How do you like to read?

[Waterstiller]

Sorry for the barrage of questions.


Where do you like to read?

What is the most comfortable way to read? How do you read when you're in bed?

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?

When do you like to do your reading?

How often do you zone out when you read?

 

[Felan]

For awhile during the more pleasant days I would walk 4.2 miles to a movie theater, reading as I walked, watch a movie, and then walk back reading more of the book.

I have trouble reading while listening to music.

While walking or before going to sleep.

I tend to zone out a lot, especially if I'm especially engaged in the book or if I'm especially bored by the book, though for different reasons.

 

[Cryss Winters]

I like to read outside, on a sunny day, in the middle of the grass. =) When I get bored of reading, (which happens much to often.. I can't do one thing for to long or I'll explode) I walk until I feel like reading. =)

I can't zone out when reading, I need absolute silence or I can't concentrate. lol

 

[Ogion]

Questions are welcome, since they stand proof of unsatisfied curiosity (which for me is one of the best things in humans).

Well, not much science in there for me. I most like it to read while lying around somewhere. May be my bed, but isn't necessary. Strangely, i observed, i do like to roll around quite a bit while reading, changing positions. I also like having my legs up a wall or something (i know it's strange, but i do that very often; at least when i'm alone).

But then, if i'm reading a good book, it don't really care much about the surroundings. One thing i kinda 'perfected' though is reading while going around. I mean, going around in the city for example. I can walk stairs while reading, go over places with lotsa people...

Ogion

 

[thebarran]

i like to read in bed or outside on a sunny day most of all.

in bed i lie on one side (the side is usually determined by having the thickest side of pages resting on the bed.

no special tools although i do have a bookmark, and i remember i used to read by torchlight as a child sometimes (but that was more to do with the fact of it being a sneaky read when i shouldve been sleeping.

no i dont play music when reading, i prefer to fully imerse myself in the book if possible.

at night or on sunny days

depends on how good the book is

 

[Prof_Pointless]

I read outside or on the couch laying down, usually I just remember what page/section I'm on. The library is also nice, obviously. The less distraction the better.

 

[saffyangelis]

I normally end up reading either curled up in a chair in my room, sat on my bed, or on the floor next to the cat basket and the bookshelf, but there's a couple spots in my garden that are quiet enough that I like to read out there when it's sunny. (They're far away enough from the lawn that I won't have anyone trying to cartwheel into me) I'll tend to sit cross-legged no matter where I'm sat.

I have a booklight that I've stuck to the shelf above my head for reading in bed, but that's mainly because I don't have a light or anything, so if I try and read at night, my choice is limited to 'sit in the chair and read by the landing light, get caught and yelled at' or 'sit in bed with the little booklight on instead'.

I can read with music on, but it's generally fairly quiet, and I prefer listening to something like 'tubular bells' to anything with lyrics, so I don't get distracted or have anyone bursting into my room and start singing along.

My favourite time to read is either in the middle of the afternoon out in the garden (when it's not too sunny), or at night when it's silent and no-one else is awake.

I tend to zone out if it's a good book, or in little chunks while I'm reading, as in, I'll zone out for fifty pages, then pause for a bit, get distracted by a stray thought, then remember what I'm doing and read for a bit more.

(Is that all the questions answered? =P)

 

[Waterstiller]

Since reading is one of the best things in life, I want to have a more enjoyable time doing it. Thanks for the replies thus far.

Ogion: I used to read with my legs up the wall as well! Thanks for reminding me as it has been years. I'm going to try that when I go to bed.

Saffy: Yay on sitting cross-legged. I feel most alert when I'm reading in that position.



I like to read either on my bed or outside away from people. When I was in college I would ride to the botanical gardens between classes to do my reading on a favorite bench under a willow tree.

I like sitting cross-legged in my computer chair using the light from my window when it's light out. I have a really hard time being comfortable while reading in bed. My wrists, back, and neck tend to hurt after a short while. I roll around constantly on my bed but my most comfortable position has been lying on my stomach with a folded pillow under my chest.

I like reading in quiet, but if there's yelling or dogs barking I like to listen to instrumental music on my headphones at a volume just loud enough to drown it out. I usually use Explosions in the Sky, Russian Circles, Sigur Ros, Bonobo, Amon Tobin, Tommy Emmanuel. I like to read in the mornings or all day when it's raining.

I zone out a lot. Sometimes I'll just read a paragraph over and over again because I'm reminded of different things and my mind will go elsewhere. I think it's what I love most about reading books - they tend to launch me into daydreams, scenarios, and old memories. When I'm depressed I'll zone out but often it will just be to nothing and then I'll be frustrated.

