I have this problem, Squiders, where I start new books when I am in the middle of other books.

Normally it’s not that big of a deal. It’s usually only two books at a time–one on my nightstand for pre-bedtime reading, and one on my e-reader for when I am out and about.

Sometimes it’s three.

But I sat down yesterday and looked at the books I was reading, and it was five. Five at once!

(I finished one this morning, so I am down to four now. And hopefully I shall finish another within the next day and then we will be back down to a reasonable level.)

Looking back, I can see how I got here. I had my ebook and my bedtime book. And then, I had my bathtime book. This started a few months ago, because the bedtime book I was reading I had borrowed from a friend, and it was autographed and everything so I didn’t want it anywhere near potential water damage. And then I checked some books out from the library, and of course I needed to start the library books because I only have a short time to read them in.

The fifth one I found under the nightstand in the small, mobile one’s room, where I apparently last left it in August. But I remember where I was and what was happening, so it was added back in to the rotation.

The problem with being in the middle of so many books is that I don’t really want to read any of them, because it’s too much work to get back into the world because there’s too many worlds going at once. I think the only thing keeping me sane is that they’re all different genres. (I always ALWAYS try not to overlap genres. Trying to read two of the same genre at the same time is too confusing. I also tend not to read the genre I am currently writing in for the same reason. I am managing to read and write high fantasy at the moment, however, because the two worlds are so different that they have nothing in common.)

Speaking of writing, ROW80 continues to go well now that I have my handy spreadsheet. As of yesterday, I am 4 words ahead of where I should be, so that’s lovely. I’m also almost 40K into the draft itself, which means I’ve put in over 25K since I picked the story back up, and 15K since ROW80 started. It continues to be excellent to be writing a first draft again after the editing work I’ve been doing over the past few years.

How’s your Thursday, Squiders? We’re supposed to get about a foot of snow overnight, but I’m a bit skeptical. (Also, how many books can you successfully juggle at one time?)

Too Many Books (and a ROW80 Check-in)
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2 thoughts on “Too Many Books (and a ROW80 Check-in)

  • January 31, 2014 at 6:57 am
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    I too have several books on the go. I now try to keep it down to the basics: a non-fiction/self-help book, a script/play, and one fiction book at the most. The non-fiction is usually what’s on my Kindle and the others are physical copies, though this time the play is the physical copy and the fiction and non-fiction are on the Kindle.

    It’s really about the purposes of reading something, for me. The non-fiction is usually education based, fiction for fun, and the play can be an either/or situation.

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  • February 1, 2014 at 2:29 am
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    How can one have too many books?

    I have always had more than one on the go – cannot get in and out of bath now so have to miss that treat, however, there’s one in the handbag, one next to bed, one in lounge, one in work room and there is always at least one maybe more non-fiction, some for research or some for fun – I belong to two book groups so those books have to be read regardless of what else is on the go – and there are the e-books and occasionally I read those to review so they have to be read – have I missed any.

    Prob. most I have juggled has been about five or six – I used to only buy handbags if a paperback could be fitted in – even evening bags (one never knew when a date might turn out to sooo boring a book was a better option!!:)

    all the best fellow reader:)

    Reply

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Books by Kit Campbell

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