Reading Experiment // Can I Read Multiple Books at a Time?

I've been struggling with reading for about six months. I've only read at most four books a month during this time and it's breaking my book-loving heart. I thought January would change some things but I only read four books and two were graphic novels. I want to get up to reading eight books a month in March so I am training myself to read more efficiently. And it all started with Whitney Opfar.

I don't know if it was her calming voice or what but her video made me think this was it. This could change my reading game. So I gave it a try for three+ weeks and this is how it went:

Week 1

I started Atomic Habits first and I planned on adding my second book a few days later. I've read Atomic Habits before but wanted a refresher so I could incorporate some of the tips into my life. I would read for about 15 minutes at a time and then eventually I added Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder on Saturday. 

I was initially worried about the main character in Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder because she had been described as kind of materialistic, and flighty so I knew I had to get through the first chapter to see whether I would like this book or not. It is also my Tiana read for my Disney Princess Controls My Life series so it was very hyped in my mind. 

Mainly I noticed that I read more on my day off which wasn't surprising. I was happy that I started that second book so the experiment could finally truly begin.

Day 1

Atomic Habits - 18 pages

Day 2

Atomic Habits - 19 pages

Day 3

N/A

Day 4

Atomic Habits - 32 pages

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder - 10 pages

Total Pages: 42 *

*Day Off

Week 1 Progress

Atomic Habits

Pages Read: 69 pages

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

Pages Read: 10 pages

Total Pages Read: 79 pages

Week 2

As you can probably tell by the number of book covers I added, I was going to read four books at a time if it was going to kill me. This was about the time I realized that this wasn't going to be easy. I decided I just wanted to beat the number of pages and books read in January. I also knew that I wasn't going to get through my whole tbr plan and I needed to change things up. I was so focused on my goals that it was limiting my reading. When I first saw Talk Santa to Me arrive at my library I said well, "I'm fitting this in no matter what." I really didn't care that Christmas was two months ago. The idea is to have fun reading while challenging myself. 

I got to a point where I stopped reading Atomic Habits and focused on Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder. I was getting impatient and I wanted to not only finish a book but to see what happens. I think I did force it a little too much and should have stuck more with the twenty or fifteen-minute rule for each book because I felt the forcefulness towards the end of reading my book.

I mainly read on my day off which is fine because I would sometimes read the days I worked. This is something I want to slowly change. I read at night mostly and on my breaks occasionally. I didn't read like how you would think (one book in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening). It's just not going to happen in the morning and the afternoon is a work in progress. I did the same thing Whitney from the video does and read everything before bed.

This is the week I first got a taste of reading sprints on YouTube. But I only focused on one book until the last day. The following week is when I used reading sprints to their full potential.

I finished one book and started three new books this week.

Day 5

Atomic Habits - 48 pages

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder - 66 pages

Total Pages: 114 *

Day 6

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder - 14 pages

Day 7

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder - 16 pages

Day 8

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder - 16 pages

Day 9

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder - 130 pages *

Day 10

The Ice Palace - 4 pages

The Pear Affair - 8 pages

Talk Santa to Me - 8 pages

Total Pages: 20

Day 11

N/A

*Day Off

Week 2 Progress

Atomic Habits

Pages Read: 48 pages

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

Pages Read: 242 pages (Completed)

The Ice Palace

Pages Read: 4

The Pear Affair

Pages Read: 8

Talk Santa to Me

Pages Read: 8

Total Pages Read: 310 pages

Week 3 + Sunday

Reading Sprints here I come! I loved when I could get on a reading sprint. They helped me get through two more books. Yay! I still haven't beaten the number of books read in January but I've officially read more pages so that's a win. And none of them were graphic novels. Impressive.

I liked that I read a lot the night before my day off because I could relax and read late if I wanted to. That added an extra day of reading more than usual. I read multiple books at a time more often but I still let my two more challenging books go to the wayside more than I would have liked. 

I also did the same thing as I did before which was when I got to a point I just read one book until it was finished. It worked out a little better this time. It didn't feel as forced especially with Talk Santa to Me which I loved. I never would have read it if I had seen the average rating on Goodreads. I was confused and I'm glad I kept reading because it was exactly the book I needed.

I focused on percentages read this week. I would want to get to the next 10% before moving on to the next book. I think doing this is more motivating than the fifteen-minute increments I was doing before although there is a time and place for that (when I'm on break). It's a lot more satisfying and it got me to read more.

Day 12

Atomic Habits - 23 pages

The Ice Palace - 5 pages

The Pear Affair - 50 pages

Talk Santa to Me - 46 pages

Total Pages: 114 *

Day 13

N/A

Day 14

Atomic Habits - 12 pages

Day 15

The Pear Affair - 12 pages

Day 16

The Pear Affair - 81 pages

Talk Santa to Me - 234 pages

Total Pages: 315 *

Day 17

The Pear Affair - 137 pages

Day 18

The Ice Palace - 16 pages

Day 19

Atomic Habits - 50 pages

The Ice Palace - 21 pages

Nowhere Better Than Here - 38 pages

Total Pages: 109 *

*Day Off

Week 3 Progress

Atomic Habits

Pages Read: 85 pages

The Ice Palace

Pages Read: 42 pages

The Pear Affair

Pages Read: 280 pages (Completed)

Talk Santa to Me

Pages Read: 280 pages (Completed)

Total Pages Read: 687 pages

Conclusion

I thought this was a... success! I didn't perfectly execute reading multiple books at one time like I wanted to however, I not only read three books but I also had my reading spaced out more. If you look at the comparison of January vs. February reading below you'll see I just binge-read books in one day which can be tiresome. I think when it's the right book I'll read most of a book in one day but it's nice to have some delayed reading as well.

The whole forcing reading concept is interesting because that's what I was doing with this experiment. I was forcing myself to pick up books which I think is fine to an extent. I want to read more so I need to make the effort. I just need to learn when to stop before it gets frustrating and it affects how I enjoy my books.

This helped me with my more challenging reads. I am very slowly making my way through a nonfiction book and a classic which isn't my norm. Adding fiction in between keeps everything more exciting and well-balanced.

Will I continue reading multiple books at a time? 

Yes. 

I think in the future I will add audiobooks and manga/graphic novels back into my life but otherwise, I'll keep this the same. I will keep "difficult" reads and easy reads like middle grade, YA, or my favorite genres (fantasy and romance) in the same group of reading. I am excited to plan my tbr's in the future around four books and then add another one into the mix once I finish one. I am very happy with how this went. I predict it'll get me to read eight books a month in March and maybe a little more in the future so I can read 100 books this year.

Do you read multiple books at a time? 

What is your reading strategy?