The Sword and Laser discussion
What do you do when reading?
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I read my Kindle in bed and I listen to audiobooks while at work loading book carts or checking in materials. You are lucky to start the Game of Thrones series without having to wait 6 years for Dance With Dragons. ;-)
Audiobooks in the car or while doing things around the house and yard.Print and eBooks... I'm not as good about those as I would like. I tend to get too distracted by TV or (oh darn) chatting with my wife. So when I really want to read I put on some music and curl up in a chair. I also like reading while I eat breakfast, but morning website checks tend to get in the way...
Audiobooks in the car, while exercising, cleaning, or making dinner. Dead-tree books at night before going to bed. (Well, ok, I actually also read while I knit... but not everyone likes to hold a book open in their lap while they play with yarn.)
Ah, that was my next question. What do you listen to when reading?
I put my right leg in,I put my right leg out;
I put my right leg in,
And I shake it all about.....
I can read anywhere but I am single tasking - even sipping water from a bottle is a stretch. And if I don't tune out background noise it becomes a distraction.
I use public transportation so I get the opportunity to read on the way to and from work. I also make a point to read for at least an hour every night, usually from 9-10. While reading I'm typically listening to classical music or opera 'cos it helps me focus, especially on the bus.
Audiobooks are why I love long car trips and international flights. I listen to audiobooks while driving, at the gym, on planes....really anytime I have at least 30 minutes to invest into listening--sometimes more, if it's the start of a book.i also,listen while knitting or cross-stitching. Other than those times, though, if I'm at home, I'm more likely to read a print book than listen to audio. If I'm home with nothing else to do, I find I get distracted trying to listen to audiobooks. When reading print books, I have to be invested in what I'm reading. If I am, then I can tune out background noise, like if I'm at my parents' house and the whole family is home, when there is tv on and kids running around. If I'm just chilling at home, say on a weekend, though, I don't have background noise on. Sometimes I'll have a game on TV with the sound muted, so I can look up every now and then and see scores. I read a lot. My TV watching has diminished as my reading has picked up. Actually, this weekend I plan on doing a good bit of reading (some while eating, some while a game is on). Also I have a doctor appointment Monday that is about 45 ,I uses away from my house. I'm actually looking forward to the appointment so I can get some audiobook time in. With how insane work has been lately, I haven't had any time to read books for fun....
Now that I'm done being silly I'll tell you what I do while reading. I take full advantage of the "read anywhere" aspect of kindle books. I have kindle loaded on my phone so I can read while I wait in a long line. I use the kindle cloud reader so when I'm on a break at work I can read off my computer browser. When I get home sometimes if I don't want to read off my kindle so I'll pull up my book on my flat screen TV in the living room since i have a computer hooked up to it. I also have a stationary bike I don't use nearly enough but being able to pull my book up on my TV makes it easier to read while I bike.As for audio books, I use the audible program on my android and listen to audio books while I clean my apartment. I also listen to audio books on my way to work.
I almost never read in bed because I tend to fall asleep in bed as soon as I lie down. I also heard a doctor once say that you shouldn't watch TV or read while in bed because your brain will start associating that activity with that room and then you'll have a harder time going to sleep. For me I never get far enough reading for my brain to associate my bedroom with anything but sleep.
I prefer sitting in a comfy chair with a cat napping on my lap and plenty of time to myself for reading. But with ebooks, I can and do read anywhere a bit of free time presents itself.
Well if the book is paranormal romance...
Defiantly in bed before I go to sleep, also often when I have a little down time, weighting for someone, Doctor's office that kind of thing. And of course when I just want to, particularly when a book has grabbed me.
I always read over breakfast - that way, even if I have a really busy day I always have a little quiet time with my book each day :)
Bori wrote: "I always read over breakfast - that way, even if I have a really busy day I always have a little quiet time with my book each day :)"I like that idea. Alas, I usually eat breakfast at my desk at work... :(
I drink energy drinks sometimes when I read unless its before bed.number 1 thing to do to not lose interest in reading (not joking) read books that make you think about then when your not reading them. If the book can't hook you its not worth it no matter what the reviews are.
