I think I’ve written about this before but I always read something from a writer (fiction, drama, poetry), scholar (history, philosophy, reference), and teacher (essays, memoirs, scripture). So sometimes I’m reading anywhere from 3-9 books at a time. I find this formula helps me to not get into reading ruts and have a lot of diversity. I probably read anywhere from 50-100 pages a day (that includes audiobooks, which I use a lot for fiction, poetry, and courses).
I’ve just recently got into reading multiple books at once and surprisingly, I got into it easily. I was pretty skeptic about people who do it because you have so many things to focus on. Currently, I am slow reading a big book that I target to finish in 3 months. In between chapters of the big book, I read one novel. Then in between novels I read a book of essays. One essay per novel. With my diminishing attention span, this really works for me.
I'm always reading at least one nonfiction book, one novel, and one book for work (I'm an editor). Also, my husband and I listen to an audiobook together an hour a day most of the time.
I wake up early too, take a walk, then read, before I jump into the shower and get ready for work. That’s around 30 mins. At work, if I’m not busy, I sneak in reading time too. Thank god my job isn’t that demanding. Then when I clock out, I immediately grab my book. If I don’t have a new show to watch or a video game to play. In a day I can easily read minimum 50 pages. On the weekends, I get all my chores done then enjoy my day off with a book. Honestly, aside from basic human function things we need to do, all I ever do is read.
I generally have two books going at a time. In the mornings I will read non-fiction or more 'literary' fiction that I want to spend more time with and think more deeply about. In the afternoon, when reading time is more likely to be interrupted by kids or chores, I read lighter fiction, (thrillers, mysteries etc), that I can pick up and put down repeatedly and not lose as much of my flow.
As a stay-at-home parent to young kids, my reading looks different than it used to. Now, I almost exclusively read at night right before going to bed. I deleted Instagram & watch shows rarely which is how I'm able to still read a fair amount. I tend to have two books going at the same time-- one "easy" read (fiction, memoir) and one "harder" (nonfiction, a classic). I also very occasionally have an audiobook for when I'm doing tasks around the house & my kids are blessedly occupied 😆
Yes, parenting young kids certainly makes it different, doesn't it? We quickly adopted watching less TV (~45 min/day) and reading more at night, which we've come to really enjoy.
I can relate! I niw have a granddaughter and so the cycle begins again. As my children grew and schools assigned modern authors, it kept me up on the newest authors to read.
I've recently started listening to and reading a book at the same time. Listen to the book when I walk and read it on Kindle or print form at other times of the day. I find that the two mediums complement each other and I think I get more out of the work. The upside is that I burn through a book in 2 days or so.
I'm a writer so I don't read any fiction in the morning before I write. I find that it messes with the voice of the book I'm writing. After lunch, though, I can read whatever I want.
Our library has a shelf of new acquisitions. I often find gems there I did not know about. I read at night and usually have two to three books going at a time, bot fiction and non fiction. I love reading late at night as I tend to drift into a light sleep and characters from other books will dream themselves into the book in my hands. I am in two Substack slow reads of Russian classics, which slows me down and has taught me to savor a book very slowly. I love nonfiction for lay people, as well as fiction. I have recently returned to books I had to read in high school as I don’t remember anything except wondering why we had to read them. Some classics arrived too early in my life. Right now I am in the midst of Waves in a Cosmic Sea about quantum physics in deep space, The Plague by Camus (so Covid pandemic related) War and Peace (Substack) and Crime and Punishment (Substack.).
"I love reading late at night as I tend to drift into a light sleep and characters from other books will dream themselves into the book in my hands." — What a lovely way of seeing it!
I’m a member of a private lending library formed over 275 years ago. I visit every other week and come back with a rucksack full of books: some selected from their stacks by lucky dip and some from the current and new acquisitions. These I read one at a time unless they’re annoying. It is my mind gymnasium.
Now that I'm retired, reading time is easier! I swim or try my hand at pickleball first, then come home to a leisurely coffee and book time. Scripture, the Big Read assignment, then maybe a bit of time on a mystery, thriller. I spend about an hour and a half total. It's wonderful!
My reading habits can vary depending on what I want to read and what my life looks like. I enjoy reading history and many history books are quite dense, so I read them like I did in school, a chapter or two at a time with other books read in between. I also do this with essay and short story collections. Since starting to participate in The Big Read my reading looks like this on a weekly basis - Thursday and Friday for the week’s designated reading, the rest of the week for the book I’m reading at the moment. I also usually have a poetry collection and a news magazine on my table that I read from on a daily basis.
