I read many books at once! Inevitably one will engage hyperfocus and will pull me through to the end. Others are abandoned and I circle back to them when the time is right. It seems reading the right book at the right time is really key for getting the most out of it. Right now I’m reading Poetic Edda (Norse mythology), Seats of the Underground (about the history of London Underground’s upholstery), Leap Before You Look (a beautiful and inspiring art book), and (for fiction) Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. P.S. Thanks for the hat tip. I really am enjoying my return to RSS. I think it’s a brilliant, but underused technology! 💫
I just joined Substack and started writing here in December, and I've definitely been struggling with how much time to devote to reading here vs reading books! I'm sure I'll find a balance eventually, but right now it feels a bit overwhelming.
DNF, Reader and how to avoid newsletter/inbox overwhelm incredibly informative feel less pressured already. Off to read multiple books at once now as have permission not to feel a weirdo 👊 Book am reading: Marcus Aurelius ‘Meditation’ borrowed from my library. Love the deadline it creates too. 👋
As someone who is trying to read again I am impressed by the number of books who have read this year! I also love your philosophy of DNF. Thank you. I always feel like I need to finish a book but maybe I just need to let that go.
Always so fascinated by other people's reading routines Carolyn so thank you for the peek! I even wrote about it too (here, if anyone is interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/writingaroundtheedges/p/but-first-lets-read) and also I've just jumped ship from Goodreads to StoryGraph too! I need to find a bit of time to geek-out fully and explore there, but it already feels better ♡
I'm such a moody reader. I tend to read 3-5 books at a time, all different genres. I recently finished 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg, it's a writers' guide on creativity, productivity, and inspiration. I highly recommend it. 😊
I love your illustrated log of covers! ❤️ I downloaded Storygraph last year but didn’t really give it a try. Your post reminds me that I need to do that. Your rss reader strategy is great.
Really enjoyed your post! I’ve been reading nonstop since I was a kid too ;) and the library is my best friend.
Last book I loved was “The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow, read it last month. After that a couple of DNFs (took me awhile to let go and it really is freeing!). When I have a string of DNFs, it puts me in a bad mood hahaha until I find a new one that grabs me.
Thank you for sharing this. I love reading books but have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Maybe I just haven't found anything that's really exciting yet.
The last good book I read was "The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections" by Eva Jurezyk. (I have a thing for reading books about libraries and pianos.) It's a story of a woman trying to get ahead in life and the mystery of a missing rare book. It has clever writing and an endearing central character.
I read one book at a time generally, but I might try to couple a new book with a re-read.
I spend more time reading books than online articles.
Now that was inspiring! Thanks a lot for sharing. The last good book(s) experience was with re-reading all Austen again, but I am very behind with my reading lately - spending more time reading online and having trouble with deciding what to read next (hence all the re-readings). Need to borrow some of your tips! And yes, I do tend to read multiple books at once!
LOVE THIS! I need to check out Storygraph. I’m also always reading like four books at once. And have been reading so much lately (maybe because I started working for Reading Rhythms which is an IRL reading party in NYC…you would love!) I just started reading The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza which literally flew off the shelf at a thrift store yesterday. It’s a bit diff than my usual choice of novel but it’s beautifully written so far.
Hello! I’m Jennifer. I’m new here, and run the book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People. Like you, I read multiple books at once. Currently on my nightstand: Come & Get It by Kiley Reid, Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin, Bauhaus: a graphic novel by Valentine Grande and Sergio Varbella and I’m listening to More by Molly Rodin Winter. Happy Reading!!
I read many books at once! Inevitably one will engage hyperfocus and will pull me through to the end. Others are abandoned and I circle back to them when the time is right. It seems reading the right book at the right time is really key for getting the most out of it. Right now I’m reading Poetic Edda (Norse mythology), Seats of the Underground (about the history of London Underground’s upholstery), Leap Before You Look (a beautiful and inspiring art book), and (for fiction) Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. P.S. Thanks for the hat tip. I really am enjoying my return to RSS. I think it’s a brilliant, but underused technology! 💫
I just joined Substack and started writing here in December, and I've definitely been struggling with how much time to devote to reading here vs reading books! I'm sure I'll find a balance eventually, but right now it feels a bit overwhelming.
Thank you for sharing your routine! I’m also a reader-eater and agree it’s a tough habit to break (but also how hard did I really try?).
DNF, Reader and how to avoid newsletter/inbox overwhelm incredibly informative feel less pressured already. Off to read multiple books at once now as have permission not to feel a weirdo 👊 Book am reading: Marcus Aurelius ‘Meditation’ borrowed from my library. Love the deadline it creates too. 👋
As someone who is trying to read again I am impressed by the number of books who have read this year! I also love your philosophy of DNF. Thank you. I always feel like I need to finish a book but maybe I just need to let that go.
Always so fascinated by other people's reading routines Carolyn so thank you for the peek! I even wrote about it too (here, if anyone is interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/writingaroundtheedges/p/but-first-lets-read) and also I've just jumped ship from Goodreads to StoryGraph too! I need to find a bit of time to geek-out fully and explore there, but it already feels better ♡
I'm such a moody reader. I tend to read 3-5 books at a time, all different genres. I recently finished 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg, it's a writers' guide on creativity, productivity, and inspiration. I highly recommend it. 😊
I love your illustrated log of covers! ❤️ I downloaded Storygraph last year but didn’t really give it a try. Your post reminds me that I need to do that. Your rss reader strategy is great.
Really enjoyed your post! I’ve been reading nonstop since I was a kid too ;) and the library is my best friend.
Last book I loved was “The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow, read it last month. After that a couple of DNFs (took me awhile to let go and it really is freeing!). When I have a string of DNFs, it puts me in a bad mood hahaha until I find a new one that grabs me.
Also, I LOVE the little drawings of book covers on this post. That seems like a fun way to keep track of the books you read.
Thank you for sharing this. I love reading books but have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Maybe I just haven't found anything that's really exciting yet.
The last good book I read was "The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections" by Eva Jurezyk. (I have a thing for reading books about libraries and pianos.) It's a story of a woman trying to get ahead in life and the mystery of a missing rare book. It has clever writing and an endearing central character.
I read one book at a time generally, but I might try to couple a new book with a re-read.
I spend more time reading books than online articles.
Now that was inspiring! Thanks a lot for sharing. The last good book(s) experience was with re-reading all Austen again, but I am very behind with my reading lately - spending more time reading online and having trouble with deciding what to read next (hence all the re-readings). Need to borrow some of your tips! And yes, I do tend to read multiple books at once!
LOVE THIS! I need to check out Storygraph. I’m also always reading like four books at once. And have been reading so much lately (maybe because I started working for Reading Rhythms which is an IRL reading party in NYC…you would love!) I just started reading The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza which literally flew off the shelf at a thrift store yesterday. It’s a bit diff than my usual choice of novel but it’s beautifully written so far.
Hello! I’m Jennifer. I’m new here, and run the book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People. Like you, I read multiple books at once. Currently on my nightstand: Come & Get It by Kiley Reid, Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin, Bauhaus: a graphic novel by Valentine Grande and Sergio Varbella and I’m listening to More by Molly Rodin Winter. Happy Reading!!