Favorite Reading Spots

Klaus Baudelaire would sit in the library of his childhood home, pick a book off the shelf and read it from start to finish, Charlie read in the cafeteria during lunch and Matilda read in her room for hours with to a pile of books.  I like to read on the subway, in my bed and in front of the TV, with one book in hand.

Here are my favorite reading spots:

The subway
Five (sometimes six) days out of seven, I find myself "trapped" underground for over an hour riding from Point A to Point B, on the subway. It's quiet (except for the occasionally homeless person who walks up and down the car asking for money), it passes the time and it gives me something I can study. I find it extremely awkward when I don't have a book to read on the subway. I never know where to look or what to do with my hands. When I'm reading a book, I don't have to make awkward eye contact with strangers, stare at the ground or focus on how many stops until I get off. The time really does fly by when I'm reading on the subway. I also find that I read a good chunk of a book on the subway. There are times when I've started a book then by the time my stop comes I've read about fifty pages and by the end of the day over one hundred. The only downside to reading on the subway is you get those people who'll look over your shoulder and read along with you. Sometimes they'll be so desperate that they lean on you to see the words better.

My bed
I don't usually read in my bed because my bed is reserved for sleeping. There's also so many distractions in my room, the main one being my laptop. My laptop rests right by my bed. My laptop has the internet and the internet can lead to an infinite amount of possible distractions from reading. I'm always checking my social media, applying for jobs or answering and writing emails. As much as I'm on my computer and my phone, I'd never read a book on them. When I finally push aside all distractions, usually around 2am, I lie on my bed and read. I'm not one to wrap up in my blanket because I like to be able to move around until I find a comfortable position. I always ending up on my stomach. I don't always completely shut off my laptop. I leave it on so I can play music because I love listening to music while I read. I finish books in my bed, I rarely start them there.

In front of the TV
Not the most conventional place to read, but to me it's just like reading while listening to music. I've gotten used to having background noise while I read and the TV does just the trick. It's a little distracting because people are talking. As opposed to listening to music, people talking is simliar to the dialogue structure of a book and sometimes distracts me. When I'm listening to music the instruments and vocals tell a story different from the structure of a prose and doesn't bother me. I mostly read during commercial breaks. Once again not the greatest because those last about three minutes and I get to read maybe a page or two, but it's better than watching the commercials. I read throughout a show too, if I've seen it before. Reading in front of the TV is the last place I read. It's rather hard to read and watch TV; I stop after a couple commercial breaks or when I finish a chapter. There are times when the TV's background noise is too distracting and there are times when the background noise is perfect.

I would love to be able to have my own personal library in my house where I can grab a book off the shelf, sit in a big puffy chair and read a book from start to finish. Maybe not a puffy chair because I'm really a fan of sitting and reading. I'll put a bed in my personal library! My personal library will be my bedroom! For now I have the subway, my bed and the TV room to stimulate my reading habit.

No matter where I'm reading, I can always rely on the book to take me out of that place and into the world of the character.

Where are your favorite places to read?