Can you read 3 Books simultaneously?
Recently, I was talking to my group of friends about my reading habits. Being an avid book lover, at times I fear missing out on good books but reading every good book is impossible. I get confused about many apps that advertise that a book can be finished in 5 to 10 minutes. Is that really a book reading? That is just to know what the book is all about and may not give you the holistic picture of the book itself.
When I shared with my friends that I am reading 3 books simultaneously, I could clearly see the astonishment on their faces with the question mark “ Really?”. Watching their reactions I also questioned myself. Do I always do like this? And I remembered my old days. Yes, I have been doing this kind of reading for a long time. And I am also surprised. Many have asked how can you concentrate on different books on the same day. In some books I am totally submerged and in others I just go through and turn pages. At one time I was reading Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Che Guevera- A Revolutionary Life, simultaneously and to my surprise, I was exploring two completely opposite philosophies of life. I thoroughly enjoyed both books. I started reading both these books together and completed them together.
Right now I am reading three books simultaneously; Autobiography of a Yogi, Mountains beyond Mountains, and Ten things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew. All three books are of completely different genres.
Autobiography of a Yogi
I heard about Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda a lot and this book was first published in 1946. I read this book early in the morning after my workout. I am middle of this book and yet I am trying to understand the gist of it. I may or may not understand it completely, I may have to re-read it but when I read it, gives me some calmness and make me think of sayings in the book. Eg: “Is a man not missing his real destiny if he fails to explore them”. “Softer than the flower, where kindness is concerned; stronger than the thunder, where principles are at stake”.
Mountain beyond Mountain
Mountain beyond Mountain by Tracy Kidder is a book about Dr. Paul Farmer, an American medical anthropologist, and a physician. People remember him as a Global health champion. I had this book lying in one corner of my home for years and never gave it a second look. When I came to know about Dr. Paul a few months back after his demise in February 2022, I picked up this book. I have kept this book on my office table and read it during my lunch break. Whenever I read this book I can imagine the working environment of Haitian hospitals where Dr. Paul devoted his life to saving lives. His work is an inspiration for many including me. In the middle of the day after my hectic outpatient clinic, reading this book gives me extra energy to carry on for the day. This is the power of the book.
Ten things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew
The third book that I am reading is “Ten things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew” by Ellen Notbohm. This is the third time I am reading this book. The first time I read was almost 12 years back and now I am reading its updated version. I read this book in the evening when I am relaxing. I have been working with children with autism for the past decade and still, I do face different challenges at times when I come across a child with autism. This book helped me to understand each child better. Revisiting this book gives me different perspectives and at times I discover new things. There is a saying that “You cannot step on the same river twice”. And I completely agree with this saying. Every time when I read this book I have discovered new concepts, and insights into autism. I have this book on my smartphone. So whenever I am free, be it waiting for someone or feeling lousy, I just read a few pages.
Many say they are busy or have no time to read. But for me, few of my strategies worked. One is blocking time to read. I do not read for hours and hours but 10–15 pages at one go or whenever I have little time I manage to read at least 2 pages. When I started blocking at least 15 minutes in the morning it gradually became a habit; just like brushing your teeth. Brushing teeth makes my mouth fresh, similarly reading a book makes my head clear for the rest of the day and makes me composed. The next strategy that helped me to hook in habit of reading is keeping books in my visual field. The author of the book “Atomic Habit”, James Author mentioned about creating an environment to help to stick to the habit and it works.
But at times there is a fight between colorful social media feeds and monochrome black and white fields.
Whom you want to win is up to you.
