SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

So I know that there are lots of people that read more than one book at a time. I'm curious how and why you do it. I myself have 2 books going. One that I read in the comfort of my home, and one that I listen to on audio book at work.

What does everyone else do? If you read more than one book at a time how do you do it?

Years of reading manga/graphic novels trained me to juggle tons of series in my head at once. Heck many people do it now with all the long epic series that your waiting for the next book to come out.

In general I try not to have more then 1 series going that's the same sub genre. I do it to keep it fresh sometimes I'm in the mood for epic fantasy, sometimes I want some space opera, other times I just want to laugh.

I like reading 2-3 books at once so that I have a good variety. I read according to my mood, and this way if I'm not in the mood for one book, I have another book or two going that I can switch to. Sometimes I do it so that one book is more serious and one is more lighthearted; usually I read one or more SFF books and then another book that tends to be realistic fiction, short stories, or nonfiction. Right now I'm reading The City & the City and The Goldfinch, and also following Sweep in Peace, which is an online serial.

I typically only read one novel at a time, but I read a lot of comic series and screenplays as well.

I try to only read one book at a time. If I read two it's because one is paperback the other eBook. And they have to be as different as possible.

My reasons to read more than one? Because to read a paperback I need lights. I can't read it in bed either. I need an eBook to read when it's dark.

I don't know why I read multiple books at a time but I do. If I'm only reading a single book, it's because it has completely grabbed my attention. (Which is a rare thing, indeed. It happens maybe once every couple years.)

I do not read similar books, though. They have to be different genres.

Currently I'm reading Discount Armageddon (Urban Fantasy), How to Fight Presidents: Defending Yourself Against the Badasses Who Ran This Country (humorous history), and The Icarus Hunt (space opera).

I set aside The Science of Monsters: the Origins of the Creatures We Love to Fear because it's too much like PrezFite in format, but I'll get back to it.

I read my Kindle on mass transit because it's lighter than a print book. I read a print book when I'm at home. Right now they are both historical fiction, but they take place in different centuries. When the two books are very similar, I re-read the notes that I take toward writing the review to remind me about the book I'm currently reading.

What Trike said. :) I make full use of the currently reading shelf to keep track. Sometimes I'm doing weekly reads with people, so that's part. Sometimes I'm trying keep myself awake and shuffling through several books can help that. And I tend to read what I'm in the mood for. Like Trike, I don't tend to read one book straight through. Also like Trike, I don't read ones that are similar. So right now I have one audiobook, 3 weekly reads, one I'm waiting to get from the library that I was in the middle of, two that I'm in the middle of but not currently reading, and a Sci-fi one intended for here and there as filler. Oh, and a fluffy Regency Romance. Something for every occasion basically.

So what you're saying is

Oh, absolutely. You better have some of those made pretty quick.

I read one book and listen to a different book. For about a year and a half I was doing 3 at once and that was a bit much.

I had one group doing a very slow read of a series and we'd do like 3-4 chapters/week. So I'd read that on weekdays and read a different book on weekends while listening to a third.

I read about four to six books at a time. And they don't even need to be different genre, just different authors. I can easily remember, what has happened in each book even if some of them have been on hold for a while. Sometimes, I may have even seven books, that I'm reading at a time, but that's usually when I'm about to finish one or more books and can't wait to start something new. I also tend to start new books, if the ones I'm reading don't match my mood or just feel a bit boring for the time being. Also I tend to have some longer books and some shorter books that I read just to make things more variable. For example I'm currently reading War and Peace and would come crazy if I hadn't some others books to read when it starts to feel like a chore to read it.

The other thing I do is that I usually don't read the book from the same series immediately after the book I've just finished, but instead start something else and let the series hang. I may or may not return to the series later on, but I still usually remember, what has happened in the previous book, unless it has taken me years to return to particular series.

It's usually a two-book juggling act for reading and an ongoing book-listen as well for me. Inevitably I forget a book at home and want to read during lunch at work, so I'll start another. My commute is a long one, so I'll listen also. Since I'd rather not listen to the same book I'm reading, I pick a different genre altogether for variety. I don't often get the plotlines or characters mixed up, but if I put one or the other of the books I'm juggling down for too long, I tend to forget a few things and have to backtrack. If I read concurrently any more than two, I'd have problems I think.

