Because I read a fair amount of non-fiction (how-to books, history books, marriage/parenting books, biblical commentary books, books about running, time management/productivity books, etc.), I always have a super tall, tottering pile on the little table beside my couch. I don't want to shelve the books because I am in the middle of reading them. All of them. Shelves are for books that I have yet to read, or have already read. My handsome husband finds my piles irritating adorably quirky, and we've had hotly-whispered-secret-fights Special-Mommy-and-Daddy Talks about our different approaches to home organization with some degree of regularity.
Right now, I'm reading 1.) a biblical commentary on heaven, 2.) a book about productivity in the workplace, 3.) a book that summarizes world history from the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance, 4.) The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien, 5.) an Anne Tyler novel, 6.) a memoir.
What about you? Do you read several books at once? Do you leave book piles around your house?
42 comments:
I do have piles of books EVERYWHERE, more specifically in my livingroom, nightstand, and library.
I have piles for books that need donated, given away, need read to read, and need read for review. Then I have piles of books that need cataloged and put away. I'm just a bit behind on everything at the moment.
My husband adores books as much as I do, so he doesn't mind at all...he even helps me make them.
Yes, I have multiple piles and multiple books that I read at the same time.
I have a book for the car, a book for work, and a book for at home - occasionally I will have an AM and PM book as well, lol.
As for pile, I have my TBR books that are on a bookshelf in my bedroom and a bookshelf in the hallway. There is the PaperBackSwap pile (self explanatory) - the books I have already read but want to keep pile, the library book pile and then a pile for my kids. wow...
I have piles all over the place and we are in the process of looking to move. My hubby is DREADING moving the books (over 1500) but looking forward to me having more room for them. I look at it as more space to fill!
Wow - that picture looks like my bedroom :)
I read multiple non-fiction books at once, but have to concentrate on fiction books one at a time. It seems like I lose the "spirit" of the story if I have more than one fiction book going at a time. Would that mean I have ADFD - Attention Deficit Fiction Disorder?
Tweezle from Just One More Paragraph
I tend to stick to one or two books at a time no matter if they are fiction or nonfiction. If I don't, I lose the vibe of the book and it makes reviews that much harder. I usually carry that one (or two) book everywhere.
I have shelves all over the house, but two main piles on the table that I use as a desk, one to be reviewed & the other TBR.
What I can't seem to organize is the ever growing stash of magazines and catalogs! They tend to pile up when I am on a real reading frenzy. I don't even really remember what color my coffee table is anymore.
In the last year or so, I have begun multiple readings. Not sure if this si a good idea, but it's mostly driven by mood.
I think I'm better off t stick with one novel and one work of non-fiction. Bouncing around between plots and characters just seems to take longer overall.
Jill
I do have a few piles. But they are tidy piles in my computer room and my book closet. In the rest of the house, bookcases are the norm. And...I'm one of those people who reads one book at a time. Don't know how the rest of you can do it.
I have several books I'm reading right now. Two are on my computer though, an audiobook and an ebook. Two are laying on my nightstand, one is a new YA and one is a paranormal, so it depends on my mood. That's not too bad for me. I've gotten a little better about finishing my books lately. Oh, wait I have one in a purse too, almost forgot about that one. Oh, I have another one in another purse. They're both anthologies and handy to have when I end up in waiting rooms or something.
No so much piles as distributed around the house. There is the book on the coffee table to read during the ads or when the kids or hubby are watching something I'm not that interested in, the book in my handbag, the book on the bedside table, the book I picked up and started reading but now can't stop...you get the picture!
oh man, I have "currently reading" pile, library pile, to go back to library pile, to be reviewed pile, nightstand pile, bathroom pile and my shelves are for my "personal-don't-want-to-give-away" pile.
I never used to read more than one book at once, but with my recent struggles with Middlemarch and library deadlines, I've broken that rule!
Anne Tyler AND a memoir? I can't wait for your reviews. :]
I have piles of books EVERYWHERE as well. My bookshelves are for books that need to be read, not for --being read, to be donated, or review books..LOL
I'm hoping the 100+ Reading Challenge is going to reduce my teetering pile of books to read and finish.
I use to read one book at a time, but that has not been happening lately. :-D
I read more than one, especially if a new one comes along that is so much better. Like the one I just read. :-D
I seldom read more than one book at a time although if I'm reading some non fiction I'll usually have a novel going as well.
Yup, I read several books at once. I do try and not leave all my books lying around though and try to keep it to one little pile of maybe five books at a time and nowadays there's always a book in my bag for work and I have about three books going on my Kindle too.
Only one book at a time for me. I've tried 2 before but had to stop and finish either one or the other. I couldn't concentrate on more than 1 storyline at once.
i dont read more than one fiction book at a time...
but yes i have piles hehe and my mum hates them. i have a few TBR piles and a review pile, and books i really like get left lying around just in case i want to pick them up again.
I usually have 3 books on the go at once - the book im readnig, the ebook im reading, and the book i am re-reading before I go to sleep.
Here is a link to a post I did about this awhile ago
http://pageturnersbooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-reading-habits.html
I have piles of books all over my living room -- In the Middle Challenge books, 2010 YA Debut Author Challenge books, YA Books, Newish Adulth books, Professional books that I should read. However, I only read one book at a time. I am currently grabbing one book from each pile in a rotation so that I read a variety of books each month. Did I mention that I also have a Kindle that has to fit in the rotation too?
Yes, and yes. I read several books at once and have stacks of books I am reading, and have the forbidding shelves of to be read books.
Also the huge shelves containing books I have read and must keep. Gardening books and Christian nonfiction are of course in this last category.
