Where I Go To Read

I cannot read on buses, trains, or in the car on a long trip somewhere. I find it hard to read anywhere out in public - like in libraries or waiting at the bus stop - because I guess there's just so many distractions out there - major and minor.

I don't know about other people, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to get stuck into a book. If I know that I'm going to be interrupted every 12 minutes with questions, intrusions, phones ringing, having to start making dinner, fix a leaky tap, feed the cats etc... I cannot relax and I cannot get into my reading rhythm. I have to suspend everything and cut myself from normal everyday matters and allow myself to be taken inside the novel - in a way, I devote my time fully to the author and to the 'journey' that he/she is taking me on.

Out on the back verandah, on the nice comfortable couch with a few cushions, in the cool breeze... that's where I go to lose myself in a good book.

Oh yeah, and call me weird or whatever, but as for using a bookmark to keep my place in the story, I just use any old thing I find around the house. A Woolworths shopping docket? A Snickers wrapper? A plumber's business card that I found on the fridge?

What about you guys? I'm interested to find out about your habits when it comes to finding the time, and the place, to invest yourself in a novel.