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Question: How many is too many?

Feb 1st, 2010
by gav.

An ongoing theme is my reading is the number of choices available versus the time available to read, which is to be expected really as there is always another book to read. You just have to walk into a bookshop to see the choices, and think how you end up tackling that.

How do you tackle as a reader the number of books that you could be reading?

Mark Charan Newton, the trouble maker (just read his blog), made a comment, on The Speculative Scotsman:

"There seems to be a culture these days to read as many books as possible, which I don’t think does the reader or the writer any justice…

And  his reply on Harry’s blog:

I admit some are gifted with the ability to read quickly and in enough detail – and I’m jealous all of you who can do that!

But there are many who skim-read in the need to meet review deadlines etc, and that is surely doing reviewers, fans, and writer no favours at all? You can take in information on the surface, but miss a million subtleties beneath it.

I don’t know how people do it. Seriously, I can understand speed reading and I’m trying to train myself to absorb more but I’m with Mark  I don’t see how you can enjoy what you’re reading if you’re skipping bits or skimming it without processing the information.

And what’s the point? Reading takes long enough without selling yourself short on the experience. I’m always a little shocked at certain folks that people read more than 2-3 books a week.

I can’t even manage that most of the time. I used to read 2 or 3 books at a time but now I’m trying to do one book at a time. I’m not sure if this is more productive but it does feel like I’m giving each book at bit more attention and allows my mind to keep slipped between the covers.

And some books take root, like Horns did as I was reading it last week, and don’t easily shift but I’d rather have a connection with a story than treating them as just another book.

So I guess I’m wondering how many books do you think is too many? What makes you raise and eyebrow? Is it a disservice to the writer if you don’t spend the time on it?

I’m not talking about struggling with books you’re not enjoying but gobbling a book without really tasting it.

Is less more? Should we all relax? Or should reviewers like readers slow down and spend more time or not worry and churn out the next review?

Posted in: question.

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  • Val
    This is one of the questions I asked myself before deciding the give my own book blog a go. Before that I reviewed for a site with up to a dozen reviewers at a time, which meant that you didn't have to deliver a review every week or so for the site to keep going. I am still convinced it is pretty hard to read enough to keep a book blog going if you want it to float on reviews.

    I read about 2 books a week at the moment, between 700 and 1000 pages. This is a pace I am comfortable with but life does occasionally get in the way. As a result my blog is a low frequency blog. I could update everyday if I wanted to but that would add too much filler and take away time I think it better spend reading. You need a certain amount of discipline as a review but I don't really set deadlines. A review will be written when I have finished the book, whenever that may be. The moment obligation overcomes enjoyment in reading and reviewing I'll quit.

    Is it a disservice to the author? Hell, it is just a hobby, nothing I write will make you sell any less books. Not with the 20 or so people a day that my blog actually attracts. It may sound selfish but this is not nearly as high on my list of priorities as enjoying my reading. Besides, those twenty people are probably smart enough to recoginize a shoddy review when they see one.
  • Most of the time I'm a 60page/hr reader, but sometimes it really does depend on the book. If I'm riveted then I can read faster, but if it's a writing style that is difficult for me to get into then I tend to read slower. I do know people who read fast and I know they're not skimming. They just have that ability.

    I don't feel the 'need' to read as many books as possible, I just 'want' to. I love books and I have so many that I want to read that I will read as many as I can.

    Why are you 'shocked' that some people read 3-4 books? Surely it depends on the individuals circumstance? When I worked in London it took me 3 hours to travel every day and I managed to read 4-6 books per week. Now I drive everywhere as my circumstances are different, I read 2-3 books per week. But, whichever way, I never skim (although I will admit that I have once when the book was as boring as hell and I just wanted to get the damn thing finished - and I can't just stop reading it).

    Reading book is a personal thing and I don't think you can ever read too many.

    Also, how does Mark Charan Newton know that there are "many who skim-read in the need to meet review deadlines"? Just curious.
  • nextread
    I'm shocked at 'certain people' not everyone that manages it. I can see a train commute like Graham has would be a perfect way to catch up on reading time. Maybe surprised is better. As I said to Mark Chitty I need to rest my brain and do something else I can't constantly read. And find it hard to jump from one book to the next with little gap.

