Thursday, December 14, 2006

Serial reader

I have a problem I don't know how to solve. Here's an example. See all those books listed at the left under "recent reads"? Those are all books I was in the midst of reading when I started posting on this blog. With the exception of Simple Church, I haven't finished a one of them. And I have approximately 4-5 books that I've received/bought since then that I haven't even started.

Here's what usually happens: I LOVE a new book. So I get one and dive in. Then I stop having/making time to read and it sits for a while. Then a new book comes along and I get excited about that one and start reading it, but with limited time I don't go back to the other book. I'm a book-hopper. It really frustrates me. I'm also a craft-hopper (knitting, paper crafts, drawing, etc.), but let's take one issue at a time.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm picking up what you're putting down. I'm very similar in that I see tons of books I'm interested in but don't get to the completion stage. Then there are the "intellectual" or "educational" style books which you have to work at and feel accomplishment after finishing. I've started keeping a spreadsheet of books I'd like to read but haven't yet.

Anonymous said...

i do the same thing, and usually have 5-10 going at the same time. book club is one way i stay accountable (although i have been known to not finish those books by book club meeting day). kelsey dietrich spent her 8th grade year wanting to read a book a month and if on the last day of the month, she wasn't finished, she stayed up until she was! she must have had a fantastically encouraging reading teacher that year. so, if we use her idea and set some goals for ourselves, maybe we can finish some books. now, if you just aren't into a book and you don't have to read it for work or whatever, then it is ok to abandon a book. i know that is hard if you have spent good money on it, but why read a book you aren't into? maybe also if you look at your week and schedule in some time to read, that may help. as much as i love to read, if i get a spare hour or so, reading is not the first thing i go to. but, i do love the library as well as book stores and could spend days at either! sorry, this was longer than i expected...i better go read!

jenn_anthony said...

you are not alone! i think "the hobbit" has been on my list for like 9 months now. i think i'm on chapter 2.

Andrew Allen said...

Yeah, so that top comment was mine. Thought I was signed in.