Are you a monogamous reader?

[Dave Rosenthal]

On Read Street, we've been discussing this topic: Are you monogamous? Not that kind of monogamy — I mean reading habits. Do you read one book at a time? Or do you have two or more going at once — say, a novel, a nonfiction book and a collection of short stories?

Alison Morris, a Publishers Weekly blogger, has identified several species of polygamists. They include: the Whimsical, who dips in and out of multiple books at once; the Placebound, who reads several books simultaneously but each in its own locale -- at home, at work, on the subway; and the Noncompetitive, who reads one fiction book and one non-fiction book at the same time, or some similar combination.

I’m a one-book man. I like to focus, to get comfortable with the author’s pacing and language. And I want to keep track of the subtleties of a character, setting or plot. I may have a magazine article, comic piece or short story handy in case I only have a few minutes to read. But I prefer at least an hour of quiet — and one book.

Nancy, my blogging partner, flits among different books. As she says: "What if I’m not in the mood for the collection of political profiles I picked up a few days ago? Well, I just pick up the graphic novel about zombies. Or the Mexican crime novel. Or re-read Pride and Prejudice. Do I ever get confused or lose my place? Sure! But most of the time, it’s a system that works for me.

What are your reading habits — do you subscribe to Davidite monogamy or Nancyist polygamy? And can you think of any other species to add to Alison's list?

[Rikki]

Definitely a whimsical polygamist. Some of the books belong to the noncompetitive kind, but I also read 2 or three books of the same genre at the same time as well.

[Andrea Ban]

yes...I know the feeling. Guess my mind thinks pretty much along the sames. At one point ( mid 2008) I was reading 4 books at a go. Wouldn't recommend that to anyone. When you switch books, it takes a good while to absorb self into the story line. Took a bit of joy out of some books for me at least. ( But they were all chic lit)

[Dave Rosenthal]

When we discussed this on Read Street, I was shocked to learn that some people read as many as 10 books at once. I can imagine this scene, when a polygamist reader comes home:

"So where have you been all night? I’ve been here, with that Barnes & Noble bookmark stuck on page 135, just waiting for you to come back."

"Well, I ... uh ... I had to stay late at the office."

"Again? That’s the third night this week."

"Yeah, we have a big presentation coming up for corporate, so I’ve been reading tons of reports. Sales data, ROI analyses, territory realignments — that sort of thing. Very dry — nothing like you. But when I get home my eyes are just so tired."

"I guess that explains why we haven’t spent any time together all week. Can’t we curl up on the sofa for a half-hour? We have more than 400 pages to go. Wait! What’s that in your briefcase — is it the new John Grisham?"

"This? It’s a ... a ... a gift."

"For whom? All of your friends — and you — think Grisham has coasted since his first few books. Tell me the truth. What are you doing with The Associate?"

"OK. I might as well tell you. I’ve been cheating. But it’s not what you think. I never read books with your depth, your wit, your subtlety of language. Nothing comes close. I just need a break sometimes. A Grisham, or a Lippman. But that’s all, I swear."

"That’s all — hah! Don’t think I haven’t noticed before. I was just waiting for you to admit it. I’ve seen your iPod, with the Team of Rivals download. And the time you drove into the garage, with the David Sedaris CD blaring away — I could hear your laughter all the way upstairs on the nightstand."

"Goodwin? Sedaris? They mean nothing to me."

"This is some pathetic midlife crisis, isn’t it? Next thing, you’ll be hanging out with some young, sleek Kindle. That would serve you right. Do you think it will be around for you forever? Do you?"

"I don’t know what I think anymore."

"Well, think about this: While you were reading everything you picked up, your best friend came over and borrowed me. We’re already on page 476 — and it has been pure rapture. Now there’s an attentive reader. No interruptions for phone calls, no reading in front of the TV. I’m leaving, so we can finish — only 83 pages to go. Goodbye."

[Susan Kelley]

I've never heard it stated this way. I guess I'm a polygamist and usually fall into the Placebound subcategory. I used to be monogamus, but my TBR pile started to topple. Now I have one at work for lunch time, one by my favorite seat in the TV room and one by the bathtub. Sometimes when a book gets too interesting I take it from its bound place and carry it with me everywhere until I finish it.

[Jodie]

Haha I love that scene - especially the book getting its own back!

I'm a monogamous reader, but I've found that while this avoids book/best friend cheating revenge it causes other problems. I seem to ignore non-fiction and just focus on novels (I read just 3 non-fic books last year). So I've decided I'm going to keep a non-fiction choice on the go in the house and keep a novel in my bag for my lunch break at work. It's ok though they know about each other, in fact they're lying on top of each other right now. Oh, yeah.

[Samantha]

I have to say that more often than not I'm monogamous. I don't like to cheat on the books that I read. Every now and again however, I do get curious and I'll bounce back and forth - but, I find it much more rewarding for me if I remain faithful.

[Ignacio]

That depends...if it's fiction, I only read one at a time, but if it's non-fiction, (how to build a web-server, for example) I'll usually be reading two or three books at the same time to get different perspectives on how to do things.

[Tiffany]

I'm all over the place with my reading. I can't help but want to read a hundred books at once. I usually keep to one book, but sometimes with school I have to read 2 or 3 at a time. I haven't had much diffliculty with it I would just rather have one book to get lost in. Instead of being in 3 worldsat once I like to get lost in one world and submerge myself in it so I can fully understand.
: ]

[Angie]

I used to read multiple books at at time. I guess I would fall under the category of whimsical. But now I'm working on a blogging project where I'm trying to read one book every day for a year, so I've had to stop reading multiple books, and I'm finding it to be a very hard adjustment. When the year is up I think I'll be going to back to reading several books at a time.

[Barbara Rockwell]

It's funny. I suppose I used to be a Davidite, falling hard and fast for a book. I'd hardly put it down until it was finished, let alone start another book. Now though, my reading habits are definitely more playboy-style. I've usually got about three I'm seriously committed to and half a dozen others that I'm dabbling in. I think part of my switch has to do with the fact that I used to read almost exclusively novels, and found those easier to completely lose myself in. Now I'm attracted to a lot of other genres, and like Nancy I like different genres for different moods.

[The Book Cave]

I am a cheater. I read more than one @ a time. Oh, the shame. I will branded w/ a letter. lol.

[Dave Rosenthal]

Angie, I can't imagine reading a book a day. I find that since I started blogging, I hardly have time to read at all. :)
Maybe you've hit on a new diet -- The Reading and Blogging Solution, which leaves little time for eating!

Barbara, Diane and others: I am sad to see you have succumbed to Nancyist idolatry. Beware, your books may be plotting revenge.