Present items:
Book Gem bookholder to read mostly hands-free and flip pages with one hand. Doesn't work as smoothly as I'd like, but it was the best I could find for the price (15 usd).
Reading light on the wall above my bed.
Small water fountain that helps me pretend it's raining.
Incense
A beautiful bookmark with a yin yang bead on the tassle that I found on the ground after leaving a bar.

Future items:
TCS Reading Wedge Pillow. This is my top contender for a reading pillow and likely my next purchase.
Levo Bookholder stand. I imagine it would greatly add to the quality of my life. Too bad it's so expensive. Some day I'll be in book bliss with this.
Pillow to prop book on. Might get this until the Levo Bookholder becomes a possibility.
26" Eeyore plush. He'll be my reading buddy.

 

[Ogion]

You used to do that too, that legs up the wall? Lol. Even the stranger quirks are shared

Ogion

 

[didyouknow]

Where do you like to read?

I like to read outside if possible, on a nice bench underneath a shady tree in the morning or late afternoon. However, if I can't find somewhere quite enough I may end up reading in bed.

What is the most comfortable way to read? How do you read when you're in bed?

The most comfortable way for me to read is either sitting cross-legged, sitting in a sort of hallowed out part of the wall like a closet with my feet against the wall or in an old rocking chair with my feet up on the railing of the veranda.

When attempting to read in bed I mostly lay on my back and hold it up. My arms get tired really quickly though so I rotate between reading sideways, laying on my back and laying on my stomach with a pillow to hold me up. By the way, that wedge pillow looks like something I've been wanting for years. What a comfortable way to sleep.

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)

Nothing really. Usually I like to have a water bottle by my side.

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?

I do read with music on. I did it earlier today actually. But it has to be either music without lyrics or music which makes me feel relaxed so I don't lose concentration.

When do you like to do your reading?

I like to read in the early morning when it's quiet with a nice, gentle sunlight.

How often do you zone out when you read?

I often zone out and not know I've zoned out until I realise I don't understand what I've just read. I often have to reread entire paragraphs because the last paragraph made me go off into my own world.

 

[DynamicMind]

I usually lie on my side on my bed while reading. I do tend to fidget and roll over a lot, though. Lately I've been sitting cross-legged and just looking down at the book.

Spacing out is definitely an issue. That and losing my book every time I get up. Listening to music aggravates both of those issues.

I've never really gotten into using bookmarks. Most of the time I'll just lie the book down so it stays open. That or I fold over the very corner of the page. If I really don't want to wear out the book I'll rip some notebook paper and use it to mark the page. I lose things too easily to use designated bookmarks.

 

[Tyria]

Sorry for the barrage of questions.


Where do you like to read?

What is the most comfortable way to read? How do you read when you're in bed?

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?

When do you like to do your reading?

How often do you zone out when you read?

-Somewhere comfortable and soft.
-with your feet up and with a blanket and a slight breeze. usually don't read in bed.
-candles are nice, especially scented ones. Aroma therapy is essential; smells of baking and lavender are the best.
-music doesn't bother me if I am reading.
-I like to read anytime between dusk and dawn.
-I usually don't zone out when I read.

 

[sagewolf]

I like to read sitting either cross-legged or curled into a fetal position/sitting (at the same time, kinda) on the floor. Lying down just makes my arms tired, and sitting up fully in a chair is uncomfortable and feels too formal for me to really enjoy the book. If I'm in bed, I prop myself up on my pillows in order to read.

Decent light, preferably from a window or a blue-tinted bulb, helps me read-- I can't stand the yellow light from most bulbs. I had a really cool bookmark with a little metal armadillo on it, but I lost it. If I'm in bed, I hook my arm around the stuffed dog doll I have, and he reads with me, especially before bed.

If I'm in the car, I use headphones, but I can read no matter what the external circumstances are, generally. No matter how noisy or annoying. (Unless it's someone going 'what are you reading? what are you reading? Why? what's it called? Is it good? what's it about?')

I like to read in the morning before school or in the evening before bed, or anytime in between when I'm bored. I get really sick if I read on a bus or in a car, though.

Quite often. It usually takes me several minutes to figure out that my attention had shifted away from the book and onto my own imagination. Anyone around me can tell, though, because my eyes stop moving. I often forget where I was when it happens and have to read a page or two to get my bearings again.

