When you finish a book how quickly do you start another one?

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

When I'm done I start right away with the next book or sometimes I read a magazine.

[Kate]

I start a new book as soon as I put the finished one down!

[Terri]

I agree! Right after I finish one I pull a new one off the shelf.

[Ron]

Well, since I usually have 3 books going at once, one in hardcover/paperback format, one in Kindle for PC format and one in Books on CD format, when I finish one, I still have 2 ongoing.

But, whenever I do finish a book, I start another one almost immediately. Usually only putting a few hours, 24 usually, between one finished and one started.

And, I attempt to not stay with a same author.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

I have to say the same goes for me too Ron. I have all almost everything with a different book. It's either a hardcover/paperback, my kindle app on my IPod or computer, CDs in my car and ebooks on my Nook. It all depends on what situation I am in. So sometimes I feel like I'm not getting anything done but it depends where I am spending too much time at.

[Terri]

Ron/Carman - how do you keep everything straight? I struggle just to keep 3 libraries straight! Actually, I might give it a try, but I would use one for when I have just a short reading period, one for road trips & one actual book. I've always wanted to read "Catcher in the Rye" & I finally got a real book copy of it. I might start it & try balancing it w/ the other book I'm reading. Have any of you read it & if so, any tips for getting thru it or the good parts to watch out for?

[Ron]

While I did read The Catcher in the Rye, that was over 50 years ago. Don't remember much about it. Have thought a few time over the years, that I should re-read it. Maybe this year is as good as any.

And, I'm pretty sure that the 20-something I was when I read it would have found the "good parts" to be different from the 70-something I now am.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

Never read it Terri but as for the reading, I try to read different genres so this way they are different in effects like I'll do a mystery then maybe a chick lit and romance and something else. I tend to keep them different so that I know which story is which.

[Terri]

How true Ron! I have a few books which I've reread over the years & sometimes it makes me remember the girl I was or the woman I hoped to be. I've even reread the very first book I remember reading when I was 10. "A Summer to Die" by Lois Lowry still makes me cry to this day... 35yrs later. I'll let you know how Catcher goes. I also (optimistically) purchased Animal Farm by George Orwell. I loved & remember the movie from high school

[Ron]

I also read Animal Farm, Terri, around the same time as The Catcher in the Rye. But, I don't think I'll be re-reading that one. Just have different memories from it.

[Terri]

I'm thinking that it's probably been 30yrs ago since I've seen "Animal Farm" & I wonder how I would view it now. I remember being fascinated by it & probably more entertained than I should have been.

[Terri]

I'm not sure what got me so interested in Catcher but for whatever reason, I don't think I'm going to be happy until I start it. Which I'm going to do on holidays. For those of you who use an ereader of some sort: do you find you're a pickier reader now? I think I may be. Before, I had to stick w/ a book longer, esp on holidays, because I didn't always have anew book on hand. Now, because I travel w/ my library, a new book is typically always available or I can buy one anywhere I am. I kno you can buy real books too, but it's easier to purchase a $5 book then a $15 one!

[Aditi]

Well after finishing a book I like to wait for a day or two, till I start a new one. Actually it takes time for me to adjust to the reality, my thoughts get so engulfed in the characters of the book, that it takes time for me to be myself again. Also I enjoy this phase a lot, to feel like somebody else after finishing a book.

[Duffy]

Whenever possible I try to read two books by the same author one right after each other (mostly mystery series or my next project which is to finish the Poldark saga). It works great for me with mysteries, but finding that some of the books I like from the Tudor era OR crime stories (fiction and non-fiction) sometimes need a cooling off period from the extreme intensity of the story or the screwed up unsub. And yes - like one of the other messages mentioned - I have a couple of short stories handy in case I need a mental break between some really intense plots - especially when I've been reading real or fictional crime. Thank God for cozy mysteries!

[Ron]

I seldom will read consecutive books by the same author. Mainly because there are just too many good authors that I'd like to read more of. If I spend time on one author it takes away my time to spend on another author.

