College Students! discussion
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Where do you read?
message 51:
by
Kelly A.
(new)
Mar 26, 2010 02:39PM
Isn't it? I feel like I'm in a zen garden there. I go to the University of Central Florida.
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I've always had trouble reading outside. I just can't seem to concentrate on my book, whether it's because the sun's too bright or it's too windy or whatever.Usually I read on my bed or in my school's library. Recently, I've been scouting around my campus trying to find quiet sitting rooms in dorms/academic buildings that not that many people frequent, where I can have hours of alone time to read.
I'm going to piggyback off of Jess's Rory comment about bring a book with me wherever I go.I've gotten accustomed to reading on the subway every morning and afternoon. It's about 45 min each way and I love to zone out with my ipod while I read. I have to be careful, though, because on more than one occasion I almost missed my stop!
Alaa wrote: "I can read anywhere but I prefer a quite place like my bedroom."The place I miss reading the most--on a little pier off a small fishing town near Nagasaki where I used to live. Best place to read EVEr.
I carry a book with me everywhere (seriously--one of the criteria for buying a new purse is whether it can hold a book). Class, the grocery store, lunch with friends, everywhere. I always have the intention of reading whenever nothing is going on, like during the 10 minute break between classes that I don't deal with because I stay in the same room, but I wind up joining in the conversations. Or if my parents are watching something on TV and I feel like I ought to stay downstairs, I wind up having a problem concentrating on my book because of the TV.How do y'all deal with blocking out background noises? Is it something you just do or did it take practice?
It's always been easy for me to read in crowds, but I also have a hard time reading when the TV is on. My eyes are always drawn back to the screen.
Kayla wrote: "It's always been easy for me to read in crowds, but I also have a hard time reading when the TV is on. My eyes are always drawn back to the screen."The same reason I can never fall asleep with the TV on, I can't understand how people do that!
I can't read in cars either, I usually tend to fall asleep, even if it's just a 5 minute ride, lol.
I always always always carry a book with me, even if I don't think I'll have time to read it.
I read anywhere and anyway(sitting, standing, etc.). I definitely like reading in bed at night because it makes me sleepy.
Most of the time I read in bed at night, but there is also a nook in one of the libraries at my school that I enjoy reading in. It's not really any more comfortable than any other part of the library, but I like it. Alternatively, I go a couple floors down in that library, where there is an absolutely gorgeous view (if it's nice enough out to see anything).
Whenever I plan to read in a crowded area I always bring a pair of headphones because even though I don't listen to music people assume I can't hear them and leave me alone. I suppose I look pretty anti-social but sometimes a good book is worth the stigma.
I always get distracted when I read outside or anything. So, my absolute favorite place to read is laying on the couch.
Yay for couches! I tend to read on my bed, which makes me sleepy, but whatever lol.
I take a book almost everywhere I go so I end up reading in a lot of random places. My favorite is definitely the beach, although I do not take advantage enough. I also enjoy reading on my deck at home.
Mod
I wish I could read outside... but either the bugs or the wind or something ends up distracting me. My mind tends to wander when I'm outside. I prefer the couch at home.Maybe that's one reason why I don't read much at school.. no truly comfy or private places!
I wish the weather here would let me read outside! It's still too cold.
Mod
I like reading in my bed but I get sleepy more quickly. Thankfully, I have a couple of comfy chairs in my living room. They're just not the same as bed though.I tried reading outside this weekend because it was really hot in my grandparents' sunroom. But it was super windy so that didn't last too long.
I love reading out by our pool(when it's warm enough): we have no neighbors to speak of (out in the swiss countryside), a big garden and forest with loads of places to set down a blanket or read... My mom just got some lounge chairs for the pool that are amazing, and our pool has a 3foot ledge that's only a foot deep expressly for us to sit and read/talk/drink on... It's amazing! I always end up getting a sunburn because I have a tendency to forget about the time! Can't wait for the warm weather!!I also carry a book everywhere (but now when I go to class I leave it in the locker because I've already gotten so absorbed in a book at break that I don't realize I missed the class till the other students start filing out...), and even in the car, for red lights or when I get stuck in traffic :-)
And in the winter I have this amazing recliner you can fall asleep in, with a shelf next to it to put down tea, chocolate, TBR books, etc...
