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Monogamous vs. Polygamous Reading: Which 'Type' Do You Prefer?
There's no wrong way to read. Some bibliophiles devour multiple books at once while others savor a single book at a time. We asked our followers on Twitter and Facebook which strategy they prefer and put together a list of some of the most popular comments. Which ones do you relate to?
1."One book at a time. I love experiencing every emotion in each plot while leafing through a copy," says Carol.
2. "Multiple books: that way my mind can travel to many places at the same time," says Marina.
3."I will have a regular book and an audiobook going at the same time. That way I can 'read' when it’s not feasible for me to visually read," says Valerie.
4."I used to read strictly one at a time. Then I realized that if I have two to three books going at once, I read so, so, so much more," says Beth.
5. "I alternate between both, depending on how I'm feeling and how much time I have. Sometimes, I'm so drawn into a book that I forget about the other one," says Gabriela.
6. "I can only read more than one book at a time if they are dramatically different, otherwise I start getting confused," says Dawn.
7. "I read multiple books at a time, especially if one is longer than the others," says Miriam.
8. "I only read one book at a time. I become very engrossed in what I read, so switching back and forth between books would be too distracting and would take away some of the pleasure of what I am reading," says Alexandra.
9. "Multiple books—usually of different genres as I am a mood reader," says Fiona.
10. "I always read at least two books at once—usually something on my Kindle for my bus rides to and from work, then a paperback or hardcover book before going to bed," says Michael.
11. "I do multiple books in multiple formats: ebook, audiobook and paper. I find that if I hit a slow spot in a book I can switch books," says Warren.
12."I always have two or three going at a time. I switch between them depending on my mood, my energy level, and whatever I'm interested in at the time," says Karen.
13. "One at a time. I've tried reading multiple books at once, but I found myself reading more of one and ignoring the other. I find it more efficient to just read one at a time," says Christina.
2. "Multiple books: that way my mind can travel to many places at the same time," says Marina.
3."I will have a regular book and an audiobook going at the same time. That way I can 'read' when it’s not feasible for me to visually read," says Valerie.
4."I used to read strictly one at a time. Then I realized that if I have two to three books going at once, I read so, so, so much more," says Beth.
5. "I alternate between both, depending on how I'm feeling and how much time I have. Sometimes, I'm so drawn into a book that I forget about the other one," says Gabriela.
6. "I can only read more than one book at a time if they are dramatically different, otherwise I start getting confused," says Dawn.
7. "I read multiple books at a time, especially if one is longer than the others," says Miriam.
8. "I only read one book at a time. I become very engrossed in what I read, so switching back and forth between books would be too distracting and would take away some of the pleasure of what I am reading," says Alexandra.
9. "Multiple books—usually of different genres as I am a mood reader," says Fiona.
10. "I always read at least two books at once—usually something on my Kindle for my bus rides to and from work, then a paperback or hardcover book before going to bed," says Michael.
11. "I do multiple books in multiple formats: ebook, audiobook and paper. I find that if I hit a slow spot in a book I can switch books," says Warren.
12."I always have two or three going at a time. I switch between them depending on my mood, my energy level, and whatever I'm interested in at the time," says Karen.
13. "One at a time. I've tried reading multiple books at once, but I found myself reading more of one and ignoring the other. I find it more efficient to just read one at a time," says Christina.
Do you prefer to read one book at time or multiple books at once? Share your two cents in the comments!
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Check out more recent blogs:
Loved 'Ready Player One'? Check out these 8 Books
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To Quit Or Not Quit a Book? Our Readers Weigh In...
Comments Showing 251-300 of 376 (376 new)
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Ami
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Mar 29, 2018 04:49PM
I normally have 2 physical books and 1 audio book all being read at the same time. If I have more then 3 books going, I get too bogged down. I read multiple books at one time because I'm greedy and can't just stop with one book. I have too many I want to read and I feel like I get less read if I just read 1 at a time. Plus, I can't wait long enough to read just one at a time!! :O
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Usually Two at a time. One fiction and the other nonfiction.
Poly. I like to feed different parts of my brain. The other problem is my attention span. It's diificult to stay with a serious book over a sustained period of time. I find that picking up a lighter work of fiction helps me progress on the harder works, the classics and big tomes of nonfiction.
I read multiple at once, school books on the bus and during school when I have the chance, graphic novels and manga whenever I feel like reading something I can finish quickly and my main read that I read before bed and when I wake up. Ironically, it's the one I read least in a day even if it's the one I want to read most.