 

[The Sky Fell]

Where do you like to read?
I like to read in a chair generally. At a desk of some sort is nice. I find reading while lying down uncomfortable and I'm certainly not coordinated enough to read and walk simultaneously.

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)
All I really need is the right mindset and the right book (the right motivation to read a book as an assignment is a suitable replacement though)

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?
Yes, I can but I tune out whatever is playing in order to concentrate.
No to headphones.
I listen to.. what ever iTunes shuffles for me.

When do you like to do your reading?
I don't have much of a preference when it comes to time of day

How often do you zone out when you read?
If I'm not interested in what I'm reading, all too often. I read four pages just to realize that I didn't comprehend a single sentence. So I go back and accidentally read the same sentence repeatedly because I'm too busy thinking of something else.

 

[Mars]

I can read with music on, but it's generally fairly quiet, and I prefer listening to something like 'tubular bells' to anything with lyrics, so I don't get distracted or have anyone bursting into my room and start singing along.

oh i know what you mean. sitting in my room, minding my own business and then BAM someone comes into the room and starts belting out celine dion my heart will go on.

But seriously, they usually get locked out before that comes to pass.

You used to do that too, that legs up the wall? Lol. Even the stranger quirks are shared

Ogion

Ogion, I too share a similar sitting position at times. However, i find dangling my feet over the back of the couch and using the armrests as armrests [funnily enough], but the other way around. It's great, because if you sit on a 2 seater couch like that it isn't quite as undignified as getting out of an armchair

Where do you like to read?
where I can read the pages easily, in the city, at home, train, car, somewhere comfortable, with a teddy/pillow.

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)
lack of people that actually have something to say to me/annoy me/ distract me. like in the city in the food court where there's heaps of people doing their own thing not being too rowdy.

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?
Just about anything, aslong as it can be denegraded to background noise status. music only if there isn't too much of a genre shift in the list that's playing, but jazz is good.

trivial fact: music with a beat of around 1 second is usually not listened to by people, as in it can be easily denegraded to 'backgroung noise'. thus when a suitably lively tune is coupled with a suitable baseline you can ignore pretty much everything as your reasting heartrate is around 1 beat/sec meaning most other noise is associated to the tune of the song and promptly ignored.

When do you like to do your reading?
when i get a good book and have nothing urgent to do.

How often do you zone out when you read?
depends. On the quality of the writer and how preoccupied i should be. but usually not for more than a half page, by then I am truly not interested in the book. as for zoning out from my surroundings, depends on the writer, storyline and unpredictability/monotony of the surroundings. when they're right I just don't know it's dark until the pages start to change colour.

 

[dwags222]

Where do you like to read?
in bed, on the couch.

What is the most comfortable way to read?
How do you read when you're in bed? laying on my back. used to always read on my side with head propped by hand, and still do once in a while, but then my arm gets seriously numb.

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)
none

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?
sometimes. sometimes. whatever.

When do you like to do your reading?
whenever i'm in the mood. a lot at night before bed but othertimes too.

How often do you zone out when you read?
not very. unless the book sucks and then i quit reading it.

 

[FacetiousPersona]

Where do you like to read?
A nightclub. The flashing lights of various colours allow me to read in style.

What is the most comfortable way to read? How do you read when you're in bed?
Sitting on a horse while it gallops across an African safari zone. It might be fun on an elephant, but I have not tried this.

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)
A dog between my legs to boost the pleasure of the experience. They're very comfortable and nice.

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?
There is normally blaring music at the nightclubs I visit.

When do you like to do your reading?
I like to talk to my friends on the phone while I'm reading and stroke my dog.

How often do you zone out when you read?
It depends on whether or not I'm having phone sex

 

[Mars]

good god man. first I was laughing, then I was scandalised and from then on it was like a car crash. I just could not look away.

 

[DynamicMind]

When do you like to do your reading?
I like to talk to my friends on the phone while I'm reading and stroke my dog.

How often do you zone out when you read?
It depends on whether or not I'm having phone sex

Phone sex while stroking your dog? Really?

 

[FacetiousPersona]

Phone sex while stroking your dog? Really?

While on a horse playing polo.

 

[teazombie]

My favorite places to read (currently) is in bed or on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket and with a steaming cup of tea or cocoa, but I can read pretty much anywhere. I love having a book with me on the bus to pass time, and on a sunny day I like sitting on the ground leaning on a wall or tree or something while reading. In bed I tend to shift around a lot, leaning on the wall lying on my back, on my stomach. When I was younger I liked sitting in the windowsill and read, but the ones in my flat aren't big enough. I also loved reading in the light of an oil lamp, so maybe I should buy myself one... hmm...

