I mostly read on my bed because that's just the convenient spot, but on Sunday afternoons or when I'm on vacation I read outside on the patio in either my lounge chair or hammock. I live in the Caribbean so I have a lovely view of the sea from my room/patio.
May 28·edited May 28Liked by Mel Joulwan & Dave Humphreys
I am also an in bed person, but as a birthday gift my hubby just built me a reading nook in our bedroom. There's the ubiquitous Ikea Poang chair and ottoman - perfectly comfortable to read in, but not so plush that I fall asleep. There's a little table that opens up to reveal a cozy blanket, a triangle book holder stand that has a cutout to hold a cup of tea, and little warm rattan lights that hang down next to me for the perfect soft reading glow. It's heaven.
That sounds ideal! Love the easy access to a blankie!
I wanted to make a reading nook in our bedroom, but the available corner was too small for all of the IKEA armchairs — so I got a bookshelf instead. HA! Now I can sit or lie in the bed and see all my favorite books across the room. —Mel
I live on a busy -often noisy-road. But the back of my house is pretty private. So we converted our screened porch into our “sitting room” with French doors and 2 walls of crank out windows to get that porch feel in the summer and to watch storms in the winter. It’s small, but in a good cozy way. We have a propane stove, a little bistro table, a couch, and a deep upholstered chair that both rocks and swivels.
This is my favorite place for everything-but especially reading.
I have a wonderful reading spot: my Headquarters Chair, in our sunroom. It is a brand new Headquarters Chair, which rocks, reclines, or just chairs. My old, elegant HC, which I loved, literally fell apart this Spring, and spurted stuffing. It was a sad demise for my old, many-times-repaired, faithful friend. It is from this new perch that I rule my world: make phone calls, schedule doctors’ appointments, Zoom my children and grandchildren, contemplate life, observe wildlife and the changing of the seasons, waste time on video games and Facebook, and…READ. I have a “library” quilt - a gift from an old friend - with patterning that resembles multicolored books on shelves - that keeps me warm in Winter (when the room is usually 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house.) Along with a heating pad that toasts my backside. (By that I mean my back, not my butt, although sometimes it slips down and does just that.) There is a lot of distraction here, with the constant suburban wildlife just outside my windows: deer, bunnies, opossums, wild turkeys, raccoons, four varieties of squirrels, LOTS of birds, and the occasional fox or coyote. Yesterday, one of “our” does brought us her brand new, wobbly fawn. (There are also fish and tadpoles in the pond, toads, bees, bugs and spiders, and so forth, but they are a little harder to see from here.) All this in a lush garden of Eden, where each season brings new colors and forms and lights and shadows and life. There is rain, and snow, and winds that cause the trees to dance and the wind spinners to whirl. There are my art installations, and the bird feeders, and various windchimes and bells. It is a magical kingdom. But I digress, which I could blame on old age, but I have pretty much always been a digresser. Anyway, here it is that I read, usually with my big cat on the headrest of my chair. I have stacks of books, read and unread, categorized and random. I have my Kindle (actually the Kindle app on my iPad,) and my water bottle. I mostly live my life here, reading, watching, being. A Robin is vigorously bathing in the birdbath right now. I usually have one fiction or memoir, and one non-fiction going at any given time. And essays in Substack, and Medium, and The New Yorker and Atlantic, and articles in Nat.Geo. and various and sundry other magazines. It’s a pretty good way to live my final chapter. Until I start spurting my stuffing.
Inspired by Dave’s revisiting his childhood reading spot, I am remembering my own favorite place to read in the summers between my elementary school years. I grew up with five siblings and our house was never quiet. While my sibs and other children in our neighborhood played kickball in the street and held bicycle races, I would take a blanket and a stack of library books and spread out under the big shade tree in the back yard of the elderly couple who lived behind us. I would read all afternoon. Occasionally, when I showed up at my usual time, I would find a plate of cookies and a glass of lemonade waiting for me. Thank you so much for this opportunity to visit this place of comfort and peace in my head. I can almost feel the breeze, smell the grass, hug those books. and taste that lemonade.
Oh! The cookies and lemonade. What a sweet story! Thank you for sharing — sounds just perfect. (I also used to read under a tree in our yard when the other neighborhood kids were playing kickball! — Mel)
In the corner of my bedroom I have an armchair I got at Goodwill...just enough room to be tucked in next to my desk, where I can set my cup of coffee. I have never been able to read or study in bed..two minutes and I start falling asleep!
I don’t currently have a favorite place but I have a most excellent reading place memory! I was about 10 yo and was spending the summer with my aunt in the Midwest. She had a sleeping porch-that’s what we called it…a room off the attic that was screens on all 3 sides. There I was, it was dark, humid, bugs banging against the screens, it was late or seemed late( I was 10 so who knows what time it really was). I was all alone. My little brothers were not allowed. It was awesome! And I was reading for my first time, Jane Eyre! It was just the best!
I normally read in bed, but I do fall asleep before I want to sometimes. I also like to take my kindle to the park and read, but it's getting too hot in north Texas to do that. I have a hard time reading in a coffee shop or places like that because I like to "people" watch too much.
