The other day a blizzard blasted my husband’s daily walk in the woods. “Why not swim laps with me?,” I asked. (I was heading to the indoor pool across the street). He looked at me like I was insane. Didn’t I know that he cannot exercise without “reading,” i.e., listening to a book? And didn’t I know how hard it was to follow narrative while swimming laps?

I didn’t, though he may be right. I do enjoy audio accompaniment to exercise, but I have never tried stroking through a story. As a devoted and daily swimmer, I listen instead to music on my beloved swiMP3 (when it chooses to work). Some people might be able to synchronize swimming with reading—I’m just not one of them.

This interchange me wonder about the many unusual and challenging places other people find to read. For me the most unusual place has to be a cliff outside the Oracle at Delphi, where many decades ago I sat reading my organic chemistry textbook. I had no choice: I was on spring break from college, touring Greece as part of a string trio, and homework wouldn’t wait. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me from seeing the famed oracle.

From Bed to Bus to Bathroom

People certainly read in a wide variety of venues, from the conventional library or armchair by the fire, to the bed, the beach, or the bathroom.

Some people read or listen to books while commuting, whether in the car or on the train, the bus, the boat, or the plane. Some people read while exercising, whether cycling or even standing on a treadmill. I have at least one friend who can read—and does—while knitting.

Still, I’m sure these are by no means the world’s weirdest reading spots. I suspect someone out there can expand my horizons considerably, especially now that we have so many different ways to “read.”

What’s Your Weirdest Reading Spot?

What is the most unusual or challenging place you’ve ever read? Do any of the above ring true? Anything new to add?

Please let me know your weirdest reading spot via the comments section below, the contact form on my website, my Twitter account (@terraziporyn), or the Late Last Night Books Facebook page. I’ll share the results in next month’s blog!