My reading list at the moment:
Morning poetry, audiobook on my commute, random kindle book when I’m at lunch, and at home I read the “thinking novels.”
I find that if I over read I go through a period of not reading at all, but lately I’ve been reading something different throughout the day and I haven’t felt the crash I usually do. (Except with the audiobook, I’ve slacked on that one. Sometimes I just need music.)
I think I’ve finally cracked how to read a lot and not have your brain fry. It’s inputting different types material. Poetry is thought-provoking, but unless you’re reading an epic, a poem or two can start your day with your mind in a good thoughtful place.
For audiobooks I usually stick to nonfiction, so I’m getting an account of history. Something that’s interesting, but not something I always have to contemplate.
Now, I don’t always read during lunch, but when I do it’s what I call a “brain break book.” The novels that are there for entertainment value (but are still well written.) This gives me entertainment that’s not watching something on Netflix, which really fries my brain. Brain break books are still good books, but you don’t have to worry about following a overarching idea.
Then at night I spend an hour – hour and a half reading a set amount of pages from a more complex novel. For now that’s Angle of Repose, which I read about 50 pages of it a night because it’s a monster. If I read more my brain would stop paying attention.
I’ve been doing this for about two weeks now and I’ve surprisingly felt happier reading then when I don’t read all day. Because I’ll feel like a slug when I get home from work, and then I force myself to read so I’m not just being a couch potato.
I don’t read each every day, but if I do get to every one of them throughout a day I don’t feel overwhelmed by information. A little of each doesn’t make me feel like I’m over reading. A lot of one does.
Interesting plan: I might have to give this a try sometime soon. I’ve had mixed results with reading several books at once in the past, but varying the types of books seems like it’d help. Thanks for sharing!
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Yeah, I’ve always thought reading more than one at once hindered the reading process, but mixing the types made it easy to slip from one to the other.
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I’m impressed by people who can tackle more than one book at once. I can only read one at a time. I’ve never heard of ‘Angle of Repose,’ what’s it about? 🙂
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I never knew how people could read more than one, but once I switched it up I found it easier.
It’s about a man telling a story of his grandparents marriage. But much much more in-depth and awesome haha
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I envy you. I try to read more than one type of book at a time, but no matter how I do it – one of them wins out and I just read that. They best I can do is read magazines while I’m into a book. I have carried poetry with me before. Love to hear about others reading habits and enjoy your blog!
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I’m awful about reading magazines. I buy them and they just end up in a stack on my table. Lol and thank you!
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I’ll have to remember this if my current system gets boring but for right now, I’m always looking forward to reading all my favorite writers I’ve subscribed to on Mondays and then slip in books during the week when I’m at the gym.
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you are a reader-monster haha, in a good way
personally: I read 2 books max (prefer to read 1 only tho) plus I often take breaks – week or even 2 when I do not read and do not listen anything at all
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Usually I can’t stand more than one at a time, but reading different genres helped.
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You don’t have to think about history books? Ha! That was a good one. I’m reading an Irish memoir and about every other paragraph I’m googling. That happened there. This happened here. Where is this? What is this in Gaelic?
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I didn’t mean it in that way 😂 they are very though provoking, but they’re easy to pay attention to on audiobooks because it’s like someone in the car telling you a story. It’s more personal. I just have a harder time listening to fiction lol.
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Hi. Glad to meet another Multi-Reader. One of my things is to have a Pile at each of the Places i go/am. A varietal Selection. My Bag, Laptop bench, Work-place, Lounge, Garage, Garden. All over the Places actually. I sometimes read so much. My Head aches. Then. I tend to stop. Till the next. Good read. Comes along. Till next. Then. Thanks.
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