How Many Christian Books Should I Read at a Time?

Should I be reading several books at a time, or should I stick with one book? I've been asking myself this question a lot recently. It's also an important one because we can learn and experience much within the pages of books written by Christians. Let's examine the shotgun approach first. This method of reading involves juggling a few different books at the same time. By following this approach, you may be able to tie together topics that initially seemed distinct and unrelated. If you're interested in linking together ideas as I am, this can be a fantastic approach that will harness your God-given desire and ability to make thoughts come together in remarkable new ways.

The danger with the shotgun approach is that if you are not consistent with your reading, your reading experience will be similar to my first time driving a stick shift car: Herky jerky and inefficient. Having tried to jump back into many long-neglected books, this approach's weakness is very apparent to me. This method requires diligence to ensure that you're not leaving any of the books behind for a long enough time to lose momentum in your knowledge gathering. For most people, I think it takes some time to mentally jump back into a topic or author's approach.

The second approach is to read one book at a time. The advantage of this approach is that you can more quickly make it through one particular topic and have a far more cohesive understanding than you may have if you read it among other books over a longer time. Also, it's fun to see the pages fly by, or the percent complete number go up quickly (if you're reading on an E-reader or phone).

This method has little of the glamour of the shotgun approach since it requires you to stick with one author and topic at a time. At times, you will have to slog through sections or chapters that don't interest or try to stay passionate about something when the author has said the same thing in 100 different ways.

What Approach to Reading Books Works Best for You?

A few days ago, I decided to go with the one book approach for a while. I am seeing the massive leap in progress for each book. I'm also getting a lot more out of each book because my mind is in a season where it handles steady progression well. For example, I am reading The Pilgrim's Progress now, and I have found that the story is much easier to pick up again if I read it every day. Before, it would be challenging to remember what situation the characters were in and what they were attempting to do because of the writing style.

I honestly think that there is no universal answer to this question of how many books to read at a time. Instead, you should answer based on an honest self-examination of what kind of reader you are and where you're at in your life. Take some time to pray about it if you feel led and stick with what you decide to do for a while. The method you pick is not the critical part. Instead, the crucial thing is that you choose one method with conviction and intentionality.

Which approach works best for you, and why? Share in the comments section!