How many books do you read at the same time?

Right now, I'm in the middle of reading the following:

Touched by Fire by James M. Perry
(the story of the five presidents who served during the Civil War)

Winston Churchill by John Keegan
(one of the Penguin Lives series)

Secret Girl by Molly Bruce Jacobs
(the author's story of her sister who was born mentally retarded and institutionalized)

The Great Depression - America in the 1930's by T.H. Watkins
(companion book to the PBS series)

Still Called by Name by Father Dominic Grassi
(biography of a priest)

House Rules
(the story of freshman congressman Peter Hoagland)

And yesterday I just got a copy (autographed) of Nicholas Basbanes's "Every Book Its Reader"...but I haven't started it, yet.

Usually what happens is that I start a few books, and then one grabs me and I tend to read that particular book more than the others - but until that happens I jump back and forth.

Tim

If I've been to the library, I do what you do.

But if I've purchased one online, it's one at a time.

I also re-read my favorite books over and over.

but then, I guess that was the reason for your post.

And uncalled for.

Maybe the poster was curious about the reading habits of others. I know, for example, that Clinton used to read about eight books at a time. It's an interesting question and I'd like to know about how others read books, too.

As for myself, I will often be reading as many as two dozen books at a time. Many books I never finish but I do note what page I left off on in the back with a pencil. Sometimes I'll pick it up again years later and finish it.

My book reading has declined significantly because I read so much online now. I have access to scholarly databases and I like reading this way much better. While many complain about the lighting on a monitor, I complain about decent lighting to read a book.




Cher

I probably should have made that a bit more clear when I first posted.

I hope that no one thought that I was bragging or anything like that...it's just that my wife tends to read one book all the way through before starting another...while I tend to jump from book to book, and (as you correctly stated) I was just curious to see if others did this too.

In fact, I notice that there are some books that I will enjoy reading just before bed, while others I enjoy in certain rooms of the house - I even find myself taking a book with me to work to read when I have a lunch break.

As far as listing the books, I only did that as a mean of example (not to brag).

Tim

about reading certain books in certain rooms or at certain times of the day.

Same for me.

Actually I was just curious to see if anyone else had the same reading habit. But if I came across as arrogant, I apologize (that wasn't my intent).

Tim

I read a lot of books, too. I just took your post the wrong way is all, and was in a bitter mood unrelated to this thread, I'm the one who should apologize, and I do.

One, of course. I haven't been very successful in training my eyes to focus in two different directions simultaneously.

was doing a years long project on women fiction writer's words in English and translations. in re: feminism

had to stop the project to fight the bushmilhousegang.

LOL!

Three right now,

TIME TO DEPART by Lindsey Davis

THE SORROWS OF EMPIRE by Chalmers Johnson

MORTAL SPLENDOR by Walter Russell Mead

unless it was a very interesting time in the story then I would read two or more chapters before returning to the rotation and next bk.

it was just more interesting that way. have a cousin that does it too.

I am reading:

Gary Zukav's: The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics
Charles C. Mann's: 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Kate Mosse: Labyrinth
Adam Hochschild: Bury The Chains
John Hope Franklin's Mirror to America

I won't even make a pretense of having the subject matter relate to each other. :dilemma:

aside for a long time? I'm reading at least 50 now, then. B-)

I've noticed that since I read so much political material online now, I rarely read political books. I'm going to make an exception and read Helen Thomas' new book, though.

Instead, a lot of my book reading has to do about art techniques or gardening. I routinely read books that help me do my job better. Right now I am reading a funny gardening book called The $64 Tomato," about how gardening can get obsessive.




Cher

read one fiction, one history, and one science.
One for the bathroom one for work and one for fun

"American Prometheus" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Very interesting, well researched biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb"

"A Rage to Live" by John O'Hara. A good novel.

"Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow. Pretty decent biography of Hamilton.

And I am listening to 3-4 books on tape at a time. That is a combination of fiction and non-fiction.

Usually one fiction and one nonfiction
occasionally a comedy book too

first post...yayyyy

Undaunted Courage by Steven Ambrose (audio book in the car)
A Time for Trumpets by Charles B MacDonald (throughout the house)
Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg (nightstand)
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (bathroom)
Statistics for Idiots by Robert Donnelly Jr. (work)

Usually I'll have one pure brain candy book (Sci-fi or Fantasy usually) in the mix.

but only one at the moment: The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design by Leonard Susskind.

Although I'm usually in the middle of multiple books, when I find one that really grabs me, I'll tend to stay with that particular book until I finish it.

For example, I started reading "A Hope in the Unseen" by Ron Suskind a few days ago, and I can't put it down. So all the other books that I've started are going to have to wait!

Tim

able to just read one at a time. I love books and there are SO MANY out there.
Right now I have from the library a Ludlum book, Siddhartha (which I'd never read), Hour Game by Baldacci, and Treasure by Cussler. The last two are partly to make a library book sandwich of Palast's Armed Madhouse which I bought today. That way I can sneak another bookstore book in the house without hubby saying "You bought ANOTHER book!"

..i'll generally keep at least 2 serious books going at once, interspersed with a light-hearted one if I need to lighten up abit. I am currently reading Suskind's new book "One Percent Doctrine", "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson and "Wilt in Nowhere" by Tom Sharpe. I am eagerly awaiting Greg Palast's new tome as well as President Gore's new book. Some good books to read around the pool on my upcoming holiday!!!

Lately I haven't had much time to read, so I've been reading about 1-2 books; however, when I have time, I will read about 3-5. Right now I am reading Media and Sovereignty and Bias, although I have some more books on the way. One of them is the Politics of Friendship by Derrida.

What I used to do a lot was read a history and then read works from the time period. For example, I love to study Medieval history, so I read things like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Song of Roland, Le Morte D'Arthur, The Prince, etc.

Plus I typically have two audiobooks going at a time--one in the car and one at home.

I don't like doing more than that because I'm also reading the newspaper and a few magazines as well.

But I take "time-outs" in some books. I have read the 1st 200 pages of Bill Clintons book but stopped there a couple of months ago.

I have been reading on and off again The European Dream by Jeremy Rifkin.

I just finished FUBAR by Sam Seder and started The Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

Although maybe I should just finish the European Dream.