Try to keep one eye on the altimeter.;-}
3 hours of commuting every weekday = 3 hours of audiobook time
I have a favorite coffee house I go to for a few reasons. Since I've been a regular there for a while, I know the other regulars pretty well. It's nice to go somewhere else to read, but still have a social option for short conversations. Many other coffee house regulars are readers as well, so I've had some great impromptu conversations about books and I've received some great book recommendations.
Also, I've found that reading before bed has become somewhat of a challenge for me. Some nights I'll get an hour of reading done, but other nights I'll read two pages and fall asleep. Reading at my coffee house means that I know I'll get through a few chapters because falling asleep in public is embarrassing.
Final perk of the coffee house? I'm friendly with the baristas, so sometimes I get free pastries. Yummers!
I often have more than one book on the go at a time. There is the book( books now I have an e-reader) in my purse for when you get caught in a line or waiting for some reason. The book (usually a romance) I read while in a bath. There is my bedside book, (can be what ever catches my fancy at the time). Sometimes there is more than one book by the bed. Audio books are good for the car or cleaning or cooking or going for a walk. I also find varying what you read helps keep you interested in reading. I admit most of what I read falls under being paranormal romance, and fantasy. I will give any author or genre a chance. I also read mysteries, westerns, horror, non fiction. I am sure I am forgetting a few. One genre I have not been able to get into is Biography's of any kind.
I often have a drink or small snack when I read.
Most important, just make the time even it's only a couple of minutes before you go to sleep.
I read every morning while I eat breakfast. I read pacing around the apartment for several minutes while waiting for the clock to tell me to go to work. I read during breaks and lunch at work. I usually walk to work and have tried reading during it, but I fell off the sidwalk once so I stopped. I read while my husband watches TV, and for an hour or two before I go to bed. I don't read in bed because the light bothers my husband. I will read any where any time. I actually have panic attacks if I leave home without a book.I am reading 2 or 3 books at once so I don't get bored.
Tasha wrote: "I read every morning while I eat breakfast. I read pacing around the apartment for several minutes while waiting for the clock to tell me to go to work. I read during breaks and lunch at work. I us..."My ex-girlfriend used to read while walking all the time, I always worried that she'd bump into someone/thing but she must have had some kind of sonar or something because she never did.
I can read pretty much anywhere, but usually it's either at my desk or bed although the desk chair's nowhere near as comfy. While I'm reading I usually have the tv or music on in the background. Even though I almost always just tune it out I have to have something on because absolute silence unnerves me for some reason.
If I listened to fewer podcasts I could read on my commute (public transit), but I can't concentrate on a book and a podcast at the same time, so I mostly read at night, or on weekends. I'm also that mom at the playground with one eye on the kids and the other on the Kindle.
A lot of times, I read when I find I have time to spare. For instance, I read before I go to bed or when I need a break from studying. When I get most of my reading done is on the weekend, which is when I have the afternoon to myself. I like to put on music to get comfortable and just read away.
This'll sound silly, but I talk to the book. I react verbally to what the characters are doing: scold them, cheer them on, laugh at them - just react. Crazy as it may sound this has really enriched my reading experience and helps me develop a connection to the characters. While I was reading The Lies of Locke Lamora I alternated between scolding Locke for his stupidities, and cheering him for his cleverness. Needless to say, I'm rather attached to Locke now and cannot wait to acquire the next book so I can find out what in the world's happened to him. Naturally, I don't do the above in public. I do have a sense of propriety, after all.
My saner reading practices include reading over breakfast, since I find that reading and a mug of strong coffee work well together to get the brain up and going. Whenever there's a spare moment in the day I'll read, which is why I'm so happy I own a Kindle. Longer, more leisurely reading periods are for the weekends, and on those days (especially now that it's summer in my country) I like to lie down on the old family couch, turn the electric fans on full blast, and immerse myself into a good book with a tall pitcher of iced water nearby.
