Multiple Books at the Same Time

I obviously don't mean this literally. I am talking about reading more than one book, before completing any one of them. Some people think it is too confusing to read more than one book at a time. But really, isn't it like watching more than one series on television. I mean, you can keep track of Lost and CSI. So why can't you keep track of The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Demonica Series at once?
I have had some people tell me that it must be that one book just isn't all that interesting. While, occasionally, this might be true, I think it is more that I am just looking for some variety. Additionally, it is also because I might have books that need to get read on a time line. For example I am currently reading - The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Glass Castle, and This One is Mine. The first is on loan from a friend, and someone else is waiting for it. The second is for my Mommy Book Club this month and the third is a book review for this blog. All three are drastically different books and therefore serve a very different purpose but I assure you that they are all quite interesting. In fact, if I am going to read more than one book at a time (and NO, I do not always read more than one book at a time), I like for them to be very different. It helps me to avoid confusing the story-lines. And as get I closer to the end of one of them, I will probably focus on that tome until it is finished. I also find that I can read more books in a shorter period of time because feel a bit of that crunch. It is probably an unnecessary stress I put on myself, but it makes me commit to reading a little every day.
So how do you feel about reading more than one book at time?

Do you always Finish a Stinker?

In a recent conversation with a fellow book lover, I started to wonder more and more about the idea of not finishing books. Have you ever only read a portion of the book and decided it wasn't worth you precious book reading time? And I do mean precious time, with three boys under age 5 I can only find so many quiet moments to read a few pages in, so don't like the waste them.
It has happened to me a few time and now I am trying to determine what my own personal criterion seems to be in regards to finishing a book. I can't just say flat out that if I don't like it I won't finish it, because I know that is not the case. Truth be told, I did not particularly care for the first Rachel Morgan book (by Kim Harrison) until a little over half way through and now I am practically salivating at the chance to read the latest installment Black Magic Sanction (which coincidentally, comes out today!). But I soldiered on because I had two very good friends recommend the book, and one even told me it started out slow. But what do you do when you don't have that information. How do you decide to solider on or return it to the bookshelf? Do you adhere to that old adage of the power of 50 - if you aren't grabbed in the first 50 pages, move on? I have one main issue with this, 50 pages is relative. In a 300 page book, yes you should be enthralled by page 50 but if the book is more like 1300 pages, it will likely take longer.
Here are some Guidelines I came up with, but of course there are exceptions to every single one:
When to keep going:

• You know you enjoy the Author's writing from other books
• A fellow (and like-minded) book lover recommended it
• You have the faints desire to know what happens
• It's neither the first nor the last in a series (ie there is another book to come)
• When it's your book club "assigned" reading book
• You are at least 3/4 of the way through - because serious you might as well!

When to RE-shelve:

• You could careless what the outcome is
• You find yourself very easily distracted from reading
• Your usually nagging desire to get a book in your hand subsides even a little
• If you are constantly thinking of the next book in TBR pile!

So what do you think? What makes you continue on with a stinker?

Are you a speed reader?

The simple answer is - No, I am not a speed reader. So many of my friends ask me how the heck I have time to read so much. This is what I always say - "When you have an addiction, you find a way!" Sounds nuts, right? But when I finally came to gripes with the fact that this reading habit was just that, it has been much less stressful. I mean, first and foremost, there are a million worst things I could be addicted to, and I (rarely) let my reading get in the way of my responsibilities (its doesn't count that i choose to read another chapter before I load the dishwasher, does it?)
So back to the question at hand - How do I find time to read? Well first off, I always have a book in my purse. That way if I get stuck waiting at the post office or the bank or the doctor's office, I can usually get a few pages in. I have also perfected the art of reading while distracted. When I first started reading for leisure I would get frustrated when one of the kids required attention and I would lose my place and then it took forever to find it again. Now my mind has adapted to this constantly reoccurring situation and I can easily find my place again.
I can also multitask while I read. Thanks to my wonderful eyesight (Thank You GOD!) I can read a book from pretty far away and have actually been able to read while folding laundry. Because folding laundry is so second nature after almost 5 years of at least 2 loads a day (holy moly that's over 3600 loads!) I actually learned this trick from a friend. She buys books in Large Print whenever she can, so that she can cook and fold laundry while she reads. She uses one of those cookbook stands to hold her book while she reads.
I also have a constant supply of "To be Read" books, for the most part. I am always swapping on Paperback Swap and I keep an eye on the bargain bins at the bookstores. I am very careful not to let my reading habit cost me too much but I can't always get them read from on the timeline of the library, so I try to only buy uber deals or use the swap system to make it work for me.
And, of course, I am guilty of the all-nighters. When a book is at the climax or very close to the end and I just have to know what happens. I have been known to put the whole family to bed - telling hubby that I am just going to finish the chapter - only to look up at a clock that reads 3 AM! So like I said - "When you have an addiction - you find a way!"
So what do you do to get reading time in?