I hit the local bookstore this afternoon, returning with four new reads: Harold Bloom’s How to Read and Why, Amir Aczel’s The Mystery of the Aleph, John Barth’s Coming Soon!!!, and Gretchen Rubin’s Power Money Fame Sex.

From what I’ve observed, most people, given such a pile of new books, would finish the first before heading on to the second, the second before heading on to the third, and so on. Which, to me, is nearly inconceivable. Perhaps it’s just a severe undiagnosed case of ADHD, but I find that I can read several books at the same time faster than I can finish just one alone.

Actually, my entire life runs along those lines. People often express surprise at the number of interests I pursue simultaneously, but I’m fairly certain that, were I to focus all my time into one endeavor, I’d actually accomplish less in it than I would while balancing it with several others. I wouldn’t really recommend the approach; it doesn’t logically make much sense and it’s probably the quickest route to stress and ulcers. But I just can’t seem to make myself do things any other way.