Poll: How many books are u reading now?

[Mo]

I was just interested in knowing how many books you are reading now. I am reading five books (two books of essays and three novels) and can't seem to finish any of them because everytime I read a substantial portion of one, another catches my eye. This keeps happening and I seldom finish a book unless it is really good. This is certainly book ADD if there ever was such a thing. How many books are you reading right now?

[Pat]

Just finished "The Tender Bar", and "The Body in The Ivy". Now reading "I Heard That Song Before" and "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin."
My favorite recent book is "The Professor and the Madman." It was so good that I don't want to talk to anybody who HASN'T read it.
I'd also like to talk to anybody who has re-read J.D. Salinger and found that he is a complete ass.
I adored him when I was young, but when I re-read him, it's tedious to hear about how everybody is a 'phony' if they aren't actively sabotaging their own lives.

[Tara]

I am currently working on five as well. It's nice to have different books for different moods and times of day, so I typically have more than one going.

[Lesley]

I've got 4 in the works at this moment! I think, anyway! No, 5 actually! My e-books are: Merrick by Anne Rice (a little bit on the heavy side for my current mood), The Book Of Secrets by Deepak Chopra (I'm still trying to decide whether he's on target, or fluff!), and KRSNA, a Hindu scriptural book. I'm also reading two rock guitarist biographies in paper & ink books -- Here Comes The Sun, which is the story of George Harrison's spititual views, and Clapton, an early biography of Eric Clapton.
I don't think I could ever stick to one and only one book! I try to have one for fun, one for thought, and maybe something for serious or classical literature as well. That way, if I'm zoned out, send in the trash! If I'm feeling brainless, I get out the Dickens or something, and for that sense of inner peace, I read the Eastern stuff.

[Elaine]

I also have 5 going right now. It would just be 4 if it wasn't for the recent release of HP7.

[April]

I have 5 going right now. One is for a reading/discussion group regarding the book, and the other four are my just because books.

[Savannah]

Two: Anna Karenina and Appeasement & Rearmament by Levy (for class).

[Renee]

I'm currently reading:
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed and Other Things I've Learned by Alan Alda,Wild Harmonies by Helene Grimaud, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Portrait by Iain Pears. I did stop everything to read HP last weekend!

[[deleted user]]

Um...i sort of read bits & pieces all over. Mainly I am reading:

1. Color: A Natural History of the Palette
2. Dummies Guide to PHP
3. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman


Other books that I am reading, but only everyonce in a while are:

1. Birthday Letters
2. William Carlos Williams
3. John Berger Essays

Since I work in Web Production, the PHP book is a HUGE priority for me and I have backed off from the other books right now.

[Lauren]

I have 4 going. I am reading HP7 (90% of the time), Jennifer Weiner's The Guy Not Taken, Dennis Lehane's Mystic River, and kinda sorta Zoe Heller's What Was She Thinking?

[Alien]

HP 7 + E.E.E (Tao Lin) + Dream Death (Satyananda Gabriel) + You Can Write a Novel + Middlemarch + Evil Genius + Constant Gardener + Rethinking Marxism + ...other stuff (yawn)

[Christina]

Currently I am reading three books, The Odessey; Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell; and The Layout Index. I will be adding one or two more to the list soon. I just need to finish one before adding more.

[Alyssa]

I'm reading around 13 books all together at the momment and my max is around 15-20 I guess (I've never really counted).

Throne of Jade
Orphans of Chaos
The MasterHarper of Pern
The Golden Compass
The Devil's Heiress
Scandal
American Gods
Freedom's Ransom
Abhorsen
Love: Undercover
Highland Sword
The Mammoth Hunters
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs*

[stephanie]

i'm reading about six or seven right now, but some are books that i'll read a chapter of everyday or so and some i can't put down. i always tend to be reading a non-fiction and fiction book at the same time - you never know what i'll be in the mood for. of course, this means whenever i leave the apartment i stress over which books to bring . . .

[Teresa]

I'm only reading 1 at the moment. that is due for a bit of change once I'm able to get to the bookstore and pick some things up for myself. I'm thinking about treating myself to some half price books after work one night this week. I havn't been in the one closest to my house in years. time to see what they've got for me.

[Barb]

I am reading too many to count. I'm a librarian - kid in a candy store!!! The Young Adult book area has just been reassigned to me, so I am, darn it, having to read a whole new genre of material. Although, I have to admit, I have been doing YA justice prior to now.
Right now I have the following books started:

Devil in the White City
This year I will...
Jesus for the non-religious
Agatha Raisin and the walkers of Dembley
Eat, pray, love
Black Dahlia Avenger
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

I just finished the last Harry Potter and am going to also listen to Terrier by Tamara Pierce. And, I want to take a look at a few of the YA series books (Uglies, Alex Rider, etc.

