Here's the thing. I have a big vocabulary thanks to AP English and years of consuming as many books as possible. Here's the other thing: I'm not always sure how to pronounce said words or whether I'm using them properly. This is the consequence of reading, instead of hearing, and gleaning definitions via context instead of consulting a dictionary.

I'm not above embarrassing myself so as to help a friend. I hope you'll learn from my example. A big vocabulary is grand but pronouncing and using words correctly is even better.

Exhibit A:

Senior year of high school, AP English, Dr. Langlas's class. The assignment: write a scene involving any two characters from the books we'd read that year. I chose Cyrano (from Cyrano de Bergerac) and Rochester (from Jane Eyre). After we wrote our scenes, we had to perform them in class. I loved this assignment and I still have my copy tucked away.

In any case, I included the word "façade", which made perfect sense given Cyrano's penchant for pretense. Except when I said my part, I pronounced it as fackade, insted of fuh-sahd. Sure, I'd heard the word before- though who knows when or where, I knew what it meant, but I had no idea the word I'd read was the same thing as façade. (In retrospect, I probably could have figured it out if I'd stopped to think about it.)

Exhibit B:

Last week I read Carolyn Weber's stunning new book Holy Is The Day. It's definitely one of my favorite reads of 2013. (Don't worry- lists are coming.) Caro is an English professor so it is no great surprise that literary references and big vocabulary words abound. Most of the time, no matter what you're reading, you can surmise what a word is intended to mean based on context. It's a great way to learn new words. They might not have every day use but I like to add them to my arsenal.

When I read, I generally don't think consciously about how a word is pronounced. But every once in awhile, a word will jump out at me and I'll wonder. In this particular case, Caro used the word "serpentine." Not a new word to me, not in the least. And yet I suddenly couldn't remember how to pronounce it. Serpen-teen? Serpen-tyne? I shrugged and moved on, merely grateful I wasn't reading out loud.

For the record, it's pronounced "serpent-teen."

Exhibit C:

When I was trying to come up with a title for this post, I thought I'd use "The Loquacious Vocabulary." But then I thought I should double-check whether "loquacious" meant what I thought it did. Good thing because it generally means "wordy or full of excessive talk." Not what I wanted to convey.

I asked friends for a word that means "someone who has a big vocabulary" and the results were interesting. My favorites: lexicomane, vocabularian, and sesquipedalian. And yet, there's no way to be sure the majority of readers would know what they meant. Hence, I stuck with "Vocabulary Woes."

Linking up with #bookwormproblems at Quirky Bookworm

Do you have any vocabulary woes?

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I don't know what inspired my decision to start writing down every book I read. I do know I was sitting in my old bedroom, it was springtime, and I was packing to move to my first apartment. Everyone knows I read a lot but I wondered exactly how many books I read in a year. I decided to find out.

I bought a blank 8x10 journal from Borders (may it rest in peace) and on April 14, 2005, I recorded the first book. Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells. No rating or noteworthy impressions. The title, the author, the date. An asterisk if it's a book I've read again. Simple. Almost 8 years and 640 books later, it's a system that's worked for me.

Look, I'm unabashed about my reading habits. I love books and I always will. I typically don't set goals. I just read. Tracking what I've read allows me a nice surprise at the end of each year. "Wow. I've read ___ books!" 

But there's been a few unexpected benefits of writing down the books I've read.

1. It has taught me about my reading habits.

Now I know I average 6 to 8 books per month. If at the end of the month, I've read less than that, then I up the ante the next month. This is not hard for me to do because there are always a million books I want to read.

2. It helps me be intentional about what I read.

I read what interests me but writing it all down shows me the fiction-nonfiction differential, which genres I'm heavy in, and so on. Sometimes I'll think: do I want to write this down? I read a lot of fluff but even I have my limits.

3. I read more.

Each year since I've started recording, I've read increasingly more. In early December, I realized I'd read 93 books so I decided to make 100 happen and ended up reading 103 books altogether. How's that for motivation? The yearly totals have fluctuated, depending on what's going on in my life (loss, moving, writing a novel) but overall, I've read more each year.  We'll see what happens in 2013.

