Books on the Nightstand discussion

I enjoy having background music when I read, I have a friend who must read in total silence. I wondered if anyone has a preference and if so what?

I have to have something else going on. I cannot read if it's too quiet. My husband has to have quiet. Frankly, I think I'm better off.

I can listen to classical or instrumental music, but prefer silence. If the book is really engrossing, I can do it while my husband watches TV. Mostly do silence, though. I don't dare put on Broadway or pop tunes - I'd sing!

Linda

I have to admit if i song I love comes on the book goes down, but I agree with Sandi, silence unnerves me a little!

I love having music on when I read, but I have specific "rules":
1. The mood of the music must fit with the mood of the book.
2. There must be no vocals, or else songs so familiar to me that I can tune it out.
3. If the book is set in a particular time, I try to match the music to the era.

Needless to say, I often end up reading in silence.

I need relative quiet which is pretty much the silence of night-time reading. During the day, if I'm reading, noises need to be easily filtered out like a neighbor's lawn mower. Same room sounds like the TV, radio or the stereo are too distracting.

I like the idea of matching the music to the era - might try that!

Lmj wrote: "I can listen to classical or instrumental music, but prefer silence. If the book is really engrossing, I can do it while my husband watches TV. Mostly do silence, though. I don't dare put on Broadw..."

I'm with you - I would sing and dance if I put on Broadway! ha!

Silence is golden for reading.

I used to be able to multitask. Listen and read at the same time. I'm a big music buff with a collection of some 3000 CDs. These days though I get too distracted by the music, so that I can't have it on if I want to read.

Quiet, please, I'm reading!

Seriously, though, I lived with someone once who, when she was reading, didn't hear anything -- or was it just anything I said? I eventually learned that if I wanted to be sure she heard me, I had to get her to make eye contact! She could also read in the car, which I can't. I've always envied that!

Me, I like quiet. My mind has its own distractions.

Lately, with the weather getting so nice, I go outside and curl up on the porch swing with my book. The sounds of kids laughing and playing, birds singing, dogs barking, and neighbors mowing the lawn seem to be the perfect background "music" for reading!

Sounds amazing! On my DS I have a 100 Classic books and u can set the background music to cafe, train, park etc, very cool!

I like to have classical music or instrumentals playing softly in the background when I read indoors during the day. (Reading during the day is rare anymore, sad to say.) When I read in bed, I prefer silence - don't know why.

And when I'm out on the deck, the breeze in the loblolly pines and the birdsong make for a peaceful backdrop.

I know there are people who love to read at the beach, but I can't do that - I'm always looking for pelicans or dolphins, so I'm distracted.

Toni wrote: "Ann wrote: "I love having music on when I read, but I have specific "rules":
1. The mood of the music must fit with the mood of the book.
2. There must be no vocals, or else songs so familiar to ..."

Oh, Toni, I'm so glad there's someone as particular about mood as I am!

I do often find that matching music to book enhances the reading experience. For instance, there's a book coming out soon called AMERICAN MUSIC by Jane Mendelsohn (author of I Was Amelia Earhart). Much of the book is set in the 1930s and involves a man who just wants to be a jazz musician -- he listens to Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. So that's what I put on the stereo, and when I think back to the reading of the book, I have memories of the music as well -- I think it actually made me like the book even better than if I had read it in silence.

Hmmm ... I think I just gave away my next "book that I can't wait for you to read" segment...

Ok, Ann, I caught the future book title, but I also noticed that you said Ella Fitzgerald. It's pretty hard to listening to Ella Fitzgerald while you are reading a book if one of your rules about music while is read is "No vocals." I didn't know Ella had an instrument other than her fantabulous voice.

Linda

I can read with classical music on and do often. Otherwise I like silence.

Linda wrote: "Ok, Ann, I caught the future book title, but I also noticed that you said Ella Fitzgerald. It's pretty hard to listening to Ella Fitzgerald while you are reading a book if one of your rules about m..."

Eek, it was Billie Holiday, not Ella Fitzgerald.
Still vocals, but it was fine to read to. The vocals were either familiar enough or soothing enough that I could read.

I like classical music playing while I read.

Depends on the mood; I sometimes podcasts. I don't have one type of music that I will listen to; sometimes its fast, sometimes slow; depends on the mood.

Music I dont have any problem with but I can't read with the TV on. My wife can though. I do sometime try to match a mood and always try to go along if like in "American Music" the author suggests music in the plot. I'm in the middle of Olen Steinhaur's "The Nearest Exit" in which the main character is often listening to his Ipod. He tends to stick with one type for each book which makes it easy to listen along. (it was David Bowie for this book and Ye-Ye music, particularly France Gall, for the first book).

For me, it depends on my mood, the day I had, the book I'm reading. A lot of times, if I'm at home, I like silence. But if I'm not reading at home, say if I'm at work or something, I have my ear buds in listening to something to drown out the noise around me, but that isn't distracting itself. I have an anime OST that is mostly strings and drums, and it acts as a nice buffer, relaxing and nondistracting.