    It's definitely personal but it depends on the goal that you're reaching for when reading - reading to think I have to post 8 books this week or reading 8 books and thinking great I have 8 reviews.
  • I don't have a fast rhythm, but I like to go within the story and enjoy it in the fullest. I am also very jealous on Larry and Graeme for their reading speed, but I am content with each book I manage to read. I also began to find more easy the books that I am certain that I would like, or find something interesting in them, so I don't have many readings I feel that drag me down.
    Also, my rhythm differs because I read a lot in English and that is my second language therefore these books I read slower than the Romanian ones. And those I tend to read a bit faster but not in a amazinlgy faster speed.
    As a reviewer I've started to look a bit more within the book and find more elements for writing my review. But that is not a bad thing, I only began to enjoy the books even more, finding elements that before I might have skipped. But I believe that I don't have to change my reading speed I only have to be honest about the book. The reading and the reviewing has to be fair towards the publisher, the author and me :)
  • I can't read fast but I never skim. I nurture this romance of savoring each word. So if I'm really concentrated I read around 50 pages/hour.

    I don't have a long commute: 15min in my car so my reading time is usually before going to bed. I also read work-related technical stuff, which eats up from my personal reading time unfortunately.

    At the end of the day if I can review 3 books/month I'm happy. 4 books/month would be perfect.
  • Ove
    For me it depends very much on the book, if it is a book I enjoy and find interesting I often finish it in a day or two of hyper attention. When I read concentrated a minor war wont disturb me (fortunately for me my gf reads to). The real joy of reading for me is like being there. So I often go back and reread books I like, to be there again.
    Other books don't hold my attention and then it can take weeks until I finish. They don't need to be bad books, just not what I am in the mood for at the moment.
    I regularly read between 12 and 20 books a month just for the joy of reading.
    And to be honest, when I write about the books I read, it's to train myself in English and because I enjoy blogging.
    I read about as fast as Mark, maybe slightly slower, 50-60 pages per hour. So much comes down to how much time you give yourself to read. And if you like I have no impulse control when it comes to an interesting book, 3.5 books per week should keep you healthy.
  • amandarutter
    I read very quickly - I've taken away ten books on a vacation week and swept through them all (not boasting, just telling). Thing is, I've tried to read slow, I really have - but when I try I lose details from the start of a sentence to the end, especially if the sentence is convoluted. If I skim over it and get a general idea, I actually hold it in my head much better - weird, huh? Just like someone above, I religiously re-read. Most of my books have at least two reads - even the ones I didn't like I tend to try a second time, just to make sure of my opinion.

    And then types of books just read quicker. I cannot read the Lord of the Rings quickly, nor any Neal Stephenson book. Hand me a summer read chick lit book and I can devour a few hundred pages in an hour or so.

    So my overall answer - my reading speed and the amount of books I go through depends very much on what style I'm reading and what mood I'm in.

    Since I started my blog I've found myself trying to read more and more and more - I got through 13 books in January. I think I'm suffering from what Mark C Newton was talking about - being desperate to have content to fill my blog, and only really at this point having reviews to fill it. I've decided this is a fault of mine; I should step back and decide what other posts I would like to introduce to the blog that can take the place of reviews. That way, I don't have to whip through books at a million miles an hour just to ensure there is something for people to read when they come visit. I have to speed read, but I could sense during January I was taking it too far.

    Okay! Burbled enough!
  • I'm lucky enough to be able to get through a book a day at the moment, when the alternative is commuting to work with your head in someone's armpit then you find yourself wanting to read as much as possible! They're all relatively short books though so maybe I'm not reading as quickly as I think? If I'm enjoying the book then it doesn't really matter :)
    Talking about comprehension for review purposes is a tough one to nail if everybody reads differently (and they do). I guess the answer lies in the review itself rather than how quickly the book was read, I reckon you'll be able to tell from that whether the reviewer read the book or not ;)
  • nextread
    Oh and you can tell from a review though I think that most of the
    bloggers I read are too proud not to do things propperly :)
  • nextread
    You're my reading idol!

