Reading Conditions

Some reading conditions are better than others (this is not to say that there are reading conditions that are bad). Here are my favorites.

Post-work coffee, preferably downtown

Few things de-stress me after a long day at work like getting a specialty coffee and reading. This is best when there is outside seating, when the temperature is between 65ºF and 75ºF with a light breeze rolling off the ocean.

Between 1AM and 3AM

This is almost exclusively a condition resulting from the first. When I have coffee after work (between 5PM and 7PM), the caffeine kicks in around 10PM so I lay in bed for a couple of hours trying to fall asleep until I pick up a book and read for a couple more.

The Sunday Morning of a Low-Key Weekend

Cozy in bed, with a fresh cup of coffee and a thick book. Need I say more?

When There’s a Lot of Apartment Cleaning to do

The coffee table is finally cleared off. – reading break.
That’s where that book has been hiding! – reading break.
My laundry should be folded and put away… – reading break.

When the Power Goes Out

You’ll have to be in a romanticizing head space for this (if you’re like me, romanticizing is all that takes up your head space), and prepare ahead of time by stockpiling candles and matches. Once the lights go out and the heat turns off, get under your heaviest, comfiest blanket(s) and read by the illuminating candlelight. Don’t think about not being able to run any water or when the power will be turned back on, it will all work out. You can also pretend there’s been a power outage; this is especially helpful if you are feeling distracted and need to force yourself to find time to read.

On/In Transportation Vehicles

Out of planes, trains, and automobiles, trains are the only moving mechanism I can read on without feeling nauseous, but I know many people who can read on and in all three. Partake in a literary journey while you are journeying.

In the Library

You’re already there checking out or returning books, why not stick around and read one or two?! If you try something new and realize you’re not enjoying it, you have hundreds if not thousands of other reading materials right at your fingertips!

On a Breezy Beach in the Summer

Okay, I actually dislike reading on the beach, but I want to enjoy it so badly that I always start reading, but then I start getting sweaty and then the pages slip and then I start worrying about an uneven tan and then the sun is reflecting too brightly off the pages and this goes on and on until I remember I dislike reading on the beach. Unless I’m laying stomach down on my towel. That I can usually deal with [for a short time].

When I Feel Lost or Uninspired

Sometimes the direction an author takes a book is just what we need to be inspired to direct or start figuring out in which direction to take our real world lives. And sometimes we just need to learn/re-learn a few more words, or need ideas for character names, or are looking for something to relate to for our own stories and ideas.

I hope to hear about your favorite reading conditions, and perhaps this has inspired you to seek out new ones. Happy reading!