For What It's Worth


Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Tell me Something Tuesday


Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

Question: Do you read/listen to more than one book at a time, or do you give every book your undivided attention? (Courtesy of Roberta@ Offbeat YA)

Answer: I’m lucky and can read fast – I can finish a book in about 4-6 – so I almost always just read one book at a time. I like to be fully immersed in one world and not get the details confused, especially if I’m reviewing.


via GIPHY

But last year – I started reading for fun more & dabbled with graphic novels and audiobooks so at times I was juggling 3 books at a time. But they were so different from each other it wasn’t a problem for me. I concentrated on my review book with notes etc but the graphic novel would just take an hour or so and the audiobook was for when I was driving or couldn’t physically read a book.

In some ways, it really helped my reading burnout going with my mood like that. So far, this year, I’m back to focusing on one book at a time but that’s probably because they are arc’s.

How about you? Are you a monogamist reader or can you juggle several books at one time?

40 comments:

  1. I used to read one at a time but lately I've had one fiction and one non fiction started at the same time, so I can be reading something whichever mood I'm in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I could do that too. I feel like I could step away from the non fiction and not get lost. It's two physical fiction books I cant' handle lol

      Delete
  2. I typically have one physical/Kindle book that I’m reading and one audiobook that I’m listening to going at any given time. I listen to the audiobook when I’m getting ready for work and during my commute to and from the office. Other times during the day I reach for whatever I’m physically reading. That I can handle, but I’ve never been able to physically read more than one book at a time. Not sure what the difference is but I can totally keep my book and audiobook worlds straight - but two books... can’t do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can juggle those two too but physical books get trickier for me. I'd rather read one at a time.

      Delete
  3. I generally like to read one book at a time, although very rarely I'll juggle one or two others. And graphic novels are an exception, I'll just read those whenever. But yeah... pretty much agree!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah I agree about GN's. They're super short and not so intense that you lose track of details or that it brings you out of whatever else you're reading.

      Delete
  4. I can't read more than one at a time. My mom used to have a book in every room and would read whatever book happened to be in the room she was in at the time. I can't do that. One book at a time for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That gets too confusing for me but also..I read so fast it's a no issue in most cases.

      Delete
  5. Hah, I love that gif! I tend to read more than one book at a time but they are usually very different in terms of genre, so it's easier to keep track of things. I just have to keep going back and forth and not let one sit for too long or I'll forget details.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't do multiple physical/ebook stories but I can do a book with a graphic novel or audiobook.

      Delete
  6. I'm almost always in the middle of at least 2, sometimes 3 books at one time. Usually an audio book, a kindle book or physical book, but sometimes a kindle book AND a physical book if I'm reading a hard back I don't want to carry around. I'm lucky I've always been able to read multiple at once and not get them confused.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You bring up something that I din't think of - I can't read outside of my house lol I get super distracted so that's probably another reason I only read one book at a time.

      Delete
  7. I'm a book ho and happily juggle multiple books at a time. 😉
    They're usually different genres or mediums though... It helps with the mood reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah - I think that's the key for me - they have to be TOTALLY different if I'm juggling.

      Delete
  8. You stole my gif! LOL.
    Seriously, I think it's the only one of its kind...

    Reviews are just one more reason why I read one book at a time. But I guess that, if I had two very different books on different media on my hands, I "might" try to multitask.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I drafted this before seeing yours. I swear!! lol

      Delete
  9. I'm definitely a one book at a time person, I get easily confused. I used to have an ebook and a physical book on the go at the same time but I found I always focused on reading one more than the other so that had to end. I didn't really view audiobooks as reading (it counts as reading, obviously) but I mean it didn't confuse me with the different storylines because I'm listening instead of reading so my brain separates them out better somehow so maybe I should try and listen to more audiobooks to boost my reading?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm still not great with audiobooks but when I started using them late last year I tripled my reading progress.

      Delete
  10. Monogamy, ha, no way, I need to spread my love around

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had this discussion with my daughter, if she is reading multiple books, they have to be totally different genres, so she doesn't mix details. I never "read" more than one at a time, but I do the audio and ebook thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can juggle audio (when I'm driving) and a physical/ebook for when I'm at home. Or if it's TOTALLY different genres.

      Delete
  12. If I didn’t have to get reviews done, I would juggling three or four. I at least have one audio going and one ebook at all times almost.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh I totally read more than one book at a time. I'm really quick at reading, especially if it's a book I'm really into. I read Sherrilyn Kenyon's Styxx in three days. And then I slept for four days. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read fast too so I just finish what I'm reading. The exception being audiobooks because I can't multitask with them so those are usually reserved for when I'm driving and take longer.

      Delete
  14. I am someone who always reads more than one book at a time and it works well for me! I never get confused or anything, even if they are all the same genre. I'm just so moody and need to be able to change book as my mood changes... even if that happens on the same day.

    Olivia-S @ Olivia's Catastrophe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're a reading rock star! lol I don't necessarily get confused as much as I get absorbed in one book over the other. And like I said - I can read fast so I just finish it.

      Delete
  15. Yes and no. Goodreads will say I have two, sometimes three books going, but most of the time one of them is in actuality a book I have set aside, and haven't moved to that shelf yet. I am usually only reading one fiction book and maybe one nonfiction. I used to have one, what I call, slow-reading book going all the time before ARCs became so time consuming for me. The last slow-reading book I had going was The Goldfinch which I picked up and read in spurts between the main book I was reading. After tackling Priory of the Orange Tree and realizing the book was much better read in sections I am starting to have slow-reads again. I am going to be reading War and Peace this way this year. 📚✨

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can do multiples with what I consider *slow reads* - usually a non - fiction and a fiction. Because I can set aside a non fiction without losing the thread of what's going on.

      Delete
  16. Years and years ago, I reviewed for 3 different places, so I had no choice but to read more than one book at a time, bute it didn't take me long to get burned out, and I never seemed to have time to read for fun anymore. So now,I'm pretty much monogamous, unless I'm reading nonfiction with fiction so I'm not actually cheating.(lol) Hugs, RO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Any time reading is a chore it gets hard.

      I'm glad you get to read for fun now!

      Delete
  17. I can read two at once, as long as they're both different genres and also formats. Usually I started to favour one over the other though and will read that to completion and pick up the second one once I'm finished. So far this year I'm just reading one at a time, my reading has slowed down a whole lot and sometimes struggle to get through just the one book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read so fast that it's not usually a factor but it has to be different genres or formats if I do.

      Delete
  18. Wow! That's fast. It takes me 3-8 days to read a book, depending on my time and interest level. But I do listen to one and read one - so two going at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It takes me way longer for audiobooks - which is why they are so frustrating for me. I want to rush it along lol

      Delete
  19. I feel the same. I like to completely immerse myself in one book at a time. But before my recent health issues (since I can now really only do audiobooks), I would sometimes have a few books going. A print/ebook, an audiobook for multitasking, sometimes a comic in the middle of reading other books since those can be read in an hour or two. There are definitely good things about both monogamous and polygamous reading :-P

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm a fast reader too and generally only have one book at a time, otherwise I start mixing up the storylines to create my own unique (and nonsensical!) novels. The exception to this might be if I've got a heavier nonfiction book and I want a break with a light steampunk story or something like that

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! That could be fun though lol

      I'm doing a non fiction audio now with a YA fantasy. That is ok for me because they are so different.

      Delete