The joy of (and efficiency) of multi-booking – or reading multiple books simultaneously

I used to read one book at a time. I thought I owed it to each book to give it my undivided attention, and I wasn’t sure I could concentrate on multiple books at a time.

I’ve since discovered that reading multiple books simultaneously (what I am going to  call “multi-booking”) makes me a more efficient and even a more thoughtful reader.

How can this be?

Because I realized I read different books at different speeds. So now, instead of getting held up by one slower read, I can, for example, jump into and finish an addictive read and enjoy a memoir spanning decades at a more appropriate pace while still meandering through the slower read.

I’ll elaborate using an example from this weekend!

As you may know from my fall-winter reading list, I have been reading Moonglow: A Novel. I almost quit  reading it. But before I gave up on it completely, I went to goodreads and read why people like it. The reviews made me keep at it. And I’m still glad I did; however, this book is definitely a “slow read” for me. I have been reading it right before bed due to its moon-ish themes and because it tends to make me tired – ha- but thus far, it is still proving itself valuable.

In the meantime, I had The Most Dangerous Place on Earth: A Novel on my Kindle, provided by NetGalley. Since this book is a recent release, I really needed to get my review out there. Getting this done quickly was not a problem as this book was most definitely an engrossing read. (My review didn’t end up making my my website but is on goodreads.) I finished this book in 2 days!

At the same time, I have been REALLY enjoying a memoir by Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run. The book spans his lifetime and although I AM LOVING this book,  I am savoring it. This book could be a quick read, but I don’t want it to be.

At different moments in the day I may pick up a different book depending on the mood I’m in, and this is what I did this past weekend with these three books.

Multi-booking may work best with different genres…like one fiction, one memoir, one non-fiction, for example. I also find it works well with different formats. For example, I enjoy having one “kindle” book and one hardback going all the time. The different formats help me “separate” the books in my mind.

Multi-booking is working well for me! Never again will a slow-read book hold me back from finishing other books…instead I’m enjoying each book at the pace that seems appropriate for me.

What about you? Does multi-booking work for you?