Another true story about reading
Since I appear to have spontaneously started a week-long series of true stories about reading, I figured I'd keep it going. Today's post is about the places I've been known to read.
These days, I read in what I expect are fairly common places:
in bed
on a sofa/chair in a common living area
on the toilet (what? you all know you do this.)
at the table (if I'm alone)
while waiting in doctor's offices or similar (I go with the BYOB option, where the second B is for BOOK) or
while waiting in my car to pick kids up somewhere
when riding on a train or in an airplane (I get car sick if I read in cars or buses, but trains & planes are okay)
when sitting/lying on a beach or similar outdoor location (dock, porch, deck, etc.)
And while I haven't taken a bath in recent memory, I've been known to read while in the tub. Only I have to be very, very careful about that because I do not like getting moisture on my books, so it requires special set-up involving extra towels and a safe place to stash the book when I'm not holding it (in my hands that I dried using one of the extra towels). Look, it's complicated - don't judge.
On occasion, I confess to reading while standing in line at the grocery store. And on rare occasions, to reading a sentence or two while stopped at a red light.
Now, I consider most of those places to be fairly normal sorts of places for people to read, even though "in line at the store" is probably not the most common place to whip a book out of your bag and start reading.
Here's my list of OTHER places where I've read:
When I was in 4th and 5th grade, we lived in a house in Saxonburg, PA. I was known to read while in a "fort" composed of our dining room table (with its ends folded down) and stereo speakers facing in (usually playing something like, say, the soundtrack to Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar - I still know ALL THE WORDS! - or listening to the radio). And in case you missed it or want confirmation on this point: Yes. I was sitting under the table reading.
When I was a kid, I read while up in trees. I was an excellent tree climber, once upon a time, and I used to love to hang out up in trees, where I occasionally read. Or made notations about the weather. As you do.
Also from childhood: I read in the graveyard next to our Saxonburg house. (We also played touch football in there. Dodging tombstones is trickier than you might think.)
When I was a teen, I sometimes hid out on the floor of my closet to read. Not because I'd get in trouble for reading, but because I liked having the ability to hide out in my closet. (Yes, that is a bit nerdy WHY DO YOU ASK?)
While walking to school (or home after school). (I still read while walking around my house, if I'm at a compelling part of the book. Mostly, I can now put the book down to go get tea or whatever.)
While doing household chores, including cooking, moving laundry from the washer to the dryer, cleaning toilets, and more. (Again, it has to be a compelling part of a compelling book, but it still happens.)
While getting dressed/changed and/or while doing things like brushing teeth, doing hair and makeup. (N.B. - Do not attempt to put on anything involving your eye while reading.)
I'm sure that some of you have read in unusual places, or while in the process of doing something else. So tell me, where have you been known to read?
These days, I read in what I expect are fairly common places:
in bed
on a sofa/chair in a common living area
on the toilet (what? you all know you do this.)
at the table (if I'm alone)
while waiting in doctor's offices or similar (I go with the BYOB option, where the second B is for BOOK) or
while waiting in my car to pick kids up somewhere
when riding on a train or in an airplane (I get car sick if I read in cars or buses, but trains & planes are okay)
when sitting/lying on a beach or similar outdoor location (dock, porch, deck, etc.)
And while I haven't taken a bath in recent memory, I've been known to read while in the tub. Only I have to be very, very careful about that because I do not like getting moisture on my books, so it requires special set-up involving extra towels and a safe place to stash the book when I'm not holding it (in my hands that I dried using one of the extra towels). Look, it's complicated - don't judge.
On occasion, I confess to reading while standing in line at the grocery store. And on rare occasions, to reading a sentence or two while stopped at a red light.
Now, I consider most of those places to be fairly normal sorts of places for people to read, even though "in line at the store" is probably not the most common place to whip a book out of your bag and start reading.
Here's my list of OTHER places where I've read:
When I was in 4th and 5th grade, we lived in a house in Saxonburg, PA. I was known to read while in a "fort" composed of our dining room table (with its ends folded down) and stereo speakers facing in (usually playing something like, say, the soundtrack to Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar - I still know ALL THE WORDS! - or listening to the radio). And in case you missed it or want confirmation on this point: Yes. I was sitting under the table reading.
When I was a kid, I read while up in trees. I was an excellent tree climber, once upon a time, and I used to love to hang out up in trees, where I occasionally read. Or made notations about the weather. As you do.
Also from childhood: I read in the graveyard next to our Saxonburg house. (We also played touch football in there. Dodging tombstones is trickier than you might think.)
When I was a teen, I sometimes hid out on the floor of my closet to read. Not because I'd get in trouble for reading, but because I liked having the ability to hide out in my closet. (Yes, that is a bit nerdy WHY DO YOU ASK?)
While walking to school (or home after school). (I still read while walking around my house, if I'm at a compelling part of the book. Mostly, I can now put the book down to go get tea or whatever.)
While doing household chores, including cooking, moving laundry from the washer to the dryer, cleaning toilets, and more. (Again, it has to be a compelling part of a compelling book, but it still happens.)
While getting dressed/changed and/or while doing things like brushing teeth, doing hair and makeup. (N.B. - Do not attempt to put on anything involving your eye while reading.)
I'm sure that some of you have read in unusual places, or while in the process of doing something else. So tell me, where have you been known to read?