I don't listen to music while I read. I can, but it's basically just a waste of energy since I won't be paying it any attention at all. I've never had a favorite time to read on, just whenever.

I occasionally zone out, sometimes it's fun and sometimes just plain annoying.

 

[LucasM]

I read.

The problem is I don't remember how I am situated when I read. I just remember reading. Bed or chair or walking or floor or...

 

[Ex-User (979)]

Where do you like to read?

I like to read in bed right before I fall asleep or on the outside while its light out but not to bright and if no one is in the house I like to read on the couch

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)

If I am reading in bed nothing, if I am on the couch or outside I like peppermint tea or hot chocolate.

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?

I usually can't if the music has lyrics unless I am in a mood where I can focus well. If I do listen to music I wear headphones. I would listen to something with a slow beat and good bass.

When do you like to do your reading?

before bed or in the summer late afternoon or if its raining, anytime ( I like reading in the rain)

How often do you zone out when you read?

depends on if i'm interested in the book or not, if I am almost never if not well probably every chapter maybe.

 

[Thaklaar]

Where do you like to read?

In bed or on the couch, by preference. Or while eating. Or cooking. Or walking someplace, sitting on the toilet, driving, etc.

What is the most comfortable way to read? How do you read when you're in bed?

Reclining on my back.

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)

A general sufficiency of light. Maybe something heavy to hold the book open if my hands are busy.

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?

Quiet background music at the most. No headphones.

When do you like to do your reading?

I don't understand the question.

How often do you zone out when you read?

You talking about getting so wrapped up in your book that the rest of the world disappears or getting distracted from the book itself. The former on a regular basis, the latter only when I'm very tired.

 

[zxc]

Firstly, great thread Waterstiller.

I can read almost anywhere, but I usually read in my computer chair or in bed. Couches are good too. When I was younger, I used to read while following my mum while she went shopping. I haven't done that for a long while though.

In my computer chair my legs are often on the bed. When I'm reading in bed, I like to lean on my right side, and swap to my left when I get uncomfortable (but for some reason I have to prop the book up with my left arm when I lean on my left).

I usually use tissues for bookmarks since I never have enough actual bookmarks (50% of my books have a bookmark in them somewhere) and tissues are easy to acquire. I often use my bedside lamp, or sometimes candles, for some real atmosphere. I've tried listening to the audiobook version of the book I'm reading, at the same time, and although it's interesting, normal in-your-head reading is more enjoyable.

I often read with music on, usually a hand-picked song on repeat or a particular album. The song(s) are chosen based on the mood (or at least current mood) of the book. Usually I prefer instrumentals, but sometimes vocals are suitable so long as the vocal styles and lyrics can be related to the book. I like the Gladiator soundtrack especially, for background music to reading. I also like to listen to soundscapes of things such as thunderstorms and rain. I always use headphones when I listen to music. I never listen to anything when it's raining outside.

I usually read at nighttime before I go to sleep, and my favourite time is definitely after midnight until dawn. I remember once staying up past midnight, past the morning of the next day, and finally finishing the book in the afternoon of the next day.

When I'm tired, I zone out a lot. But when I'm really into a book and I'm not tired, I'm completely absorbed by the book and intoxicated. Usually I would take the book with me everywhere I go, and I would think of nothing else.

Reading is one of my favourite things to do, but it does require a certain minimum of effort I think. I find that I do most of my reading while procrastinating (since nothing helps me escape reality better than a good fantasy book).

 

[Kidege]

Lovely questions


Where do you like to read?

Sitting on a comfy chair, laying down on a bed or a hammock.

What is the most comfortable way to read? How do you read when you're in bed?

If I plan to read a lot, the chair... the hammock's too relaxing and may end up with me asleep. In bed, on my stomach, but I keep changing positions. (I used to do what Ogion does years ago)

What special items do you own to aid in your reading? (for mood, comfort, efficiency, light, favorite bookmark..)

I end up losing bookmarks. I just like a light that's not too glaring, and something to prop up my feet if I feel like it.

Can/do you read with music on? Do you use headphones? What do you listen to?

I prefer to focus solely on the book.

When do you like to do your reading?

At any time, really. Even during meals. I don't like going to sleep without having read at all. Makes me feel anxious.


How often do you zone out when you read?

Depends on what I'm reading. If it's my own choice, I zone out only when I want to, and then only to speculate or fantazise on what I just read... let's say once an hour.


PS. Please don't leave us. Also, it looks like a nice bookholder.