What Type Of Reader Are You? Discussion Post

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Are you are a butterfly reader?

  • Do you have up to ten books on the go at any time?
  • Do you flutter from title to title?
  • Do you change your book according to your mood?

Why am I asking this?

I recently asked a friend what he was reading. He talked most enthusiastically about a recent library book haul and happily announced he was deep into reading ten different books. Ten! I asked if he struggled to pick up a particular storyline again after dipping into so many books, and my friend said he could easily compartmentalise his reading and enjoy multiple books at a time.

My own reading style

I read a lot, and sometimes have two, three or occasionally four books started at once, but four is my limit, and they have to be vastly different genres.  I might fancy something thought-provoking in the morning, but a bit of romantic escapism as a bed-time read—and I do find that each time I go to pick one up it still takes me some minutes to recall where I’d got to and what was happening.

I’m a natural multi-tasker

Like most women I am a multi-tasker; I can easily have several jobs going on at once.  But give me ten books to read and my mind would be totally scrambled.  I wouldn’t be able to give any one of them the attention (or concentration) it deserved.

Do you flit from bloom to bloom?

What about you? Can you switch from title to title with ease? Or do you prefer to immerse yourself in your current book, living in that world until it’s finished – and sometimes afterwards, too?

90 thoughts on “What Type Of Reader Are You? Discussion Post”

      • This is something I’ve never thought about before. Like Robbie, I would read different books with each of the children alongside my own reading (and now with granddaughter)but suppose that felt different. I do like it when I get lost in a book – so reading two would confuse – of course that could be an age thing …lol

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  2. I usually have two or three books on the go at any one time, Rosie. One is always an audio book, one would be my own current read and one would be a book I am reading with Michael. Sometimes I also read another book to Michael. I couldn’t manage 10 at a time.

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  5. Goodreads tells me that I’m currently reading 29 books. Clearly that’s not true and I need to mark some of them as dnfs. Some of them are non-fiction books I started, then realised that they weren’t going to provide the information I was looking for. I really only have about four books on the go at any time, but three of them will be non-fiction, so quite easy to pick up and put down.

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  7. Intriguing post Rosie!

    I must be very boring and narrow-minded. Not only do I just read one book at a time, but I try to read the whole thing in as close to one sitting as possible. (That bad habit came from attending an elementary school near IBM’s research campus in California. One of their projects was the development of speed reading course, and somehow our school became guinea pigs. As result, I’m a ridiculously fast but incredibly impatient reader.) I wonder if this explains why I also suck at multi-tasking? I reluctantly make lists out of self-defense—and then rarely follow them of course.

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  8. I could flit from one book to another if I wanted to, and could keep track of that many books at once. But I prefer not to. I usually have two books on the go at any given time, or maybe three at most: one will be an audiobook I’m listening to on CD at bed time, one will be a book I’m reading via my Kindle (either an Audible audiobook or an eBook) and the third only applies if I have something I’m reading in braille or on my computer. The latter situation doesn’t happen often, so mostly it’s just the two books I have going at any given time.

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  9. Absolutely one book at a time – like Judith said, even if I’m struggling with it. This is partly because I have a physical to-read list and like ticking them off! BUT… for those moments when you want something quick and light to read for five minutes or so, like when you’re eating lunch, or…. 😉 I have a small pile of paperbacks on my table. These are currently : a P J O’Rourke, a book about medieval England and one about the history of Lindisfarne!

    In other words, only ever one fiction because I have to get totally absorbed (in the same way as I can only write one book at a time), but several non-fic to dip into.

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  10. I always have a reading book and an audio going at the same time, but I’ll very rarely read more than one at a time…but 10!!! I’d never be able to keep them in order! My Goodreads reading list tells a different story but they’re just the ones I’m going to be reading or listening to.

