Do you read multiple books at a time? I do, and I recently wondered if my brain could retain all of the info I absorbed because at times it doesn’t seem like it. Is it actually good or bad for our brains to read more than one book at once?

The research overwhelmingly supports reading in general to benefit our health. But the science behind the benefits of reading more than one book at a time seems nonexistent. Many blog writers, Quora questions, and subreddits have asked this question and shared their thoughts, but I haven’t found clear data yet to support or discourage the practice. 

The most clear consensus about reading multiple books is that it depends on you. If you can handle and retain multiple storylines going at once, then it’s worth it to get through your reading list quicker. Read different genres to improve your recall and retention.

Personally, I read 2-3 books at once, all in different formats for difference settings.

For example, I recently simultaneously read a physical book (How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes by Melinda Webber Moyer), an ebook (12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington), and an audiobook (Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton).

The book I read at any particular moment depended on where I was and what I was doing. When possible, I read 10 pages of my physical book daily as part of The Miracle Morning routine. But honestly, I fit it in whenever I could during the day (sometimes right before bed).

If I was stuck somewhere, I’d open the ebook. It was a better alternative to Spider Solitaire or social media.

On the way to pick up my daughter from school, I’d listen to an audiobook. This used to be my time to work through various Podcast series, but I switched to the audiobook if I had one available.

Is this sustainable, keeping three “stories” straight in my head? Or does it do more harm than good?

From my experience, it’s worth reading multiple books in various formats because I can “read” more books on my list. Typically, my books are of different topics so I don’t confuse the texts. The bigger problem I have is not getting distracted during my audiobooks and recalling details from all of the books months or years later.

How can you try books in different formats?

Physical Books

I was once a member of Book of the Month. Honestly, I loved getting my box every month, but I couldn’t keep up with the selections so I canceled. Now, if I see a book that I think I’ll want to keep forever – like a highly rated business book, a classic novel, or a book from favorite authors – I’ll buy it for myself. 

Ebooks

If you are an Amazon Prime customer, you receive one free Amazon First Reads ebook per month from their pre-selected options. Be sure you have your email notifications on to see each month’s options!

You can also find free books in the Apple Books store and occasionally on Kindle.

The most successful place for me to find and finish ebooks is through my local library. Most libraries use an app like Libby to check out ebooks and audiobooks. This means that I often wait weeks or even months to get the book I want, but the benefit is that I usually have a two-week deadline to finish the book. Another benefit is that I can add my reading list to Libby and gradually place holds and check out books on my list.

Audiobooks

I was an Audible customer a few years back but canceled my subscription to save a little money. Then, Amazon offered three months free to restart my membership when I needed to read The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama for a book club. As I mentioned, I check out audiobooks from my library through Libby, but when the waitlist is too long, it’s nice to buy the book.

When I rely on my library for audiobooks, I don’t always have one to listen to because I’m waiting. And that’s okay. When I do finally get to check out the book, I have two weeks to finish it, so I squeeze in book time whenever possible: on my commute, when I’m cleaning the kitchen, as I do laundry. 

The one downside of audiobooks for me is that I retain less information with this format compared to reading it in a book or on an ebook. I find myself rewinding a few times each book because some random thought or task took away my concentration. This is true when I listen to podcasts as well. I sometimes find myself re-reading a paragraph in a physical book or ebook, but not as often as with an audiobook.

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If you are curious about the pros and cons of reading multiple books at once, test it out to see if it works for you then decide if you are a one-book reader or if you can handle two or more books at once!