Reading Four Books Simultaneously
I Didn't Think I Could Do It, But Turns Out I Can
Hello, my lovely bookish friend!!!
Welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books. How's your reading going?
Yesterday, I was on a call with my brother, and he asked me which book I’m reading at the moment. I told him I am reading four books and he was shocked. He was like four books? Simultaneously? How does that even work?
It was so funny because I think I would have reacted exactly the same until just a few weeks ago. On bookstagram I often see people reading multiple books at the same time. I was always so baffled by the idea. I believed if I attempted that, all the stories would get mixed up into a tangled mess inside my head. But so far that hasn't been happening and I’m fairly surprised by that. I think it works because of the particular combination of the books.
For example, one of the books I’m reading is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Not only have I read this book several times before, but it's also my favourite book. It's like I have a separate compartment in my brain specifically dedicated to this book. So it's not likely that I will get this one mixed up with any other books.
Another book I'm reading is The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. In a sense I consider this my main read of the four. I’m actively giving it more thought than the other three, trying to figure it out. Because firstly, it's my first time reading this book and secondly because of its serious philosophical and introspective content.
My third read is Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono. This is my first time reading it but having watched the movie twice, I already know the story. While I’m enjoying reading it, I’m not spending much time thinking about it. I’m reading it in Japanese, and seeing it more as a Japanese reading exercise. And the different input method somewhat helps with keeping it separate from the other books.
The fourth book I’m reading is Welcome To The Hyunam Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum. It's a modern story set in our world of Instagram and book blogs. I don't think there are many people who would get this one mixed up with Wuthering Heights or The Idiot or even Kiki. It's laid back and slow and slice of life-ish. Also, I'm not ‘reading’ reading it, I'm listening to an audiobook. So I think that is also helping keep it separate.
I think it'd have been a lot more difficult to read four similar books simultaneously. For example if I tried to read four Agatha Christie novels simultaneously, I’m pretty sure I'd end up pulling all my hair out. But since I'm not, so far my reading has been quite easy, and fun. I never thought I could do this. Isn't it funny how we have so many assumptions about ourselves that we firmly believe only one day to find out that we were wrong?
What about you? Do you read multiple books at the same time? Don’t forget to let me know.
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That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.
Until then,
Joyie 🌻