Lady Katharina and I were talking about the number of books we read at a certain time and thought it would be fun to make a poll to see what everyone else would answer.

Do you read only one book at a time? Or are you able to read two or more books? (This pertains to both fiction and non-fiction.)

I'm the type who can read one fiction book at a time because I get too distracted and disoriented if I'm reading two fiction books at the same time. However, if one is fiction and the other is non-fiction, I'm able to read both without getting stuff mixed up. Or I can be reading a thick book and then put it aside for a while to read a much thinner novel (those kinds that can be read in once sitting) without letting the plots cross and weave in and out of themselves.

So! How about you?

I usually only read one book at a time. Unless I am test reading for somebody or reading my own writing. It also depends on how interesting the book is. But, as a general rule, I read only one book at a time.

Oh, goodness! I couldn't decide on which to vote... It really depends. Not counting my Bible, which I try to always be reading, I'll read anywhere from 1 to 7 books at any given time. Usually, they're completely different kinds of books - example: a history book, a work of fiction in hard form, a work of fiction on Kindle, a herbology book, and a music book - but at other times, I just want to focus, so I don't read more than one. Last week, Emma by Jane Austen was the only other book I was reading besides my Bible. I needed to finish it. This week, I'm reading one fiction book in paperback, a writing book, and a fiction book on the Kindle. (Our Kindle app is on the iPad I share with my siblings, so it's not available very often. ) I also tend to read really, really, long books. (Think at least 800 pages.) Those take so long, I sometimes need to read something else to break it up.

Once I get to the Library again... I'm liable to start reading a silly number of books at once again. :p

As many as I feel like. At the moment, I'm reading three different books at once, and in a week or two, it'll probably be more than that. XD

Hahaha! Ahh, this is a funny question to ask me. I can be caught reading between three and eight books at once. Generally they are all non-fiction, most of the time I will only ever read one work of fiction at a time. Non-fiction, I constantly add to.

I've tried many times to focus on one book at a time but I always end up with a huge pile in by bed.
Right now I'm reading eight books. But two of them are comics so they don't really count.

Nonfiction I can read more than one at a time. For fiction I like to read only one at a time so I can give the author my full attention.

Hullo! Hullo! Sometimes I read one book at a time....but since I accepted the challenge of Aubrey I read.....lots of books. Usually one printed book while the rest unprinted.

Generally, not counting school books, I'm reading 3-5 books at a time (3 non-fiction, and then 1 to 2 fiction.) I don't tend to get plots messed up but generally try to finish one fiction book before I start another unless the one is really long...

The easiest way to figure how many books I read at a time is to actually count the ones I am currently reading right now. So let me see...aside from schoolbooks and the Bible, I am perusing (or attempting to do so) one non-fiction book on photography, one fiction ebook on my phone, two fiction ebooks on Kindle, one fiction book. So that's around five. And if my siblings read or purchase other books, I have a tendency to read them as well.

I can't read the same book for more than an hour, no matter how amazing it is.

Not counting the Bible or any schoolbooks, I personally like to read only one book at a time instead of jumping around, although I occasionally read a comic or two if I have a few minutes of time in the morning.
Right now, I'm alternating between two books because one of them happens to be the novel I'm writing. Other than that, I keep it down to one.

Actually, this is a real problem of mine. I often don't finish books because I get started on too many at once. Probably every book I own has a bookmark somewhere in the middle. Right now, I would say I'm in the middle of...oh gosh...*takes a long moment to look at the books lying around and counts the books on the kindle which are in the "Reading now" category.* Um...if I only count the ones I think I will continue reading this month then...ug, let me just write them down
-The Silmarillion
-The Book of Enoch
-The Tale of Genji
-Nature's Numbers
-Heart of Darkness
-Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases... (but I'm always looking through that one, it helps me with learning vocab and new writing phrases)
-Letters to Malcolm
-After Virtue
-The Bible (of course)
-The Story of Human Language (but that is also one I just flip through from time to time)
-William Shakespeare complete works (but I shift around to much in that to say I'm 'reading' it. Right now I'm just looking through Henry V).
-I sometimes read The Book of the Dun Cow to the kids I teach.

So I guess that is 12 (more or less) books that I could say I can pick up and still know what is going on.

Wow! That's quite impressive.

Whew. I thought I was bad, but you're in the middle of more books than I am.

Ha Ha! It was sort of hard to even post a reply. That was why I need the list.

Really, the ones I am most interested in are the first four. The tale of Genji is surprisingly good so far.

I used to stick to a single book, or two if I wanted to read one fiction and one non-fiction. But lately I've been juggling 3 and sometimes even four books, not including the Bible. That's reading on a regular basis, and doesn't include books I look through for reference or research. What about poetry, 'cause I'm doing that, too.

I'm exactly the same! Let me see, here's my list...

- The Bible
- Deep Like Me
- The Lost Art of True Beauty
- Grace for the Good Girl
- Worship Matters
- Radialloy
- Peter's Angel
- Chazown
- Destined to Reign
- Living Close to God (When You're Not Good at It)

I have the nagging suspicion there's another one or two lying about with a book mark in them...

The results of this poll are destroying my worldviews! I have always believed that most people read one book at a time.

Ha Ha! Sorry, Idril. That simply wouldn't make sense to me. Believe it or not, I used to be worse. I have a very hard time finishing a book because I just keep picking up new ones all of the time. So I hold a book in high honor if it keeps a hold of me long enough to finish it.

No fear--I changed my worldview. I read more than one book at a time now (well, just two or three to keep my sanity ).

When us children were all younger my Mama used to have a book in every room of the house, lying about everywhere, and when she had a moment she would pick up the nearest one and read it. Sometimes, when she knew she'd have an hour or two, she'd gather them all up in a pile and sit down and read them by turns. * grins * Papa would walk into the room and say "You should put some of those books away," and she'd say "But I'm reading them." And he'd be like, "All of them at once?..." * grins * I think I got my tendency from her.

Some of those sound pretty good. How are Deep Like Me, Radialloy, and The Lost Art of True Beauty? Do you suggest any of them? Are any of them good bargains? I guess I could just search the kindle store.... I would like to hear your opinions though.
P.S. I'm using the Summon User thing, and I have no idea what it does. It looked shiny so I had to push it...

A friend showed me this. I found it helpful for keeping track of all the books I am reading and have already read. Goodreads

Yep, I use that to keep track of what I'm reading. Right now though, I'm only reading one book at a time because everything's just so busy at work.

I generally only read one book at a time (not counting the Bible), at least in terms of fiction. This is partially because I read fast and can get through most books in a day or two (although that was back when I had a lot more free time; I don't read as much these days). Honestly, even when there were a couple of fiction books I had bookmarks in, I was still arguably only reading one, because the second book was probably from the library and I wasn't even looking at the other one until I'd finished the library book.

I'm really enjoying Deep Like Me at the moment. (It's tag line is: or another failed attempt to walk on water) It is the one I have read the most of and have gotten a lot out of it. The Lost Art of True Beauty has also been very good so far, but haven't read enough of it to recommend yet. Radialloy I have only read the first three pages, so still getting there on that one.