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  12. Interesting question, indeed. I was more of one-book-at-a-time kind of reader, but sometimes I would be reading a fictional book and something related to work (non-fiction). More recently I’m reading a fiction book and a non-fiction book at the same time. Usually, non-fiction in paperback format. E-books I sometimes listen to, the text-to-speech setting, while I exercise or I go for a walk as well, but that is only an option if I’m reading an English e-book. I think according to Goodreads I’m reading about three or four, but one of them, a memoir, I started in Spain and the book was quite heavy, so I didn’t bring it with me. I’ll carry on there. At some point, I was supposedly reading four or five at the same time, but I also became frustrated because I was making no progress and eventually one of them won… I guess I can read several if they are very different, but mostly it will be one fiction and one non-fiction.

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  14. My blog is Literary Flits, but I admit I can’t have more than a couple of books on the go at any one time. I’m trying to improve my French at the moment so have a French book I’m reading ridiculously slowly (with dictionary in hand!) plus my Real book! That’s it. I sometimes envy people who rwad half a dozen books at once, but I’d just end up inventing my own storylines from mixing them all up!

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  16. I’ve read up to 6 books at a time, but it’s normally more like 2 or 3. I’ve also started having Alexa read books to me from my Kindle while I’m in the kitchen or getting ready in the mornings.

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  17. I used to read multiple things at once, this included magazines when they were at their hayday. Time is the big factor these days. I have to stick to one book when the time allows or I’d never finish one.

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  19. To derive complete enjoyment from reading–and to give a story the attention it deserves–I immerse myself in one book at a time. Otherwise, I might miss important details or fail to notice some beautiful writing. Reading is a full-bodied experience for me; no flitting from book to book.

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  20. It really depends on how much I’m enjoying a book! If I have a really great book I’ll just zoom through it without stopping for other books, but if I’m not enjoying something or just going really slowly I’m more likely to start another book too. I’m also more likely to have books going in multiple mediums than several physical books. So right now, I’m in the middle of one audio book, one e-book, and one physical book.

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  22. Loving this discussion. I’ve recently got into the habit of reading one novel on my Kindle and one novel in paperback at the same time when I’m reading for pleasure. My Kindle is so much more comfortable to read at night in bed or while travelling, but I still love the feel of a paperback and would miss curling up on the sofa and turning the pages of a ‘real’ book. I also proofread, so I usually have one or two manuscripts on the go at any one time, but they’ll be printed out on A4, and as it’s work, the whole reading process is different. I think four books is my absolute limit.

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    • Hello Wendy, yes, it has been a great discussion. I’ve enjoyed reading about everyone’s reading habits. I agree with you about liking a paperback but also enjoying the positive sides of reading with a kindle.

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  23. I’m someone who prefers one book at a time. I feel like I can really sink into the story that way. But lately I’ve started listening to audiobooks and reading print books in addition to ebooks in order to give my eyes a break from electronics, which means I now usually have three books going on at a time. I don’t like it! I feel like it IS harder for me to get into the stories. But it’s doable. Ten though? Oh my goodness! No lol. Four is my limit as well, I think!

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  26. I’m like you, three or four is my limit – a going to sleep book, a morning good read, some research or non-fiction, and maybe one other I’m just getting started on. Anything more would be impossible… actually I can dip into poetry anytime.

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  27. I think it depends on what I’m reading. Like if it’s a mystery or thriller that’s gripping me hard, I might not pick up any along with them. But if I’m reading a comic or poetry or something light like a romance or contemporary, I might go for two or three more. Whatever be the case, ten does sound intimidating. I don’t think I would be able to finish any if I decide to take so many up at once 😀

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  32. I read one at a time. I need to finish the story before moving on. My favorite thing is to binge read an entire series and totally immerse myself for days in that fictional world.

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  33. I read a lot of books at once. Usually at any given time I’m listening to an audiobook, reading an ebook and a print book. Then depending on exactly what I’m in the mood for I’ll switch between different genres. I’m currently reading 7 books!

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  35. I used to STRICTLY read one book at a time, but nowadays I typically at least have one audiobook and one other book going. I also have a few books that I read for things like my homeschool co-op language arts class and my Bible study—so those are extra, and they don’t throw me off because I can compartmentalize them.

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