SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Are you one of those people who have a reading nook? I'm so jealous! What's it like? Even if you don't have one, do you have any special setup for when you sit down to read? Like a cat and a cup of tea maybe? :D

(I hope we don't already have this thread. If we do, please let me know! I'm not a cozy reading nook person, I would've forgotten all about any talk about such things.)

Also check out Show off your irl bookshelves.

I have just sat down on my sofa with a cup of tea, and I've lit a tea light and added yuzu essential oil. (Yuzu is that fruit capybaras have on their heads!) I have my Kindle ready next to me. Will this help me focus on reading? We'll find out soon! So far it's just made me focus on starting this thread.

The rest of this message is just pics of capybaras with yuzu!

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I usually sit in my Stressless chair with my feet up and my Kindle nearby and possibly some SodaStream carbonated water on the table by me (a glass of wine at night). I may have the TV turned on for background noise.

if I'm reading and watching TV, I'm on our recliner sofa with the same set up

I love reading nooks and my life's goal is to have a good one. I had planned to have one in my office when we bought this house, but I'm a sucker for big ideas that don't fit into small spaces, apparently. I think it could be done if I rearrange, but... that seems unlikely now. The bookshelves are carefully wall-mounted and leveled with custom stands (old house, uneven floors) and I don't think that we're moving them until we move out. LOL

I could probably fit a comfy chair in here, but as it's my work-from-home office, I generally don't spend much time in here when I'm not working. I don't like to feel like I NEVER leave this room. So, next house has separate work office from reading/knitting nook. :D

Here's a pic (from when they were first finished - they have different books now, plus a bunch of yarns across the top):
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I will read anywhere and anytime, so I don’t really have a designated “Cozy Reading Nook” or anything like that. I can’t even regularly sit down with the intention to read for a bit, so, no accoutrements usually either. I might manage to sit and read while drinking my morning coffee once a week.

Wow, I managed a whole hour of reading! My tea is cold, I didn't touch it at all. It's what always happens when I try to read with tea. When I read, I read, and eating/drinking just doesn't fit into that.

Yes, I also want a comfy reading chair. I've been looking for one for years, but I can't find one I like. We used to have this sofa set in Malaysia that was perfect. It was ugly as heck, but the armchairs were perfect for reading! You could twist and turn any way and always be comfy. I mostly sat sideways with my legs hanging off of one arm rest. Or legs up on the back and head hanging down :D

(I'll add a link to Show us your IRL bookshelves to the first post.)

I read lying down in my bed with my kindle or paperback. I must have the door shut. Not for any sensible reason like reducing noise but because I don't want to see it open. Whenver I read sitting, I find myself annoyed that I'm not lying in perfect comfort. It also should be quiet. I don't want music or the TV but late at night reading means my wife probably has a terrible TV show on. I truly hate Bravo as a channel.

I also prefer reading in bed, but I'm trying to find a way to lure my brain into wanting to read during the day, too. I get more reading done if I'm in the dark and can't see anything except the ebook screen, no distractions! But I usually go to bed when I can no longer stay upright, so that's not a good time to read. And in the morning I need coffee and then I seldom go back to bed.

I used to be able to read for hours without glancing up from the book, but somehow things have changed and I'm much more likely to get distracted and wander off to do something else. I'm hoping that setting up a dedicated reading spot might help, because I wouldn't associate that setting with anything but reading.

Anna wrote: "I also prefer reading in bed, but I'm trying to find a way to lure my brain into wanting to read during the day, too. "

I read at all times of the day . . . in bed. I will go upstairs and get back into bed to read. I'm not tired and can easily stop for something else. It's just my preferred position when I want some page time.

I'd love to do that, and I often think about doing that, but I have a thing about being in bed with day clothes on :S

I need to start looking into fancy daybeds in addition to comfy armchairs.

So I read basically anywhere and go between absolutely HATING lying down to being "right chuffed" that I no longer have glasses and can lay on my side and read books at the same time. However, I do have a new burrow, and am now a feral reader.

Nice!!

Your feral nook looks extremely cozy! ^_^

That's one reason why I hate glasses! Not being able to read while curled up on your side. Sometimes I fantasize about getting one of those massage tables that have a hole for your face and arm rests that move. I could lie flat on my face and put a book on the armrests and then I'd just need someone to poke the screen and turn pages for me :P (Withouth glasses on, obviously.)

Like DivaDiane, I will read anywhere, especially when waiting in lines ... because ew humans.

However in the warm weather, I have an outside hammock & umbrella set up for optimal reading & relaxation.

100% agree about humans!

Cats are a different story!

Anna wrote: "Your feral nook looks extremely cozy! ^_^

That's one reason why I hate glasses! Not being able to read while curled up on your side. Sometimes I fantasize about getting one of those massage tables..."