I have a hard time concentrating if there's music playing, so I always have trouble in cafes. But outdoor reading in a park is my second-favorite place. And yeah, I remember being in Texas (Austin) and not wanting to go outside at all. Stay cool, my friend. —Mel
One of my favorite things is to go somewhere like the beach or shopping and just sit and watch and see what strange and funny things people do. When I lived in Southern California, we used to go to Venice Beach to do this. :)
I've seen some worthwhile things there, but the ones that stand out for me are the really weird ones. One time I saw a man juggling 3 chainsaws that were running over a guy laying on the ground beneath the juggling chainsaws. To each their own. lol
Ohhhhh!!! So many choices!!! Depending on my mood (and the weather). On a not too humid day (I live in the north east so they are few and far between) I love to sit on my back patio and read in a cozy chair with a cup of tea, iced or hot. Add in a soft cool breeze and a bright blue sky and that's perfection. If it's a rainy day I love to curl up on my couch with a comfy blanket and a cup of tea and lose myself in a good read.
I read in bed but dream about some sort of cozy, breezy space where I can curl up (and it doesn't make my back hurt) to read. I'd love a puffy armchair with pillows to sink into...maybe a cat, a window, and an endless supply of fruit infused spa-water that turns to something boozy around 6pm based on what I'm currently reading.
I like the implication that there is either a) some kind of magical beverage-delivery system or b) a personal attendant to make sure you stay hydrated while reading. 100% yes to all of this. —Mel
When I read in bed, I get too sleepy in about ten minutes. My favorite is sitting (usually on the couch) with a dog in my lap as a Kindle holder
Pets around (at least when they’re behaving) always make reading time even more pleasurable!
Agreed, but my sweet cat thinks she’s more important than ANY book!
I mostly read on my bed because that's just the convenient spot, but on Sunday afternoons or when I'm on vacation I read outside on the patio in either my lounge chair or hammock. I live in the Caribbean so I have a lovely view of the sea from my room/patio.
Oh, my! I like how casually you dropped "I live inthe Caribbean" and "view of the sea." That sounds lovely. —Mel
That does sound lovely!
Sounds like the dream! 🌊
I am also an in bed person, but as a birthday gift my hubby just built me a reading nook in our bedroom. There's the ubiquitous Ikea Poang chair and ottoman - perfectly comfortable to read in, but not so plush that I fall asleep. There's a little table that opens up to reveal a cozy blanket, a triangle book holder stand that has a cutout to hold a cup of tea, and little warm rattan lights that hang down next to me for the perfect soft reading glow. It's heaven.
That sounds ideal! Love the easy access to a blankie!
I wanted to make a reading nook in our bedroom, but the available corner was too small for all of the IKEA armchairs — so I got a bookshelf instead. HA! Now I can sit or lie in the bed and see all my favorite books across the room. —Mel
I love this! I wish my bedroom was big enough for this!
This sounds like perfection!
I live on a busy -often noisy-road. But the back of my house is pretty private. So we converted our screened porch into our “sitting room” with French doors and 2 walls of crank out windows to get that porch feel in the summer and to watch storms in the winter. It’s small, but in a good cozy way. We have a propane stove, a little bistro table, a couch, and a deep upholstered chair that both rocks and swivels.
This is my favorite place for everything-but especially reading.
#PerfectReadingNook... especially love the idea of watching storms in winter!
I like to read in the afternoon before I start cooking dinner. My reading spot is on my decrepit velvet love seat facing a beautiful tree.
That's dreamy! Trees make reading better.
I have a wonderful reading spot: my Headquarters Chair, in our sunroom. It is a brand new Headquarters Chair, which rocks, reclines, or just chairs. My old, elegant HC, which I loved, literally fell apart this Spring, and spurted stuffing. It was a sad demise for my old, many-times-repaired, faithful friend. It is from this new perch that I rule my world: make phone calls, schedule doctors’ appointments, Zoom my children and grandchildren, contemplate life, observe wildlife and the changing of the seasons, waste time on video games and Facebook, and…READ. I have a “library” quilt - a gift from an old friend - with patterning that resembles multicolored books on shelves - that keeps me warm in Winter (when the room is usually 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house.) Along with a heating pad that toasts my backside. (By that I mean my back, not my butt, although sometimes it slips down and does just that.) There is a lot of distraction here, with the constant suburban wildlife just outside my windows: deer, bunnies, opossums, wild turkeys, raccoons, four varieties of squirrels, LOTS of birds, and the occasional fox or coyote. Yesterday, one of “our” does brought us her brand new, wobbly fawn. (There are also fish and tadpoles in the pond, toads, bees, bugs and spiders, and so forth, but they are a little harder to see from here.) All this in a lush garden of Eden, where each season brings new colors and forms and lights and shadows and life. There is rain, and snow, and winds that cause the trees to dance and the wind spinners to whirl. There are my art installations, and the bird feeders, and various windchimes and bells. It is a magical kingdom. But I digress, which I could blame on old age, but I have pretty much always been a digresser. Anyway, here it is that I read, usually with my big cat on the headrest of my chair. I have stacks of books, read and unread, categorized and random. I have my Kindle (actually the Kindle app on my iPad,) and my water bottle. I mostly live my life here, reading, watching, being. A Robin is vigorously bathing in the birdbath right now. I usually have one fiction or memoir, and one non-fiction going at any given time. And essays in Substack, and Medium, and The New Yorker and Atlantic, and articles in Nat.Geo. and various and sundry other magazines. It’s a pretty good way to live my final chapter. Until I start spurting my stuffing.
