r/books • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago
WeeklyThread Simple Questions: October 13, 2026
Welcome readers,
Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.
Thank you and enjoy!
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u/saj213 1d ago
For those of you that do, how do you read multiple books at once? When do you read X book and when do you read Y book? (Not audiobooks)
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u/thematrix1234 1d ago
For someone like me who’s a mood reader, this is what I do: I usually have several books going on at the same time that vary a bit (maybe a couple of different fantasies, a non-fiction, a contemporary fiction, etc), and I pick up what I’m in the mood to read. That way, I always have something I look forward to reading. The books all get finished at a different rate, especially if I pick up one of the books and then get super into it and finish it. But then I pick up something else, so there’s always 3 to 5 in my rotation at any given time.
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u/Kristaiggy 1d ago
I generally have 3-4 books going at a time.
I tend to read a paper copy while it's light out, earlier in the evening, outside, etc. Then I rely on my kindle when it's dark or in bed or when traveling.
And then I always have a nonfiction I'm in the middle of. I tend to read darker nonfiction, so I often need to take breaks from it which is where the fiction on paper or in the kindle comes back into play.And then, I know you mentioned not audiobooks, but I generally have one going there too.
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u/Asher_the_atheist 1d ago edited 1d ago
I pick up whichever one I’m feeling excited about in the moment. Sometimes I’ll read portions of 3+ books in a single evening. Sometimes I’ll get excited and read one book several days in a row (or binge to the end in a single sitting…yay weekends). Sometimes I’ll prioritize based on when things are due at the library or when my book club is meeting. Sometimes, if the book is really dense/I’m feeling a bit stuck but don’t want to DNF, then I’ll make myself read a small piece of it every day until I finally get my momentum back, then spend the rest of my free time reading what I’m excited about. I read ebooks when I’m in bed or away from home without a physical book and physical books whenever it is reasonably convenient (my favorite format) [And yes, audiobooks when my hands are busy but my brain is bored, annoyed, or anxious…or when I get sucked in]. Even then, I generally have several books going in each format so I always have choices for every context.
Chaotic? Maybe. But it works for me.
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u/mockdogmoon 1d ago
It's what comes naturally/feels comfortable to me. My particular brand of indecisiveness likes options, and having the ability to read to mood. Mostly, I just pick up 1) whatever I feel like reading; 2) failing that, something I've put down long enough that I need to keep it moving before I forget what already happened.
My only real boundary is that I try not to read several too close in topic/genre, unless I'm intentionally reading them as a comparison or mixed experience. Some will fall naturally into certain time slots, but I've found forcing it stresses me out, and then I tend to avoid reading altogether.
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u/MaxThrustage Glory 22h ago
I often have a book that is suitable for reading on the tram/train and one that isn't (usually because it's too big and bulky). I'll tend to have something lighter for when I'm tired or just not feeling like a challenge, as well as something more serious. When I have multiple on the go they always have to be pretty different -- typically at least one non-fiction and one fiction, multiple fiction books will all be different genres, multiple non-fiction will be different topics. This is largely so I don't confuse one for another in my memory.
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u/Intelligent-Fig-9850 1d ago
I usually read them one after another in the same reading session. I do a few pages in one book, then I read the same amount of pages in the other. I make sure they're completely different books so I don't get mixed up. It's some kind of "stacking" technique, but I forgot the specifc name for it.
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u/wavygravy13 1d ago
I go through phases of doing this, but right now I have 3 books on the go, and I just alternate between chapters. I have 1 non fiction, one classic, and one modern fiction but it can be any mix of different styles. It works for me at the moment, I'm sure at some point I'll go back to just one at a time for a bit.
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u/violetmemphisblue 9h ago
I usually have them in different places. The book I read in bed is different than the one I read in my recliner which is different than the one I read when I'm out and about. Being able to physically place myself helps me keep track of where I am in the book, if that makes sense. Occasionally I migrate books, but only if I'm going to be reading straight through, or if I have a deadline.
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u/YakSlothLemon 4h ago
I read nonfiction in the evening, I usually have about an hour in the evening once dishes are washed before we settle into watch a movie. I’ll often save a challenging book or nonfiction for that little spot, and read fiction during the day.
