Seven Great Places to Read

I have to admit that being able to sit and read is one of my dearest activities. I seem to be able to read in many different places despite what is going on around me. I like having a noisy background or at least some nice elevator music. Even better is having an animal on my lap as I read -- preferably my own foo-foo dogs. They are half Bichon Frise and half poodles. I call them my hip huggers because they enjoy sitting on either side of me in my big comfy chair. As I began to think about this I realized that I have at least seven places that love to read the most. So today, I thought I would list my favorite places to read. Here goes:

1. McDonald's - Nothing like the noise and bustle of Micky D's to provide a great place to sit and read for chapter after chapter. No one cares that you sit and nurse a diet drink or slurp on a vanilla shake for hours at a time. They also happen to have Free WiFi.

2. Firehouse Subs - Besides having a great meal with unlimited diet drinks, one can sit and read in a sunny window seat for as long as you like. The staff soon knows you by name and if they don't, they at least remember you are the 'extra pickle lady'. The advantage of both McDonald's and Firehouse Subs is that there are several locations within easy reach of my house, so I  can vary my reading room location and not overstay my welcome in any one location!

3. Darden restaurants like Olive Garden, Red Lobster or Longhorn's - Again I can have a decent meal - a bit more expensive than 1 and 2, but you get waiter service to allow a truly uninterrupted reading time. Now I do prefer to go during lunch because towards nightfall they lower the lighting and unless you carry a book light with you (as I have been known to do) it's more difficult to read. You generally can't sit there for hours at a time like you can in the two aforementioned places. 

4. Ci-Ci Pizza - Cheap and noisy. Again they don't care if you stay there for long periods but you could  over-dose on all that  pizza.  The lighting there is always good. (Do you see  a trend here?)

5. The backyard - Now this is a tricky one. In Florida, the advantages are a nice warm, sunny place to sit and immerse yourself in a great book. However the disadvantages are - a stifling hot place, with the sun so bright you have to squint and go practically blind from the reflections on the pages. Then there are the bugs and other wildlife ( such as a snake who one day decided to take a short cut across the patio). If you have a nice shaded area, and the weather is warm but not raging hot, maybe a casual breeze, the backyard can become tolerable as a reading room. I, myself, find that I cannot remain in the backyard a long time as either  the sun, heat or bugs will put me off sitting out there. If you try it, make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and a hat. Perhaps, I would feel a bit differently if I had a pool ...

6.  Doctor's offices - Yes, I know that's not very conventional, but I seem to be stuck in Doctor's waiting rooms for an inordinate amount of time. Reading there not only fills the time, but keeps your mind off of why you are there. The big problem with reading in this setting is that you have to be ready at the drop of a pin (or should I say needle?) to mark your place and gather your stuff so you can jump up and float into the doctor's exam room where you wait again! It makes for choppy reading. I find my Kindle is great for this type of setting.

7. Last, but certainly not least, is my big comfy chair in the living room. The TV will be on low and tuned to the music channel - the light classical station. The dogs are on either side of me and there are no bugs or uninvited critters. The light is just right. The only disadvantage to this is the phone which I try to ignore most the time. I find doing late night reading at home is best when most people don't even attempt to call me. And if you happen to fall asleep reading, well all the better because you are in your big comfy chair which was made for naps!

Where is your favorite reading place? Feel free to comment below.