Sarah's post reminded me of my currently reading shelf on GR which for me often doesn't reflect what I'm currently reading. The top read on currently reading usually is something I'm currently reading that I want people to know that I'm reading. If there's no one among my friends that I think would be interested in the books I'm currently reading, I don't bother to add them to GR until I've finished them. When a friend is interested in what I'm reading there may be a discussion on my read status and I want to have those discussions.

The other two are books that I'm hoping to get back to reading eventually. One is a library book that I had to return. I couldn't renew it because it had holds. I had to re-request it and get back on the hold list. The other is an e-book that I had to put aside because of all the blog tours and review requests. Keeping them on currently reading is the way I can remind myself that I want to get back to them. The status also tells me where I was in those books. I suppose they could be counted as currently reading because I intend to finish them eventually. I just don't know when that will happen.

I try to never have more than three on my GR currently reading shelf because I know that more than three aren't visible.

I'm odd duck out because I prefer to read one book at a time. I generally finish a book every 2-3 days so I never have to wait long to get to a new book if the current one isn't really striking a chord with me. I have tried having two books going at one time but then all I can think of is the progress I'm not making on the book I'm not reading because I'm reading the other one.

Veronica wrote: "I'm odd duck out because I prefer to read one book at a time..."

That's exactly how I am. Always thinking about the other book, so I decided to just finish one at a time.

I often have a coffee-table size book on a stand on the kitchen table, such as The Annotated Mother Goose: With an Introduction and Notes or Treasures Of The Library Of Congress. I read bits of that while I'm waiting for the water to boil and while eating breakfast, that kind of thing.

Second, I often have a short book of poetry or brief essays that floats around with me, to read when I have a minute to sit outside, or just want to lie down briefly after a walk.

Third, I try to keep a similar book in my purse for when I get unexpectedly stuck waiting in line.

Fourth, during the day, most days, I can sit down for an hour or two and read a whole kids' chapter book or a novella.

Fifth, I have a book of essays in my overnight bag that I'm reading aloud to my husband one at a time when we go on vacation. The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds.

And, sixth, I have the books on my nightstand. I have the one I'm reading or about to start, and a backup in case I finish or don't like the one on deck. In bed I can usually concentrate, so that's when I tend to read more complex books, like adult SF and non-fiction.

(Btw, I used to claim that I read one book at a time, because I tend to focus my thoughts only on that 6th book, but obviously I was mistaken... ;)

I tend to have 3-4 going at a time right now. One is SFF, one nonfiction, one anthology (of any genre), and one on my Kindle so that I always have a book with me. Generally, I pick which one to read depending on how much brain power/time I have available. Nonfiction tends to require bigger chunks of time, for example, while my Kindle book and anthology is for the between-times.

I often listen to one book and read another. I admit it can make it tough sometimes to finish one or the other. Recently I was listening to The Blade Itself and reading Ready Player One. I think it diminished somehow the enjoyment I got from The Blade Itself because I was totally hooked on Ready Player One.

Depends on the time of year. I'm pretty seasonal and my book reading count goes up in the winter and way down in the late spring through early fall. In the winter I'll have multiple books at a time. I read alot of nonfiction and it's nice to have a break from the intensity of some of them. I also have a sizable library of real books (before I joined the e-book revolution) and I try to alternate between book and e-book (I go through e-books much faster). But when the sun is out, I'm very active and if I get 2 hours of reading a night, that is a very good night (more like 2 hours every few days). Just can't split that between multiple books, I'd never finish even one.

Sam wrote: "Veronica wrote: "I'm odd duck out because I prefer to read one book at a time..."

That's exactly how I am. Always thinking about the other book, so I decided to just finish one at a time."

Exactly. I can multitask just fine in other areas of my life but reading is not one of them. :)

I read lots of books at once. I'm kind of eclectic and like a bunch of different subgenres, so I like having several on the go. I jump around them as the mood takes me--sometimes I want nice hopeful Chosen One fantasy, sometimes I want to read pessimistic thieves, sometimes I want to read slow-paced beautiful writing--so within the course of one day I might make a little progress on a bunch of books. Since I read a lot of epic fantasy I usually hit a slow spot on one book (*cough* WoT reread ...) and having another book in an intense part lets me get through it easier. Or, I'll have a really intense book and sometimes I want an emotional break, so I go back to my nice calm stuck-in-a-slow-spot book. They're usually all fantasy genre, usually one reread or familiar book, a debut or book I'm not sure of, and some random titles. Anywhere from 3-8 at once but lately college has been challenging my foolish desire for free time, so not so much right now.

wow lots of different answers. really cool to see how everyone does it. seems like most people are multiple book at a time readers.

