In my previous post I wrote about where I like to write, which is basically anywhere and everywhere.
This prompted me to think about where I like to read, which is pretty much the same – anywhere and everywhere!
The beauty of having reading as a hobby is that a book is portable (either in hard or electronic form).
I can read at the airport, on a plane, by the sea, in the car (not while driving!), in a waiting room, but my favourite place is in bed – in the morning before getting lost in the craziness of the day, or at night, winding down after the craziness of the day! If only I could stay awake to read more than one paragraph, one page or one chapter!
There is nothing better than cuddling down under the covers and losing yourself in someone else’s world – their delights, loves and challenges. It’s pure escapism!
And to make it extra special is when it’s raining. The soothing beat of the rain on the roof cocoons me further into a character’s world.
reading on a plane
One of the most bizarre reading incidents I had was on a plane flying from Christchurch, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia. The book I was reading was Shadows of Power by Jennifer Bacia. It was rather surreal as I read about the character who also happened to be on a plane flying into Sydney! Jennifer was detailing exactly what was happening as the plane was coming into land at the same time as we were coming into land! I was very close to finishing the book, but had to put it down as we disembarked. Determined to finish it, I picked up the book and read it to completion while I was waiting to clear customs and immigration.
I also read outside in summer with the wind blowing across my face and in winter a nice, warm place inside in the sun with my cat, Zorro, curled up on my lap. Bliss!
where not to read!
When I was still at school, I used to read in the bath until I dropped a book in the water and had to explain to the librarian, with lowered eyes, why the pages were crinkly dried and red dye from the cover was dispersed throughout the book. Needles to say my bath reading days were over.
If you love to read, reading becomes more special when you have your own favourite place to read.
Where’s your favourite place to read?
Casey Fae Hewson 
Oh, I know you did this post because you knew I couldn’t resist commenting. I think you’ve heard one of these stories but your followers haven’t.
Because my life has revolved around flying and travel, my favorite place to read would be (drum roll) on a plane. Okay, I’ve answered your question even though you already knew the answer but now I can add my two stories.
The first was on a flight from Miami to LA. I was reading “The Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight” by Jimmy Breslin. I had my headphones on and was tapping my foot to a lively CW song when i got to the scene of the bulging hit man getting ready to dispose of the gangster he had bumped off. His plan was to throw the body over the railing of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. The problem was, the body was in the trunk, his feet were sealed in a bucket with 200 pounds of concrete and there was no way he could lift him out.
So, he stopped three cars and forced the guys in them to help him, under gun point. They lifted the body over the rail and as soon as they let it go the others ran, while the hit man waited for the splash. But no splash came. Instead there was a loud crash as the concrete bucket, followed by the body, tore through the deck of a passing tug boat.
The whole scene had me laughing hysterically from the moment he pulled up onto the bridge. At the end, I wiped my eyes and looked up to find everyone in the plane watching me.
Then, last week, I repeated it in a waiting room while reading about a farting horse during the horseback riding scene in “My Kind of You” by Tracy Brogan.
So, I guess I need to add waiting rooms to my list of favorite places to read. And a caution about what you read where.
Ha ha! Yip, waiting rooms are good places to read.