Okay, so the other day, a friend was commenting on my monthly reading list and asked when I found the time to read. In the ensuing discussion, she described herself as a “goldilocks” when it comes to reading–she needs to have everything juuuuuust right to be able to focus. This caught my attention because, first, I thought that was a charming way of describing the condition, but, two, while we’ve talked about our reading habits, this is an interesting wrinkle. I’d never really thought about it that way.
So, this is my question to you–are you a Goldilocks kind of reader?
Do you need the light just right, the background noise just so loud but not too loud, the chair just right, the distractions at a minimum?
Or can you open a book at any time and dip right in, whether it’s for twenty seconds, while waiting for the kettle to boil, or indefinitely, like while waiting interminably at the hospital–as long as the book is open in front of your nose, you’re happy to read?
Are you kidding me? I can read anything, anywhere, anytime. ANY TIME is "just right" for me.
Of course, I like it BEST when I can be in the quiet, with plenty of time. But if I waited for that, I'd never read. And I read every single day. I cannot go to sleep at night, no matter how late it is when I drop into bed, without reading at least a tiny bit--maybe a page or two.
I'm with you. I can (and have) read standing up on a crowded subway. Of course, sometimes when there is a lot of noise I get annoyed. And it depends on what I'm reading. For poetry or serious works of philosophy or theology or things like that sometimes I become a little more Goldilocks. (I love that term too, by the way.)
Yes! If i don't have just a little bit of reading before I go to bed I won't sleep. It's like a glass of warm milk..puts me right out.
However i am a Goldilocks when it comes to the books I read...they have to be JUST right..not too scary, not too boring...
frankly, and this may be TMI, but my waterworks malfunction, nay they do not function, if i'm not reading, so i can't afford to be goldi about reading. ever.