Great places to read a book

Reading in the bath is a wonderful way to relax. For some people (any parent anywhere, people who live with housemates or relatives) the bath is one of the few places you can guarantee a few minutes to yourself. Probably. Unless someone REALLY wants to tell you a bad joke or ask where their keys are. I wont lie, there is a huge risk of book dropping with this activity.

Don’t take first editions or your favourite expensive hardbacks in the tub, though readers in the UK could take advantage of this handy device. Do keep a dry towel next to you so you can dry a hand before turning a page. Do also take a glass of wine, tea or whatever drink speaks to you of comfort or indulgence.

Reading is a quiet activity but as any preschooler can tell you it's also a great bonding activity. Reading together, whether you're reading out loud to on another or reading your own books but together is a great way to find out if you're comfortable with one another. A friend or partner you can be comfortably silent with is a keeper. Someone who interrupts a good bit should only be given so many chances.

One of the most fantastic ways to connect with the book you’re reading is to enjoy it in a place connected to the text. That might be the place it’s set or the place it was written, for instance. Being physically part of the location of the book brings it alive and adds much to your imagination’s fodder, bringing depth to the experience. It’s a wonderful thing to read a book like Kate Atkinson’s ‘Behind the scenes at the museum’  while sitting in a coffee shop in York (Or the museum gardens, weather permitting). Beware of taking this to extremes. Dracula is a great book to read in Whitby, but sometimes the imagination needs little help. Reading in a ruin at midnight requires nerves of steel, a lot of socks, a good torch and a very loyal friend to share a thermos of hot tea.