My only problem with multiple books is I tend to give up one of them.

I usually have two books going at one time, one reading on my Kindle and listening to the other on audio books. And I will alternate book series so the story doesn't get boring. For instance, I am alternating reading between the Sword of Shadows series and the Deepgate Codex series, and I am alternating listening to the Earthsea Cycle and the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

I've tried audio books but my mind wanders and then I don't know what the hell is happening. Now I only buy audiobooks of my absolute favorite books and use them when I want to revisit the world/characters. Since I already know what happens it doesn't matter if my mind winks out for a bit to wonder about what I'm going to make for dinner that all four kids will eat.

I usually read 3-4 books at the same time. Sometimes I try to have an even split between Fantasy, SF and Steampunk, which are my 3 most read genres.

I think I just like the approach of having a bit of something each day. It's like watching an episode of various tv shows during the week.
I'm not someone who binge-watches a whole season of a show, I watch multiple shows each week.
Same approach goes for reading. That's also a reason why I prefer series over standalones.

I used to be a one-at-a-time reader, but that's changed. Part of it is branching out--since I'm reading more non-fic or short stories, its easy to mix them in. Part of it is medium--I have a kindle but don't take it with me everywhere. Part is the style of story--there are some that I want to read in one or two sittings, so I'll start and then they'll linger until I find/make time. I don't like to mix genres.

I'm a one book at a time person, otherwise plots and characters get confused.

When it comes to the books I choose to read for entertainment, I only read one book at a time. Since I take the occasional classes in (late) pursuit of my degree, I often have some sort of non-fiction textbook that I’m reading for class in addition to the book I’m reading for entertainment. However, to my mind, that’s something entirely separate.

I’m not worried about whether or not I could keep up with multiple plot threads. I’m confident I could do so, just like I can keep up with multiple projects and tasks at work and just like I easily kept up with multiple TV shows back when I watched more than one. I’m perfectly capable of multi-tasking and/or keeping track of multiple things, even if those things are similar in some manner. However, when given the choice, I prefer to focus on one thing at a time, whether it’s a single task or a single book, or whatever.

When it comes to books in particular, I feel like I get more immersed in the story and appreciate the subtleties more when all of my reading time is spent living in a single book’s world. If my mind is idle (or not fully occupied), sometimes I’ll find myself thinking about the book I’m currently reading. As a result, I often feel like a book becomes my “world away from the world” while I’m reading it, even if I’m not reading it that moment. I think this experience would be diluted by trying to hop in and out of multiple worlds. I also think I’m likely to prefer one book over the others. In that case, I would either end up reading only one book anyway, or else I would feel like the other books were a chore that was keeping me from the book I really wanted to read, and I would fail to appreciate those other books on their own merits.

E-books make it easy for me to read the same book no matter where I am. If I'm at home or traveling, I read on my Kindle. Otherwise, if I’m out and about and I have unexpected reading time, I can whip out my smart phone and start the Kindle app. Within seconds, I’m synced up to the correct place in my book and I’m reading from right where I left off at home without having to carry anything extra with me.

I always read multiple books - currently reading 7 at the moment.
Why? Because I have different books for different moods. Just because I was in the mood for a mystery last night doesn't mean I want to read it tonight - maybe tonight I want a fantasy or sci-fi

For example right now I am reading:
A collection of short stories
Graphic novel
Audio books for long runs or commutes
Fantasy novel (long epic)
Fantasy novel (stand alone humor)
Two YA books I'm reading to my daughter

I'm always doing two books at a time - though never more than that! If I read more than two books, too much time goes by, and I forget what happened in the book.

I do a lot of long serials, and I love reading that! But sometimes I'm just in the mood for something easier, just a stand-alone book. That's why I usually read two books at a time - one in a serial(A Feast for Crows at the moment, book 4) and one stand-alone/easier book(Peter Pan and the moment).

Scott wrote: "I always read multiple books - currently reading 7 at the moment.
Why? Because I have different books for different moods. Just because I was in the mood for a mystery last night doesn't mean I..."

it is great finding someone else that does the same mad thing that you do!!! yes , yes I read depending on my mood. Plus some books are on kindle and there fore in the bag all the time ( one plus for a handbag) then paper books at home, or the tablet.
then the mood sways the final decision.

I usually read only one to two fiction books at once, it depends on the book and reasoning. I always have a non fiction and anthology going on at the same time as well. I don't find it confusing to mix those three.