I read a lot of books—shocking, I know—but I also tend to read more than one book at a time. I don’t generally get confused with plots or characters, mostly because I’ve realized that when I am reading multiple books at a time, they are usually very different from each other.
I have come to think of these distinctions as “upstairs books” and “downstairs books.”
When I say these phrases to other readers, they instantly know what it means. For them. Because everyone’s book geography is different. It is not so simple a binary as fiction vs. nonfiction. Plenty of nonfiction has made its way upstairs, while some novels require being downstairs books. I think it’s more to do with what kind of attention a book requires.
If it’s fast-paced, easy to drop in and out of (whether because there’s an interruption or because you are falling asleep), or just doesn’t require any overthinking, that’s an upstairs book. Upstairs books are also the kind of books you bring to read in public places, both because they can completely distract you from any chaos around you (airports, restaurants, beaches) and because you can pause as need be and then pick right back up where you left off.
Downstairs books, on the other hand, require your commitment. They might have a complicated plot, a sophisticated concept, or just sentences that you want to linger over—whatever is going on, it needs your undivided attention. When you’re pulled out, it can take some time to remember everything that was going on when you stopped. You might even have to flip back a couple of pages to reorient yourself to the world on the page. Downstairs books might make you sleepy sometimes, but they are not books you want to drift off to at bedtime.
Then there is the third category because, again, nothing is ever a simple binary. These are the everywhere books, the “do not disturb me, I’m reading” books, the getting “book angry” when people try to communicate with you books.
In short, they are the unicorns. The very best books that demand all your time and attention, that you carry with you all over creation because you absolutely must know what is next. Cherish them, for they are rare.
And remember, just as one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so one person’s “everywhere book” is another person’s “did not finish.” There is no wrong type of book. Find the kinds you love (you’ll know where you need to read them) and enjoy.
Happy reading!
-Susan
What kind of book are reading lately? Upstairs or downstairs? Tell us next time you visit!
