Favourite things

 

   I've got plenty of books to talk about, but the day has run away with me, it's late, and I haven't the energy for careful appraisals tonight; however, I'm so enjoying reading about everyone's favourite things on the birthday post today that I thought we might adopt the idea over here.

    Just for fun, have a think about five* favourite book-related things: they could be books themselves, a favourite place or even a particular chair in which to read, what you most like to have to hand while reading, e.g. a cup of tea, glass of wine, and so on, the ambience, for example background music or the sounds of nature, your all time favourite author(s), maybe your favourite film adaptation of a book. Any or all of these, or something else entirely - the idea is to conjure up your favourite reading-related scene and tell us a bit about it, if you wouldn't mind.

*Edited to add: re. Carole's comment, you may have as many as you like!

Comments

[Carole]

Only five things....
A comfortable sofa to sit on so that I can sprawl or sit up 'nicely' depending how I feel
A mug of tea close at hand
A supply of homemade cake or biscuits
An open window with birdsong
The most important thing - a fantastic book to lose myself in
Simple pleasures, what bliss.

[Marcia]

~The pleasure of reading the right book at the right time
~A cover adorned with an Adirondack chair...or two
~Matching a bookmark to a book's cover or theme (quirky, I know, but fun!)
~Cozy chair, afghan, cat in lap, and book on a chilly day
~A new book from Anita Shreve or Alice Hoffman

[Audrey]

A cup of hot milk tea
Pulling a pillow of my bed (just discovered this!) to bolster up the ones on the couch
A book that I want to read, no matter what it is, rather than one I think I should
If it's cold outside, my very old Laura Ashley shawl wrapped around my shoulders
That's all I need, except maybe a cookie...

[adele geras]

A good light.

Warmth.

A long train journey.

A pretty bookmark.

The right book for the right moment...judging that is an art in itself!

[Susan in TX]

The sound of rain outside (a sound I haven't heard for a VERY long time)
A cup of black coffee
Being bundled under a warm blanket in a cold room
A fire in the fireplace
DH in the chair next to me :)

[Ruth M]

1. Libraries. What magical places. I still have the library cards from every place I've ever lived, which is dozens by now.
2. Bookstores, preferably independent and a little quirky. In Seattle I once visited a store devoted entirely to poetry. Heaven.
3. The fresh ink smell of a brand new book, never before opened, and that tiny creak as the binding bends for the first time.
4. The reassuring luxury of knowing there are books on my shelves that I Haven't Read Yet. Better than money in the bank.
5. Pillows and afghans and definitely curled up. I cannot read with my feet on the floor.

[Mrs. Pom]

1. Gorgeous cover art on a brand new book
2. A box of brand new books at my front door.
3. A row of brand new books on my night table.
4. No one home, fire lit, a bag of M&Ms
5. Journal on the table, fountain pen at the ready, and my notes of MY brand new book.

[Ruthiella]

I just got two bookmarks for my birthday and this made me realize how much I love bookmarks. I occasionally use ticket stubs or what ever is handy, but it is nice to have a good bookmark. Some are hand made, some store bought, some from libraries, bookstores and charities. I like that many of my bookmarks (although plenty have gone missing) are souvenirs which remind me of a particular person, time or place. Plus, they make it easier for me to read and, of course, to find my place.

[Kim]

1. The fact that on a terribly hot day (as in every day the last two weeks) I can open an old favorite such as Rosamunde Pilcher's Winter Solstice and be transported to a winter's day in northern Scotland, so much so that a mug of sweet milky hot peppermint tea is at my side.
2. The aesthetic value of row after row or pile upon piles of books absolutely make a room sing.
3. Books always make a great birthday gift and are the easiest things to wrap.
4. Just looking at books makes me feel smarter (whether I read them or not).
5. A lovely reminder of my darling dad who was a voracious reader and got me started on my love of books when I was in the first grade.

