Booking Through Thursday: On a Roll

Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?

I don’t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that… Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors . . .

Like many of you, it is rare that I am not in the middle of a book. Although it is possible that much of what I read is connected by invisible strings or threads, I am not always aware of them. My motivations for picking up a particular book to read at any given moment changes from book to book and are often random (although not always as you will see).

I sometimes go through reading phases where my cravings dictate my reading choices. I may be in the mood for nothing but suspense or crime fiction or perhaps decide that I have neglected the fantasy genre too long and need to devote an entire month to reading just fantasy. This past summer, I read several books set in Africa back to back. And then there are times when I read series books one after the other until I start to feel myself growing weary of them. In those instances, I have learned my limit well and am able to stop before the enjoyment wears off.

Most often, however, I am a mixer. I like to mix up the types of books I read, vary the genre or category to avoid getting burnt out on one or another. And occasionally, I just like to follow something more serious or thought provoking with something light and funny. In that way, the book I read before has an impact on what I might chose to read next.

This is the first year I have participated in group reading challenges, and those have dictated much of my reading in the past several months. I have not made a habit of rushing through one challenge before moving onto another,instead preferring to try and space my challenge book reading out, alternating between challenge and non-challenge books. My reading this year has been more planned and less spontaneous than it once was because of the challenges. I know that many people find that off putting, however, it has worked well for me overall--just not when I have too many books on my plate to read and not enough time on my hands to fit them all in.