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u/jnaniganshw 1d ago
I'm on the fence in whether I want to transition fully into library and ebooks or keep a collection of physical books. I find that I really want to try a simpler way of living but naturally something that tends to add bulk are books and while I do like looking at them and reading them when the mood strikes or lending them to others, I tend to read more on my tablet because I like to do it while eating and I try not to get my books dirty or damaged, but then for new books it makes me resistant to wanting to read them because I don't want to dirty them accidentally. there is also the conservationist in me that wants to keep some books just in case something happens.
what do you guys do for your collections or how do you handle managing or owning books?
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u/felixfictitious 1d ago
My compromise is that I pretty much only read library books/ebooks or audiobooks, and only get physical copies of my absolute favorites. I don't have a lot of space to keep real books.
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u/Tacobelle_90 1d ago
I mostly check out books from the library now. I buy books from my favorite authors or if I read something I really love and would like to revisit. But first I downsized from about six bookshelves to two small shelves. My policy is if the shelves are full and I want to buy books, I have to donate books first to make space.
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u/Fol3y4Life 1d ago
I have a mixture of books that I buy while browsing a bookstore and collection of old favorites and books I read digitally that I love. I am slowly transitioning to the physical shelf being only a collection my wife and I love.
Books that I buy physically if I don't absolutely love them, I typically donate since I am unlikely to re-read. That or they linger on my shelf as part of my to-read shelf.
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u/YakSlothLemon 4h ago
Exactly, I don’t expand the number of bookcases I own, if I’m going to keep something after reading I try to donate something else…
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u/ZOOTV83 12h ago
I tend to read a lot of non-fiction and while the books I read certainly do interest me, I don't tend to re-read a lot of them. Those books I tend to e-borrow through Libby. Books I truly love and will re-read frequently (looking at you, Lord of the Rings) I have physical copies of.
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u/YakSlothLemon 4h ago
I tried doing that and got so pissed off with Amazon changing the covers on my Kindle to whatever TV or movie adaptation was latest, as well as the fact that these days it can be really hard to get your hands on a decent copy if the book is out of copyright, that I gave up.
I mostly just get books out of the library, which really helps with the hoarding issues.
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u/jnaniganshw 4h ago
I'll probably go the route of keeping a set amount. I have two full sized book cases so i probably will allow one for manga and books I love. and the other might be the fancy shelf as I enjoy collecting the classics in the nice bound covers from Eaton press or Lincoln library from half price when I see them for good buys.
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u/YakSlothLemon 4h ago
It’s so nice to have some pretty books on display! I have a hardcover shelf for my beloved fantasy and all the colorful covers add to the room.
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u/jnaniganshw 4h ago
its also just very satisfying to hold and smell books. I like that Eaton is making new classics which is kind of wild to see what might be considered classics 50 years from now even though for us at the current time they were simply really good popular books
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u/Gwaur 1d ago
Do you ever make a reading plan for a book that you're starting out? Something like "I'm gonna read chapters 1, 2, 3 on the first day; 4, 5 on the second day; 5, 6, 7 on the third day etc." or "This book is 450 pages, I want/need to read it in 12 days, so I'm going to read at least 38 pages per day"?
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u/Friendstastegood 1d ago
I generally only do that when I am reading a book that I got on interlibrary loan, so it has a firm deadline that can't be extended.
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u/PenaltyForsaken260 1d ago
I do this when I need to read a book by a certain date, like for a book club or if library loan is coming to an end. And when I do a buddy read we do plan out how many chapters/pages do we read at a time.
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u/DarkFruitsWanker 1d ago
I suppose that may work for some people especially if they're aiming for a reading goal. I prefer to read as much as I feel like reading so it doesn't feel like a chore
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u/violetmemphisblue 9h ago
I don't generally do that. But if I sit down to read, I will often say that I will read until chapter 6 or page 50 or whatever. Mainly as a way to make sure I'm not picking up my phone or getting otherwise distracted. Having an "end point" helps me get started and more often than not, I speed past it once I've gotten there. Its the starting that can be an issue for me, so knowing the end helps somehow?
