Where do you read at?

[Alia]

Sounds weird, I know but if you live one day in my life you would appreciate this...

I have three kids, 16, 11 and 4 years old. I'm a single mother who is currently trying hard (that's why I'm here posting this lol) starting a business during a recession. I have two horses, two dogs, a cat and two turtles! I have no time to read unless I make time.

I have found the only time I can read is when I take a bath. I read other times but not without constant interruptions. Like yesterday I had to help the 11 year old with his state report which was due today and he had barely started it. I didn't get to bed until 11pm. I didn't get anytime to read just for pleasure yesterday. To make up for it I slipped into a hot bath this morning and read several short chapters of Prince Caspian. It's only a hundred page book, I should have finished that in one night but in my life its hard besides I'm a slow reader.

I have a friend who reads only the bus while going to and from work and home. Another friend comes down to my house and reads. Yeah... she comes to my house to get away from her four kids who demand things from her but mine won't, they bug me. And as a good friend I feed her, so she doesn't have to do anything but read. I'm so jealous.

So... where do you find that peaceful place in your life to read?

[Tormented Seeker]

Lately I've been reading a lot of ebooks. In fact, I can't remember the last time I read a book in hardcover. A couple of months ago, I bought myself a nice PDA mainly for this purpose as a reward for being admitted to the college of my choice, but alas, it's battery has been dead for more than a while now (couple of months). Needless to say, college complicated things so I still haven't found time to fix it (though I'm being one lazy prick as well ). In the meantime I'm using my laptop for reading--it's got a nice screen, very easy on the eyes, and since I tend to spend a lot of time on it, I usually read a few pages every time I log in too. When I have more time on my hands, I read the whole book naturally. I don't know...those neat fonts and the ease of page flipping and marking have made me an ebook reader with no intention of going back to hardcover anytime soon. And I keep my focus on the book much better this way, it's not that easy to fall asleep etc.

Hence my advice is, get a PDA with a large screen. They are nifty little things and this way you can carry your whole library with you wherever you go. There's some quality reading time to be found in the simplest of things you do throughout the day - just convert all the time you spend idle, like waiting for a bus or your kids' classes to end when picking them up after school - to reading time.

[Alia]

Originally Posted by Tormented Seeker

Hence my advice is, get a PDA with a large screen. They are nifty little things and this way you can carry your whole library with you wherever you go. There's some quality reading time to be found in the simplest of things you do throughout the day - just convert all the time you're spending idle, like waiting for a bus or your kids' classes to end when picking them up after school - to reading time.

For a long time I was buying audio books and listening to them in the car while I drove to work (I had a two hour commute one way for well over a year not too long ago) but that habit gets expensive after a while so I stopped buying them. And I don't sit down long enough to read... Today is a rare day. Realistically, if you see me on here playing you know I'm reading.

[The Ace]

Ebooks in the living-room at the computer. Otherwise I do a lot of reading in bed.

[Omphalos]

I read in bed a lot. I basically read myself to sleep every night (so when I have a good book, Im up to midnight). I have a 3 and a 5 year old, and I work a ton. But I read very fast too, and the more I read the faster I get. Ive also been thinking of getting a bike and riding that and the local light rail to work, which would give me lots more time to read. Plus, I spend a lot of time on airplanes, and that is pretty much all reading from wheels up to wheels down.

[Tormented Seeker]

Originally Posted by The Ace

Ebooks in the living-room at the computer. Otherwise I do a lot of reading in bed.

Ideally, laying in bed with laptop on your lap and a huge cup of steaming hot tea beside you. Mmm.

[daisybee]

I carry books with me everywhere-I read on the bus, waiting for the bus, during breaks at work, and sacrifice sleep when a book demands I read it. Which is often.

I can read whilst the tv is on too-so can be sociable and ignorant at the same time.

[Lady of Winterfell]

Well, I still read good old fashioned paper books. I tried reading on my computer, but that didn't really work for me. I stare at a computer screen for 8 hours a day, and that already makes my eyes hurt. I have also tried getting books on my iPod and listening to them, which I can do, but I would prefer holding a hard copy in my hands.