    My commute is a 20min journey by car. If it was longer I'd probably
    stick on an audio book. I've been doing that with Sherlock Holmes on
    long journeys and loved it.
  • Harry Markov
    I have to say that this depends on circumstances [something I would have mentioned in my own post, BUT nooo, you had to take it all up]. Yes, skimming is counterproductive, but key factor would be the time allowed for extensive reading. I am in the position to give three to four hours daily to reading and can easily swallow 2-3 books a week with a regular speed of 50 pages per hour and still enjoy a novel to a point to process it. I would imagine that with a full time day job it would be a different number.

    It shouldn't be a matter of how many books, but a matter of performance. This will be my angle for tomorrow. Be patient.
  • SamKelly
    I read at around two pages a minute, and I always re-read - so I assuage my conscience over not getting everything (and I know I do miss things) by remembering that there'll always be a next time, and after that.

    When I'm reviewing, I generally try and capture the experience the book wanted me to have, if that makes sense. So if I found myself slowing down and focusing, or immediately re-reading, then that helps out a lot.
  • I changed from reading as many books as possible to read AND enjoy as many books as possible. Last month I read "only" three books: DROOD by Dan Simmons, THE BOOKMAN by Lavie Tidhar and A SHADOW IN SUMMER by Daniel Abraham. BUT I enjoyed them a lot. I know that I can't write more than 4 to 5 reviews per month. That means I plan in advance and I like to have a schedule. Reading depends on a lot of factors: my mood, how exhausting and how long my working day has been, my family.

    As I said before first of all it is most important to ENJOY reading. As soon as you don't enjoy it is like work.
    And I write reviews in order to share my joy.

    My problem is that I buy as many books as possible without having enough space :)
  • nextread
    We'll gloss over the Pile of Shame I think. We don't want to admit to all the books we're buying and adding to that pile do we?
  • Why should I gloss over? Of course I want to admit all the books I buy. I have a budget per month and so I have to decide which book to buy. But I think you all know this satisfying feeling when you a book... And therefore the act of purchase itself is a form of admiration.
  • nextread
    I have a book budget and always seem to go over it. I'm always
    discovering new and interesting ones. More in other genres than SFF
    like crime that I'm exploring a bit more in my reading.

    You're right though there is something about a book arriving that
    makes me smile :)
  • nextread
    I guess the other thing is that I have a cut off switch so I've been reading for 2hrs or so I get really restless and need to do something else. I guess it's a bit like authors and their maximum daily word count. I have a max read count...

    And mood has to come into it too - some books you have to be in the right mind set for hence the reading pile... which is more a constantly shuffled deck of cards!
  • I'm exactly the same liek that, I can only read for so long before my mind starts to wonder. If I'm still in the mood to read I'll pick up something else, but usually I'll have a break and go back fresh :)
  • nextread
    I think that's why I used to have a second book but the danger was
    forgetting the other book I put down and not going back to it!
  • If I really get in to a book, then I can easily get through it in a day. But that's with zero distractions and I like to feel I've read it thoroughly.

    But life isn't like that and I'm lucky to get through most books in a couple of weeks, assuming something shiny doesn't come along and distract me. So if I was reviewing, I guess I'd probably review no more than 12 - 18 books a year and that would include the duff ones.

    I think it would do everyone some good to slow down, chill out and enjoy their reading. It should seem like work, especially for those who already have a full time job.

    What also might help is if publishers, rather than mass mailing books out of the off chance of a review, actually allowed reviewers to contact them to request specific books. So I finish one review and then look around at what's coming out and ask the publisher for book X, knowing that I'm very likely to review it. Oh, and I'd happily accept an electronic version as opposed to a physical one.

    - Neil.
  • I'm lucky in that I read very quickly - I seven tarted doing reviews as a way of organizing my thoughts about the quantity of paperbacks I was devouring on my morning commute.

