Friday, April 14, 2006

Multireading

It appears that Edgy Killer Bunny has triggered my competitive nature. Lest he beat me in book-reading, I have begun reading three books at a time.

Actually, how it happened is that, having finished Dark Sons, I picked up Wicked, which Tolkien Boy had lent me several months ago, and started to read. Reading Wicked, though, reminded me of the wicked-cool Oz-themed novel I want to write, which reminded me that before I do that I need to reread The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. So I checked it out of the library and started reading it to S-Boogie, then Foxy remembered that we own a copy of TWWOO (which happens to have much more interesting illustrations than the one I checked out), so I returned the library's copy and continued along in our own. S-Boogie is mainly interested in the lion on the cover. In the midst of all this, the book-on-cd version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that I'd requested at the library came in, so now I've started that as well. I highly recommend listening to Harry Potter while taking long walks through Orem. Especially when S-Boogie is ornery and to sit around the apartment with her would be torture.

So now I'm in the first few chapters of three books. This concerns me because in the past when I've tried reading more than one book at a time I quickly lost interest and gave up on one or all of them, and I really like all three of these. It would be a pity if I were to miss out on any of them because I'm trying to read all of them. So please, friends, lend me your book-reading willpower. Even you, Edgy.
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11 comments:

Tolkien Boy said...

I'm up to five.

Beat you.

But does this post mean you have my copy of "Wicked?" I had forgotten.

4/14/2006 2:45 PM
Katya said...

Oh, I always read lots of books at once, but a lot of them tend to be non-fiction, which makes them both too dry to sit down and read straight through and easier to pick up and put down. Right now I'm reading Rough Stone Rolling, No Strings Attached, Abelard: A Medieval Life, Identity Kits and I need to get started on Persuasion and a book on semiotics.

4/14/2006 2:56 PM
Christian said...

Ahh . . . Multireading. It's a difficult task. Right now I'm only reading two books simultaneously (though it would appear that I either need to read faster or more simultaneously). Well, three if you count the delightful manuscript I'm reading. Regardless, I find that multireading only works if you have different purposes for the books. For example, after I finish said delightful manuscript, I will resume reading Criss Cross (which really is a rather unengaging read, please let it end). During lunchbreaks, I read Me Talk Pretty One Day because I can't seem to get into David Sedaris at night.

So that's how I manage it.

Oh, and you should have just asked me to borrow the HP on CD. I have all of them except 6. In fact, in thinking about it, I might have already ripped them to mp3. You should talk to me about these things. I'm always supportive of converting new Potterphiles.

4/14/2006 3:31 PM
Christian said...

Oh, and Wicked is going to be difficult to get into. I like it, but it's not the most compelling read I've found on the planet. So you're just going to have to compel yourself through that one.

4/14/2006 3:33 PM
Lady Steed said...

Good luck with the multi reading Master FOB. Theric is always reading about four or more books at a time and it drives me crazy. I don't mind that he reads, what I mind is always tripping over the little stacks of books.

As a counter to what Edgy said about Wicked, I loved it! I couldn't put it down and finished it in a week. However, I thought the sequel, Son of a Witch, was not nearly as good.

4/14/2006 3:44 PM
Christian said...

Don't tell me that about Son of a Witch. I've been waiting for it to hit paperback so I can buy it.

4/14/2006 3:54 PM
Cicada said...

To be the voice of dissention, put down Wicked. I hated it probably more than I've hated any book in a long time. If you like it, you may have my copy. Before I burn it.

4/14/2006 6:29 PM
Th. said...

.

I don't remember precisely what I felt about Wicked, but immediately after the final page, I took out my notebook and wrote a lengthy response to get out all the things I felt. Whatever they were. Mostly good, as I recall. I'll have to find the notebook.

I was, however, apalled at how lousy The Wizard of Oz was. Even worse than the movie.

Right now I am actively reading Howl's Moving Castle, Melengoch's book, a Jeeves and Wooster book, and The Time Traveler's Wife. In my car I am listening to Citizen of the Galaxy. I am in the middle of who knows how many short story collections and short story magazines, and a wonderfully snide book on writing bestsellers (which I seem to have lost).

The other books I'm in the middle of (Will of the World and....others, no doubt) are on lengthy pause. This is common. It took me years to read Les Mis and I loved Les Mis. Such is my reading life.

Um. I think that's it at just this moment.

Was anyone counting?

4/14/2006 7:41 PM
Erin aka- absent-minded secretary said...

I am a three stage book person. The first stage is my car, the second is my desk at work for lunch break reading, and the last is next to my bed.

Car books are the begining stages, books that I haven't become too attached to yet. When I enjoy a story enough to devote a an hour at a time, they get promoted to the desk. After I have passed the point of no return and I must find out how the story ends, it gets promoted to my bedside. So, sometimes I can have up to five or six books going.

I have one book that has never made it past the car stage. It has been there over a year (through two cars) and I can never remember the name of it.

4/14/2006 8:19 PM
editorgirl said...

I'm just jealous. All I read are student papers and the rest of my energy goes to poetry. You and Edgy and anyone else who feels the need should help me start making a list for summer reading. And then I'll take you all to task. Until then, all my multireading vibes are being sent your way.

4/15/2006 12:52 AM
Tolkien Boy said...

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed Wicked, and that I read it in the late nineties before it was cool.

Oh, and Edgy, I have a very funny joke for you that is unprintable even on Master Fob's blog.

4/15/2006 8:16 PM

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