Thursday, September 27, 2012

BTT (#26) ~ carry-ons

Deb @ Booking Through Thursday asks:
"Do you bring the book(s) you’re reading with you when you go out?  How?  Physically, or in an e-reader of some kind?  Have your habits in this regard changed?  (I know I carried books with me more when I was in school than I do now — I can’t read while I’m driving to work, after all.)"
I'm retired, and I wouldn't read while driving anyway.  Driving, however, means I'm going somewhere, and often that "somewhere" is to lunch with a friend or friends.  My closest friends are all readers who like to discuss ideas as much as I do.  So I take both the book I'm reading and my notes from it.  Our discussion may not go in that direction, but if it does, I'm ready.  Having a book handy also means I can share bits of what I've been reading while we wait for our order to arrive.

Art piece by Andrew Barton
On the other hand, if I'm stuck waiting for a friend who's running late, I have the current book to read while I wait for her.  How terrible not to have the book handy if I need it, right?

And on the other hand (what, aren't we all three-handed?), I've always taken books with me, wherever I go.  When I worked in an office, I used to close my door and read while eating lunch.  I could always imagine a worst-case senario, like this:
I'm stuck in traffic on the Interstate highway, with no way to exit.  Maybe a wreck a mile up the road, blocking us all.  Then what?  Sit there alone, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel?  Listen to music while the motor runs, using up all my gasoline?  Get out and talk to others in the lanes around me?  No, it's the perfect opportunity to read the book that I just happen to have with me.  Ta-da!
Yes, I physically take a book with me, since I don't have an e-reader.  Are you a book-taker, too?

4 comments:

Bev Hankins said...

Me too. Always have a book on hand (any of the three! Lol). My complete Answer.

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Somebody's BTT today says, "I even bring a book with me to church, in case I get bored with the sermon and need to concentrate on something else." And one of her commenters said, "Oh how I wish I had an e-reader when I was younger and stuck in church. I don't think the pastor would of approved on my reading choices had I brought a paperback book."

Jan said...

I am a book-taker, too. I do have a Kindle, but I usually don't take it with me unless it's a long trip. I read too many "real" books at the same time, so which one to take??

Linda said...

I do a lot of driving with my work in the glens and play audio books in the car. It is a great way to pass the miles and to get through more books!