Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Reading Spots

As most of you already know, the Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten Tuesday every week on… well, you know.  This week the subject is favorite reading spots.  For me it’s more “Good Spots to Read” as some of these reading locales are born of necessity than desire (like the BMV).

My Top Ten, in no particular order (except the order that I thought of them):

1. In bed, of course.

2. On the beach.  We live less than an hour away from one of the Great Lakes (Michigan).  How lucky is that?  The beach is always on the summer itinerary.  And spring.  And fall. 

3. In a lounge chair at the waterpark watching the family splash around and have a good time.  Kristy and the kids love waterparks, but I’m not that into the rides myself.  That makes it a prefect place to get lots of reading done.

4. In the closet.  I have this thing that I can only describe as “reverse claustrophobia” – I tend to be drawn toward enclosed spaces.  Don’t ask me why.  Our bedroom closet is as big as one could be without being a walk-in, and I used to keep a chair in there and just read.  It was wonderful.  (Now my wife insists we use it for clothes and for storing things.  The nerve!)

5. My writing room.  This makes up for the loss of the closet.  I don’t call it an office because there’s no desk (on purpose), just two comfy chairs.  It’s also where the book shelves are.

6. Under the oak tree in the backyard.  After too many years spent in apartments, just to be able to say “under the big oak tree in the backyard” is a beautiful thing.

7. The couch on the back deck.  Okay, I’m a redneck.  I have a couch outside, and you know what?  Awesome!

8. Waiting for slow moving trains.  For obvious reasons, I don’t read while I’m driving, but when I see the train slowing down, or worse, backing up when it was almost done, the car goes into park and out comes the Reader.

9. In front a crackling fire.  Whether from a fireplace (we don’t have one) or a campfire.  Or just out back in our fire pit.  Nothing makes better background music for the written word than the pop of wood and the gentle purr of flames licking the air.

10. Anywhere I can.  This isn’t a copout answer.  I’m referring to any situation, like the line at the license branch, or a doctor’s waiting room, or anyplace else that involves being on someone else’s time, where the poor saps who would rather claw out their eyes than pick up a book are left twiddling their thumbs while I’m getting lost in a world of someone’s imaging.