'Book bragging' row as author's claim to be reading 50 books at the same time is criticised by fellow writers

Authored by telegraph.co.uk and submitted by ManiaforBeatles
image for 'Book bragging' row as author's claim to be reading 50 books at the same time is criticised by fellow writers

While some people love to dwell on the books they read, others zip through their favourite tomes, often having two or three on the go.

One author, however, has been accused of ‘book bragging’ by fellow writers after somewhat implausibly claiming he reads 50 books at a time.

Author Will Self, 56, said he always has dozens of books on the go, claiming: "Before I read digitally, I’d be reading perhaps 10 books simultaneously – but now I read as many as 50 at once, if you mean by 'currently reading' books I’ve begun, left off, and returned to. "

His remarks have been met with derision, with authors accusing Self of “being disrespectful” to the books he chooses.

Dr Fern Riddell, historian and author, tweeted: "I hate this I hate book bragging, it is DISRESPECTFUL TO THE BOOKS. Give the story your full attention OMG."

batboobies on August 18th, 2018 at 05:08 UTC »

Please note that the woman pictured is not the author in the article, Will Self

RavenousGorge on August 18th, 2018 at 04:57 UTC »

Poorly chosen picture for that article, she is one of the people complaining about author Will Self claiming to read 50 books at a time.

I suppose I could technically consider myself as reading multiple books at once, but often it's because I started finding one boring and moved on to another. Really my attention and memory is never devoted to more than 2 or 3 at a time.

TooSmalley on August 18th, 2018 at 04:42 UTC »

Actively reading or sitting half read on a kindle? If it’s the later then I am “reading” like a 100 books.