Our performance as readers depends on quite an extensive series of factors. From our mood to the level of determination we have, to the difficulty of the reading material, the position we do our reading in, everything plays a role in how effective our reading session is. That being said, one of the things most people fail to take seriously is the place we do our reading in. And as we found here at Basmo, that is actually quite a mistake.
Where we read can completely change the experience we’re having, it has an impact on how quickly we read and how much information we retain. What are the best places to read a book, you ask? Well, thanks to our extensive research, you can now enjoy our complete list of the most effective reading places.
Why is choosing the right reading place important?
As I mentioned above, the reading place does play an important role not only in the quality of our experience but also in our reading performance. Figuring out what the best places to read a book are, or simply understanding what is required from a certain place to be considered an ideal environment for your next reading session starts with understanding why this choice is going to be important.
Where you read will play a role in your reading speed
As you know, your speed is one of the most important reading KPIs. Your reading speed can be trained, it’s something you can constantly work on to improve, and doing so is going to change your reading performance significantly. What few people actually think about is how important your environment is for your reading speed. While an optimal environment will help you maintain a steady and respectable rhythm, a bad environment can do the exact opposite. If your reading place is quiet and somewhat optimized for your reading experience, your speed will generally be a lot better than what you would be able to achieve in a loud and distracting environment.
Your general experience will be influenced by your reading place
How good you feel during and after a reading session can be different depending on the place you do your reading in. While some reading sessions are based on practicality (reading on your commute to work), others should be seen as a way to treat yourself. Instead of reading on the train, try reading at home, with some relaxing music playing in the background while drinking a glass of good wine. You will see how different these two types of reading sessions will feel. Obviously, how much you enjoy your reading session can have an impact on how well you are performing and how often you will actually read.
The amount of information you retain will differ depending on your reading place
Depending on the nature of your reading session (whether it’s recreational or a studying session), your reading place should be different. While reading for fun can be done literally anywhere if you are dedicated enough, studying is a whole other thing. When the purpose of your reading session is to understand new concepts or retain as much information as possible, you should pay more attention to your surroundings. How loud your reading environment is can determine how well you are performing when studying for an exam, for example.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to pay some attention to the places you do your reading in. It can influence you in more ways than one and if you are like us here at Basmo, and you take your reading seriously, you will certainly love exploring the way the reading place influences your mood and performance.
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What Makes A Good Reading Place?
Now that you’ve been made aware of the reasons why being careful when choosing your reading place is important, it’s time to understand what exactly makes the difference between a good spot for a reading session and a bad one. There are a couple of factors you should be looking at, but we are here to tell you everything you need to know.
The level of noise
One of the first things you should factor in when deciding whether a spot is a good reading place or not is how loud it is. A quiet environment is generally a much better choice.
The effects of speech, music and noise in general on your reading performance should not be ignored. An overwhelmingly loud place is going to affect how fast you read, how much you comprehend and retain, how long your reading session is going to be, and how tired you will feel afterward. A place where there is loud music, people talking, or simply a general noise, will make your reading session a lot worse than a quiet place that will allow you to focus.
How comfortable you are
Being comfortable when you read is very important whether you’re reading to relax or to learn. A place where you have a comfortable couch or chair is going to be a lot better for your reading session than one where sitting for a long period of time is going to cause you back pain or will put a different strain on your body. The position you do your reading in is very important and can affect both your performance and how much you enjoy your reading session.
The lighting
How well-lit a reading place can also have an impact on the quality of your reading sessions. While reading, in general, is not bad for your eyes, despite what you may have heard in your childhood, you should always pay attention to the lighting. Reading in a poorly-lit place can lead to quite annoying effects like a quicker onset of fatigue, headaches, and a strain on your eye muscles that leads to itchy, dry, or watering eyes. Your performance can take a massive hit in these conditions, so choosing a reading place with adequate lighting is essential.
How distracting the environment is
Leaving noise and lighting aside, a place can be distracting solely through its other characteristics. If you are reading in a messy room, in a place that is too crowded or too cluttered, you could have a hard time focusing on what really matters. The ideal reading spot is clean, well-oxygenated, and clutter-free. This will ensure that you are going to be able to pay attention to your reading and not the stuff that surrounds you and will allow you to have a good performance during reading sessions and you will enjoy them quite a lot more.
