It takes all kinds (of books)
I used to think my brain couldn’t handle it, but I’ve turned into a person who reads multiple books at once. I usually have one or two physical books going, plus a couple on audio as well. The thing is I’m not continually churning through all of them, it depends on the type of book and the timing.
Audiobooks are mostly for driving or walking, or for mindless (mindful) chores or crafty activities. Some physical books are for Sunday mornings when I have time to relax. Some I race through: I devoured Three Inch Teeth https://bookthrasher.com/2024/03/25/three-inch-teeth/ and some get stretched out, like Rise and Kill First (almost 800 pages / 25 hours on audio). I’ve been listening to this history of Israeli targeted killings on and off since April and with the parallels to current events it was just too much at times. Review coming soon.
I’ll intentionally put a book down for a while – a week, a month – to “save” it and go and read something else in between. Like Owning Up by George Pelecanos. He publishes so infrequently now so I had to take his four new novellas extremely slowly. I saved the last one for a month – and finished it just before it was due back at the library. https://bookthrasher.com/2024/06/10/short-shots/
In my world there are daytime books and nighttime books. Daytime is for books like the disturbing nonfiction The Devil’s Best Trick: How the face of evil disappeared (which I couldn’t finish even in the light of day). Nighttime is for moody horror like The Paris Apartment where the dark and shadows add to the vibe. https://bookthrasher.com/2024/06/02/the-paris-apartment/
Speaking of nighttime, some books can’t be read in bed. The Choice is a recent example. Anything to do with the Holocaust just feels wrong to read in the bedroom. https://bookthrasher.com/2024/06/10/short-shots/
How about the books you finish and then immediately start rereading? Both A Gentleman in Moscow and Matrix left me feeling astonished, happy and greedy to experience again. https://bookthrasher.com/2021/08/14/simply-spectacular/ *** https://bookthrasher.com/2022/12/29/matrix/
Finally, there are the books you grab asap but still wait for the proper mood so you can take your time reading slowly, with no distractions or pauses. Tana French’s new novel The Hunter is on my shelf, waiting for a three-day weekend with no responsibilities except to read and savor and be grateful for the magic of storytelling.
bookthrasher 