3.13.2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Places to Read

This week's topic: Top Ten [insert genre name] Books, a list I'd feel much better about making if I felt myself truly master of any one genre. But of my two best options, I've come too recently to the realms of high fantasy, and I'm not sure I consider "classics" a genre. Even if I did, I'm not an English professor of great respect and tenure, and therefore not remotely qualified to tell the world which ten are the best.

All that to say, today I'm picking an old topic. A very easy one, because my brain is moving oh-so-slowly.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Do come join the fun...

This topic has only one difficulty, which is that I spend nearly all of my reading time at number 1. But I'll try and get imaginative.

1. Tucked into the corner of the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. Preferably with coffee or tea or cookies and milk at hand.

2. Out in the yard, on a blanket in the grass, under the summer Sunday afternoon sun, with my husband and a gin and tonic.

3. In a high meadow, in a light breeze, overlooking wide open spaces, perhaps leaning against a rock or a tree or—as I sometimes did when I lived in such a place—a fence post.

4. On a stretch of quiet stony Washington beach, away from other people.

5. On a towel in the white sand of a tropical beach... although, to be honest, in this case I have a hard time staying out of the water. Unless there are sting rays or barracudas or rip tides.

6. In the grass beneath a leafy green tree, when the sky is warm and blue.

7. On an airplane or in the car or on a train, going somewhere interesting, with a new book.

8. On a bench in an old-fashioned flower garden, on a day just gray enough to keep the pages from glaring.

9. In the late evening, in an overstuffed chair, beside a fireplace.

10. In bed, by lamplight, mostly buried under the covers, with my husband reading beside me. Preferably with the Kindle, which is easier to manage while lying down.

Where are your favorite places to read?

8 comments:

  1. 1. On a recliner in my sunny office, next to the floor lamp with the cat wind chimes (made of old silverware) hanging from the alabaster shade.

    2. By the fire in the living room.

    3. At the dining room table, when eating alone.

    Both #s 1 & 2 usually involve a cat and tea. #3 involves squirting the cat with water if she gets bold and jumps up there.

    4. Sitting under a tree in the back yard in my gravity chair during the summer, enjoying iced tea.

    5. On the patio in the gravity chair during long summer evenings.

    6. In bed.

    7. In airports, on planes, while waiting for appointments . . . really, is there any place not improved by a book??

    --Arabella

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, I know what you mean about the cat jumping up on the table. Also, I once tried reading a book in my lap while sitting around the dining table with my family, when I was a kid. The secret was found out and kiboshed, naturally.

      Had to Google gravity chairs, never having heard of them. They look cool.

      "...really, is there any place not improved by a book??"

      I submit that there is NOT. :)

      Delete
  2. Favorite spots: 1) In the recliner with a cat/cats on top of me.

    2) At my computer using the Kindle Cloud reader with a cat on my lap.

    3) On the bed with several cats collapsed around me.

    Hmmm, there might be a pattern here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Apparently reading is catatonic activity...

    a --Arabella

    ReplyDelete
  4. HAHAHAHA, George and Arabella! Oops--I think I messed this list up. Maia's current obsession with yowling and clawing at the kitchen cabinets is probably in punishment for my failing to mention the honor of her presence in any part of this post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, yes, it is, & hopefully you've repented of it. Although cats aren't much into forgiveness... :)

      Delete
    2. Well, she's sleeping on my lap right now. Does that mean I'm back in favor? ;)

      Delete
  5. ..anywhere with coffee. On trains is one of my favorites, but it doesn't happen much anymore, and even when it did, it too often was interupted my nice Indian men wanting to read my palm, or mothers-of-many wondering if an overflowing child could just sit quietly next to me, or that child telling me about the boat he will build this summer - the one with three levels, and a dragon on the helm, and bright yellow walls..still, on the train is best.

    ReplyDelete

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