I never, ever, ever start a book without finishing the one I'm reading. In fact the thought of doing so seems fundamentally wrong to me - sort of like polygamy. I'm clearly in the minority. So would all those people who answered anything other than '1' or '0' explain why they do it, because it just seems so weird. Do you get bored? Are you similarly polygamous in other aspects of your life (i.e. are you a slut...?)
Okay that's a little harsh maybe. For me it is more often than not a matter of there being lots of books to read for various reasons. So I said 7, but actually I meant 9. - 1 JRR Tolkien Companion & Guide: Reader's Guide - Hammond & Scull. A big heavy encyclopaedia entry style book, so better read in small chunks. - 2 What to Expect: The Toddler Years - Heidi Murkoff. A guidebook for toddlers as they progress, so you read the x-y months section and then leave it a while, or you look up specific matters to see what you can learn/avoid. - 3 Mere Christianity - CS Lewis. A fairly heavy-going intellectual tome, so other books are more fun. - 4 Your Competent Child - Jesper Juul. A book on 'hippy' child-raising and so read in small doses as sometimes the examples are convoluted and require a lot of thought and reflection. - 5 Richard III: The Maligned King - Annette Carson. An old birthday present that got accidentally forgotten about partway through because of a tidying up session. - 6 Working for Victory: A Diary of life in a Second World War Factory - Sue Bruley (ed). A history book just started when 9 turned up. - 7 Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Germany - Duncan Crow (ed). A technical catalogue of vehicles and their developments, so one that is better dipped into for a section that read en masse. - 8 Tolken race and Cultural History - Dimitra Fimi. An easy to read academic work looking at Tolkien's elves and fairies and the social background that led to Goblin Feet and then the might and majesty of Fingolfin et al. Got set aisde by 9 and the two-bookmark requirement as it has endnotes not footnotes. - 9 Fly By Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the 'miracle' on the Hudson - William Langewiesche. Loaned by the neighbour on Tuesday as being of interest to me, started a quick few pages to see if it was something I'd read and I was hooked by the writing style as well as the facts within. Finished it just now.
I only ever read one (fiction) book at a time, too. The only reason I will start a new book with an old one unfinished is because I didn't like the old one, put it down for a while, and didn't care enough about it to pick it up again. I might sometimes have a fiction and a non-fiction book going simultaneously, but even that's not often.
I usually have about 3 fiction books on the go because I like to pick something to suit my mood when I'm reading. A lot of what I read is a bit dark or strange so I often have a children's book or lighter more humourous one for when I can't sleep. Sometimes I get a bit fed up of one but not enough not to want to finish it so I might leave it for a week or so and start something else. At the moment my main book is Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook which I am enjoying and reading for 80-90% of my reading time. Also being read are: Lanark: A Life in 4 Books by Alasdair Gray. Good but the weirdness built up a bit too much and so this one is on hold for a bit. Lives of Girls of Women by Alice Munro. It's short stories in a small format that fits in my handbag so this comes with me for waiting rooms etc. The Fry Chronicles The Parenting Book by Nicky and Sila Lee - just reading short bits now and then.
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wellinghall) wrote2011-03-02 07:35 pm
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So I said 7, but actually I meant 9.
- 1 JRR Tolkien Companion & Guide: Reader's Guide - Hammond & Scull. A big heavy encyclopaedia entry style book, so better read in small chunks.
- 2 What to Expect: The Toddler Years - Heidi Murkoff. A guidebook for toddlers as they progress, so you read the x-y months section and then leave it a while, or you look up specific matters to see what you can learn/avoid.
- 3 Mere Christianity - CS Lewis. A fairly heavy-going intellectual tome, so other books are more fun.
- 4 Your Competent Child - Jesper Juul. A book on 'hippy' child-raising and so read in small doses as sometimes the examples are convoluted and require a lot of thought and reflection.
- 5 Richard III: The Maligned King - Annette Carson. An old birthday present that got accidentally forgotten about partway through because of a tidying up session.
- 6 Working for Victory: A Diary of life in a Second World War Factory - Sue Bruley (ed). A history book just started when 9 turned up.
- 7 Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Germany - Duncan Crow (ed). A technical catalogue of vehicles and their developments, so one that is better dipped into for a section that read en masse.
- 8 Tolken race and Cultural History - Dimitra Fimi. An easy to read academic work looking at Tolkien's elves and fairies and the social background that led to Goblin Feet and then the might and majesty of Fingolfin et al. Got set aisde by 9 and the two-bookmark requirement as it has endnotes not footnotes.
- 9 Fly By Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the 'miracle' on the Hudson - William Langewiesche. Loaned by the neighbour on Tuesday as being of interest to me, started a quick few pages to see if it was something I'd read and I was hooked by the writing style as well as the facts within. Finished it just now.
Or maybe I'm just slutty.
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At the moment my main book is Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook which I am enjoying and reading for 80-90% of my reading time.
Also being read are:
Lanark: A Life in 4 Books by Alasdair Gray. Good but the weirdness built up a bit too much and so this one is on hold for a bit.
Lives of Girls of Women by Alice Munro. It's short stories in a small format that fits in my handbag so this comes with me for waiting rooms etc.
The Fry Chronicles
The Parenting Book by Nicky and Sila Lee - just reading short bits now and then.
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