What are your personal reading habits?

I'm the compulsive hermit.

IMHO, a good read asks for a total silence and solitude. No radio, TV, telephone and company (they rather get irritated by the silence anyway, unless they pick up a book themselves).

But I've learned to read w/ the radio on, and even the television (we have a small house).

I'm good at tuning things out. Generally, though, I don't turn on radio or tv when I pick up a book!

When I am in my reading phase I am voracious. I can read anywhere any time. When I am not you would have to strap me down in a straight jacket and prop my eyes open with tooth picks (and it wouldn't hurt to have Beethoven's 9th playing in the background).

I used to be great about reading anywhere, anything, and just turning the environment 'off'. I find that I'm a lot more distractable these days. I don't mind music, or crowds, but do tend to get distracted by radio or TV. Silence or music is most preferred...

I haven't started a new book in almost a year. People say to me "Oh, I'm reading _______, you're a writer so you've probably heard of her." :eyes: I hem and haw.

When I'm reading a magazine article or some mindless chick-lit novel, I can have on the radio or the TV and it doesn't bother me. But if I'm reading something deeper--like John Dean's book, which is my current reading material of choice--I like it quiet.

My house has 16 rooms, and I have books in 7 of them. (Other family members have books in 8 more rooms!) I am always reading at least 2 books, usually more. I have always read a lot; my wife and four kids read a lot, also.

So I have learned to multitask rather effectively. Silence makes me nervous. :)

I'm not real sure why, but, while I'm at home, I have to have something making noise of some type, or it drives me crazy.

When reading, I usually have the television, a radio, or a high-speed fan on. I find I have trouble concentrating without one of these.

If I'm somewhere else, like a library, it doesn't matter.

As for my other reading habits, I'm a binge reader when it comes to fiction. Once I start a book, even one I don't particularly like, I have trouble putting it down until I'm done. Then I'll not read anything (books, that is) for a week or so.

When reading non-fiction, I compulsively take notes. It can take me a week or more of constant reading to go through a 500 page book.

One bad havit I have though is that if I'm in the middle of a good book.... at night if I wake up for some reason I'll sneak downstairs and read for an hour or so (I could read longer but I know I'd pay for it the next day) and then force myself to go back to sleep after a while and sneak back in bed with my husband.

...I can read anywhere at anytime. I live alone so I can get silence fairly easily. I am usually reading a multitude of books at a time and I have them all over the house, so I read whatever book happens to be close by.
I am so much in the habit of reading in bed that I have to read at least a paragraph before going to sleep or I don't feel right.

ordering a nice cup of coffee and reading a good book. :-)

can't have the tv or anything shiny lying around.

Except on the bus (I get motion sickness). For studying, I am good at multitasking (e.g., I can study, watch TV, play with my cats and peruse DU all at the same time). I like to go to Barnes and Noble or Borders at semesters' ends to study for exams. As long as there are no extremely loudly crying babies around, I'm able to focus. It's nice being able to grab a hot chocolate and a cinnamon scone to fuel my studying!