And Kelly, I love that picture! I wish I went to a school like yours! In Geneva it's pretty modern, right smack in the city center..
Melanie, I'm so jealous of your pool, that sounds perfect.
My favorite place to read is also out by the pool! Can't wait until we open it for the summer so I can start.I also do a lot of reading on the subway, even though it's not my favorite place to read. I get a lot done, and it makes my ride go by faster.
Mod
Lol.. have you ever fallen in the pool while reading? I have, lol... practically drowned while trying to hold the book in the air:-)What's the weather like in the US? We're pretty much in the early Spring, so we probably have about two weeks before we can open the pool:-(
Melanie your pool sounds amazing! Perfect place for reading. I would probably do the same thing if I fell in, all I would care about is the book! lolThe weather here in the US is really diverse depending on where you live. I live in Utah and it's still really early spring with occasional snow and weather is usually about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Other states are a lot warmer. My grandparents live in Arizona (about a 6 hour drive from where I live) and they are past spring and into summer. It's about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Some parts of the US are really rainy right now, and others are really dry.
I think I've found a new favorite reading place! I'm really enjoying reading in my rocking chair in my living room. I'd enjoy it even more if I could open the windows. But it's been too windy lately.Melanie, Oklahoma, where I'm from, has the craziest weather. Around here we joke that if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. Last week we had temperatures into the 80s (Fahrenheit) and low 60s. It's also gotten down into the 30s at night and up to the 80s in the afternoon. Your pool sounds amazing!
lol, Utah is about the same as Oklahoma. We had really warm weather a couple of days last week, and then it rained a lot. Then we got 8 inches of snow dumped on us, and now we're back up into the 60's.
Thanks Melanie, it is pretty amazing. My school is in a really crowded area of town and has about 55,000 students.....it's amazing to find such a peaceful place!
Lori, you were saying how you bring a book to read during the break in between classes...well, I go to a really small school with a really small campus. So, I will intentionally leave my room 15 minutes before class starts (even though it takes about 3-4 minutes to get where I'm going) just so I can sit outside the classroom and read. I get some odd looks, but whatever--I will take any opportunity I get to read. Ooh, and recently, I got a ridiculously comfortable butterfly chair that I could curl up in for hours on end! Between that and the fact that with the coming of spring and warm weather, the grass has become a comfy spot again, it will be interesting to see just how well I can get work done for this last month of school!
Lol.. Kimberley and Lori... Love the "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes"!We thankfully have stopped getting snow about a month ago (but the mountains got snow last weekend, which was cool!), but we're running about 20 degrees celsius last week to 7 degrees this week (c-coooold, especially when all your winter clothes are already boxed up!)
They're predicting sunny weather next week though, and since our pool is solar-heated, I'm working on my parents to open it up!
I heard Oklahoma was beautiful but really windy, is that true? And Kimberley, I visited southern Utah with my boyfriend, and I loved it... More or less the same climate as NM, no?
Melanie...Um, northeast Oklahoma (where Tulsa is) is green and beautiful. I think southeastern Oklahoma is supposed to be green and pretty too. Pretty much everything west of that is not green, but it would appeal to people who like flat, empty, desert-ous landscapes. Yes, it is very windy, especially when you're not in a city that has tall buildings to block the wind. For instance, in Stillwater (where I go to school) it is always very windy. And I wish I were exaggerating.I must ask, where on earth did you hear that about Oklahoma?! (Sorry, I'm just surprised that anyone outside the state would be talking about it)
Melanie wrote: "I heard Oklahoma was beautiful but really windy, is that true? And Kimberley, I visited southern Utah with my boyfriend, and I loved it... More or less the same climate as NM, no? "
Yep, really similar weather. What part of southern Utah did you visit?
I always have a book (or try to have one) with me every where I go so I like to read whenever I can. Otherwise reading in bed late at night is my favorite because I have a hard time sleeping.
Mod
Right??? Me too! I usually can't sleep before 3-4 in the morning, so if it's a really good book I end up starting it and finishing it right then and there. Those tiems are worse when I work in the morning and then have class until 9pm!
