I suffer from a very serious condition. It’s okay, though, because I’ve learned to not only live with it, but to enjoy it. It’s called Bibliophilic Attention Deficit Disorder (Just because I coined the term doesn’t mean it’s not a thing. Shush.), and it means that I often have trouble staying focused on one book at a time. I start one, have to stop for some banal reason like going to work or sleeping, and the next time I come around to a time that I can sit and read for pleasure, I go to my bookshelf (sometimes to Barnes and Noble or 2nd & Charles) and pick out another book. Thus I wind up reading three or four books at the same time. My record is seven books going at once, but that was a while ago.
These days I try to balance what I’m reading between supernatural/paranormal/sci-fi, classic literature, and some kind of research that I can use for the novels I’m working on. Certain books I read straight through without bouncing between others, and those are usually the ones that I wind up raving about later, but not always. Sometimes I get caught up in the book and think it’s going to turn out really well, and then the ending is such a letdown I prefer not to say anything at all about it. My mama (and Thumper’s mama from Bambi) taught me that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Not advice that I always follow, but as a writer, I don’t like to run other writers down. If I have a criticism about a book, I try to make it constructive and as gently worded as possible. The writer ego is a fragile thing, even if we pretend like it’s not.
Back to the B.A.D.D., though, it’s what’s making it so hard for me to plow through Shakespeare. Maybe it’s because I have all of his complete works in one, gigantic tome that makes it a tad daunting. Maybe it’s because Shakespeare is not the kind of thing that lends itself well to wandering minds. Maybe it’s the fact that my bookshelf is so cluttered with new books that have not been organized onto the shelves, and I keep eyeballing the shiny new spines, imagining all the other stories that are waiting for me. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. Either way, I’m only on Henry VI, Part 2.
On the plus side, I did finish reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and Fool by Christopher Moore, both of which were fantastic! I’m actually very excited to acquire the next in Harkness’s trilogy, which is a nice feeling. Another trilogy I’m excited about is Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy. I encourage everyone to at least check out the first one, Oryx and Crake. It’s not a long read, and the almost Shakespearean way that Atwood insults her protagonist is not to be missed. (See how I just talked about three different books in one paragraph? B.A.D.D. It’s a thing. Tell your friends.)
Whether you suffer from B.A.D.D. or not, I encourage you to stick with your reading challenge. May the page turners be with you.
Thalia Huntley 