Poll

I have voted for music. I do like silence, but it is a rare luxury, so I listen to music. And I prefer to read to instrumental stuff. Lyrics can be too interupting when lost in a book.

I read a lot in bed so I listen to my cats snoring.

i often read on public transport, so i usually find myself listening to that annoying high frequency tinnitus of another person's iPod.

I can't read as good listening to music most of the time... its kinda weird.

me neither, rather have it silent. or if i read work-related in the daytime, let it be music without lyrics, a la guitar jazz, electronic or ratatat.

Definitely music. I pair books that I've read with what I was listening to at the time. Then, when listening to that music again years down the road I will relive the the happenings of a great story.

I like silence but most of the time my 3 year old is watching movies so I have that in the background.

I have listened to all of them at one point or another. I just like to have something going on softly in the background so that I can't hear the outside world. I am reading, I only want to hear and see what is happening in my book!

If I listen to music while reading it has to be classical. Otherwise I get too distracted. When I was younger I needed absolute silence, but now it seems like I focus better with a bit of noise.

Explosions in the Sky. Any of their albums.

Silence ..

It depends which kind of book I read ..!!!!

Josh The Groban

All of the above! Doesn't matter is a book sucks you in you accomadate yourself to anything.

Anything but nothing. Silence is something, right?

I tend to block everything out when I read. I do usually have some kind of background noise but I don't notice it.

Purple wrote: "I have voted for music. I do like silence, but it is a rare luxury, so I listen to music. And I prefer to read to instrumental stuff. Lyrics can be too interupting when lost in a book."

True, true!

I think it gets weirdly quiet when reading a good book, and it's funny how people look at you like you're deaf. :)

I have to listen to music to zone everyone out.

Love silence!!! The best noise!! But i do listen to music while i write, it helps some how

I have 9 brothers and sisters so I can deal with the noise. But I do like listening to classical music and silence is always welcome.

If you really listen, silence is pretty noisy.

I have 3 dogs, so for me silence tends to be a variety of outdoor sounds (e.g., birds, kids, power tools) mixed with dog snores and dog barks.

other = traffic.

Music, or the chattering of my kids or what they're watching on tv. Silence is too distracting unless it's really late and the kids are asleep, I keep stopping to see what they're up to if they're too quiet!

Nature if very loud here in the tropics, bloody cicadas, bull frogs, cane toads and innumerable insects trying to have an orgy. I would like silence...

it depends...really. Sometimes I listen to music, other times I like it to be quiet.

Ditto what Ski said.

Music, but ONLY Howard Shore's LotR score. Everything else is distracting.

I, like to listen to classical music or just plane silence.

Music- lyrics or no lyrics it doesn't matter I can read to it...I prefer dead silents though but at my house that's very rare, between 2 dogs, a cat that gets into everything possible, yelling, TV, More yelling (I live with my grandmother and she is really uptight so she's always yelling about something), and even at night there's no silence, snoring, or her sister's radio (That I'm not allowed to touch) that always has country music on (I DON'T LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC)....So it's massively difficult to fine silence, so I listen to my music...I can read anything but Nickelback...They are the only ones that truly detracts me when they come on I just have to belt them out (Their my favorite band)...Other then that Music and silence are what I like to read in.

i can't listen to music while i'm reading, unless there is no singer, because i cant concentrate on the words in the book when im listening to someone singing a song. Im still looking for a good activity to do when listening to music though.

I can't read if there's noise around. Silence for me!

I prefer to read in TOTAL SILENCE!!!!

It depends I sometimes music sometimes total silence.

I can read with anything going on....usually my family has the tv on that I block out when I read (I hate TV...except for sports!). When I am by myself I will sometimes play, quietly, guitar Jazz or an old Grateful Dead concert.

Mark wrote: "I can read with anything going on....usually my family has the tv on that I block out when I read (I hate TV...except for sports!). When I am by myself I will sometimes play, quietly, guitar Jazz o..."
Cool. I hate tv also but when shorthand street is on.

I have voted for ahhhhh... Silents but it really depends on my mood. There's times when I just wanna have peace and quiet while I read but there's times when I'm for example irritated I read with the music load to the max or there's times when I just wanna have background music just becasue I can like I said earlier it really depends on my mood.

I voted for music. Silence is nice, but I like having music while reading more. :)

Anything works

Silence, though occasionally during my teachers boring lectures I just have to read to stay sane.

Silence is preferred, but I don't mind some background noise, like music, the tv, or rain. I can't read well when someone is talking though.

I have specific playlists based on what I am reading. Music is a must for me.

I will either have music while I am reading or silence; I would say it is a balance between the two. But if I have music on while I am reading it has to be ambient, or otherwise gentler music--not say, Metallica or Epica! ;) I find Enigma, Delerium, Dead Can Dance, Amethystium, Blackmore's Night, First Aid Kit, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt all quite lovely to read to as well as many of Moby's songs.

Hard Metal and Rock n' Roll with full volume!))) Joking, absolute silence, of course.

Other: both atmospheric nature sounds (rain, waterfall, etc., from my phone or other electronic source) or light classical/new age. Silence is great, but I do also like a soft background rhythm if possible.

MEH SIBLINGS JUMPING OFF WALLS WHILE I AM HIDING UNDER MY BED WITH MEH CAT

I'd like to say silence, but mostly its me trying to read a book while my five year old keeps asking for things, constantly tells me to look at the show he is watching, or my baby starts crying. Thats why I do a lot of audio books for now. I'm so busy, I can usually finish an audio book in a day, it takes me between two weeks to a month to finish a tangible copy. 😂😂😂🙄

I prefer quiet but I just need a small noise for me to concentrate

I had to pick other because it depends on where and sometimes what I am reading. In my yard - the sounds of nature which includes birds, as wells as either feral cats or the skunks crunching kibbles as I read. The bird feeders are at the other end of the yard.

If I am indoors - than either silence or music.