Reading Rituals

Let's talk about our reading

Do you have a reading ritual? Do you tend to drink a cup of coffee or glass of wine while reading? Or do you have a reading companion (dog, cat, goldfish)?

My reading ritual is usually at night after everyone has gone to sleep. I usually read in the living room with the tv on for background noise. I usually light a candle. (I just got a new one that smells like Joel's aftershave!) And I am spread out on the couch with my spiral notebook to take notes with highlighters and pens around me.

It depends on which company I am reviewing for (or if I am reviewing solo) as so what kind of notes I take. One company makes me edit and write down anything that would be offensive in the text (profanity, etc). That is my least favorite. I am left handed so I have to be picky about what kind of pens I use as some are prejudice to my southpaw. Some of my favorite pens are gel pens and I always have to have all kind of colors. Sometimes I just use plain old blue paper mate. They are cheap and don’t tend to bleed onto the highlighter when I am doing headings. For paper I like the 5 subject college ruled notebooks. I just recently discovered Exceed heavyweight paper which I like because it is slightly larger than average and won’t bleed through to the back of the paper.

On my end table I have a zipper bag full of pens and a stack of books strapped together with a book strap/pen holder that I received through the mail for free with a cookbook for hypoglycemia. I really like my book strap because it is orange and my favorite color.

I have a habit of drinking Dr Pepper when I read, although I will occasionally have hot chocolate or wine. It’s rare that I eat when I read but when I do it is usually some type of dessert like a coffee cake.

Sometimes my dog Roadie sits on the futon when I read. Sometimes he gets mad because I left the light on and he is trying to sleep. Sometimes it is comforting to know he is there if I am reading a particularly scary book.

I would love to know your rituals and what kind of pens and paper you use when reading!