How Many Books Can A Reader Read?

Who Cares?

I'm going straight from saying hello to discussing books. At least I've come up with a good excuse reason to do so. My first post introduced the About page; it seems fitting to introduce the next page over: Currently Reading.

In all honesty, I hardly expect other people to be interested in keeping track of what I'm reading. (Then again, people seem to be interested in random status updates, so who knows. I guess that's my Facebook substitute: Jason is now reading Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl.) 

Maybe I'm just projecting my interests on others. As I think about it, three reasons come to mind to explain why I am always curious to find out what others are reading: (1) Reading takes time, so what a person reads tells me what topics matter to him, (2) It provides a good starting point for conversation, (3) It's an easy way to learn about good titles.

How Many?

Putting that page together reminded me that I'm in the middle of reading a lot of books. In fact, I don't think that I've ever been in so many books at once. I'm not even listing the Bible (always reading), fiction (doesn't happen during the semester anyway), or academic texts (no need to bore everyone). It makes me ask: am I trying to read to many books at once?

That's certainly a valid question. It could be true. The fact is that in any given week, I'm not likely to pick up more than two books. But in the last few years, I've found that's it's good for me to read different books at different paces, in different places.

Different Reading Pace

A book might be a regular, one for which I set aside time to sit down on the couch at least once or twice a week in order to read. A lot of books are best read when the previous chapters are still rather fresh in my memory. For me, there's typically only time in my schedule for one such book at a time. Right now, I'm regularly reading Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison, one chapter at a time.

I've found that I learn more from certain books by going through them slowly. It's not as important to have the previous chapter fresh in my memory as it is to slow down to process and apply it. Right now, I'm slowly reading Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney, one chapter at a time.

Then there are books that I try to read regularly and slowly. Reading a whole chapter in one sitting is too much for me, because pushing on to finish it makes me pass too quickly over a lot of thought-provoking material in the early pages. Right now, I'm regularly and slowly reading The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson, a few pages at a time.

Different Reading Place

Another thing that I've learned is to keep different books in different places for me to grab while reading. Some books require a rather quiet environment for me process what I'm reading. But this isn't always the case.

I have a book in my car, just in case I'm ever waiting with nothing else to do. I also carry a book or two with me to school. Sometimes when my brain feels burned out on the technical stuff in the afternoon, I'll take a break to read theology. Lately, I've found that riding the metro to school provides a great opportunity to snag 15-20 minutes to read. I'm reading Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by N.D. Wilson, a few pages here and there, mostly while I'm on the metro.

Finish, Or Set Aside for Later

You may have noticed that I've only named four of the six books I listed as current reads. The truth is, some books I've started slip through the cracks, and I don't end up finding time to continue reading them. Sometimes this is because I may have started something new earlier than I should have... and haven't quite finished the last few chapters of the other book. Right now, this is the case for When I Don't Desire God by John Piper. I'm close, so I'll make it a point to finish.

Other books I start reading end up slipping through before I really get into them, as is the case for The Atonement by Leon Morris. I may end up deciding to simply go at it again down the road.

More Ways to Read?

I've shared some personal observations. I hope that at least a few of these are helpful and apply generally for others as well. But I'm sure there are many other ways and times and places to read, many of which will vary from person to person. What have you learned works for you?

Finishing the Question

How many books can a reader read if a reader did read books? Maybe you don't read because you don't feel like you have the time. Life is beyond busy. I understand; I've gone weeks or months at times without finding many ways to do much reading.

But, as I've shared above, there are often creative ways to fit at least some reading into one's schedule. If sitting down for an hour to read a twenty page chapter is not presently possible, find a good book that you can benefit from by reading one or two pages at a time, and try to identify your best opportunities to do so. You might be surprised how many books a reader can read... if only the reader did read books.