Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite Places to Read

Welcome to Top 10 Tuesday! This is a weekly challenge hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s challenge is about my favorite places to read!

This one was harder than I thought it would be! I don’t have a huge variety of spots in which I tend to read, but I tried to remember all the places I’ve ever read and included those here! Primarily though, I’m such a homebody that I read in mostly just two or three different spots. You’ll see those listed first, but after that they’re in no particular order! Without further ado, here are my top ten favorite places to read!

1. My Couch

For the most part, I love to just read on my couch! My corgi lays at my feet, I have a snack and a drink on the little table next to me, and if it’s a cold day I can curl up in a blanket! There’s really nothing better.

2. My Bed

I also love reading in bed! But I usually only do this right before bed so that I don’t feel isolated from my corgi and my husband. I also generally only read here at night because that way I won’t be tempted to snack; if I snacked in bed I would get crumbs everywhere (I’ve always been a little bit of a messy eater). That being said, at night it really is the perfect reading spot!

3. The Car (*Audiobooks Only)

I used to listen to the radio while driving, but now anytime I’m by myself in the car I have to have an audiobook playing! It’s my favorite thing to do while commuting to work. That being said, while I love listening to audiobooks in the car, reading physical books in the car actually makes me carsick! So I’d never really been able to read in the car until I discovered audiobooks (which was only a few years ago).

4. On A Plane

I don’t fly very often (especially not recently), but when I do I’m always sure to pack way more books than I need! I never end up reading as much as I think I will on flights, but when I do it’s great! There are very minimal distractions, it’s usually quiet, and it distracts me from my anxiety about flying!

5. In A Snowy Cabin

I love going up to the mountains with my family, and while it’s fun to go in the summer, the best time to go if you want to read a lot is in the winter! It’s cold and often snowy/icy, which means there’s not much else to do other than crawl under a big blanket, grab a steaming mug of tea, and read for hours as the snow falls outside your window! It’s magical.

6. By The Water

This is the exact opposite of my previous location! While it is wonderful to read in a snowy location, there’s also something great about reading somewhere warm (and maybe even tropical!). This could mean reading beside a pool or maybe beside the ocean, either way it makes for a relaxing and memorable reading location!

7. Airport Terminals

Similar to reading on a plane, the airport terminal is another place you inevitably spend a lot of time while traveling. You have to get to the airport so early in order to get through security and everything before your flight begins boarding, so you’re bound to be waiting in the terminal for a while. I know whenever I’m in this situation, I’m always mindful of not using any of the technology that I brought so that I don’t use up all the battery life before the flight actually starts. That’s why a book (a physical one at least) is a great option! It’s also a good distraction from any pre-flight stress you might be feeling.

8. On Vacation

This one is vague, but I covered some more specific travel options above and felt like they didn’t cover everything. In general, I love reading while on vacation. As much as I love travel, it can also be stressful and overwhelming, and reading is a great way to combat that! It also leads you to reading in some unique locations, which makes the reading experience more memorable. For example, I read Me Before You while I was studying abroad in Spain, and now I always associate that book with Spain! It’s fun to be able to make those connections.

9. On A Train

So I’ve only actually done this once, but I loved it! For some reason, I get carsick from reading in cars but not on trains! Not sure why that is. I read The Hunger Games for the first time while on a train, and I can remember so clearly even now (so many years later) the experience of reading it and what I felt during certain moments of the book. Train rides are so peaceful and scenic, and reading only enhances the experience!

10. In My Classroom (with My Students)

Finally, I love sharing the experience of reading with my students. Doing read-aloud in my classroom with my students is one of my favorite things about teaching! It helps build community and relationships, and it exposes them to the joy of reading. I love asking them to make predictions as we read and hear their excitement when something unexpected happens. There’s really nothing else like it!

Where are your favorite places to read?

Let me know in the comments!