# What Kind of reader are YOU?



## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

I've heard that some people are Linear readers, and others are able to read multiple books at one time. I personally am a Linear reader. I read one at a time and then move on to the next. I do read my textbooks/ school books while I'm in the middle of a book of choice but only read one of "my" books at a time.


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## egh34 (Jan 11, 2009)

Most of the time I am linear, but there are times when I am reading a slow book, that I need to read a fast paced book. (Non fiction and mystery thriller. Most of the time I can't read books in the same genre, they have to be seperate. I have a multi-level house and have been known to have a book on every level (4).


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

I am mostly a linear reader but I made an exception today.  I am 3/4 of the way through "The House of a Thousand Candles" by Meredith Nicholson (got for free at mobi) but did a detour to read "UR" by Stephen King, which I got delivered today...several days early....from Amazon.

But almost any other time, it is linear all the way!!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Pre-K, I kept a book in every room, one in my car and one at work, so I always had several going at once.  With the K, I tried reading just one at a time since I couldn't keep one in every room.  Didn't work.  Old habit reasserted itself and right now I'm reading five books, all different genres.


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## nelamvr6 (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm mostly a one at a time reader...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I said multiple but that's only since I had a Kindle.  Before that I was mostly linear.  Though when working I had a second book at work so I didn't have to carry a book back and forth.  I'm multiple now mostly because of the Book Klubs

Ann


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

multiple but less so since I got my Kindle -- I used to have books everywhere - each room, each car, my knitting bag  now I have my Kindle with me all the time so I can stick to one book at a time (or 2 or 3)


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2009)

I have tried to read multiple books at a time. It just does not work for me. I either get the books confused or end up not enjoying them as much as I should have. I suppose it could have some kind of humorous results for me, though. 

Sookie could have sent Bubba to help Edgar take care of that nasty uncle of his. While, Stephanie could have sent her Grandma Mazur to provide back up. Meanwhile, the dogs could play with Bod Owens.


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

I read anywhere from 1-4 books at a time. If a book is really good I try not to just blast right through it, I start more books so I can make the good ones last. Of course that means the slow books are taking even longer to finish but I eventually do finish them and move right along to more books. It's a sickness I think.

Melissa


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

I read 2 at a time, a fiction and nonfiction. If I try more than two I become disoriented.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

I'm a mixture of a Linear Reader and a "Other Reader". Other Reader being.... I'm very slow. I purchase books but it takes me a while to get to them or to go through them. Busy Busy.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

Other I skip between books if I get bored with them. Although if I come across a book I like I stick to that one book.


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

LuckyRainbow said:


> I have tried to read multiple books at a time. It just does not work for me. I either get the books confused or end up not enjoying them as much as I should have. I suppose it could have some kind of humorous results for me, though.
> 
> Sookie could have sent Bubba to help Edgar take care of that nasty uncle of his. While, Stephanie could have sent her Grandma Mazur to provide back up. Meanwhile, the dogs could play with Bod Owens.


rofl, that's hilarious, lr. I'm totally copying that for reference later.
I read multiple books at the same time. However, I have not been observed to rotate while doing it. Although until last night, I had not been observed to post with a Scottish accent either, so take that in whatever way you see fit.


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## bosslady402 (Nov 6, 2008)

I chose 'other' so I guess I'm supposed to explain - If it's a new book, I'll finish it before starting another new book. But once I've finished the book (or the series), I'll jump around the library depending on what I feel like reading at any given time. 

For example, I blew through all 6 Outlander books in about 19 days over the holidays, but in the past month I've been re-reading parts of them all, in no particular order. Alot of the time I was looking for references from one book to another, and highlighting them so I could find them again.

Finally got over that though, and just started 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins. This will be a little slower going; have to actually think and make sure I understand everything as it goes along.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

bosslady said:


> For example, I blew through all 6 Outlander books in about 19 days over the holidays, but in the past month I've been re-reading parts of them all, in no particular order. Alot of the time I was looking for references from one book to another, and highlighting them so I could find them again.


I still can't get over that you did that. Did you have someone shoving cups of coffee in your hand so you wouldn't have to get up?


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## bosslady402 (Nov 6, 2008)

It was probably only 4-5 hours of reading a day, on average. I did still work, but didn't do much else on some days! 

If it's the kind of book where I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next, and especially where I already know the characters, I read really fast. I did the same thing with each of the Harry Potter books -about 8 hours each even for the big ones. Some people think that reading it so fast diminishes the experience, but what I end up doing is re-reading them (non-sequentially) for quite a while afterwards. I get the initial rush of getting carried away with the story, but I also get the enjoyment of all the little details afterwards. When I read the first few books of the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey, it was 2 months before I could tear myself away and read something different! 

I have to rest now, though, and read something intellectual - all about gene splicing and natural selection. Happy Birthday Charles Darwin!


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## CuriousLaura (Feb 7, 2009)

bosslady said:


> If it's the kind of book where I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next, and especially where I already know the characters, I read really fast. I did the same thing with each of the Harry Potter books -about 8 hours each even for the big ones. Some people think that reading it so fast diminishes the experience, but what I end up doing is re-reading them (non-sequentially) for quite a while afterwards. I get the initial rush of getting carried away with the story, but I also get the enjoyment of all the little details afterwards.


