Three at a time... usually

For many years and especially the last five years since I've retired I have always read multiple books going at one time. My usual pattern has been one novel, one nonfiction and one biography/memoir going at the same time.

I regularly get books out of the library. I like getting books from the Canisius College Library because it is close by and as a retired library staff member I get books checked out for six months which gives me plenty of time. I mostly read the books much sooner than that but occasionally I will have a book around for many months.

I also always have e-books checked out from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library that I have for two weeks. Often that is enough time but sometimes I don't finish a book and need to renew one. That works fine most of the time but if I have a new book or very popular one then there are often people waiting for the book which means if I don't finish it within the two week loan period then I need to put a hold to get another copy.

Every week I read the New York Times Book Review and I have my tablet with the Libby app by my side and when I see a book I'm interested in I can check it off on my to read list or sometimes put a hold on it right there. I usually have several books on hold at any given time and sometimes two or three books suddenly become available within days of each other. Occasionally I will have a book delivered later.

Overall it's a good system and I always have several books that I'm reading.

Right now... today I'm reading a biography of Winston Churchill that I had checked out twice as an e-book from the public library. It's a huge thousand page book so now I have a copy from the Canisius library and I can take my time with it. I'm also reading a novel Weather by Jenny Offill and The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson. I'm also reading The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden by Peter Bergen. Keeping busy.