I pretty much read on my couch in the living room and in bed before I go to sleep. Basically if I have a comfy chair to sit in, I'll be reading there.

[Amalthea]

Originally Posted by Lady of Winterfell

Well, I still read good old fashioned paper books. I tried reading on my computer, but that didn't really work for me. I stare at a computer screen for 8 hours a day, and that already makes my eyes hurt.

I am the same way. Books are too personal for me to read on a computer. I also get headaches from staring at a computer screen for too long.

I usually read in bed, sometimes on the couch in the tv room when no one else is around to disturb me.

[elvet]

I'm a diehard book fan, because for a really good read, I need to be prone (hard, if not impossible to do with a screen). So I mainly read in bed or in the bath. It actually necessitates a special pair of reading glasses, different from the prescription I use at work or at my computer desk. I'm lucky in that I have all my spare time to myself. I can read the weekend away if I desire, and that seems to be the case at the moment.

[Clansman]

Alia, do I ever appreciate where you are coming from. I am a lawyer with my own practice. Long hours, high stress, and I understand the pressure of running your own business. Though I am married, we have two young children, 4 and 7 (more or less). My commute is too short to matter (my office is on the first floor of an old stone house. My home is on the second and third floors), and when I am home, its kids, kids, kids. When they are to bed, my wife and I collapse. After reading at work all day, I find it very hard to read at night, at least right away. I too, am a slow reader, when reading for pleasure.

Middle of the night. Yep. Best time ever, especially with a good book that is really engaging. I can put 2 to 3 hours together of beautiful, uninterrupted reading time that has no kids fighting, asking for food, or to play, et cetera and ad infinitum. And if the book is really, really engrossing, it actually keeps me awake for that time. Usually, reading in the evening relaxes me too much, and I fall asleep if the book isn't grabbing me by the throat and squeezing for all it is worth.

I read in MY chair. Lazy-Boy rocker, with my favourite lamp beside me (it has a shade that reflects a beautiful gold-coloured light. Illuminates the page perfectly, without being harsh). I love my chair and lamp. So many happy memories...

[Who's Wee Dug]

Originally Posted by Alia

Sounds weird, I know but if you live one day in my life you would appreciate this...

I have three kids, 16, 11 and 4 years old. I'm a single mother who is currently trying hard (that's why I'm here posting this lol) starting a business during a recession. I have two horses, two dogs, a cat and two turtles! I have no time to read unless I make time.

I have found the only time I can read is when I take a bath. I read other times but not without constant interruptions. Like yesterday I had to help the 11 year old with his state report which was due today and he had barely started it. I didn't get to bed until 11pm. I didn't get anytime to read just for pleasure yesterday. To make up for it I slipped into a hot bath this morning and read several short chapters of Prince Caspian. It's only a hundred page book, I should have finished that in one night but in my life its hard besides I'm a slow reader.

I have a friend who reads only the bus while going to and from work and home. Another friend comes down to my house and reads. Yeah... she comes to my house to get away from her four kids who demand things from her but mine won't, they bug me. And as a good friend I feed her, so she doesn't have to do anything but read. I'm so jealous.

So... where do you find that peaceful place in your life to read?

Get your friend to return the favour even if you have to ask her and if she prevaricates well that should speak for itself.

[gully_foyle]

I get 5 to 10 minutes before I fall asleep at night. If its a Friday or Saturday night I might stretch it out to 20 minutes. I read very slowly. It takes weeks to get through a book. I'm thinking of taking my book to work and sneaking in 30 minutes of reading time. Maybe I should catch the bus rather than drive, then I would have more me time. Kids hey?

[nixie]

Originally Posted by daisybee

I carry books with me everywhere-I read on the bus, waiting for the bus, during breaks at work, and sacrifice sleep when a book demands I read it. Which is often.

I can read whilst the tv is on too-so can be sociable and ignorant at the same time.

Ditto but You forgot the bath Paper books for me too

[Rane Longfox]

I read almost exclusively in bed. On the other hand, when I'm not in lectures, I tend to be in bed for 15 or 16 hours per day, because I do work on my laptop anyway... so the law of averages would suggest I do most of my reading there