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u/thematrix1234 1d ago
Honestly, I’ve never done that (except for when studying). All of my reading is off vibes lol, and I never really know how much I’m going to end up reading anytime I pick up a book. Sometimes it’s half a page and other times it’s 300 pages in a sitting.
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u/mockdogmoon 1d ago
If it's a buddy read or a long book I'm struggling with. I'm finding I peter out past a certain page count, and it can be hard to tell if its the book, or just me taking my sweet time to actually pick it back up: having an extra incentive helps.
I tend to structure it more as X by Y date. I can read more, sometimes I go a little over "deadline": I don't do so well with very concrete timelines, so sort of working out is better than a strict schedule for me.
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u/izapartmana 15h ago
The moment i give myself a daily page quota, reading feels like a quest log instead of something to enjoy. Makes sense if there s a deadline, but otherwise Id rather just see where the book takes me.
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u/YakSlothLemon 4h ago
Non-fiction, yes, all the time. 25 to 30 pages a night will get me going, and then once I’m into the book I don’t need that usually, but it can get me started.
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u/Easy-Cucumber6121 1d ago
I do this because I’m in two bimonthly book clubs. If I want to participate in both, I have to finish the book of the month within the month to start the next pick on time
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u/firesea726 1d ago
Anyone else read a narrator as their own gender until proven otherwise?
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u/PsyferRL 1d ago
"Proven" is relative, because the standard can vary, but yeah I do tend to do this. Not necessarily on purpose, but simply because in a first person narrative, my default perception of "I" is my personal perception.
However, in a third person narrative situation, I don't tend to gender the narrator at all. Unless the narrator themselves is explicitly involved in the story in some way, I don't really consider the narrator's gender whatsoever. Not until it becomes significant in some way at least. If anything, I might subconsciously default a third person narrator to being the author themselves (even if that isn't explicitly the intent).
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u/ADP_God 1d ago
What is a long novel or short series that I could read to kids with a female protagonist and a genuinely good, complex plot?
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u/jnaniganshw 1d ago
mmm i really enjoyed the little house series by Laura Ingalls wilder it's not necessarily complex I guess it's basically a narrative diary but it does create aspects of other ways of thinking just by inhabiting the life of someone from a radically different time and place.
another series that's a little more high level things I read in 4th or 5th grade were: the golden compass Trilogy, chanters of tremaris Trilogy this one is very interesting dealing with xenophobia, closed societies, politics and responsibility of power, its in a way a baby version of the mistborn series.
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u/violetmemphisblue 9h ago
A Wrinkle in Time. Meg is a main character in the beginning, though does shift to male protagonists as the series go on.
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry is a bunch of girls solving a murder and hiding the death of their headmistress. It leans towards funny, not dark or scary.
The War that Saved My Life is a book about a girl who uses the London evacuation during the Blitz to escape her abusive family.
But it depends on ages, interests, and purpose. An after-lunch read to a classroom at school would get different recs from me than a bedtime story for your own kids.
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u/YakSlothLemon 4h ago
Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic starts with four books in the series when the four children are elementary-school-aged, and then there are four more books when they are teenagers. Three of the four characters are female, they’re all different one from the other, they are all kickass in their own way. The plots are great and the system of magic is really interesting and was very original when she wrote it, she based the magical on medieval crafts. My niece absolutely adored this series!
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1d ago
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u/ADP_God 1d ago
Ideally 6-10 with regard to language and as high as possible with regard to conceptual complexity.
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u/Anxious-Fun8829 1d ago
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. It's a middle grade book and hard to describe without spoiling the plot (and trust me, you don't want it spoiled) but it's about love- both romantic and familal.
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u/theLexiVoss71 1d ago
A hybrid setup seems like a nice compromise: keep physical copies of the books you truly love or lend often, and use library ebooks for everything else. That keeps the shelves meaningful without giving up the convenience of reading on a tablet.
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u/Different-While-3122 1d ago
anyone else find that books you read in october hit a little differently, or is that just me romanticizing the season again