Why I read so many books at a time

If you follow me on Goodreads, and you should, you might notice two things. One, I am seven books behind on my reading goal for the year. And two, I am currently reading (checks notes) four books.

Four different books.

This is not uncommon for me. I’m usually in the middle of at least two books at a time. Part of this is because of my Gemini nature. I am often in wildly different moods throughout the day, and some of those moods call for different reading experiences. Sometimes I’m just being fickle and can’t settle on one story. Sometimes I pick up a second book because the primary one isn’t doing it for me, but I’m not ready to admit that yet. And yes, sometimes it’s because a shiny new release comes out and my TBR just cannot compete.

All that being said, I have good reasons to read several books at a time as well. And, as some of these reasons might apply to you too, I thought I’d share them with you today. So if you’ve ever been made to feel guilty for having too many bookmarks in too many books, keep reading.

Some books I only want to read a little of each day

One of the four books I’m reading right now is Power of The Psalms by Anna Riva. It’s a lovely book that includes all 150 Biblical Psalms, and some magic to work with each one. Every morning, I read a single psalm to start my day. I don’t want to read more than that, as I’d like to think about this psalm throughout the day.

You might have any number of books you do this with. Spiritual devotionals, poetry books. Anything that you don’t want to consume huge chunks of at a time.

Some books come with activities

I enjoy reading witchcraft books. I also enjoy reading writing books. Sometimes I get lucky and find books that talk about both, like The Magical Writing Grimoire, Poetry as Spellcasting or Inspiring Creativity.

Books like this often have exercises. Meditations, writing prompts and rituals. And books like this don’t do much good if you don’t do the exercises. And I don’t know about you, but I often read in places where I can’t write. Much less light a candle and start mixing herbs. Sometimes I’m just too tired to do a writing exercise.

Now, I could just keep reading from there. But I know myself better than that. I will for sure not come back and do that exercise, no matter how sure I am that I will.

I won’t.

But if I mark the page and come back to the book after I do the ritual, then I’m good. This might mean that I put a book down for a few hours. Or until I have a quiet moment to write or light a candle. Or, if we’re talking about a witchcraft book, I might have to wait for a specific moon cycle. While I’m waiting, I might well have time to read. So, I’ll need to switch to another book.

Some books I read with others

Right now, I’m reading Out of This Furnace with the darling husband. It’s a fun activity, reading a book with someone else.

There are many reasons you might do this. Maybe you’re reading to a child, or a disabled loved one like me. Maybe you’re reading a book in tandem with a friend, and you don’t want to get too far ahead of them. Reading might not seem like a social activity. But it can be. And if you’re read voraciously (or try to), you might need a backup book you aren’t sharing with anyone else.

Some books I read specifically to review

Now, I don’t work as a professional critic anymore. At least, not right now. But when I did, I was often reading a book specifically to review it. Even now, I have a list of books I want to read so that I can talk about them on here.

When you make books a part of your job, sometimes you’ve got to read books you might not want to. Sometimes it’s an ARC. Sometimes it’s a contractual thing. Sometimes a book just pissed you off so badly that you need to tell the world.

Even if you’re reading a book to review and it’s good, and most of them are good, it’s work to review a book. You aren’t just reading. You’ve got to take notes and consider things like theme and cultural significance. I wrote a whole two-part post about what it takes to review things instead of just reading or watching them. And yes, it’s fun work. But it’s work.

Some books are too emotional to binge

There are some books that just throw you. Some books trigger you when you frankly don’t expect to be triggered. This has happened to me several times.

Sometimes it’s okay. I can handle a little emotional damage. But depending on the sort of damage, and the theme of said damage, and where I am emotionally, sometimes I’m just not able to keep reading.

And that’s okay. If a topic is too heavy, you can put it down and come back to it later. Or, maybe you know the story you’re reading is triggering you, and you’re having a bad day. It’s perfectly fine to say that this is too much, and you’ll come back to the story another time. Maybe it’ll be tomorrow. Maybe a week from now. Maybe a year. But it’s okay to tuck that rough story back in your TBR pile for another time.

Some books I read just for pleasure

This is the biggest thing I want you to take away from this post. Reading is fun. And yes, we might often find ourselves reading books for other reasons than pleasure. I didn’t even get into students who have to read assigned books, or people guilted into reading a book by their best friend.

But it’s okay to read something just because you like it. Hell, given the state of the world, a good book might be exactly what you need to save your sanity on any given day.

A book is not a meal. You don’t have to finish your vegetables before you have dessert.

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Spooky season is coming, and it’s time for some creepy reads. Check out my horror novel Quiet Apocalypse, about a witch trapped in her apartment during a dark winter storm with a demon devoted to ending the world.

Or check out my horror short, The Man In The Woods. A man tries desperately to protect his granddaughter from the mysterious man in the woods. But his fear only grows when a new housing complex is built too close to the woods.