Barb

[Kate]

While I have a few on hold, I am actively reading three books right now:

1) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2) Un Lun Dun
3) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

It has not escaped my attention that each of these books revolves around a magical version of London.

[Kate]

Just wanted to say.. Barbara, I am filled with envy. I can think of few things better than being in charge of Y/A books at a library and getting to read them all!!

[Melanie]

Amid the various stacks, I have a few that I am currently reading:

1. The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl
2. Collapse by Jared Diamond
3. Women's Letters by Lisa Grunwald

I just went to the used bookstore last week and added to the collection so I may add another to the list. :)

Melanie

[Jessica]

I think I have three going -- Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart, The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman (which i love to dip into when the mood for something absurd hits), and Tom Bedlam by George Hagen. I just finished a big mystery kick (two writers -- Gail Bowen and Julia Spencer-Fleming) and there is one more Bowen I have to pick up. Plus I hear a rumor that my parents are about to drop a whole series they liked on me, so I should be covered.

[Suvi]

I usually read 1 book at a time because I want to focus better on that one.

Occasionally I can't resist starting to read another one. Now I'm reading these two:

Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow

[Xysea]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Climb (Paperback) Boukreev, Anatoli
Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival Simpson, Joe
A Thousand Splendid Suns Hosseini, Khaled
Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market Schlosser, Eric
Warrener's Beastie: A Novel of the Deep Trotter, William R.

Each of these offers me a different escape. The one I'm most surprised (because I enjoy it far more than I thought I would) is Warrener's Beastie. It's a huge book, but I'm moving through it at a good pace and it's one of those books I find hard to put down. I love those kind of books.

[Danyelle]

right now...2
1. 2 minute rule
2. dance of the gods

dance of the gods is by nora roberts, and im not a big fan of hers, so its taking me a while :(

[Tiffany]

I'm doing the same thing, keeping tabs on the books mentioned here to read later. Right now I'm reading 3 books, but always on the lookout for somehing new!

[Meghan]

I just want to say I am completely jealous of all of you who can be reading 5+ books at a time. Thanks for some really good suggestions. Since having a baby, my brain isn't taking in as much as it used to. Only reading 3 now:

1. Shogun by James Clavell
2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
3. The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

[Alex]

I'm reading three at the moment - Saramago's 'Seeing', Anthony Beevor's book on the Spanish Civil War and Proust's In Search of Lost Time on an ongoing basis...
I'm chronically bad at starting books and then not finishing them - (and looking at that slightly hefty-looking list I'm beginning to see why), and I have just added an 'abandoned' shelf which I'm hoping won't fill up too quickly. I tend to buy one or two books week from local secondhand bookshop or from charity shops.

[Summer Rae]

wow. I thought I was nuts or OCD because I read too many books at once. I have nothing on you guys. I am reading 3, but I think I am inspired now to up the anty to at least 5.

[Ashley]

i think i'm reading 4 books right now. Although I paused the others to read "Eclipse." Although I'm reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", "Rebel Angels", and the last "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". I think I started this Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in January, but kept reading other books when I put it down..

[Cassie]

Hey, I'm Cassie and I'm new. I just bought like 6 books. I never go to the library because I don't like to get rid of them and I can't stand borrowing books from people because I like them to be mine. My friends think I'm almost psyco because of it, but I hope that there's other people like me. I'm reading about 3 or 4 different series right now; all about paranormal romance. Is it weird to literally not be able to get books from the library or from my friends? My parents get really frustrated with how much of my money goes out the window for books that I finish within a day. They're always trying to get me to just go to the library but they don't understand that I can't and that I have to have the book. I don't even understand it. Sorry about the little rant, but I just got over a fight with my mom about it before I came online. Great Group idea!

[Tiffany]

Cassie, I'm exactly the same way. I like to keep the books once I'm through reading them, too. I can easily go through 2 books a week so I know how expensive a habit reading can be. Fortunately I have a very understanding husband who finances my little 'addiction.' =) I do shop at used bookstores and sometimes I'll find books for sale at the library, so I try to save money that way.

[Megan]

So nice to see I'm not the only one with the addiction! Right now, I'm reading or listening to:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
A Walk in the Woods
Here They Come
Walk Two Moons

[Gavin]

I'm new to Goodreads and to this group! Right now I'm reading:

The Assault On Reason
The World Without Us
What The Buddha Taught
and
The Lies of Locke Lamora

Seems I can read several non-fiction books at a time
but only one fiction book.