What are the best places to read a book?
After a couple of long discussions between Basmo team members, we finally agreed on a list of the best places to read books. Here are the ones that came up most often and the ones we all finally agreed are amazing choices for anyone’s reading sessions. We took every thinkable aspect into account, so we compiled the ultimate reading spot list for your benefit.
1. Trains or airplanes
Under certain conditions, trains can be an amazing place to do your reading in. Unless you are in a very loud part of the train, next to very noisy travel companions, you are going to have a great time doing some reading while traveling. The white noise you will be surrounded by, the smooth movement you will feel, and the picturesque views you will see through the windows are going to ensure that your reading experience is an unforgettable one.
Airplanes can work just as well. Reading while traveling by air is generally quite nice unless you are unlucky enough to be seated next to a crying child. Airplanes are also great sources of white noise and allow you to read while flying. Let that sink in.
2. At home, in your reading corner
No place like home, right? If you are a reading enthusiast, you probably know already how important it is to have your personal reading nook. This should be a space dedicated to your reading sessions that is organized and designed to match your taste and needs. Whether it’s an armchair placed next to the window with the best view, a chair at the breakfast table you are very comfortable in, or your living room couch, the important thing to remember is that you should make it your own however you see fit. Make sure to educate the rest of the people in your household to respect it and treat it the way it should.
3. The park
The park is a great place to read. Being surrounded by nature, singing birds, and children playing can put you in a very good mood. On top of this, being outdoors and breathing fresh air can have a very good effect on how your brain works. A well-performing brain can have a very powerful effect on how your reading sessions are going. On top of this, the natural light is going to be great for your eyes. You are likely to remember more of what you are reading, and you are certainly going to love your reading sessions when you are outside in the sun.
4. In front of a fireplace
As much as it sounds like a cliche, we stand by the decision to include the fireplace on the list of good places to read. Being in front of a burning fire is going to provide you with warmth, very comfortable lighting, and incredibly relaxing sounds. The crackling of the fire and the warm light it provides is going to put you in a trance, will bring out your deepest emotions, and it will allow you to experience your reading in a very intimate way.
5. The Library
It will come as no surprise, but libraries are amazing places to read. The fact that they were designed with exactly this purpose makes them one of the most comfortable and adequate places to read and study in. They are quiet, not at all distracting, and allow you to be among other people who share your interest in reading.
6. Coffee places
Unless you are in a very crowded and loud coffee place, you can enjoy quite a nice reading session the next time you’re going out for a cup of coffee. The white noise is going to help you focus on your reading, and you are going to be surrounded by people, which is always nice. Even though reading is generally a solitary activity, we still crave being in the presence of others. Coffee places meet most of the important criteria for being great places to read a book.
7. On the beach
Last, but definitely not least, the beach can also be a great place to read a book. The sound of the waves, the feeling of sand between the toes, the breeze, and being out in fresh air and sunlight are all going to contribute to you having an amazing reading experience. It can be quite a wholesome reading session, and you are certainly going to want to try it again.
Regardless of what you think the best places to read a book are, Basmo can provide you with a tool that can make every single one of your reading sessions a lot better. Basmo is a reading tracking app that was designed with you, the modern reader, in mind and comes with a whole bunch of features to help you become the best reader you can be.
When it comes to deciding what the best reading spot is for you, it’s usually a good idea to keep track of your performance and emotions.
Basmo makes this possible by providing you with interesting stats about each of your reading sessions. You can access data about your reading speed, length of your reading sessions, and general performance with just a couple of taps.
On top of this, you can keep the journaling feature to jot down your thoughts about each reading spot.
If you’re as passionate about reading as we are, you can experiment with different genres in different reading places and see what you enjoy the most. For example, reading romantic novels on the beach or in front of a fireplace is certainly going to provide you with a nice reading experience. Studying or learning new things in a library is going to be a lot more effective.
Luckily, since Basmo allows you to create as many reading lists as you want, you can easily create separate TBR lists: books to be read on the beach, books to be read on an airplane, etc.
We provide you with endless possibilities, but the choices are always going to be yours.
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Final thoughts
Where you read can sometimes be as important, if not even more so, as what you read. Finding the right book to read in the right place is going to be an amazing experience, and Basmo is here to help you take things to the next level.
Image by pch.vector on Freepik