[Dark Puss]

• No human sounds or music to disturb me.
• A comfortable chair
• The right location: a library, Versoix or my cottage
• A nicely designed and printed book
• Perhaps (not in a library!) an appropriate drink to hand: 18 yo Bunnahabhain or Chablis Valmur from a good vintage and appropriately aged

[Margaret Powling]

I've left comments on Cornflower, but what a wonderful selection again here - the inky smell of new books to simply a comfortable chair. This exercise, Cornflower, has really demonstrated that those who read Cornflower on a regular basis, regardless of age, sex, where they live, would appear to enjoy very similar things: the really simple things of life and Club Cornflower is where we all meet.

[Sandy]

I've tried to do this but it's no good!

I will read a book anywhere. I dont seem to care about the ambience, the chair, the bookmark, the drink or anything else.

My favourite reading scene is me reading a new book with a story that is gripping me and making all my senses sing. With believable characters that have thoughts that reasonate with mine and make me see things about the world and myself that I have not realised before.

The setting and scene is just not that important.

Sorry ... (!)

[Nancy]

So many wonderful comments above! Makes it harder to settle down to making up a list, but this pretty well covers the basics:
- A decent index (since I prefer non-fiction)
- Must have Believable characters, Believable situations & places, etc. if it is fiction
- Comfortable seating or prop-up pillows
- Really good lighting
- Someone who loves to hear you tell about what you're reading, someone to share it with (Bill does that very well)
Those are five - but, I have to add that Dark Chocolate would make everything even better. :-)

[Janet]

My favourite bookish things;
Choosing what to read next, preferably a new book by an as yet unread author; reading reviews and so on to find new authors; reading outside in summer, either on my balcony with a beautiful view in France or in my peaceful garden in England; somewhere reasonably comfortable to sit; a nice bookmark, such as the Persephone ones that match the endpapers; and finally an hour or so of uninterrupted time to read.( Although I can snatch a few minutes reading time any time or place)

[Dark Puss]

Sandy, more or less I agree with you, but Cornflower asked for favourite book-related things. Unfortunately I don't often get them so like you I read where ever I can, though human sounds are something I find hard to ignore.

[Jill]

Some of my favourite bookish things are:
1. Reading the 'right' book at the 'right' time
2. Recommending a much enjoyed book and the other person loves it too
3. Belonging to a well stocked library
4. Finally reading a much anticipated book, maybe by a favourite writer, and it doesn't disappoint
5. When a movie or TV adaption of a much enjoyed book gets it right. (Just saw the movie version of The Help and it totally hit the spot for me)
PS I don't care where I read as long as the lighting is good and there aren't too many interruptions

[Juxtabook]

My favourite reading combo is our sofa with the right selection of cushions piled up, an empty house that will be empty for hours, a large mug of very hot tea, a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut, and a Georgette Heyer!

If I can't have the peace to read and chocolate then my next favourite thing is opening boxes of books from customers selling their books to me. I have a few long standing ones who just send me boxes unannounced (an arrangement we've agreed) knowing they'll get a cheque by return. And I know what they send will always be good - it is like Christmas opening the box. I should add that I would not like to receive unsolicited boxes of books in the general way of things!

[oxslip]

Readings - particularly those in Charlotte Square or at Port Eliot, but I have a soft spot for poetry readings in back rooms of pubs
Beautiful end-papers
Typographic design
Hard-backs - still feel like decadent luxury to me
Old King Penguins from eBay

[Julie Fredericksen]

1. Finding a book I'd heard about in a funky little bookstore (Explore Booksellers) in Aspen, CO.
2. Buying the book as a vacation treat to myself.
3. Reading in the car through a lot of boring scenery (not in the Colorado mountains but in northern Colorado and Wyoming).
4. After getting home, still reading instead of doing all my post-vacation chores, and staying up late until I can't read one more word.
5. Finishing the book yesterday with great satisfaction.

The book? "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Although the book is based on the Victorian language of flowers, our "heroine" is anything but a typical Victorian woman.

[Julie Fredericksen]

Correction: Explorer Booksellers in Aspen. Great little shop.