[Caroline]

I normally stick to a couple of books at the same time--one I leave at work for my breaks, the other is my home/travel book. Right now I'm working on three:

Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson (re-reading)
Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

[Sarah]

Only reading two right now, although I have several half-read books on my shelf:

Ahab's Wife; or, The Star Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Usually, I have at least three going: a thinker-fiction (like a classic or something somewhat intellectual), a fluff (chick lit or mystery), and a nonfiction.

[Cassie]

Hmmm... so I haven't had anything to read for a day or two. All the books that I just bought were good and exciting and now they look great on my bookshelf. I don't know what to read now, I'm kind of picky about the types of books that I read, I mostly like paranormal romance but I can't stand when it's about the stupid FBI agents because I feel like I'm reading the back of a 'Cosmopolitan'... so I'm pretty much stuck right now waiting for the next book in a few series that I'm reading.
I'm grouchy.

[Elizabeth]

I just finished The Hobbit, and now I'm in the middle of The Fellowship of the Ring. When I was a kid, I was able to read about five books at once, but now I'm finding myself unable to. Gah.

[John]

Five books at present: 1 audio and 4 print. I'm juggling library books to finish some, and get another, before a post Labor day vacation.

[Masha]

3: The Painted Veil, Atonement and Lolita and I'm getting six for my birthday in a month, so I need to hurry up and finish them.

[Tiffany]

I started The Whole World Over yesterday but took a break to read A Cup of Tea which I finished in just a few hours this afternoon. I bought 4 more books today so that should keep me occupied for a while!

[Novi Maizir]

i'm reading 4 books:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,
Female undercover (this is an indonesian version of self-made man), in search for fatima, & Life is beautiful (life management)

[*Nan*]

I get my book from many different places. I love Barnes and Noble, I also get my books from library sales, PBS,a used book store in my town called Bookswap, a friend who sells used books and my mother who is also an avid reader.

[*Nan*]

My last post should have been for a different thread but to answer this question, I am reading two books and listening to two books right now.

[Cindy]

I'm reading two at the moment. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and a truecrime called One Deadly Night by John Glatt.

I try not to read more than two at a time but as I can typically read a book in a single day, two at the most, I still tend to move through them pretty fast.

[Tara]

Right now I'm only reading one, One Thousand Splendid Suns. I'm awaiting the arrival of my most recent order from Doubleday Book Club. I have 5 new books coming and I might start reading one of those as well.

I think earlier this summer I read 4 books because I was behind in my book club. We were going to discuss two books at our next meeting and I wanted to finish the last two books we had read so I was trying to get caught up. That was a little mind boggling. I got all of the plots confused.

Wait, does a knitting book count as far as the number of books I'm reading right now? I'm currently working on a scarf and I spend my evenings doing that, then my morning/evening commute I read. I read about 5 to 6 books a month though, mainly during the commute to work.

[Peter]

I'm always reading at least two books at a time, and that's my bare minimum. At the moment, I have Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul and The Children of Hurin on my bedside table. It took me about a year to finish The Brothers Karamazov like this, so it was quite an accomplishment when I finished it recently. I've also been casually flipping back through the Harry Potter series since I finished Deathly Hallows, but I'm more referencing it than reading it.

[Kimberley]

im not reading anybooks at the moment, but i am waiting on 6books to be posted...they will of course will be done within a few days they come.

[SassyMama]

I usually try to just read one book at a time...however when I happen to read one that's a little slow or not as good as I had hoped...I've been known to put it down for a minute and start something new and then go back to it...for me a book has to be gawdawful for me not to finish reading it...even though sometimes it's a struggle to finish it...I'm not a quitter...lol

[Melissa]

I'm so glad to find out I am not the only one who reads more than one book at a time. At bedtime I am in the mood for something a bit lighter but on the bus going to work I want something that will keep my attention. I would guess that I am reading 4 books right (plus HP#7--which I am almost finished). My favorite right now is The Firm by John Grisham which surprisingly I had never read though I have seen the movie several times. I wish Grisham would go back to writing the way he did when he first started out. I am also reading Eat, Pray Love which is an excellent book that I highly recommend.

[Laura]

I finished the "Blood Books" series by Tanya Huff last week and loved it. So I asked my book friends on the web about her other series, because I only like urban fantasy and not trad fantasy. They raved about her two other urban fantasy series. So last night at my local B&N I bought all 3 books in the "Smoke" series. But I also saw they only had one copy each of the "Summoning" series. So I am going back tomorrow to buy all 3 of those (grin).

I plan to start them as soon as I finish "Poltergist" by Kat Richardson, which I also bought last night. That is the second book in her Greywalker series.

So you could say I am working my way through 7 novels at the moment. Makes me a very happy woman!

[Rachel]

i'm a one-book-at-a-time kinda girl. right now, i'm reading "cannery row" by steinbeck for my book group. i do, however, have a stack of 12 books currently in my "to read" pile.