This sounds delightful! -- I'm curious: which video games? - Dave
Of course you have a Headquarters Chair! And all the wildlife makes you sound like a Disney Princess, so only appropriate you should have a throne.
How sweet that you have a new fawn neighbor! Love all of this.
I love that you are "a digresser" Hope! Digressions are where the fun stuff happens . . .
A magical kingdom, indeed!
Love that you have a library quilt!
It sounds wonderful. Love that you see so much wildlife.
Inspired by Dave’s revisiting his childhood reading spot, I am remembering my own favorite place to read in the summers between my elementary school years. I grew up with five siblings and our house was never quiet. While my sibs and other children in our neighborhood played kickball in the street and held bicycle races, I would take a blanket and a stack of library books and spread out under the big shade tree in the back yard of the elderly couple who lived behind us. I would read all afternoon. Occasionally, when I showed up at my usual time, I would find a plate of cookies and a glass of lemonade waiting for me. Thank you so much for this opportunity to visit this place of comfort and peace in my head. I can almost feel the breeze, smell the grass, hug those books. and taste that lemonade.
Cathy
Oh! The cookies and lemonade. What a sweet story! Thank you for sharing — sounds just perfect. (I also used to read under a tree in our yard when the other neighborhood kids were playing kickball! — Mel)
I agree with Petra, if I read in bed I fall asleep so my favorite place and time and beverage would be:
In my library my husband made for me, early am like 4 am to 6 am and with a good cup of coffee.
Heck, yeah, Early Bird!
In the corner of my bedroom I have an armchair I got at Goodwill...just enough room to be tucked in next to my desk, where I can set my cup of coffee. I have never been able to read or study in bed..two minutes and I start falling asleep!
I don’t currently have a favorite place but I have a most excellent reading place memory! I was about 10 yo and was spending the summer with my aunt in the Midwest. She had a sleeping porch-that’s what we called it…a room off the attic that was screens on all 3 sides. There I was, it was dark, humid, bugs banging against the screens, it was late or seemed late( I was 10 so who knows what time it really was). I was all alone. My little brothers were not allowed. It was awesome! And I was reading for my first time, Jane Eyre! It was just the best!
I love everything about this! What a fantastic way to read Jane Eyre. Thank you for sharing that! —Mel
My favorite spot to read is in my bed. I get in bed early most nights so that I can read for a few hours before I get sleepy.
I am also a bed person. My cats frequently curl up next to me while I read (one of them will sleep on me) but they will not let me read to them.
This is me and my kitties, too!
My favorite spot to read is on the beach! But mostly I read on my front porch, my armchair, or my bed.
I normally read in bed, but I do fall asleep before I want to sometimes. I also like to take my kindle to the park and read, but it's getting too hot in north Texas to do that. I have a hard time reading in a coffee shop or places like that because I like to "people" watch too much.
I have a hard time concentrating if there's music playing, so I always have trouble in cafes. But outdoor reading in a park is my second-favorite place. And yeah, I remember being in Texas (Austin) and not wanting to go outside at all. Stay cool, my friend. —Mel
I can't read with music or TV in the background either.
I find it hard to read in public too-people watching can be very distracting, mostly in a good way
One of my favorite things is to go somewhere like the beach or shopping and just sit and watch and see what strange and funny things people do. When I lived in Southern California, we used to go to Venice Beach to do this. :)
Now that is a place to people watch!
You definitely see all the weirdo's at Venice Beach.
One time when we were there, we stumbled on a drum circle at sunset. It was very groovy.
I've seen some worthwhile things there, but the ones that stand out for me are the really weird ones. One time I saw a man juggling 3 chainsaws that were running over a guy laying on the ground beneath the juggling chainsaws. To each their own. lol
Ohhhhh!!! So many choices!!! Depending on my mood (and the weather). On a not too humid day (I live in the north east so they are few and far between) I love to sit on my back patio and read in a cozy chair with a cup of tea, iced or hot. Add in a soft cool breeze and a bright blue sky and that's perfection. If it's a rainy day I love to curl up on my couch with a comfy blanket and a cup of tea and lose myself in a good read.
I read in bed but dream about some sort of cozy, breezy space where I can curl up (and it doesn't make my back hurt) to read. I'd love a puffy armchair with pillows to sink into...maybe a cat, a window, and an endless supply of fruit infused spa-water that turns to something boozy around 6pm based on what I'm currently reading.
I like the implication that there is either a) some kind of magical beverage-delivery system or b) a personal attendant to make sure you stay hydrated while reading. 100% yes to all of this. —Mel