When I was young I read anywhere and everywhere. I’d read on
the long bus rides to and from school as long as it wasn’t dark. At home I’d
curl into an armchair (and be chastised for my bad posture) or if no one was
around I’d stretch out on the couch. Since that wasn’t as often as I liked, my favorite
spot to read was lying on my bed in the quiet of my room. From there I solved
crimes with the Hardy Boys, acted out history with the “We Were There” series, fought
pirates with Robert Louis Stevenson and later learned of life from classic
literature.
After lights out, I read with a flashlight under the
covers—and got busted once when my father happened to go into the back yard and
saw pale light escaping from ineffectively drawn curtains.
These days I still read curled into chairs – now a favorite
recliner or my grandmother’s rocker, with light streaming into the study. I
only buy couches long enough for me to stretch out on, and I love reading
outside on our deck overlooking the lake or in a chair hammock away from bugs on
the screened porch.
Before my last cat died earlier this year, she would join
me wherever I was, curling up next to me if I insisted or getting her way and
snoozing on my legs, lap or chest.
Where is your favorite place to read?
~ Jim
Hard choice, Jim, because I read everywhere. My favorites include, my sofa, on the screen porch and in my beach chair while sitting on the beach. I too would read under the covers with a flashlight. The first time I remember doing so, I was reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck--racy stuff! The luxury to read whatever I wanted whenever I want sounds like paradise (especially if it's at the beach).
ReplyDeleteAs a child there was a large chair in the living room next to the bookcases where I read. I also read in an old willow in the summer and in my bed at night.
ReplyDeleteToday my favorite place to read is in my nesting chair in the living room and in my bed at night. I always carry a TIME magazine with me in the outside pocket of my purse (It's not big enough for a book) when I go any place so I have something to read if I have to wait.
I don't have a favorite place to read yet, Jim, but I do have a favorite place in my mind: An over-sized comfy chair where I can sit with my back propped up against one armrest & my legs dangling over the other armrest.
ReplyDeleteSome day I'm going to have that. Until then, I read wherever I can.
These days I seem to read most often while having coffee or tea at a table. I like Alyx' idea--read wherever you can until you find your favorite spot.
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps your favorite spot should be the place you are when you are reading.
ReplyDelete~ Jim (the Zen philosopher - ha!)
Anywhere I can get prone! My favorite is in bed, but couches are good, too. During spring and summer, the patio chairs by the pool. My mother and grandmother used to nag at me, saying "You'll ruin your eyes, reading in that dim light." Well, I'm still reading, but with contacts.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child I liked to climb up an olive tree, sit on a large branch and read a Nancy Drew mystery.
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm older and less flexible, I curl up on a comfy couch to read.
If we get to choose our Heaven (presuming that's where I go), mine is reading a book on my deck in summertime, with hummingbirds buzzing around pots overflowing with flowers and tomatoes, and birds chirping in our pine trees. That is my happiest time.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Dilts