4. It helps me remember what I've read and give better recommendations.

It's impossible for me to rattle off the names of every book I've read the past few months, let alone the past few years. But I scroll through the pages of the journal and it all comes back. I can tell you my impressions, whether or not I think you'd like it, and if I've deemed the book Ownable, which is the highest form of praise.

The journal is a walk down memory lane. I can see when I first "met" favorite authors and how quickly I tore through their catalog. I can see how many times I've reread my favorite novel A Prayer for Owen Meany. And then, of course, I can see the various subjects I've researched for one reason or another.

Some people track their books through Goodreads, others through spreadsheets. For me, the journal works.

I have plenty more pages to fill. Read on, my friends. Read on.

You might have a book problem if you're reading more than 3 books at a time. Or in my case recently, 8 books at once.

Fellow book nerds are nodding their heads in understanding. The rest of you are staring at the screen cockeyed, wondering how on earth it's possible. You've come to the right place, friends. Today I'm going to shed light on the beauty of reading multiple books at the same time.

1. Start with a primary book.

Have one or two main books. Typically fiction or memoir, they captivate the reader. You want to keep reading these books. I make time to read these: after work, instead of watching TV, a leisurely Saturday afternoon, tucked into my purse in case of unexpected downtime.

In this case, my primary book was Shadow of Night, book #2 in the wonderful All Souls trilogy. Harkness masterfully drew me into the world she created. I can't wait for the third book to come out.  Heroes & Monsters was the other; I savored author Riebock's unusual memoir.

Not feeling the book in front of you? It's not your primary book.

(For the record, I only ever read one fiction book at a time.)

2. Add a non-fiction/thoughtful read.

The books in this category might not be as spellbinding as a novel. They're books I want to read but need time to digest or time to appreciate. Conversely, they could be extremely engaging but read at a different pace. Either way, these books likely make you think.

These are great books to read before bedtime. There's usually a good place to stop. You're unlikely to think "just one more chapter," resulting in you staying up until you've finished the book at 3 am. Not that that's ever happened to me.

I brought The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals with me on the plane to Austin. I've wanted to read it for years but I've put it off, given it's about the politics and perils of how Americans eat. A plane ride was perfect for reading about the prevalence of corn in processed food, as I ironically munched on the cheese crackers Southwest passed out.

The Crowd, The Critic, and The Muse is extremely thought-provoking. While the author's style is easy to read, a book on the creative process is not meant to be consumed in one sitting. At least, not for me.

3. A poem a day...

This is practically cheating. But a book is a book, no matter how quickly or slowly you read it. I've been reading one poem from Rilke's Book of Hours every night before bedtime the last few months. His words are saving my life.

What's that? Poetry's not for you? I humbly suggest you haven't found the right kind. Maybe song lyrics resonate more than, say, Emily Dickinson or Wendell Berry. Maybe Shel Silverstein is more up your alley.

4. Something for the backburner.

This is more about variety than anything else. Need a break from your main reads? Turn to your backburner books. I might read a chapter and then not pick it up for another month. I keep these books in the bedtime rotation.

I've long wanted to read Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. It is rich and refreshing and I don't want it to be over too soon. So I'm spacing out the chapters, letting them settle a bit before moving on. On the other hand, Brennan Manning's Ruthless Trust started out in the second category but I just could not get into it. (I feel like a bad Christian for saying this.) I know it's worth reading so I put it on the backburner.

5. Finally, start priming.

You have all your options, you're making progress on them to varying degrees. Now what? Identify what you want to read next. I have a looooooong To Read list, as well as a huge stack of books I own but haven't yet read. I also frequent my library regularly.

When I near the end of a non-fiction book, I add another book to the rotation for a natural segue. I might put a request in at the library for something off my list or select one out of what I already own. I decided to reread Girl Meets God, which underwhelmed me years ago. I must have not been in the right frame of mind because it's all kinds of awesome now and likely headed toward primary book status.

Bonus tip: learn how to speed read. I thank my 3rd grade teacher every day for my unusually fast reading skills.

The point is to always have a plethora of reading options. When you're not feeling the book in front of you, pick up something else. This will either make you want to go back to your original choice or press forward with one of your other options.

Start working on books from the first three categories and add in from there. Soon, you too will be a multiple book reader!

How many books do you read at the same time?

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