I do this thing where I always have a "slow read" book on the go alongside whatever I'm actively reading.

It's usually a non-fiction book, a classic, an emotionally draining book, or a book I find challenging (looking at you, The Silmarillion), or just something I know is important to me but feels overwhelming to start.

My rule is that I read one chapter a day. Sometimes more if I'm really into it, or a set number of pages if the chapters are huge. Having the expectation be so small makes it much easier to pick up. (And there's been the odd time I was so into the book I read it quickly!)

I was telling my best friend about this because she'd been wanting to read a book for weeks but couldn't get herself started. And because of this, she was stuck and couldn't read any of her books. She tried the one-chapter-a-day approach and said it helped immediately. Going in knowing she only had to read a small amount made it feel much less overwhelming, and now she's reading two books at once. Her slow read, and another read that she finds exciting.

I honestly thought this was a pretty common thing, but maybe not? The few readers in my life hadn't done this before.

Does anyone else do this? If so, what's your current "slow read" book?

Mine is War Animals by Robin Hutton. It's a non-fiction about hero animal stories during war.

I've noticed that a lot of people on this app seem to have three books at a time listed as "currently reading," which is interesting to me. Especially because these books often (but not always) look to be in similar genres. For me personally, I tend to only have one or two books being read, and usually, one is an audiobook while the other one is print (well, digital print). I might occasionally have a third book in progress if it's a completely different genre, but I can't imagine keeping five at the same time. I also feel like I'm more willing to "pause" or "DNF" books if I"m not engaged, rather than keeping them open for long periods of time. But I'm curious how others feel. How many books do you read at a time, and why does that work for you?

I find that once I'm past 60% the books just fly by as I finish reading them. I'm sure there's something psychological to it, but that last 40% feels so doable and quick compared to the first half. A piece of me also feels like "Wow, I can finish reading this!" once I'm on the other side of the halfway climb.

What percentage is most influential or motivating to you? Do you always read to a certain percent or amount before deciding to commit to a book? Anyone else have strong feelings about halfway?

I'd also like to say that I'm not reading books for the sake of consuming them, but I do find % representations of my efforts helps me stay out of a reading slump and that I've actually done something with my time. A wider conversation could be had about productivity, reward systems, (probably capitalism), and leisure.

Happy reading!