    That said, I'm not a particularly talented writer (insert joke about critics here) and in order to be fair & just, I'll spent more time sweating out a blog post than it took me to read the book in the first place.

    I suppose that's only fair - reading a book is something for "me", but I'm going to vomit forth my opinion publicly, it should take more consideration.

    Anyway, I'm a firm believer that it's not about the quantity of you read, it's about the quality of what you write. How's that for pithy wisdom?
  • How many is too many? I read 2-3 books a week. I've been known to read 7 on a quiet vacation week. Although over the last 2 months I've switched to only reviewing 1 book a week instead of 2. I'm trying to better focus on the books that move me. Whether that movement is good or bad depends on the book. Also, I don't skim. I read every word from the copyright page to the acknowledgements. All this said I try to stay away from the pressure of reviewing and enjoy what I am reading when I want. As a book blogger if you aren't enjoying the experience than it is just another job and I have plenty of those right now.
  • At the rate I am reading now, I pretty much only read one book a week, but that is because I am only sitting down and reading for short periods of time. I am just not devoting all that much time to reading thanks to my durned internet addiction. If I do devote my time to reading, I can read two to three books a week easily and I take my time doing it and never skim. On the other side of the coin, the ability to read more than one book at a time that you mentioned is beyond me. I can only read one book at a time, anything else just turns into a confused mess.

    I think you have to take into account the length of the books being read, too. Most of the books I read around around three hundred pages long, sometimes a bit over, sometimes a bit under. I might read three books in a week, but that does not necessarily mean I am consuming three epic fantasy tomes.

    Ah, and I should probably mention that I don't watch tv and pretty much lack a social life, so outside of work I am left with plenty of spare time for reading... or the internet addiction.
  • I tend to read in the region of a page per minute and I feel that this is a comfortable reading speed for me. Power to those that can skim/speed read and fully absorb the details, but I'm just not one of them!

    For me it all comes down to how much time I have to read during my working week. I'm lucky to spend around an hour to an hour and a half a day on average reading, so reading a book per week is good :) If I had three or four hours a day to read I think I could quite easily get through a book every couple of days.

    I can always dream...
  • hagelrat
    Depends on the reader, but also the book. Some books I breeze through super quick, others require more focus, but that's ok because I don't want the same reading experience every time. I read a couple of books most weeks, sometimes more, sometimes I struggle to finish one.
    I think part of the problem with professional reviewers might be that unlike us they can't just do a "why I gave up on this one and moved onto something I want to read" kind of post. :)
  • nethspace
    Well, I used to read much faster than I do now - say 100 pages an hour (or more for some books). But a number of years ago I slowed down because I find that I miss less and I simply enjoy it more. With my limited reading time this can be frustrating, but I stand by it.

    And I'm jealous of those who can read a book a day and absorb it completely (I'm looking at you Larry of the OF Blog). But, I've found my balance and am happy with it.
  • nextread
    Larry's reading ability makes my head spin - not sure I'd like 40-ood books in my read in a month though... there isn't that much space!
  • I'll jump right in line behind this. Though the jealousness is a bit offset by the money I save from not flying through my to-read pile.
  • Larry's reading comprehension makes me intensely jealous.
  • I agree with Aidan. I think it depends on the reader. I sometimes feel stressed to meet deadlines, but I also can't read more than 2 or 3 books a week (unless I get more days off than expected!). Sometimes I will fly through a book because I'm very engaged in it, but that is different than flying through *every* book. I don't know how speed readers do it, either. I don't think I'd enjoy that. It's hard with blogging to keep up with the Joneses, but at the same time... I read for enjoyment, not to rack up as many review copies as possible, as seems to be the case on some blogs.
  • Too many isn't a set number, rather its the point where a reviewer is reading/skimming too fast to approach the novels from a casual, enjoyment-based angle. It's different for everybody. Professional reviewers might need to pound through a novel and look at it from an objective, technical perspective, bloggers don't.
  • nextread
    Is that why it's hard to find 'good' professional reviewers? There are a few that I'd trust but it does make you wonder how much deadline pressure makes or breaks a reader?
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