Multiple books ar once...somwtimes as many as eight (although4-5 is more usual). I like to read to my mood. Generally have no trouble keepingplots straight.
Poly - Non-fiction in the morning, sometimes a text book during the day if I have time and fiction before bed to relax. Mostly e-books as it's so easy to switch that way.
I typically read between one and three books at a time. Right now, it's three.
Vikas wrote: "Multiple books for me, started as one paperback and one e-book but now there are multiple physical books and I switch between them as per the interest and mood. Also if I am reading a long book, I ..."This sounds like what I do exactly.
Multiple for sure! I always at least have a series open , a normal read and a slow read (currently The Great Gatsby, have been re-reading since Christmas but I like taking my time with it). It's nice to change books when ones pace slows.
I usually have 3-4 books going at a time.Weekdays I read fiction. Weekends I switch to non-fiction. After I finish a book in a category I read a short story or two, or maybe one of Shakespeare's plays, before starting the next book. On Sundays I also set aside some time to read a few chapters from the Bible.
I always have 2 going at once because the reader program I use at work (during idle times, with permission) won't sync with the one I use everywhere else. Once they'll sync, I'll go back to one at a time.
As long as I can remember I've read several books at a time without getting confused, and can quickly get back into one book even after several days of reading others. It's even more common for me recently because I have books on my Kindle, my Nook, online in I-Books, Kobo, Scribd, Overdrive, Hoopla, etc., etc., as well as actual hand-held books I own or from the library.I have a different book or device in every room for convenience. If switching back and forth decreases my comprehension, so be it.
One book at a time usually. I want to enjoy the world without drifting into another world of some other book. It's more enjoyable and I think I owe it to the book. Other books might even affect my feelings for it. If the other book is too good, I would rate the book I'm reading lower while comparing it to the too-good book and vice versa.However, if a book pulls me into a big book slump, starting another is necessary for me. Only if I couldn't get out of the slump!
I listen to an audiobook at work and read an entirely different book at home. I don’t think I could focus enough to actually read multiple books at one time.
I am a polygamous reader. I have been since junior high school. A lot of what I read also seems to lead me to a new author. I feel lost without a book to read.
Prior to GR membership, I was a serial monogamous reader.When I joined GR, I became a polygamist, because of group botm. Often there were more than one botm that I wanted to read.
As I'm reading through the comments, I take note of each one and start to realize that I do all of these things :D It highly depends on the kind of book I'm reading though. If it's an educational book (textbook, book of essays, journal article, etc) then I read one at a time so I can soak it in more. If I'm in the mood for fiction novels then I normally read two or three at a time.
♛ Garima ♛ wrote: "I believe there would be very few people going to answer 'a book at a time', most of readers (myself included), we go for polygamous relationship with books! :D Thank God, books are not jealous c..."
Oh how true this is! Polygamous all the way!
I’m currently reading two books: one audiobook and the other is a physical book. I love it! When I can sit down and just read I pick up the physical book. When driving, cooking, cleaning and getting dressed I listen to my audiobook.
I want to become monogamous, but I always end up two-timing my books.
If I am reading the whole book, which is most of the time, I have to be monogamous. If I'm reading one book and need to reference something from another, I can do that without getting things confused. Typically when I finish one book, I have to wait several hours before starting the next. That gives me time to think about the book as a whole.
Monogamous. I like to engross myself in a book fully. I think it would be jarring to go from one to another and back again.I tend to only read fiction at the moment though and might feel differently if the book was non-fiction, self-help, etc.
Jaclyn wrote: "I watch more than one television series at the same time, so why not books? I usually have two that I shift between (one nonfiction, one story), but right now I have five. Oops?"I agree! When I figured out that many people follow multiple story arcs, sometimes waiting a week between episodes for tv shows (I don't have time for TV because I"m reading!!), I decided that having multiple books going simultaneously was not a counter-culture idea!
I've got 17-20 going at any one time, all in print, except one in audio.
Meghan wrote: "If I am reading the whole book, which is most of the time, I have to be monogamous. Typically when I finish one book I have to wait several hours before starting the next."That's me as well. I used to finish a book and make myself wait until the next day to start another! I like to reflect on what I have read I suppose, or I get stuck thinking of that one particular world for awhile.
I usually read up to 4 books at a time. Usually a print fiction book, a fiction digital book, a non-fiction digital book, and a graphic novel. If I'm feeling really crazy, I'll throw an audiobook in. I have a large number of physical books I haven't read, so I'm trying to work through them all, but I've found that reading ebooks on my phone or tablet allows me to read in many more places than I otherwise would have been able to. It has really increased the number of books I have read in a year too.
