Attention Deficit Hyperness Disorder, as applies to books

I've made a couple of changes to my book list; it wasn't quite up-to-date. I came back from my visit in Virginia with a handful of books to read, and I haven't finished any of them yet. I have such a hard time concentrating on a book once I've started it. That is, as my friend Kelly says, I have 'book ADHD'. I can remember where I am in 40 books at once; I've done it before. But I can't confine myself to reading one book at a time. I start one, and then, I see another that looks interesting, and so I start that one too. And pretty soon, I have a whole shelf full of books that I'm reading. Then, the more 'boring' books, or the slower ones, get pushed down the list until I haven't picked them up in a few months, or maybe a year. Like Moby Dick. I pick that up about once a year, generally in the fall; I read a chapter, and then I put it down again until the next fall. I'm afraid that if this goes on, I will never finish it.

On the other hand, when I got back I picked up Lorna Doone and haven't put it down since. I love Blackmore's writing style, I love the hero, I love the countryside setting, I love to hate the Doones, I love and pity Lorna; in short, I love everything about the book. I will be sad when I finish it. I'll probably read it again, like Narnia, the Lord of the Rings, and Lewis' space trilogy.

Why does this happen? How can I pick up Austen one year and hate it; and the next year, pick up the same book and love it? Am I really that fickle?!

I've tried several times, without much long-term success, to tame this habit of mine. One week I picked up five books that I needed to read and had already started, but that had been sitting, forlorn, for a month or so. I decided to read only those books for that week. I read one of them only at lunch, one only in the afternoons, one just after supper, and one right before bed. The fifth I carried around with me everywhere and read whenever I had a chance. I read at least a chapter from each every day. This was a good plan. What happened, you ask? I don't know. I finished those books and then gave up my plan. I guess I just don't have enough stick-to-itiveness.

So the funny thing is, when I finish a book I write down the title and the date finished. But really, the date finished has nothing to do with anything, because I could have read the entire book but one chapter last year; and just this week decided to finish that last chapter. So when I tell people what I've finished reading lately, they're always really impressed. But they shouldn't be, because I haven't actually been reading those books lately. I only happened to read that last little bit just before they asked. I've thought about explaining all of this to those oh-so-impressed people, so as to set them straight, and not take too much credit, but I decided that it's too complicated and they would only nod and ignore what I was saying, anyway.

Now, however, I feel a bit better. I've explained to at least two people (the only two that read this) how very, very devious I am. ;)