Where do you read?
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- July
- 6
A true book lover would say “everywhere.” I mean, heck, I once had a friend who confessed to me that she read while driving.
(I don’t advise that, by the way. In my other role at The Journal News/lohud.com, I am the transportation reporter, so I must strongly advise that you don’t do anything while driving that would take your attention off the road. There is no specific driving-and-reading law — Driving While Engrossed? — but really it’s just asking for trouble.)
But this is what my friend told me. She would have her book open on her lap, and when she was stopped at a red light, she’d steal a couple of lines.
You have to admire that kind of madness. (Although, again I say: Don’t do it.)
So now I’m wondering: What are some of the odd places you’ve found yourself reading?
Just the other night, I was at a salsa dance in Manhattan. My friend Alayna and I were the first ones there, and we danced to a few songs as a couple more guys showed up. I felt selfish dancing with the only woman who had yet arrived, so I encouraged Alayna to dance with others. Soon a few more people showed up, but men still outnumbered the women, all of whom were dancing with partners.
So I pulled out my copy of Crime and Punishment, sat back by a lamp near a stack of speakers and I happily read a page or two, waiting for the song to end. It was fitting, I thought, that the the style of lamp there in the ballroom would have fit perfectly in a living room by a comfortable reading chair.
Dancing salsa is another one of my hobbies, so I’ve been to a lot of Latin music dances. You don’t usually find people reading Dostoevsky.
But we readers are a stubborn breed, and I never go anywhere without at least one book to read and a notebook and pen (usually a handful of pens) for writing.
So tell us your stories. Where do you read?
Just don’t do it behind the wheel.
This entry was posted
on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 3:41 pm by Ken Valenti.
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I hate when people read at an event. My wife and a few of our friends do that.. we will be at a party or get together.. and book in hand. I love to read as well. But I believe there’s a level of rudeness when a book takes precedence over conversation or polite company.
when i see people reading or talking on cell phones or texting while driving. I beg for the opportunity to get out of my car run up snatch the offending device and toss it in the back of their car. because to do anything else would be illegal.
I once got busted reading in a courtroom. I was there to cover a trial, but the judge was taking care of other matters first, and I had a book with me, so what the heck? A court officer saw me and told me to put the book away.