I'm like that too, I think I'm a multiple reader because I read around three books at a time (ADD anyone?), but when it's a series or a book I LUV to the point of obsession I have to finish it and read only that one. Once I finish the series I go back some time later and re-read it slowly and enjoy it in a different way.
 I'm weird like that...


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## bosslady402 (Nov 6, 2008)

CuriousLaura said:


> I'm weird like that...


naw, now that's there's at least 2 of us, you no longer need to consider it weird, just eccentric!


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## Gruntman (Feb 9, 2009)

I never considered text books or tech manuals to be reading, probably because when I read one it's to learn something specific and then I stop.  When it comes to books I fire right though them taking those pesky DTBs with me whereever I go.  I am fast reader, if I don't have work I can go through the average book in a weekend, if it is par of a series and the books have come years apart I have been known to start the whole series over just for an uninterrupted story experience( I have read the first few Deverry books by K. Kerr, several times).

The worst for me is when I finish one book, I never have another ready to start.  Of course that will change when my Kindle 2 gets here...if  it ever gets here....THIS WAITING IS KILLING ME.

OK calm now.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I vary between one and five books at a time. If a new book in a series that I read is coming out, I go back and reread the series to keep myself up to date with the story line. I won't read anything else at that time. If that isn't going on, I usually try to keep several others going at the same time. I do this especially if I am trying to read someting that is hard going for me. Right now I have King Solomon's Mines, The Cabinet of Curiosities, The Outlaw Demon Wails (DTV) going so that I can try to get through Lord Jim.


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## ConnieK (Jan 7, 2009)

Two always. One on Kindle or DTB (currently Dewey, The Small Town Cat Who Touched the World) and one audiobook (Outlander) for working out and driving.  Wishing I had the 16 shades of gray for Dewey - lots of cute photos of the cat.


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## tc (Oct 29, 2008)

98% of the time I just read one book at a time.  There are a few times where I read a couple at a time.


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## ljloula (Dec 16, 2008)

I've always been a multiple reader, with books in every location in the house and some just at work as several of you have mentioned. Now I find that I'm more linear, but not always. I still had some DTB requests waiting to come in at the library, so I paused to read those. I finished the Outlander series this week and have been skipping around reading bits and pieces of things on the Kindle. Have yet to settle to my next thorough read.


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## Dallas (Jan 25, 2009)

I was strictly a linnear reader in my pre-Kindle days.  Now the Kindle has turned me into a reading mult-tasking machine.  I currently have no fewer than 8 books in progress in my Kindle from Sc-fi, to westerns, to books about the current econmoic crisis, sports, biographies, and action thrillers.  When I get a little fatigued reading something heavy, I've got something lighter on the Kindle to switch over to.  The only thing that has suffered is my tv consumption and that as far as I'm concerned has been a good thing!


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## chiffchaff (Dec 19, 2008)

I used to be strictly linear too.  Now I read 2-3 at once, but they're always very different types of books.  I generally have one non-fiction and a couple of fiction books going, with one of the fictions being light and quick and the other more "literary".  I'd never do this if I had to carry all 3 around in DTB form.


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## CuriousLaura (Feb 7, 2009)

bosslady said:


> naw, now that's there's at least 2 of us, you no longer need to consider it weird, just eccentric!


Wow, I'm eccentric! I like that....


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## ScottBooks (Oct 28, 2008)

I still keep a book at work and a book in each car. (There's a book in my wife's car that I haven't had occasion to read since August; I'm still "reading" it). I am reading 5 books on my Kindle so that makes 8 that I'm reading right now. If a book comes out by an author I like I'll read straight through that. There are a lot of Tuesdays that I become a linear reader.


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

Hey Laura......the Devil wears Prada Quote in your Siggy should read "I'm one stomach flu away from my GOAL weight" .....hehe not Golden


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## CuriousLaura (Feb 7, 2009)

pomlover2586 said:


> Hey Laura......the Devil wears Prada Quote in your Siggy should read "I'm one stomach flu away from my GOAL weight" .....hehe not Golden


LOL ohhhhhh, I'll change it....THANKS LOL 
I did it by memory and I guess my memory is going down the drain.....age you know....


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

LOL you could blame it on age......I prefer to blame it on the characters accent   Great quote BTW


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm usually a linear reader. However I've read an entire 3 books while trying to finish Dean Koontz's Strangers. Don't get me wrong, I like the book, but it just won't end!


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## CuriousLaura (Feb 7, 2009)

pomlover2586 said:


> LOL you could blame it on age......I prefer to blame it on the characters accent  Great quote BTW


I wish I could, but I lived in London so I don't have an excuse.....one of my teachers was irish and one scottish, so after understanding them...I'm afraid I can't use that excuse, so let's stick with age...LMAO   
Thanks


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## Sweety18 (Feb 14, 2009)

When it comes to reading a book for fun then I'm a linear reader.  When it comes to reading for school, then I have to read multiple books at the same time.


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## Neversleepsawink;) (Dec 16, 2008)

The Kindle has turned me into a multiple reader....I use to only read one book at a time.


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## FSkornia (Feb 22, 2009)

When I grew up I was a multiple-reader (I think my record was somewhere around 7 books at a time), but as I went through high school and into college and beyond, I became a linear reader. Part of it was that I just carried my book around with me everywhere (think of how much a pain that was with hardcover Robert Jordan novels). With the Kindle that's so much easier. Also since I rip through books quickly (averaging 3-4 days for the denser ones), I don't miss much from when I read a bunch of books at the same time.


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