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This person uses a music stand and a weighted bit of metal to hold the book in place, so he can read while standing up.
Under a shady tree (I love the thought of reading under a tree, but in practice it's seldom been very comfortable, at least for me).
On the train (I know a lot of train readers).
I've always wanted a window seat. This one (recently finished, according to the photographer) looks just about perfect. Add some cushions and I would be spending a lot of time reading there if it were mine.
Or...this is the window seat from The French Lieutenant's Woman. Although the lighting washes out the colors a bit, you can still see that the lake is just outside the window. I'm not sure I'd spend much time reading with that gorgeous view!
The room above is also part of Broad Leys in the Lake District and belongs to the Windermere Boat Racing Club, so it can only be rented on weekdays and select weekends, but if you click on the website, you can see more images.
1) Standing up sounds like a great multitasking way to read, but the reality is that it is a pain to keep holding down the page "just so" in order that the text isn't covered. I would think this would be difficult with small "pocket" romance books.
ReplyDelete2) Reading under a tree sounds like it will hurt my back, unless I'm leaning on the trunk of the tree.
3) I don't travel by train very often (the last time was over 35 years ago). Four years ago, my daughter won bus tickets anywhere in Canada, so we spent 3 days/2 nights together travelling to my sister's place for a two-week visit. Never again. Mind you, I read over a dozen books during that time (especially at night time when you couldn't see much out the windows), but it still was VERY uncomfortable. The worst part was the passengers: we were scared for our lives several times.
4) Yes, I would require cushions for that window seat, but it DOES look inviting.
5) The lake view is lovely when seated TOWARD the window. I can't see reading (or being comfortable) on that last window seat, though, as my body doesn't contort necessarily in those (narrow) directions, plus there isn't headspace for a cushion to prop yourself with at either end.
I rarely read in bed because my husband is fast asleep beside me. Reading lights aren't strong enough for my liking, and holding a little flashlight AND the romance doesn't bode well for my arthritic fingers.
I used to sit in a chair with my legs draped over the arm when growing up. Oh, how I wish I could do that now (comfortably). It pains me just to think about it! I also used to put a beach towel or blanket out on the back lawn and read while the sun beat down on me. (You won't catch me doing that anymore!) Whenever we went on long trips in the car, I was squeezed down on the floor behind the passenger seat, curled up in a plaid car blanket, winter and summer. There wasn't air conditioning in cars in those days, either!
Today I too have a recliner chair that I sit in (all the time) to read, watch my VCR tapes, and scrapbook in (with a folded cardtable on our old ottoman holding the photos, etc.). SOMETIMES I read there, but I'm thinking that I usually read in doctors' offices, as a passenger in the car while my husband is driving us to visit someone, and (gasp) while multitasking in the washroom. Yes, I meant while on the toilet, but also while having long bubble/epsom baths. TMI?
I can read on a train, but not for long periods of time, but I just can't read in a car (I don't exactly get motion sickness anymore, just dizzy). And oh yes, the washroom. I did that when I was growing up, too, which often resulted in a lot of banging on the door (there were 5 of us and only 1 bathroom). I rarely read in bed anymore, mostly because my back objects to anything but major back support, which pillows don't supply unless they're very heavy. Oh, to be young when I could throw myself down anywhere and read! (Oh and re: standing up, I doubt I would enjoy that very much. I totally get the health aspects of not sitting all the time, but I doubt I could really immerse myself in the story while standing. Plus, standing for too long is just as painful as sitting for too long). Thank goodness for recliners!
ReplyDeleteI can read pretty much anywhere, but too many distractions can be just that.
ReplyDeleteI can read anywhere if I need to, but I'm not one of those people who can read if there's much background noise (television or music). It pulls me right out of the story.
ReplyDelete