Depends on what your eyesight is (near or far sighted) - I'm extremely nearsighted and as I've aged the focal point has moved out to the perfect length when lying on my side in bed

Not to get too much into my eye health :D but I can actually see "just fine" without glasses, my eyes just get tired and I get a headache. That's why I finally started using glasses as an adult, because reading became uncomfortable without them. And now it's uncomfortable with or without, just in different ways.

I had a reading book at our last work house. The chairs have been moved to my normal house but are wedged into a spot I can’t get to properly at the moment. I’m going home next week to sort my house out so maybe I’ll sort the reading book and sewing room out properly too.

Sadly I can't read in bed cos I just fall asleep, kindle still open LOL. Can't listen to audio books in bed either for the same reason. *sigh*

Instead for eye-reading I have a favourite armchair with a footstool. It faces a window and I can look out at birds hopping around in my garden. I like to have a cup of coffee and maybe a nibble such as a shortbread biscuit or cheese and a couple of crackers at hand. A dedicated cosy reading nook sounds wonderful. Maybe one day?

Anna I like your idea of a tea light and essential oil. Nice. Love the pics people are sharing too :)

my Stressless chair has a footstool too - I think they're essential for comfort

I have a writing nook but not a reading one. I read two books at a time - one on the bus while commuting to work, and the other in bed.

I read 4-5 at the same time and right now they are

Fire Sale by Sara Paretsky
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher
The Core by Peter V. Brett - this is my traveling book
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman = slow read
A Fortress of Grey Ice by J.V. Jones

I gave my IKEA POÄNG to my son when he had a need, but as soon as we move I'm replacing it (with footstool of course). Nothing else has been so perfect.

Though bed, at any time of day, does come close, Phillip.

In so far as a whole nook, well, in my dreams I suppose. Garden room or 3 season porch would be nice....

I love my POÄNG chair. It’s my sewing chair. I have a pink cushion on it. And the footstool. Son bought his own. He now has 3 at his place. He bought 2 (with footstools of course) for his gaming TV spot and then he’s bought another one for the lounge room. They’re the best. No wonder they’re one of IKEAs biggest selling pieces of furniture. Last time I looked they were number 2 behind the Billy Bookcase.

My reading chair is a reclining winged chair. Pretty but not quite my IKEA chair.

the Poang looks good but i still love my Stressless Recliner. Billy bookcases are excellent though and I have two rooms of them

CBRetriever wrote: "the Poang looks good but i still love my Stressless Recliner. Billy bookcases are excellent though and I have two rooms of them"

The best thing about the Poang is that it's not that expensive. I bought it to go in the spare bedroom/sewing room at the last place we worked. I didn't want to spend a hell of a lot of money but wanted a chair in there for my father in law if he came out to our place with me. It's actually just right for sitting and sewing in. Has me sitting at the right angle and that. My TV watching recliner is way better than all my other chairs but the light sucks for reading and sewing. I do have a very strong lamp set up behind it so I can sew while I'm watching TV but I haven't done that for ages.

Reading in bed isn't something I do much of anymore. My neck has been playing up and I just can't get comfy.

I have a "mini library" with a chaise in a corner of my place but I actually don't end up reading there much, I still love it though. I listen to audio books while doing chores and eyeball read in bed or in the living room. My partner can sleep anywhere 😂, I can read anywhere, in the car, in a waiting room, while walking (audiobooks only 😂) etc just as others have noted, anytime "waiting" I'm reading.

@Allison: I love your burrow!
@Melanie: I really enjoy reading outside, where I live, the summer nights can be cool and I'll read outside and the enjoy the night.

How do i make one of these for me and for all my new reading friends

A Veranda with windows. It's super cozy

I have a Poäng chair as well. We got it just before our son was born and it was the perfect chair to nurse in! After he’d fallen asleep I’d continue to sit there and read. We still have it!

I've always known that Poäng is super popular, but it looks so uncomfortable! I need to try sitting in one the next time I go to Ikea, which isn't likely to happen very soon.

Yeah make sure you try it with the footstool. It’s just right with the footstool.

I tried one of these at Ikea the last time for which I was in there and will have to admit that for the price they didn't impress me. I went and bought myself a Lazy boy recliner instead. Cost more but I can sleep in it. LOL

Wish I lived near you then. Lazy Boys are close to $1000 where I live. I got the Poang for under $200. I do own other recliners that you can sleep in. Mine was an extra for my sewing room/spare bedroom.

Jacqueline wrote: "Wish I lived near you then. Lazy Boys are close to $1000 where I live. I got the Poang for under $200. I do own other recliners that you can sleep in. Mine was an extra for my sewing room/spare bed..."

Well that is true they are around $800 or so here but when you want quality you've got to be willing to pay for it.

