Setting the Stage for a Good Book

 

One of my friends gave me a guided journal for my birthday. I love it! The pages are beautiful, and I’m enjoying reading through the prompts. I’m sure some of those prompts will find their way into this space as I think about pieces of life from a bit of a different perspective now and then.

            And today is just such a day.

            One of the questions said, “Sometimes setting the stage for curling up with a good book is just as enjoyable as the act of reading itself. What type of environment do you like to set up before you settle in with your latest read?”

            I didn’t realize until just that moment, that I rarely set a proper stage for a good book. I just dive in and read.

            My love of books goes back to my childhood, and back then, I’d collapse onto my white daybed or blue vinyl beanbag chair to get lost in a story. Any little corner of my room would work. I just needed a place of quiet privacy so I didn’t have any interruptions to my adventures. My room was almost always my reading place of choice. Sometimes, in the heat of the summer, I’d retreat to the basement, just because it was so much cooler there. But otherwise, I didn’t need candles or a fireplace or a certain pillow or blanket. I just needed to sprawl out and get lost.

            Not much has changed. I usually pick the couch now, and sometimes the TV plays in the background. I can tune it out. Once the pages start turning, I don’t always remember to even take breaths. I’m lost in story.

            Coffee helps – if I remember to drink it. After all, if I forget to breathe, I might also forget to drink!

            I’m not really one for reading outside. Sunlight glares off the pages, and bugs love me. I have to stay on high alert outside. I’m also not often one for reading in the car. I remember one time on our way home from Kansas, I was so so so lost in a suspense novel. Ryan hit the brakes, and I screamed so loud. I was completely unaware of what was happening around me and I was at a critical point in the book. Those brakes scared me to death! And this is why I don’t usually read in the car.

            I take books on vacation, but since I don’t read outside or in cars all that much, there doesn’t seem to be another good time to take in reading on trips.

            It’s my at-home escape, from the comfort of the couch. If I’m reading nonfiction, I always take along a pen and ruler so I can underline my favorite pieces. Otherwise, it’s just the book, the bookmark, and me, settling in for a bit of enjoyment.

            How about you? Do you set a proper stage to read? Or do you just dive into the story and let the book be your stage?