I have Bibles, my Chronological Study Bible, Bird by Bird, dictionaries, books in series that I am reading, books about Christmas, books like Anne of Green Gables I will read and so many more!
I have piles of books and magazines everywhere but I am pretty monogamous when it comes to book reading. Once I get into a book, I read it till the end. Your post made me crack up though!
I do have book piles all over. There is some on the coffee table, some by my chair, and some on my nightstand. I also have books in my purse and school bag and my car. I'm reading about six at any given times.
Several books is an understatment for me I probably have a minumum of 10 books going rioght now.
I love the piles. I read one book at a time, but I might have to try a pile.
I have a ton of books around, i know my husband would rather that I try to put them away, but I do try to organize the piles. If only I could read faster! Plus we have nowhere near enough shelves, I dream about having more shelves.
Nice to know that I'm not alone! My DH announced the other day that we could never move because we wouldn't be able to afford to move all of my books. Yikes!
I have piles everywhere, as my bookshelves are all stuffed to the gills. There's my review pile, the contest win pile, the new PB pile, the ARC pile, the library pile, the possible giveaway pile...and I haven't even mentioned the magazines! *L*
I keep trying to convince him that my book addiction is so much cheaper than a clothing addiction, but I don't think he's buying it. I agree with you that it's not irritating, but adorably quirky! :)
Oh, I'm so relieved. I have decided that Piles are a sign of superior intelligence. We can't help it...
I FANTASIZE about shelves. I wish I had an old timey library with a ladder thingy that zoomed across the shelves, like Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady. Wouldn't that be the best?
I have piles in several places. I have my ebooks, books in the car, books beside the bed and books under the bed. I have bookscases overflowing and my son has his books in his room in a few places too.
I also have the books I'm re-reading because I bought a new book in the series and want to remember the whole
series so I have to drag all those books out and put into a re-read pile
I keep buying bookshelves to try and organize my piles and make my hubby happy. He bought me a Nook for my birthday to try and reduce the piles. I don't know if it is working yet. We have had those Mommy/Daddy talks so many times. He is very neat and I am into organized chaos---books, books, everywhere. My daughter is getting married and moving out so I will have a room of my own to move my piles into and add more.
I am sure I am not the first or alone in this but I love your blog and am giving you an award. Check it out at http://booknook516.blogspot.com
I am a neat freak so won't let myself have book piles. Sad, but true. I also can only handle one, maybe two, books at a time so the pile wouldn't be all that huge anyway :-)
Okay, I'm falling over laughing here...I have the same problem with my piles (or TBR stacks, as I have named them!), and I even did a few blog posts about them.
Here's one I did that shows pictures of my stacks.
http://chezraine.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/my-out-of-control-tbr-stacks/
Mine are in my bedroom, and like you, I can't shelve them until they're read. Hence the out-of-control piles.
I even created another blog to address this issue, called CURL UP AND READ. Thanks to this documentary site, my stacks are slowly diminishing.
I try and keep some organization with my books, but notice I said TRY. Since I am the only reader in the house, hubby and sons just shake their heads as to where all the piles are.
I have always been a "read one book at a time" kind of gal. Since becoming involved in book blogging, I am amazed at how many bloggers can read multiple books at once but the secret I want to know is how to read more than 1 book/week. Anyone interested in letting the cat out of the bag (and I promise I won't tell) can stop by my blog and leave some tips because I really want to get as close as I can to 100+ books. You can leave your secret here and THANK YOU
I do read multiple books at once, but I haven't always done so. My mom used to make me read only one book at a time to help keep her house clutter free (it's super small...my mom's house) but now I read as many as I like and let my husband get mad at me for having books everywhere.
Joseph actually cleared off the bottom shelf of a table that sits at the top of our stairs for the express purpose of allowing me to put my TBR books there. But, I still have small book piles all over my desk. Maybe I'll get better about the clutter, but probably not. I like having the option of switching to a different story any time one starts to slow down too much for me. (not that that happens often ;-P)
I do usually have a few going - much like you they are all quite different so I have something for any mood.
The Gospel according to LOST is good, but I am finding it not a book I want to read straight through. Pride and Prejudice while I am enjoying, has become my kryptonite and I put it down frequently to read something else.... I have no idea why.... I usually ave a lighter read going (currently The Lightning Thief) and a bit of a novelish type - which is the Michael Sullivan books I am into now.
I loved your post!!!!!! YOU are too funny. You have made me laugh out aloud...Could it be because you reminded me of someone I know????
As much as I would love to say no, my home is as organized as my dad would like it, I would be a liar. I actually have a pile by my bed and me and my husband have those same special Mommy - Daddy talks about it. He is a slob so he has no room to talk (or even side eye) my one little pile but it always manages to come up.
I do read several books at one time, usually two but I have been know to read up 7 at once.
This is why I now love Kindling books...my piles are neat and organized and arranged in various orders depending on my mood...I can arrange my books by newest or alphabetically by author or title and I can take them with me wherever I go. I can only read one book at a time...I am not being fair to individual book characters if I don't spend all of my time with them until our relationships end naturally with the end of the book. I wish I couls arrange all of my actual non virtual books the way I can arrange my Kindle books...
I'm surrounded by books in bed. When they threaten to overwhelm me I put them away and start the process all over again. There are moments when I feel as if I'm having my own "Groundhog Day". But I digress, this system works well.
I attribute the odd havoc to my predisposition for reading multiple titles concurrently. However, since I'm engaging in several reading challenges I try to restrict my selections when possible. Developing a theme based system allows me to explore various subjects without suffering burnout or boredom.
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