Do you pull out a book every time you find yourself waiting in line, or do you prefer to wait until you’re back home to read? The question of where we read is interesting. It raises the idea of how we conceive the act of reading: is it just a way to spend time or to find ourselves all over again and regroup after a long day? Are the places where we read an expression of our identity as a reader? Do they illustrate what kind of readers we are? Reading requires specific settings and absolute concentration.
We cannot read while driving or walking. That would be dangerous. Reading is a selfish activity because it requires very few to no distractions. It’s a work of the spirit and the imagination, two sides of the mind. I see two kinds of reading settings:
- The Everywhere Reader:
The Everywhere reader will read, well… everywhere” on a train, a plane, a car, in bed, by the pool, over lunch, at the gym. For the Everywhere reader, books are part of everyday activities and a way to occupy idle time. The Everywhere reader usually carries a book in a bag and rarely leaves the house without some reading material handy.
- The Geographically Specialized Reader
The specialized reader has a spot to read in the house—a comfortable chair in a corner with special lighting, and a sofa. For the specialized reader, reading is an isolation activity. “I am going to my nook, don’t disturb me for the next hour or so”. When the Specialized reader is sitting in that chair, everyone knows that there is an invisible but very present “Do not disturb” sign hanging over. The specialized reader also set a time along with a spot, carefully selected and preserved for that use.
- The Librocubicularist
from the Latin liber (book) and cubiculum (bedroom). This is a specialized reader who loves to read in bed. The librocubicularist usually has a pile of bedside table books piling up within arm’s reach from the bed. Reading is a relaxation activity that creates a calming environment conducive to a good night’s sleep. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term was created by Christopher Morley, American author of The Haunted Bookshop, published in 1919.
- The Transportation Reader, aka Book-bosomed Reader
We see them sitting at airports when everyone else is rushing between planes or busy shopping at the Duty Free shops. The transportation reader uses idle time to isolate themselves from the business and the stress of transportation. The book-bosomed reader always has a book handy in the purse and does not leave the house without some reading material.
I am an Everywhere reader. On Saturday mornings, when we go to the gym, I bring a book because I know I will read a few pages while riding a bike. Although there are TVs everywhere around, I prefer the silent company of a book to that of the depressing news or mindless TV shows. I love to read at coffee shops too. I find the energy dispensed by the surrounding activities invigorating: the conversations, the music. Most of the time, noise does not bother me. I am out of the house, away from chores, and the signal that the drying is done. On a long car ride: traveling to New Orleans or Destin. FL? That’s at least three hours sitting in one spot, I can use for good. There is no writing possible in the car, and I don’t get car sick. I also have a reading chair in my office that I carefully selected.
And you? What type of reader are you? Do you find yourselves packing more books than reason calls just in case? Or do you keep them neatly stacked on your bedside table?