# How many books do you have going at any given time?



## EMWUZX (Oct 2, 2014)

SEE BOTTOM FOR TL;DR
I'm just curious. I'm wondering if there is a correlation between extraversion/introversion and number of books read at one time.

I tend to have 3 or 4 going at one time. I'll have more if the topic of one book coincides with another. 

I actually read fairly slowly. I tried to learn speed reading, and can up to about 500WPM, but I just don't absorb the level of information which I deem acceptable when I do so. 

What I'm saying is that I don't have many going at one time because I read them quickly, I just prefer to have different material to switch to if I get bored.

Also, what are you currently reading? I just want to see what books various NTs tend to read. 

I'm currently reading:

"What Every BODY Is Saying" by Joe Navarro - Excellent overview of body language

"How to talk to Anyone" by Leil Lowndes - Cool tricks to make yourself look better, etc. not just crap, but actually well supported things.

"Crucial Conversations" by a bunch of people who I'm too lazy to name - Excellent book on how to handle awkward social situations.

"The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal - Cool book about willpower. It has some cool psych info in it too, but nothing too deep.

"The Art of Seduction" by some manipulative asshole that writes great manipulative books - Do you want to manipulate people? This is the book for you.

I'm also reading several textbooks, but I do that a lot of the time. I like to collect old textbooks and leaf through them on occasion. They are the only type of book that I can't get in E-book format, so they're special.

TL;DR - What are you reading currently? How many books do you have going normally?:crazy:


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## Wololo (Jul 17, 2014)

I prefer to do it one by one. I read in chunks of approximately two hours (depends on the book, really. I could spend a whole day reading an interesting one and I'd have to split reading a boring one in chunks of 45 minutes or something if I really have to read it.).

I've been doing a lot of reading for school recently and I've had other things to do, but I borrowed a book on musical harmony by Felix Spiller. Unfortunately, I'll have to return it fairly soon and I basically just started the damn thing. Reading a book that includes musical notation is, I find it, quite a challenge for someone who has had no official musical education.

Other than that, random science fiction generally does the trick. I've been also planning to read more essays and similar stuff.


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## kannbrown (Oct 3, 2014)

God knows, I can have a dozen going at a time, or be caught up in one, depending on mood and the books, themselves. I can be a bit.. (a lot) ADD about it, but I do finish them. Eventually.


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## S33K3RZ (Oct 18, 2014)

I have 4-6 books and I don't use book markers but memorize the page numbers of each one at any given time.


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## Texas (Mar 24, 2013)

Similar to @*EMWUZX* I usually have 3-4 on Kindle going at any one time, variety of subjects. Every once in a while I'll get really interested in one and leave all the rest until I finish it.


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## EMWUZX (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks for the replies! Interesting though, I assumed that there would be a correlation between type and number of books read at one time. I figured that introverts would have a tendency to read one book to death, weaning all of the information, whereas extraverts would read many books at once, gaining a solid overview.

Guess I was wrong. :tongue:


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## olonny (Jun 9, 2014)

I tend to have at least two at the same time: the one I'm reading for the first time and some other I'm rereading. But the thing is, at first I get reaaally excited, the thrill of something new that apparently is quite common in ENTP. Then… it’s quite hard for me to keep the motivation sometimes, especially if my expectations on that book are fairly high. Therefore more often than not, I start a book and later forget about it not even finishing it, most of the times because another interesting book comes along :blushed:
Right now I’m reading Ken Follett’s Edge of eternity which I’m really enjoying and at the same time I’m rereading HP 5: the order of the phoenix – I’ve been rereading HP from the beginning for the past two years. At this speed, with several books in between, I’m guessing I’d be able to finish them all for the second time in like… 4 years? LOL


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## Agelastos (Jun 1, 2014)

Depends. Usually one novel and quite a few anthologies. Maybe a non-fiction book or two as well (not counting the ones I only use as reference works). I always have a tower of books on my nightstand, and a bunch of books (usually old/rare books that are too expensive or hard to find as hard copies) on my phone (I don't own a tablet).

Currently, I'm reading _The Listener and Other Stories_ by Algernon Blackwood, _The Night Land_ by William Hope Hodgson, _Vril, the Power of the Coming Race_ by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and _Meditations on the Peaks: Mountain Climbing as Metaphor for the Spiritual Quest_ by Julius Evola. I was reading _The Difference Engine_ by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, but I put it down and forgot about it for ~6 months.


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## Windblownhair (Aug 12, 2013)

2-5, depending on how focused I feel. I typically have a nonfiction book on the topic that I'm studying, and then a fiction book I break it up with. The number tends to increase when I find:
1) a fiction book that directly correlates to the topic I'm studying
2) more nonfiction books that relate to the topic
3) a book I need to read for work


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## XZ9 (Nov 16, 2013)

I have two books checked out.


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## Wayside (Nov 29, 2012)

Usually 2-5 books at a time. I tend to keep a balance of fiction and non-fiction. When the number of books I have on the go slows my ability to get through what I'm reading I'll try to focus on a couple. My choice of books is usually on different topics, so when I am reading too many at once it's a sign that I'm taking on too much to the point that it's counterproductive.


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## Starberry (Oct 17, 2014)

As someone who used to essentially live in the library I'm ashamed to say 0 at the moment. My attention is being robbed of me on more immediate concerns. But I do have Hannibal on my desk at the moment waiting for when I have the time for it. Otherwise I'm reading articles off my phone while I'm waiting and afk.


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## Greyhart (Oct 13, 2014)

One at a time. Usually I finish it in one of two days. If the book is so-so I'm likely to drop it for next one.


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## kat123 (Oct 14, 2014)

I have an ever growing list of books from which I pick one book and read that one until It's 100% complete.
Focusing on more than 1 complex task at a time exponentially increases the time taken to finish each task. 

I don't apply this to study books as I don't read the entire book and I need to cross reference between the books


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## Arkantos (Dec 12, 2013)

Typically just one, but I keep many around for general reference.


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## Surreal Snake (Nov 17, 2009)

6 to 8 generally


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## EMWUZX (Oct 2, 2014)

Again, thanks for all the replies people! I do wonder what traits lead a person to read multiple books rather than one at a time? It could be an attention thing I suppose.

I personally find that I assimilate information better if I read more than one thing at once. I can kind of guage how much information I can take regarding one subject, and then switch subjects once I've reached that limit.

On another note: I just got a copy of "Yes!" in the mail. I couldn't find it in e-book form, so I just got it used. It's cool thus far.

EDIT: I was going to quote @kat123 and make a joke about how I treat most books as study books, but I quoted the wrong person, and couldn't copy/paste for some reason...


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## xisnotx (Mar 20, 2014)

one at a time for me. right now i'm reading, what i think is going to be, a cultural epic of sorts...with a twist of romance maybe? 

i just thought the title was catchy lol...i figure i'll know what it's about when i'm done reading it..


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## JKRfan (Apr 20, 2014)

I am normally reading one nonfiction book and a fiction book at home, plus anything assigned to me, so normally three at a time


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## _Timshel (Sep 1, 2014)

I can't read just one. I am reading:

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King.
Decisions in Philadelphia by Neiller.
What in the World is Going On by Jeremiah.

I am always reading a fiction novel (usually a classic or Stephen King), a historical/nonfiction book, and a religious/philosophical book. That is the way I have done since middle school. I don't read them all at the same rate, however. Usually I get through the fiction ones more quickly than the other two.


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## ArBell (Feb 10, 2014)

Most times two, sometimes 3.
They tend to be of different genres too, novel/self help, fiction, philsophy.


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