I wish I had a cozy place to read, but I don't. I read anywhere. I'll read a hardback book in the lunchroom, as I walk through my neighborhood on my phone and a paperback on my couch. I like all those options.

I read my books anywhere and everywhere i am

Yeah I’m going to need a new proper recliner soon. I was rather large before my weight loss surgery and mine at our beach house is broken. The rest of the suite is perfect. We’ve had it for years but nobody actually used the lounge (a 3 seater which also has recliners on either end) much and Hubbys chair is still good. We were going to try and find a closely matching 2 seater with recliners. We have had one at the house we’re staying at where he’s working at the moment and it’s been nice being able to sit together.

I have a reclining wing chair in my reading nook. We had to order it and the one we got wasn’t anywhere near as comfy as the one in the shop. The seat is a bit longer than the display one and my legs are short lol It’s actually really comfy if you put a full sized bed pillow behind your back. It’s got a really cool fabric though. It’s actually my reading chair. The Poang is my sewing chair. The angle is perfect for sewing.

We have a Poang but only my cat likes it.

Even the cat needs a good seat lol

My dog is the only one who uses our lounge most of the time. I have the seat covered so it doesn’t get dirty. It’s a light coloured lounge.

Our Poang is red, I use a vacuum cleaner and that brush with a sticky paper roll to take away the cat hair, it works quite well. If I cover the seat the cat doesn't lay over it.

My cat and I fight over my preferred reading spot. It’s a reclining loveseat, so there are two seats, but we both prefer the same seat. If I get to the seat first, then he ends up in my lap and we’re both happy. If he gets to the seat first, he is not remotely amused if I pick him up, sit down, and then try to put him in my lap. It is beneath a cat’s dignity to be placed in a lap. It has to be clearly their decision.

Since I always have to cover up with a blanket when I’m sitting and reading, even if it’s the middle of summer, we also used to fight over the blanket. Yes, the blasted cat not only steals the seat, but he steals the blanket in the seat! And he lays on top of it, so how much good is it really doing him I ask you?! Then I’d be sitting there shivering in the other seat. Now I have a blanket in the other seat too, so if he steals my preferred seat and blanket, I can sit in the other seat and still have a blanket. Oddly, he usually won’t sit in my lap if I’m in the other seat. I guess it isn’t the natural order of things. So my loveseat is ridiculous, piled up with mismatched covers, usually just dumped in a clump on their respective seats. The blue one was only folded for this picture. It’s a 15-pound gravity blanket and only for you all would I go through the hassle of folding it. :p

I have no idea what brand the loveseat is. I don’t even remember what I paid for it, I don’t think it was anything outrageous, but it’s my favorite seating furniture that I’ve ever owned. It’s the perfect level of firmness for my tastes. It’s in a small sitting room that’s part of the master bedroom suite. I’ve had it for 9 or 10 years. (The cat is only 7, so it was MY seat first!) That’s where I read if I have time for it during the day/evening. Otherwise, I read in the bed seen in the background, with the brown flippy (currently sitting on the nightstand in the background) to keep my Kindle solidly propped up on its side because I too like reading while lying on my side. I usually go to bed 1-2 hours before I actually need to go to sleep and use that time for reading.

Show and tell pic, note scoundrel on green blanket:
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Oh, and Allison, I had meant to say (before I got distracted with ranting about my cat) that I love your burrow! Those lanterns are especially cute. I also like that you‘ve added a couple other chairs so that random passersby can come and observe you in your natural habitat.

Ernest looks good in/on green!

Anna, YouKneek is picking on Ernest again. I think we need to schedule an intervention!

Anna, you may have hit on the reason why he’s so attached to that green blanket. He thinks it brings out his eyes.

Haha Michelle, he picks on me much more than I pick on him!

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Lol Leticia my dog won’t sit in the lounge unless it does have a cover on it. He knows he’s not allowed on anything without a cover on it. The one down the beach he hangs over the back of it watching kids, dogs and bunnies out the window.

I spent today in a mall, because I was called to do last minute emergency babysitting. The baby in question is 15yo, but we still call it babysitting :D The baby herself calls it "taking care of her". Anyway, so we're at the mall, and Baby says there's a new furniture store. I haven't been to this mall (well, any mall) since covid, so she wanted to show me. I said let's take a look inside, because I want to start looking for a reading chair, and I might as well look there, even though it's not a store I usually like. I sat in the first chair I saw, and OH MY GOODNESS it's the perfect chair! It's a comfy armchair, but also a rocking chair, and it also rotates, and it has a built in foot rest. And the fabric is the exact same color as my sofa. And it was on sale, supersupersuper cheap. I'm probably going to order it! If I do, I'm hoping to read seventeen books per day after it arrives :D

Yeah for you in soo many ways!! Without or without the chair, you win today :)