A topic of discussion on one of my writers’ listservs got me thinking about the different ways people read, so I thought I’d do a survey. When you read a book for pleasure, do you read it lying down? I do. I read lying down on my bed. Reading sitting up bothers me. I only read sitting up when forced, like on an airplane, or when I’m in public and I know full well that laying on the doctor office floor to read might get me carted off to the Looney Bin.
(Okay, now I’m suffering paranoia about the whole lay/lie thing—should I be writing laying or lying?—gah!) (That’s my excuse for writing it different ways in the above paragraph).
Well, reading sitting up doesn’t bother me, per se. I’m perfectly capable of doing it. But to me it’s not relaxing. And I want to feel relaxed when I read.
I also watch TV lying down. In fact, I’m quite the couch hog, because I take up the whole thing!
What about you? Do you lie down to read? How about when watching TV?
Cindy, has anyone told you you’re … well, weird? LOL I’m going to have a character lie down while she reads and watches TV.
I sit while I read — though I’ll sometimes read at the counter and eat. Not good. My recliner or the kitchen table are my best reading places.
My goodness, Edie, no one has ever told me that. Not once in my life. It’s definitely not something I hear nearly every day. Or even every hour.
My dh and I have decided I’m “different.” So, no, I’m not weird, and how dare you suggest I am?!!
Please let me know when the lying down character appears in a book. I wanna buy it. 🙂
Sitting while reading. Who would have thunk it?
I read avidly as a child who had to share a bedroom. Under the covers with a flashlight, etc. Maybe that’s where it comes from?
I sit, but in bed, if that makes a difference. Sort of propped against a pillow. I guess that puts me on the fence between sitting and lying…
Hmmm, so I guess we’re at a tie. 1.5 lyer-downers, 1.5 sitters….
I read sitting at the table a lot, because I read while I eat. And I read standing up, brushing my teeth, or hunched over as I take out my contacts. Sitting in a recliner in the evening or afternoon if I’m taking a break. Sitting (sometimes lounging) on the couch with Number Two during family reading time. Sitting at stoplights or stop-and-go traffic, because duh, driving = sitting. 🙂 Walking on the treadmill, so that’s neither sitting nor lying. And, of course, lying in bed right before I go to sleep.
Is it any wonder I can’t understand why people ever say they can’t find time to read? There’s ALWAYS time! LOL
Watching TV I usually do in a semi-recline, whether it’s on the bed, on the sofa, or in a recliner.
Okay, it’s official – NATALIE is weird.
Edie, can you second that?
Natalie, you are one dedicated reader! I’ve never known someone to read that much. What’s your volume like? How many books do you read a month? A week?
I slouch. For TV and for reading–I’m a sloucher, leaning back on the sofa to the point of lounging. Not a complete recline, just most of the way there :).
Hi Marilyn,
Well, I confess, I am not 100% horizontal when I read. I do have two pillows behind my head. Same with watching TV. I think that still counts as lying down, though.
Can I get no one to confess to the same? Sob…
I sit on the couch with my feet up.
Thanks, Lexi. It’s official then. No specific way to read wins. We’re ALL weird! 🙂
I will definitely take the Weirdness Crown, however. 🙂
My reading speed varies, and I read Entertainment Weekly and the RWR and the Sunday paper and stuff in between, but I usually manage close to 100 books a year.
You are a freak!! Good for you.