Ever since I was a kid, I have HATED putting a fiction book down in the middle. I remember nearly being brought to tears once in 4th grade when my teacher ended our free reading time and I was smack dab in the middle of an amazing story. (I wish I could remember what book prompted such a reaction.)
And I don’t just mean I get a little frustrated. I mean I tend to lose sleep over an unfinished book. I start thinking about the characters and their predicaments and all the details of the book, and pretty soon I’m lying awake for hours pondering. I read a lot of romantic suspense, too, and they tend to be the worst for me to leave half-read. I put a book down but the characters are still in peril, and I’m left to stew over that danger.
As a result, I prefer to read books in one sitting, or at least the same day. It’s fortunate that I’m a fast reader and can read most romances in a long afternoon.
Of course, this undoubtedly causes me to read less books, since I usually won’t start a book when I know I only have a short bit of reading time, and a free afternoon isn’t always available. I’ve found it important for my own sanity and sleep, though! I do sometimes stretch a book out over multiple days, but not if I can help it.
I never even considered that this was somewhat unusual reading behavior until a few years ago when I realized most people I’ve talked to don’t read like me! Often I get a very strange look when I explain how I usually power through books in one day.
What about you? Do you usually stretch out your books over multiple days? Or do you like to read things all in one sitting?
I read REALLY fast, as is evidenced by my 2016 Goodreads Challenge progress (345 out of 350 as of Sept 13), so I read books in one sitting as a rule. However, when I pick up a particularly great book, I like to savor it – so I don’t mind stretching it out a little. I usually don’t go over two days though. Over two days means I was interrupted by something and just couldn’t get back to reading at all.
I. AM. VORACIOUS. Books should fear me. 🙂
Holy crap, 300+ books read in a year? I’m struggling to finish 150 but go you! That’s awesome!
WOW, I think you win the Book Binge commenter speed reading contest that I just made up. 🙂
I can’t even dream about reading that many books, I’m super jealous!
I’ve always taken advantage of a few minutes here, a half hour there, to catch up on reading. I carry a book/e-reader with me most places and am always happy to read, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I have read books in one sitting, but that’s unusual for me.
I’m the same way. I’m the Queen of Sneak Reading at work too. It’s how I roll. Ha!
I’ve been known to sneak read at work on occasion too. 😉
Aren’t they the best days?
I tend to go in cycles where I read books in one sitting for a week or two then I hit a slump and it may take me a week to read a book no matter how good it is.
Ooh, this seems to be my cycle the last couple of months. Those slumps man, they’re killing me.
Slumps stink!
I prefer to binge! I don’t like having to leave the story and try to come back to it later!
I wish that I could binge a lot more but I’m constantly putting books down during the day. I only seem to be able to get good reading in right before I’m supposed to be in bed…which means, I don’t go to bed at a decent hour and I don’t wake up in the morning when I’m supposed to. Gah.
I absolutely cannot read at bedtime because I have zero self control and won’t stop, and I don’t do well on a few hours of sleep. I’ve gone to magazines only right before bed.
I used to binge but now I prefer to savour . .. so I now read bite sized bits over about 3-5 days ☺ Great post Jen!
I agree! Great post!
5 days?! If I stretched a romance out over 5 days it would mean I was severely incapacitated for at least 4 of those days, haha.
I would prefer to binge read but I’m a big ol’ chicken so I have to take constant breaks during my reading. You know, during those big hurt scenes, when the suspense heightens to a point that my heart is pounding. I need to take breaks and prepare myself for what’s to come.
Haha, I’m the exact opposite. If I stop during the tense moment I just get more tense until I can finish it!
I wish! I’m too chicken.
What a fun post. I’m a fast reader, so I do often manage to finish a book (sometimes two) in a day. It’s dangerous though for me to take a new book to bed; if the book is compelling, it’s suddenly 2:00am and the book is finished. I try to read old favorites at bedtime because they’re (usually) easier to put down.
That’s a good idea. Take an old favorite to bed. I’m going to try to start doing that from now.
I’m kind of an all around reader. I tend to finish a book in a sitting (like Karenl, I’m a very fast reader) and I used to never be able to walk away from one, but this year things have been crazy and my reading time has been really limited. I still binge-read, but I have an easier time setting books aside now. Sleep is more valuable thank it used to be.
I wish sleep was more valuable to me. I’m still reading well into the early morning hours, almost every night. I need to get my life together.
This is so interesting! I don’t read super fast, so I tend to read books usually over 2-3 days. But of course it depends on how busy I am. There have been times when I’ve read two books in a day because they were just so good and I didn’t have anything else I needed to do. But it doesn’t bother me to put a book down. I mean, I don’t *want* to and do sometimes end up staying up way too late just so I can finish, but I don’t lose sleep thinking about it or anything like that.
Hey Kristen! Thanks for stopping by. It sounds like we’re the same. It takes us a couple of days to finish a book. That’s normally how long it takes me to finish a book.
Ahhh I’m so curious what book made you (almost) cried like that! But pffft crying over a book is totally normal! 😛 I read fast and I prefer to read book in one sitting as much as I could. But I’m also a night reader and I sometimes find it hard to focus on the book when I read in the afternoon. Like, I keep checking on my phone, my blog, talking to people, etc that it’s hard to actually finish reading. Most of the times, I pull an all nighter to finish whatever I’m reading at the moment but so often my eyeballs grow tired and I have to put the book down… interesting post! 😀
Cheers to night readers! I have too much to do during the days that I don’t read nearly as much during the day. A huge chunk of my reading is done at night. Welcome!
While I would love to read in one sitting, it’s not that practical, and I’d never get any books read. I read whenever and wherever I can. Usually reading 3 or more books, so that I have one with me at all times (ebook on my phone, audiobook in my car, etc.). I don’t mind reading in small chunks – even only 2 minutes here and there. It helps me get through more books. I usually finish a book every 2-3 days.
I don’t know too many readers that read multiple books at a time. I do it sometimes, especially when I have two books that I can’t decide between. I’ll read one book at work and one at home.
Great post! If I have the time and the book is that compelling, reading in one sitting is awesome! But I have to grab time when I can so I love to read during breakfast and before I fall asleep at night! I do get some good hours in on most weekends but it’s rare to do one sitting unless I’m on a long flight.