How to read more than one book at once

6 practical tips to read multiple books simultaneously to serve your reading life

Reading multiple books at once is absolute chaos, but it can be joyful chaos if you approach it with a bit of intention. There’s something liberating about reading more than just the one book at a time, whether you’re a mood reader or prefer more structure. I love it myself, and my recent record is four—a strange mélange of Babel by R. F. Kuang, The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, Disability Intimacy by Alice Wong, and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Why do I do this?

• It helps me avoid a reading slump, since I can switch between books if I’m not in the mood for one.

• It frees me to read at my own pace and indulge in slow reads. I’m guilty of tying my reading speed to productivity, or not wanting to spend months on a single book, and I’m not sure I would reach for big books or delve into slow reads if those were the only books I was reading at any given time. Reading faster-paced books with a long read trundling along in the background has helped me pick up things I might otherwise have been intimidated by.

• My TBR list is approaching Earth’s circumference at this point, and reading multiple books gives me the illusion that I’m making progress (this is the real reason).

• Certain genres can be heavier or drier, and I like flipping to something lighter at the end of a long day.

If you want to read a few books together too, here are my tips!

How to read multiple books at the same time: 6 practical tips

1. Read different genres. The easiest way to do this is to read one fiction and one non-fiction book. There’s no way to mix up James by Percival Everett, a bold retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (read my full book review here—all other book reviews linked in text) with Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, an exposé of how Facebook approaches international relations and policy, or Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick, a family drama about estranged sisters (read my interview with the author here). Even within fiction, I try to read different genres, as I find that if they’re too similar, like two fantasies or two contemporary novels set in the same country, I get the worlds and even the characters mixed up.

2. Switch between heavy and light books. This has the benefit of reading different genres and gives you breathing space. When We Do Not Part by Han Kang makes your heart feel heavy and you need a little pick-me-up, you can reach for Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa to melt all your worries away, or The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada for an uplifting read.

3. Start reading new books on different days. If you do read similar books at the same time, make sure you understand one world well before reaching for another. For example, if you have just started a new book, you can wait a few days before adding another book once you’ve found your footing in the earlier one.

4. Read different types of books in different physical settings. Since I started my current job, I’ve been reading business or economics-related books during work breaks, and keep fiction reads for when I’m home, though sometimes I can’t resist a bit of crossover. This helps keep the books separate, and even if you’re reading similar genres, the change in setting makes it easier to distinguish between them.

5. Read in different mediums. Nowadays, I do all my reading on my iPad or phone, but for a period, I would read an e-book on-the-go and a physical book when I had more time to settle in at home. You can also add in audiobooks.

6. Take notes while reading. When reading multiple books, it’s really important to be able to hold them separately in your mind, and intentionally taking notes can help with this. I tend to save my favourite quotes and always think about what I need to remember for my book review. Whilst you don’t have to write full book reviews, making note of things that leave an impression on you will help you keep track of what you’re reading, not to mention gain a deeper understanding of the book, which is inherently good.

Reading multiple books at once isn’t about productivity or hitting a certain number; it’s about enjoying your reading life in the way that feels most like you. There’s no pressure to read a few books together and it’s so beautiful to immerse yourself in one book, but this approach works for me and makes me happy with my reading. For me, this way of reading is liberating. Instead of feeling pressured to pick the one perfect book that will suit my needs and moods for the next few weeks, I know the variety will serve me well, trusting that I will get to the right book at the right time.

If you would like to try my approach to reading multiple books at the same time yourself, I hope these tips help!

I’d love to know what works for you! How many books do you typically read together, and how do you keep track of them? And if you’re a one-book-at-a-time reader, what do you love most about that focus?

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