[Portia]

Jamie Lynn wrote: "It actually depends on the phase I'm in. Sometimes I go on reading binges. Other times I just don't feel like reading (blasphemy I know LOL)"

Have you ever been in the both of those situations at once? I am bingeing on Louise Penny but can't read more than a few pages at a time. I am sure this is due to the beautiful weather we are having and not Ms. Penny's writing :-)

[David]

I used to binge-read authors I liked, especially when I discovered a new one.

That changed several years ago when I re-read one of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels then jumped right into the newest release. Both had somewhat sad story lines and endings and finishing the second one left me so blue, it was a while before I could read another.

Since then I make it a point to read at least one book by a different author (even if it's a book I've read) between two books in a series. Although that's darn tough to do when I have two new books by a favorite author in my 'to read' pile.

But the longest I wait until I start a new book the day after I finish one.

[Leigh]

I have to be reading something at all times, even if I just read a few pages a day. If I read something that is especially dark, I will follow it with a palette cleanser. This will usually be a funny book, or some YA.

[Heather]

Leigh wrote: "I have to be reading something at all times, even if I just read a few pages a day. If I read something that is especially dark, I will follow it with a palette cleanser. This will usually be a fun..."

I'm with you, Leigh. Sometimes I'll binge on especially dark books, and I always reach a point where I need something light to bring me out of that. Actually, if it was a true binge, I tend to avoid dark books for several months after. But there's always at least one book of some sort going every day!

[Macnab]

It seems most people start a new one immediately. But I think people who are not like that probably don't even know about GR. :)

[Heather]

Janet wrote: "Heather & Leigh. For "dark detox" a nice Cozy Mystery usually does the trick for me."
Cozies definitely work - The generally uplifting, optimistic endings are welcome after a string of dark novels!

[Portia]

I cried at the end of one if Louise Penny's books. Although she follows the cozy format, IMHO, her books are dark and getting darker. And she is my favorite author ;-)

[Ron]

Portia wrote: "I cried at the end of one if Louise Penny's books. Although she follows the cozy format, IMHO, her books are dark and getting darker. And she is my favorite author ;-)"

Well, I've seen enough references to Louise Penny that I decided to actually read one rather than just read the discussions that include her. My library only has a few books by her, but, I did find the 1st one in the Inspector Gamache series, Still Life. So, one goal of mine for May, is to get that read. And, report back here on just how I like it.

I did try reading one in audio format, The Cruelest Month, but I only got a few "pages" into it when my MP3 player crashed. :( Never pursued the hard copy version of it, though.

If there is a problem with GoodReads, it's that too many people recommend too many good books by too many good authors! But, it's a problem I'll live with. Even as my to-read list rampages toward 500 books.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Unless it's a series, I almost always give it a break for the night/day before starting another one.

[Gar]

Well I have an ereader so it nearly straight away. I keep an eye on the ebooks I want to read and when the price is right I buy. So I usually have a stack of books I want to read.

[Portia]

Ron, I just saw your post. I am glad yvAr you wre able to

[Portia]

Let's try that again.

Ron, I'm glad you were able to start with Still Life. For me, Louise Penny's books are to be read in order. I hope you post your reactions. Enjoy!

[Ron]

Portia wrote: "Let's try that again.

Ron, I'm glad you were able to start with Still Life. For me, Louise Penny's books are to be read in order. I hope you post your reactions. Enjoy!"

Well, I've got a couple to finish before I start Still Life, but, it is coming up in the rotation.

[Michael]

as soon as possible

[Ron]

Quite quickly. Last night I finished one book, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, went to bed and started Suspect by Robert Crais.

At most, 10 minutes from ending one to starting the other. Might be a personal best in elapsed time between books.

[Lucy]

I always have more than one on the go at once, but I still have a habit of starting another right away when I finish one.

[Heather]

Portia wrote: "I cried at the end of one if Louise Penny's books. Although she follows the cozy format, IMHO, her books are dark and getting darker. And she is my favorite author ;-)"

I'll admit Penny's books have brought tears to my eyes at times as welll, but I think she at least always leaves us with hope, even in the darker books. And that's a pleasant change of pace!

