A common complaint in my classroom is my students’ claim that they can’t read more than one book at a time.  This is one of the classic excuses for not reading when requested, and when I was a student I might have believed it to be true. It never occurred to me that I was reading multiple books even then.

Gazing around my living room, I see two books that I am currently reading.  One is a graphic novel, the other a non-fiction collection of letters and diary entries.  There are three more books hiding on my phone. I am sure there are more hiding in my bedroom.  Assorted magazines have found their way into various corners of my home; nowhere is safe  from this literary invasion.

So why read more then one book at a time? Well, it is less confusing than having more than one lover and far less drama.  I may be a teacher, but I am not dead, folks.  If you look at each book as being a  different song, each has its own rhythm.  When I need to escape I read my brain-candy novels, books that are quick and delightful. Non-fiction can be like classical music:  solid but never boring, leading you on a journey to yourself or to understanding another part of the world.   Mystery and horror novels take you into dark places, leading you to new light or your own crimson dreams.

Each new book is an opportunity. A chance for something unexpected.

With the various e-reading apps, I have tried out authors like Edward Medina and Micheal Rivers.  Rivers still has me captivated with his novel The Black Witch, a high seas horror mystery.  It isn’t trite or confusing when it comes to descriptions of the sea and sailing.  It truly transports the reader to another time and place.

Medina’s book, It is Said (Mathias Bootmaker and the Keepers of the Sandbox Book 1), takes you, as another review put it, “down the rabbit hole.”  The adventure grabs you and takes you along before you realize it; by the end of the book you are hooked on the characters and the author’s words. The next book in the series is coming out shortly (I believe the end of October.) Try as I might, this author won’t be bribed to write faster with offers of baked goods.   In the end, I know it is for the best… good writing takes time, and adventures can’t be rushed into. I just don’t have to like it.

Both of the above writers can be found on Amazon and followed on Twitter.