I have a book in nearly every room so I can just pick it up with the mood strikes. Books on my tablet (mostly Baen books), books on my phone (whatever free ones are out there), books on my Sony eReader in my purse, back up paperbook for the purse for when I forget to charge my ereader, book in my bathroom for when I take a bath, and audiobooks on my iPod.I will read on the bus or waiting at the bus stop when I'm commuting, or I'll listen to an audiobook whenever I'm in the car. Yes, even if the drive is only 10 minutes long. And sometimes I listen to an audiobook or podcast when I'm doing work that doesn't require reading, like when I'm doing data entry or turning a sketch into a digital floor plan.
I read almost any time, any where. I read paper books (fewer these days), books on my PC, books on my Kindle and books on my phone. 2011 turned out not to be a good year for reading, but 2012 is already different. I usually don't do anything else while reading, because my brain is completely in the world of the book.
I habitually read before bed and fall alsleep with in the first page, but on a morning I get an hour in before doing anything. Monday to friday I will get up between 6 and 6:30 to read before work. I always take my book with me where ever I go, work, appointments, etc etc to read while waiting.
Reading happens all over the place. Among the usual suspects I read in my local coffee shop, in bed (as my boyfriend is also reading its a nice way to share time together that is both relaxing and comfortable). Strangely enough becasue I'm a hobbyist (warhammer) I keep my interest up by showing the other community memebers the book I am currently reading (as I have been known to read a bit as i wait for paint to dry or glue to set as i build), aI a result we have become a kinda loosely knitted book club we talk about our hobby and the books we have read and what we think of them. I also like to bring my mom new books to read as her enviromental allergies don't allow her to get out often she introduced me to fantasy as a child reading to me. The ability to help her find and to continue to enjoy this shared hobby helps keep me interested in reading. I have also over the years volunteered in hospitals and care homes reading to the sick and elderly theres is something about reading to someone and being read to that is to my mind the greatest gift of all. (my neice has been enjoying having harry potter read to her by her grandfather).
My Kindle goes almost everywhere with me - you never know when you can sneak in 5mins here and there. I was delighted to find I don't get travelsick when reading, which I do with hard copies. I finally started to look forward to the 4-hr trip to my in-laws! I use the text-to-speech facility a lot when cooking or driving, and I can also crochet with it on my lap, as long as the pattern isn't overly demanding. It was an absolute lifesaver in the early days of having a newborn, too. Not so much now she's a toddler, but luckily we're all reading freaks. There are times when it suddenly all goes quiet and I'll look up and see my DH reading his Kindle, my 6yo buried in her latest book and smallest girl leafing though Thomas the Tank Engine (in the 5mins before she shouts "READ A STORY, MUMMY, PEEEESE!!!", anyway!).
I never go anywhere without a camera and a book, so my kindle too is a must have in my bag. What I mostly do is alternate reading with or without music, gives a new dimension to everything you read. Every place is good for reading, especially if you're waiting for an interview or in a line for a movie etc. Best moment if before going to bed though, soothe my mind and it helps me sleep.
My favorite is to take a glass of iced tea on my porch and sit in a lounge chair with only the sounds of bird singing while I read for hours!
in bed before you go to sleep?
in a car with an audio book?
a specific time for one hour a day?
or just whenever you have time?
I was just wondering if there were habits i should pick up so I don't lose interest in reading as I usually do. My normal habit of reading used to be just to read when i had the chance to, but after i finish a book, i lose interest in reading altogether, and not until a new movie made from a book comes out do I read another book.
I went from Harry Potter, to Twilight, to Hunger Games, but now I'm really into Game of Thrones, and I don't want this to become another passing fancy when I finish the last book in this series.
I've been reading at my desk with a pot of hot tea (earl grey) and biscotti as of late, and it does seem relaxing. just wondering if there were habits that you guys have that keep you guys reading.