[Portia]

Heather, I agree with you about Louise Penny leaving her readers with hope but not before wringing some stinging tears from me, at least.

Jaime Lynn, I'm starting one book after finishing another this week, but next week will be less predictable. We 'll see :-)

[Lucy]

I generally pick my next almost immediately.

[Ron]

Actually, I sometimes start another book on the same day. That isn't always the case, but, it is if I've only left myself with a few pages left to read on on my current read. Then, a new one, pretty much, becomes imperative. Hardly ever go more than a day before starting a new one. Most likely, is finish up one that I'm reading at bedtime and start another one the next night. Since I use the local library system I try to always have another on hand and ready.

[Ron]

Jamie Lynn wrote: "Ron I love the library. I wouldn't be able to afford to buy a whole bunch of books. Some books are worth buying like research books etc. I wouldn't want to gamble by spending money on books I might..."

Well, since I can only get to the library once a week, live out in country, not in city, I have to be more careful about what I pick up. So, I mostly read authors that I am familiar with. Or, on occasion, books that have been recommended by Goodreads other patrons. Although, I do download books for my Kindle for PC, and those I can "screen." And, using my criteria, for lack of a better word, I don't usually whiff on a book. I sometimes have trouble with a book that has a small font and I can't find a large print version of it. Recently, I read Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo and while I loved it, the print was so small it was a labor to read it.

But, thanks to Goodreads people like yourself, I listen to recommendations, balance that with my preferences, and seldom get a book that I don't like. Of course, that does almost limit the freedom to browse the stacks and just pick out something that seems to fit my fancy. Sometimes I do miss that from when I was more mobile and therefore had more options.

You know, the good old days...

[Ron]

Jamie Lynn wrote: "...I love Good Reads. I started GR to find good books. Now it seems like there are a thousand choices."

LOL! I agree with you! If I have any problem with GoodReads, it's that it's turned me on to too many good books! My to-read shelf is impossibly long. I'll have to live to be 128 in order to finish it! And, by that time, it'll have only grown longer!

But, all in all, having too many good books to read is a good problem to have. Having not enough time to read them, on the other hand...

[Bonnie Lynn]

I'll start another book the same or next day I finish one. I like series mysteries and can't afford to delay too long since I'm at the age of being memory challenged; if I wait too long I'd have to read the first one again, LOL.

[Ron]

I keep a couple short story anthologies at my bedside for those times that I finish a book before I expected to and do not currently have the next one checked out of the library. When that happens, I'll read from the short story collections until I can get to the library to continue my fix.

I read in bed before going to sleep. I've done it now for so many years, that if I don't read, I have trouble falling asleep. Of course, the counter to that is that I have a tendency to get sleepy any time I read! Unnerving when I read early in the evening or in the afternoon.

But, I just can't go without something to read on a daily basis. So, I keep those books on hand and strive to always have the next book checked our early from the library.

But, the best laid plans of mice and men...

[Mara]

It depends on my mood.

[Brendan]

Next day usually.

[Katie]

immediately

[Lucy]

Immediately! I can't not read.

[Maikku]

I usually have couple books going at the same time. If I'm reading just one I start a new one right after I'm finished.

[Michael]

as soon as humanly possible

[Ron]

Since I usually have a couple books going, the question become irrelevant. I'm always reading some book. But, when I finish one, I begin another one. Like some have said, I can not not read. I must be reading something. Between books, kindle and audiobooks, I'll usually have 3 going at once. Finish one, get another one. Just have to check my to-read list to find out just which one I want to read next.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

I'm the same way. I could never be without a book to read. I feel lost without one. Most of the time I will read about 2-3 books at one time because it depends on my mood and the genre I want to read at that time but when I finish one I automatically get another. Sometime I have to check to make sure that I can us it for a challenge but other than that I just pick whatever I'm in the mood for.

[Lynn]

I am usually reading two or three at a time, but I start a new one as soon as I finish one. I have a huge backlog to get through.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

I have that same problem Lynn hahaha

[Christine]

Immediately