Going through some life changes right now but trying to do 30 minutes of reading Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings before work (M/W are workouts) along with reading at lunch 2-3 times a week, the other days being socializing with colleagues. Then I try to squeeze in time before bed as well but it's hit or miss depending on life stuff.
I usually have a non-fiction and novel going though sometimes it's two novels (one thriller, one historical fiction or romance)
I usually have two or three books going at a time - one physical, one ebook, and one audiobook varying from fiction (horror, litfic, thrillers) to nonfiction. I love listening to memoirs and full cast audiobooks while I do chores or just need a screen/eye break. I love to read in the mornings and afternoons, especially with a hot beverage. I have a chair dedicated to being my reading chair, it's my cozy space to get lost in a book! I also often have a slow read of meditations or other mindful content that I read before practicing yoga or when I need to slow down.
Get up around 5am. Read for 15-30 minutes before working out. Work. Be with family. Read again before bed. Read for a few hours each weekend day. Repeat.
Typically, I read one book at a time. Reading at night helps me relax and prepares me for sleep. During the day, I will take some time in the afternoon for sustained reading. With the warmer weather I can sit on the front porch in the afternoon. My reading habit is one book at a time.
One habit I have is divide my ongoing 4-5 books into manageable chunks per day, by chapter, or if the chapters are especially long, sections, page breaks or a particular page count. Then, I keep track in a log / graph whether I finished that goal for the day. At a glance, I can then see my daily progress in my reading for the year.
I think I’ve written about this before but I always read something from a writer (fiction, drama, poetry), scholar (history, philosophy, reference), and teacher (essays, memoirs, scripture). So sometimes I’m reading anywhere from 3-9 books at a time. I find this formula helps me to not get into reading ruts and have a lot of diversity. I probably read anywhere from 50-100 pages a day (that includes audiobooks, which I use a lot for fiction, poetry, and courses).
I’ve just recently got into reading multiple books at once and surprisingly, I got into it easily. I was pretty skeptic about people who do it because you have so many things to focus on. Currently, I am slow reading a big book that I target to finish in 3 months. In between chapters of the big book, I read one novel. Then in between novels I read a book of essays. One essay per novel. With my diminishing attention span, this really works for me.
I like to balance something heavier with lighter fare.
I'm always reading at least one nonfiction book, one novel, and one book for work (I'm an editor). Also, my husband and I listen to an audiobook together an hour a day most of the time.
What are a few audiobooks you've recently enjoyed together?
The Demon of Unrest by Eric Larson was great, with the brilliant Will Patton narrating. Ethan Hawke's A Bright Ray of Darkness was really good too.
Ah what a great system! That makes more sense to me than just the fiction/non-fiction dichotomy that I see most often (including with myself).
I wake up early too, take a walk, then read, before I jump into the shower and get ready for work. That’s around 30 mins. At work, if I’m not busy, I sneak in reading time too. Thank god my job isn’t that demanding. Then when I clock out, I immediately grab my book. If I don’t have a new show to watch or a video game to play. In a day I can easily read minimum 50 pages. On the weekends, I get all my chores done then enjoy my day off with a book. Honestly, aside from basic human function things we need to do, all I ever do is read.
Love it — thanks for sharing, Jam!
I generally have two books going at a time. In the mornings I will read non-fiction or more 'literary' fiction that I want to spend more time with and think more deeply about. In the afternoon, when reading time is more likely to be interrupted by kids or chores, I read lighter fiction, (thrillers, mysteries etc), that I can pick up and put down repeatedly and not lose as much of my flow.
Tends to be my exact routine as well! Thanks for sharing.
As a stay-at-home parent to young kids, my reading looks different than it used to. Now, I almost exclusively read at night right before going to bed. I deleted Instagram & watch shows rarely which is how I'm able to still read a fair amount. I tend to have two books going at the same time-- one "easy" read (fiction, memoir) and one "harder" (nonfiction, a classic). I also very occasionally have an audiobook for when I'm doing tasks around the house & my kids are blessedly occupied 😆
Yes, parenting young kids certainly makes it different, doesn't it? We quickly adopted watching less TV (~45 min/day) and reading more at night, which we've come to really enjoy.
I can relate! I niw have a granddaughter and so the cycle begins again. As my children grew and schools assigned modern authors, it kept me up on the newest authors to read.
Love that — I plan on reading much of whatever my kids read in school. :) Our oldest is 9, so he's just getting into some good stuff.
