Daily Diary discussion

This is an ongoing discussion/argument/whatever in the book group of which I've been a member since the dark age of camelot, and I figured I'd ask everywhere else, too, to get a wider sample size.

So: do you read only one book at a time, or many? And, whichever, why (if you have a why)?

Me, I'm always in the middle of a couple dozen books or so. I just don't have the attention span to stick with one book from start to finish, I guess; never have. When I started keeping my book journal, I'd only be int he middle of two or three at a time, but my mental discombobulation has gotten to the point where I can only concentrate on one particular story for a few chapters at a time. (I'm actually going to the doctor at some point in the future to see if I can get a prescription for whatever the adult version of Ritalin is to heolp my concentration... :P) So I'll be reading a handful of different nonfiction books on different topics, a handful of fiction books in different genres, a couple of different poetry collections, etc. all at once. (I do try to keep with disparate subjects/genres etc. to keep everything straight in my head.)

What about you?

Hey Robert, it's called Concerta (brand name anyhow) and I get the version where I can take it as needed, rather than daily. It's not as amazing as one might think though, in fact, I think I read better when not on the meds, but I get a lot more other stuff done when I'm on and they're working.

As you may have guessed, I'm a few at a time, though once in a while I'll be totally focused on one book, because it draws me in.

One reason, it depends on my mood what I want to read. When I have a non-fiction, I usually need to sprinle in some fiction because so much non-fic is repetetive and needs time to digest. Another reason, because I often have different books in different locations, including a book on tape in the car, many times.

Mostly, because I'm susceptible to impulse reading, so will grab something even if I'm in the middle of something else.

I'm a one book at a time kind of girl unless one of the books is non-fiction. I get so caught up in the world the author has created that I don't want to be distracted by anything else.

I usually read 2-3 at a time, especially if one is a very deep or history type book.

One reason is that I usually hate endings of books, so if I am in the middle of something else the endings won't bother me as much

"Usually i read one book at a time. But occasionally I will read 4 or 5 at once."

yeah the same 4 me ...

One at a time. I can't read several at once, as I discovered the the semester I foolishly took three lit classes at once (one of them in French). Just too. difficult.

usually one at a time as a main focus but occasionally I'll have light book on hand for the airport, swim meets if I'm reading something a little more difficult.

One reason is that I usually hate endings of books

Because you hate to leave the world, or because the author usually messes up the ending so bad?

(I've come across both kinds of books, certainly...)

Rarely because I hate to leave the world. I find that suddenly the author either has nothing to say and just keeps going because they want it to be a certain length or I don't know what why. A lot of books I read go from good writing, to dribble and the author just doesn't tidy up well. I hate that.