One of the most delightful dilemmas in life is an ever-growing, ever-intimidating, never to be defeated to-be-read (tbr) pile. For a book lover, having too many choices is never a burden. It is a delightful blessing!
I've never considered myself prone to ADD or ADD tendencies. I don't see the characteristics (or what I know of them at least) in myself, EXCEPT when it comes to reading. I have trouble concentrating and often read without reading. Think of that phenomenon where you drive home and then don't remember doing it. I do that when I'm reading. I usually realize it when it's time to turn the page and I have no idea what I've read. This is one reason I still love physical books. That act of physically turning a page is important to me. To offset this tendency, I bounce. I bounce from book to book.
Over the years, I have developed a system that helps me stay focused while bouncing. The concept is simple: I read six books in six genres, bouncing from one to the other as I see fit. The rate of bounce varies from book to book, but rarely do I finish a book without bouncing. I see you Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica.
1. Memoir - The window into the human experience. My favorite genre. I am a memoir junkie, and the crazier the better. I read them in clusters. I may read nothing but musicians and then switch to movie stars. True crime memoirs often invade the rotation, and I am currently reading only memoirs of personal experiments (see post about reality TV memoirs). I do not enjoy biographies or other books written ABOUT someone. I want a book written BY that someone. And I do enjoy a good memoir audiobook read by the author. Yes, please. Tell me your story.
2. Fiction - I love a good serial killer, a smartass detective, a soiree with the supernatural, or a little dystopian chaos.
3. Informational - This category is the perfect combination of entertainment and education. It feeds my intellectual curiosity and keeps me well rounded (ish) in the process. 2025 topics thus far: abortion research, the lives of transgender teenagers, the power of introverts, the consequences of a racist social media account, the miracle of waking up earlier in the morning (turns out I'm not miraculous), mindful parenting, kindness, creativity, anxiety, and hot dogs. Now that is a list!
4. Spiritual or Physical Wellness - These books provide me with tools for better living. Tools that I typically ignore, but love to read about. I like to know the best practices for living a balanced life even if I choose not to follow them.
5. Professional - For years, I read a ton of books about teaching and pedagogy. I'm over that now. I've moved on to books about writing. My current read (Shut Up and Write) has a whole chapter about things writers do to avoid writing. One of those is reading about writing. Guilty!
6. And finally...I include an anthology in the mix. Be it poems or stories or letters, sometimes it is nice to pick up a book and read just a short, stand alone piece and feel like you accomplished something. Something complete. Some days that's all I can hope for.
When I finish a book, I simply start another in that same genre. I am enjoying a love affair with reading and this system seems to be keeping the romance alive.
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