I've got a couple posts that I'm doing research for, but I noticed that it's been ten days since I last posted! True, I drove to Denver and back, spent some time with family, and lost a day at Worldcon, but still! So, with the promise that some more thought-provoking posts are coming, I wanted to start a little discussion about where you like to read.

When I lived out East, I used to read on the NJ Transit trains all the time. I had at least a solid hour of uninterrupted time I could devote to reading. This let me read all sorts of manuscripts, magazines, and books. After I stopped working in Manhattan, I lost that time on the trains. I no longer had my reading spot and time. Subsequently, the amount of reading I got done dropped dramatically.

I read during lunch at work, but people also liked to talk during lunch, so it was not optimal. I mean, I could ignore my co-workers, but when they were asking me questions, I figured I should hold up some part of a conversation, right?

I bought a reading light, and that helped. I read at night while my wife slept. But my to read list kept piling up. I know we all have lots of books we want to read, but it was getting ridiculous.

You see, I'm not one to sit down at a table or in a chair and read. It feels unnatural to me. I can do it, but I'm just not comfortable. I needed that train time. I suppose I could go sit in my car, but that seems a bit silly to me. So I was stuck trying to figure out where to read.

OK, no to be gross. But I found a place where I could get ten to fifteen of uninterrupted reading time. I think you know where I mean: we'll call it a rest room to make it sound less seamy. It may be a little gross, but that's the reality of my situation. It feels most similar to sitting on the train and reading.

Now obviously I can't read whole novels while in the rest room; it would take me months to finish something with only 15 minutes at a time (perhaps that's why I read so much short fiction?) so I obviously read at tables, desks, in chairs, on sofas, etc. But I'm most comfortable in the rest room.

Where do you like to read? Does it affect what you read? Do you read in different places for different genres?

[photo from Flickr user moriza; CC licensed for commercial use]