I've recently started listening to and reading a book at the same time. Listen to the book when I walk and read it on Kindle or print form at other times of the day. I find that the two mediums complement each other and I think I get more out of the work. The upside is that I burn through a book in 2 days or so.
I'm a writer so I don't read any fiction in the morning before I write. I find that it messes with the voice of the book I'm writing. After lunch, though, I can read whatever I want.
I've also found that I really enjoy consuming a book in multiple formats when they're available.
Our library has a shelf of new acquisitions. I often find gems there I did not know about. I read at night and usually have two to three books going at a time, bot fiction and non fiction. I love reading late at night as I tend to drift into a light sleep and characters from other books will dream themselves into the book in my hands. I am in two Substack slow reads of Russian classics, which slows me down and has taught me to savor a book very slowly. I love nonfiction for lay people, as well as fiction. I have recently returned to books I had to read in high school as I don’t remember anything except wondering why we had to read them. Some classics arrived too early in my life. Right now I am in the midst of Waves in a Cosmic Sea about quantum physics in deep space, The Plague by Camus (so Covid pandemic related) War and Peace (Substack) and Crime and Punishment (Substack.).
"I love reading late at night as I tend to drift into a light sleep and characters from other books will dream themselves into the book in my hands." — What a lovely way of seeing it!
Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m a member of a private lending library formed over 275 years ago. I visit every other week and come back with a rucksack full of books: some selected from their stacks by lucky dip and some from the current and new acquisitions. These I read one at a time unless they’re annoying. It is my mind gymnasium.
Ah, that's so cool!
Now that I'm retired, reading time is easier! I swim or try my hand at pickleball first, then come home to a leisurely coffee and book time. Scripture, the Big Read assignment, then maybe a bit of time on a mystery, thriller. I spend about an hour and a half total. It's wonderful!
Oh that sounds so lovely! Thanks for sharing!
I read anywhere and everywhere. I am a compulsive reader and carry a book always.
The one place I do not read is in bed
Compulsive reading is the best reading. :)
My reading habits can vary depending on what I want to read and what my life looks like. I enjoy reading history and many history books are quite dense, so I read them like I did in school, a chapter or two at a time with other books read in between. I also do this with essay and short story collections. Since starting to participate in The Big Read my reading looks like this on a weekly basis - Thursday and Friday for the week’s designated reading, the rest of the week for the book I’m reading at the moment. I also usually have a poetry collection and a news magazine on my table that I read from on a daily basis.
I think that's a great way to approach big/dense books. Slow and steady wins the race! (Or at least completes it.)
Going through some life changes right now but trying to do 30 minutes of reading Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings before work (M/W are workouts) along with reading at lunch 2-3 times a week, the other days being socializing with colleagues. Then I try to squeeze in time before bed as well but it's hit or miss depending on life stuff.
I usually have a non-fiction and novel going though sometimes it's two novels (one thriller, one historical fiction or romance)
Love it, thanks for sharing! Even in the midst of big life changes, reading can keep us grounded as one of those foundational, unchanging habits.
I usually have two or three books going at a time - one physical, one ebook, and one audiobook varying from fiction (horror, litfic, thrillers) to nonfiction. I love listening to memoirs and full cast audiobooks while I do chores or just need a screen/eye break. I love to read in the mornings and afternoons, especially with a hot beverage. I have a chair dedicated to being my reading chair, it's my cozy space to get lost in a book! I also often have a slow read of meditations or other mindful content that I read before practicing yoga or when I need to slow down.
Love all of this — thanks for sharing Jill!
Get up around 5am. Read for 15-30 minutes before working out. Work. Be with family. Read again before bed. Read for a few hours each weekend day. Repeat.
That's roughly my routine too. Been working for years!
Typically, I read one book at a time. Reading at night helps me relax and prepares me for sleep. During the day, I will take some time in the afternoon for sustained reading. With the warmer weather I can sit on the front porch in the afternoon. My reading habit is one book at a time.
One habit I have is divide my ongoing 4-5 books into manageable chunks per day, by chapter, or if the chapters are especially long, sections, page breaks or a particular page count. Then, I keep track in a log / graph whether I finished that goal for the day. At a glance, I can then see my daily progress in my reading for the year.
Marvelous. I'm generally only doing one Pulitzer Project book at a time. I may start doing fic/non-fic at the same time, though.
When I am working on something, I will be reading for that (history, mathematics, fiction) otherwise I will be filling in sections that I missed.