Lori- I went to camp with two Oklahoma girls, one from OKC, and the other from Tulsa! they loved living there, and showed me a pic or two, and it seemed beautiful! Maybe it's the fact that I live in the Alps practically.. I love the mountains, but flat country also has its own appeal: a lot of northern France is flat (but not too windy), and I do love the landscapes! Lol, But I have NO idea where Stillwater is!!:-)Kimberley- I was in Hurricane and Cedar City for a couple of days, and went hiking 4 days in the Kolob Canyons with my boyfriend (who was worried there wouldn't be enough water so hauled 6 gallons of it in his pack, lol), and visited Bryce and Zion as well: I loved the geology there!
Anyone been to Europe yet? the landscapes vary a lot from (small) country to (small) country! :-)
Melanie- I love Zion! It's one of my favorite National Parks, did you do any of the hiking there? My family goes camping there every year. And to try to tie this back into the topic, I love reading outside when I'm camping. My favorite is to sit by the campfire and read.
Kimberly, you just reminded me of this family vacation we took 5+ years ago at some middle of nowhere cabin in Canada on a lake. Every day I would slater myself with sunblock, put a book in a waterproof bag then kayak out to the middle of the lake and read. It was so perfect.
Melanie, What camp did you go to? I always wanted to go to summer camp, but it never worked out. Stillwater is about halfway between OKC and Tulsa (except a bit north of OKC).I've never been to Europe but I'd love to go some day. I'm a French minor, so I've always wanted to go to France. But lately I've really been wanting to go to Italy. Ideally, if I ever get over there I'd do it the Gilmore way. ;)
Another somewhat old thread..... I'm not sure if I have a favorite place to read.... I guess, probably my bed. I'm more of a roamer, though. I like to mix things up. I may read on the couch for an hour or so, then move to the floor, then my bed, etc. Moving around kind of reenergizes me, and makes me feel like I've just started reading. This is how things were when I got my hands on the Harry Potter books at midnight release parties. I'd read in the car on the way home, then the couch, and then the bed. Then I'd wake up, take the book to the bathroom with me (while I brushed my teeth, even!), to the breakfast table, and so on. Does anyone else do this? Or am I just freakish? ;)
No, I do similar things. I'll carry the book around with me. Getting up and moving to a different room, or from the chair to the couch even, reenergizes me. I guess because it wakes you up a bit to move.
Mod
I almost always have a book with me, I don't really have a favourite place to read, more of a favourite weather type: when it's sunny outside I can just sit anywhere and read and be completely happy, I'm warm, I have my book and I can eat icecream without freezing, a win-win-win situation. Caitlin: I carry my books around with me too. When I'm cooking dinner at my parents' house I just keep reading. Though I never do so at my own home, cause my kitchen is very small and I don't have anywhere to put it down if something would start burning.
Mod
I don't get up and move around during reading. Mostly because if I am reading I am dead to everything else. It is common for me to sit/lay down with a book, then after a few minutes look at the clock and it has actually been more like an hour or two. :)
But, I do usually have a book or my ereader with me everywhere wether or not I think there will be time to read. :)
I mostly read on my bed or on the couch. Back in Austin, one of my favorite spots to read on campus was right in front of one of the dorms.
Tami, I wish I could read during class! So many of my lit classes were complete wastes of time that I wish I could have been reading something interesting. But I'm not terrific at reading with background noise, especially when it's a loud professor.
I usually end up reading in my bed, because it's just the easiest place and I don't have a chair big enough to comfortably curl up in. My goal is to have a reading/knitting nook when I have to find my own place, with a big oversized chair and lots of shelving. My dream is to have a reading/knitting room with a big bay window with a window seat to sit in and read. I have the biggest crush on bay window seats.
I love to read outside in the grass. I usually fall asleep and get a bad tan line, though. I also read in the bath tub. One of my best jobs was as a receptionist and they let me read there, which was great. Next to reading in the grass, I love to read at a desk, because I have a hard time getting comfortable when I have to figure out how to hold my book if I am reclining or sitting somewhere else. I don't read in bed very much any more cuz I really can't get comfortable with a book there without having to reposition myself every few minutes.
my comfy yellow chair or outside. Whichever is a better temperature.
