Why so many books?

I was recently reminded by a conversation I overheard that I’m probably not in the majority when it comes to reading habits. It seems that most readers I know like to stick to one book at a time, or possibly have two books not at all like each other (say a mystery novel and a science book) going simultaneously. My Distractibility does not allow me to remain faithful to one book (or even two) cover to cover.

There are probably many complex reasons for this that might be unearthed by way of several psychoanalysis sessions. Frankly, I’m not sure I need to know myself that well. I have, however, nailed down about three main reasons why I almost always have and probably will continue to have several books containing bookmarks indicating my last stopping place at any given time.

Probably the simplest reason is that Distractibility I mentioned above. I tend to lose interest in even the greatest books, often right around the middle. Since I have an ever-growing pile of other books, one of those will inevitably tempt me away from the book in which I’ve become mired. This probably happens to just about everybody who owns a bunch of books or visits their local library often, but most of those people are probably sane enough to recognize that the book they have abandoned isn’t interesting enough for them to finish. Not me. It’s rare that I’ll completely give my interest up for dead. I usually put the book aside for a while and play around with another one.

Another reason I’ll move on to something else is to create a sense of progress. If I’m reading something extremely long, like The Book of Genji or Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I re-read last year, I can feel like I’ll never finish. Then, I’ll pick up something shorter, like The Wizard of Oz or something by Laura Ingalls Wilder so I can be involved in a story that’s moving right along. This particular practice has become even more useful since I began The Distractible Reader. Reading books of various lengths at the same time helps me to have more to post about more often.

As factually based as the above two paragraphs are, the greatest reason I keep a few books rather than just one book going at the same time is that I love (love, love!) starting a new book. The excitement! The potential! The idea of days (or, in my case even weeks) of wonder ahead! Who can resist that? Who would want to?

Many years ago, I somehow found myself with not enough to do. Thoughts of starting a new book before finishing the one I was reading became overwhelming. I wanted to do it all the time. There was something weak in my character, I thought, if I just gave in to such irresponsible urges. I can’t live like this! And so I limited myself to Fridays for starting new books. Now, my Friday book is almost a ritual. It’s something I look forward to all week long. I don’t always start a new book each week. Sometimes I actually am content to sit with one of the four or so that I’ve already started.  Imagine that.

The bottom line is that I love to read. Experiencing more than one story, commentary, history, or conglomeration of facts at a time is fulfilling. I think I’ll always be giving in to distraction, needing to give myself a sense of progress, or desiring to experience a new opening paragraph. And really. There are so many books. So many books.

 

 

A Year of Books that are Older than Me