book will last approxmatly one week. One of my lastest books by Eric Flint is taking me longer than most of the others do thus it has not been necessary for me to pick up a second one, although I might just do that for varieties sake. Sometimes its becuase I want to read a mack bolan book but also want to finish my current book as well, can't keep myself from bighting off more and more.

[elemenoP]

2 novels: pretty much never. A novel and a non-fiction book: once in a while!

Funny about the reader falling off the bed. I have seen people on these boards who prefer a reader over a pbook for "nodding off" because you don't lose your place in the book!

eP

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Funny about the reader falling off the bed. I have seen people on these boards who prefer a reader over a pbook for "nodding off" because you don't lose your place in the book!

Not to mention that the eReader doesn't hurt nearly as much as that giant, door-stop-sized hardback when it inevitably hits me in the nose as I start to nod off.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Frequently I will read two very different novels at the same time. One novel on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the other one on Tuesday and Thursday. Do any of you do that? At the moment I am most of the way through 1633 and Shadows of Saggami by David Weber.

Though I will sometimes skim or casually read passages from several books, I have neither the patience nor focus to divide my reading time between two books that I actually want to finish.

I am, however, currently eye-reading one book, usually at bedtime, and ear-reading a different audiobook during my daily commute.

ApK

[sakura-panda]

I have three ongoing -- one at home, one that I read over lunch, and one on my phone for when I'm out.

[jbcohen]

Got that right about the giant door stop sized hardback. I once used Terry Goodkind's novel Stone of Tears in paperback as a doorstop and it worked great.

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Funny about the reader falling off the bed. I have seen people on these boards who prefer a reader over a pbook for "nodding off" because you don't lose your place in the book!

The problem with this (from an expensive personal experience) is that if when you nod off your ereader happens to end up lying in a vulnerable position in the bed. One particular morning half asleep I decided to turn over fairly energetically, leading with the point of the elbow to cushion the fall... right onto my Kindle. Crack, wail, sob. I still fall asleep most nights reading my (new) Kindle, but this time I bought with some accident insurance...

Back on topic - I don't really "get" why people would willingly alternate between multiple books, other than for physical reasons which doesn't apply if your ereader goes everywhere with you. To me it would indicate the book just isn't doing enough to capture your attention, becoming a "chore" to get through rather than a pleasure. A good book has me page turning like nobody's business and reading at every opportunity. I can't imagine by choice interrupting that experience to chop and change with another book. Maybe it is just that my memory ain't what it used to be...

[paulsalter]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Back on topic - I don't really "get" why people would willingly alternate between multiple books, other than for physical reasons which doesn't apply if your ereader goes everywhere with you. To me it would indicate the book just isn't doing enough to capture your attention, becoming a "chore" to get through rather than a pleasure. A good book has me page turning like nobody's business and reading at every opportunity. I can't imagine by choice interrupting that experience to chop and change with another book. Maybe it is just that my memory ain't what it used to be...

I compare it in a way to watching tv series, I wouldnt wait until a tv series has finished then watch the complete thing in one go, its usually one episode per week and watch other things in between.

with reading I have one book on the go that I read on a night time and something else that I read during the day (sometimes have a 3rd on the go for daytime reading)

if them comparisons make sense

for me if I find a long book that I really like it stops me reading it to quickly, it took me almost a month to read 11/22/63 by Stephen King as I only read this on a night time and wanted the book to last