I always have multiple books on the go, what I read depends on my mood and how much time I can dedicate to a particular reading session. If I only have 20 minutes I will go for an e-book or something non-fiction (ex. science, weird facts, history). If I can read all night I will pick a novel. My main problem is that I never read a whole series together. I will read the first 2 and by the time I go to read the third or fourth I have forgotten some details from the earlier book. I get bored too easily, so I need to read multiple books at once.
I usually have a few going simultaneously. When I get towards the end of one though, I concentrate on just that one until it's done.
I usually read few books at the same time, because it helps me with my focusing problems and I don’t get bored so fast. (I am the person who constantly whines how everything bores me in this life XD) Also, I always read books in different languages to give myself more variety. Usually I read one English and one Lithuanian book, so if I get bored of English book, I switch to Lithuanian. This “language switching” is probably the best medicine from concentration problems ever.
Monogamous. I can read only one book at a time.
I've found that if I try to split my focus between more than one I end up not finishing anything. It's easiest for me to do them one at a time, and at the end of the day, it amounts to the same amount of time spent reading whether I finish 4 books in a row or concurrently.
I always have SO MANY going all at once. I broke my record this year of having started nearly 30 books (I actually had to add a separate "Suspended" shelf), and am currently switching between around 6 books.
polygamous.at most three books.
switching from book to book after finishing a chapter.
e-books when I have to be at my desk.
physical books mostly when I'm at home.
I only read one at a time, so I related to 1, 8 and 13. Especially 8; I like devoting the proper time to the book I'm reading, instead of splitting time between books. I think it would be confusing keeping up with different books, especially in the same genre. Very few times have I read two books at once, and if I am doing that, they have to be very different, like biography and fiction, so I don't get them mixed up. I related to 6 in this instance.
I really like taking it one at a time, though.
I read 3-4 books at a time. One is a real book I read at home. One or two are books I read aloud to my sixth graders, and one is a book on my phone. I’m about to try audible when I walk so that will make 5.
I'm a one book at a time gal. I always have the finish the book at hand before I start a different book.
I always have more than one on the go. Great story for escapism. A then some non fiction for growth and learning. I am definitely poly. Get different things from different books what is desired required in the moment. Oh wait I should add audio too, a must when driving,...
I can have multiple non fiction books going at once but only one fictional book at a time or i confuse the plot and am less immersed in the story
I usually have 4 or 5 books going at once now that I'm reading more. One book at a time was ok when I was only reading about 8 to 10 a year, but now I finish about 1 a week. It would be tiresome for me to read a typical single book in a week, so I read from 3 or 4 different ones each day. I keep an audiobook going in the car if I'm alone and sometimes an e-audiobook on my ipad at home, but mostly paper. I like to arrange it so I finish a book weekly most of the time.Once you get used to three books at once it's a small step to four :)
I am usually reading two books at a time: one for general reading and the other is strictly for the bathroom. I can’t be the only one who has a bathroom book! ...right?
I always have at least two going at once, one ebook and one physical. But I often have more... For ebooks, I never have more than two going at once because I always keep the current book open and don't want to have to switch between files, but I have some books in my Kindle app and some in iBooks and will sometimes have one in-progress in each app.
I normally read three or so at a time, as long as they’re different genres and/or languages. For example I am currently reading a book of poetry, a book of essays, one fiction in English, and one in Spanish. If they’re too similar I end up not finishing in a reasonable time, but reading across formats/genres/languages helps me keep track.
Personally, I can only read one book at a time. For me, reading is a very intimate and personal activity. You are delving into a world that is full of strange and brand-new feelings. Reading one book at a time really allows me to focus and honestly just enjoy completely enjoy the story.
I usually read only one book but sometimes I read two or three, depending on how I feel and how much time I have on my hands. Most of the time the second book is a school book.
Jasroop wrote: "Personally, I can only read one book at a time. For me, reading is a very intimate and personal activity. You are delving into a world that is full of strange and brand-new feelings. Reading one bo..."Couldn't have said it better myself, tbh.
I only read one at a time, I like to immerse myself in the books I read. I generally go through a book every 2-3 days, so I do get a lot of reading done! 😊
I don't like taking too long to finish a book so I usually just do one at a time. Though I do read comic books alongside it.
monogamous, I think I won't be able to comprehend the sight the author is trying to portray if I start polygamous reading. One book at a time.
Then there are those that can't walk and chew gum at the same time ?
