# Do You Enjoy Reading On The Train?



## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

Days ago, my friend and i had a very candid discussion whether its really worth it to read a book while on the train. i was for the opinion that one cannot fully concentrate on the story due to constant disruptions. however, he was for the opinion that he can read over 30 pages in a three - hours ride. that got me thinking... how is he able to concentrate while I am not? what's your opinion on this?


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

If I was on a train for a long trip, I'm sure I'd read.

As it is, I'm rarely on a train longer than about 7 minutes at a pop, so there's no point.  

If I'm traveling with a group, it might be considered rude for me to pull out reading material rather than conversing with friends.  . . . . though on a long trip it would be possible to do so without rudeness later on.

If YOU can't fully concentrate, then don't read. If your friend can, good on him.  I don't see it as a big deal either way.  People are different.

Some people might also get nauseous if trying to read in a moving vehicle . . . . so they probably shouldn't!


----------



## MyraScott (Jul 18, 2014)

Audiobooks and headphones for the win!







I find audiobooks make a lot of boring tasks like housework, exercising, grocery shopping and travel time fly by.


----------



## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

I commute to work on the train, and while it's noisy, I've learned to tune it out. As a result, I end up with 400 minutes of prime reading time each week!


----------



## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

I found reading on the train to be very easy. Commuting by train everyday, the sound of the train drowned out any distracting sound and I found it easy to drop into the worlds in the pages.

On top of that, I found writing on the train to be _very_ effective and I could output copious amounts of narrative prose and notes while riding on the train. There are times when I'm having difficulty writing that I'm tempted to buy a train ticket and ride up into Boston and back just to write.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

The only way I really enjoy reading is in a very comfortable location (bed, sofa, recliner) in a private, quiet place. On a plane or airplane or bus, I can maybe plod through some reading for work and such, but it's no fun reading a novel. I guess I can't really get lost in the story in those situations, but then I'm the sort who basically hears the words as I read them, hears the characters' voices, visualizes the action, and so forth -- I don't just visually consume the words off of the page (or e-ink screen).


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I don't take many train trips, and except for rare business trips, I never take commuter train trips, which I think is what the OP is referring to. On occasional long distance train trips, I've had no trouble reading, though the experience is unusual enough for me that I usually gawk and stare at everything in preference to reading.

When I was a kid, I'd sit in the back seat seat of our Buick and read for hours on our family vacations, but now I find that in cars if I read for more than a few minutes I get uncomfortable (not nauseous exactly, but enough that I read only if it is urgent). Busses are better, I've been able to read on long bus trips.


----------



## rittsi (Aug 10, 2010)

Most of my reading is done on the train. In fact, that's one of the main reasons I prefer reading on a Kindle. I really appreciate how lightweight it is, especially when I see someone reading a thick hardcover. I have no issues tuning out my environment though so it's a wonder that I have never missed my stop, although there have been a few close calls when i've been caught up in a great book.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I can't read in moving vehicles of any kind, including airplanes. I get motion sick. Likewise, I can't watch movies when moving. I only listen to audiobooks because, otherwise, I'd probably go insane from boredom sitting there...or throw up on my neighbour.


----------



## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

I read on the train a lot, except it turned out unfortunately once.

I was reading Woody Allen's _Without Feathers_, a collection of his comic essays, mostly written for the New Yorker. And I started laughing so uproariously that I was getting stares and had to put the book away.

The train stopped at the next station. Most passengers got off, and new ones climbed aboard. And as the train moved off, I started thinking about the piece I'd read ... and went into fits of laughter again, but with no book in my hands to explain my behavior this time.

Highly embarrassing.


----------



## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

I've actually been changing around how I carry things with the express purpose of making it easier to put my kindle away with reading on the train.

I can't read in a car, but on a train, I'm always either reading or making something with yarn (assuming its not the subway and way over crowded). Commuter rail, I tend to read the whole trip, on the T, I read, and put away my kindle when I get to my stop, even though its so short of trips. 

It's especially nice on the local transit, but long, rides.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

the greatest compliment i've paid authors is that they've made me miss my subway stop.  and if i do that on the way to work, it's a LONG miss and a long ride back.  

unlike other people, i don't have time to read at home, so my commute reading is very important to me.

an longer rides (NY to Boston, or NY to Washington) are prime quiet car reading time.


----------



## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

telracs said:


> the greatest compliment i've paid authors is that they've made me miss my subway stop.


I agree with this wholly.

And I'm very pleased to hear that Tuttle doesn't read while driving his car ... that's taking a love of books a bit too far.


----------



## DK Mok (Jan 3, 2015)

Tony Richards said:


> The train stopped at the next station. Most passengers got off, and new ones climbed aboard. And as the train moved off, I started thinking about the piece I'd read ... and went into fits of laughter again, but with no book in my hands to explain my behavior this time.


^ I've been there. 

I usually don't read on trains or in noisy places because it's too distracting, but sometimes a book is so engrossing that everything else fades into the background.

I finished reading _Of Mice and Men_ in a busy subway station, and the fluorescent lights and bustling crowd of the station became seared into my memory of the ending. Even now, underground stations reminds me of that closing scene...


----------



## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I've never been on a train for longer than an hour or two and that was always when someone was with me to chat. But I imagine that I could easily read on a train. I'm pretty good at tuning out people walking past me, talking around me, etc. Particularly if it was a quiet car - some commuter trains have select cars where people aren't supposed to talk or listen to loud music.

The only reason I might not be able to concentrate is if I was worried about missing my stop - but if it was a three hour journey, I wouldn't worry, I'd just read for 2 hours and a half hours and then do something else less immersed for the last half hour.

I read on planes all the time and that's not too different - you don't have the regular stops with people getting on and off but there's always someone walking passed, stewards asking if you want something to drink, announcements, turbulence, etc. I still manage to get a couple hours of solid reading in.


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I can't read in moving vehicles of any kind, including airplanes. I get motion sick. Likewise, I can't watch movies when moving. I only listen to audiobooks because, otherwise, I'd probably go insane from boredom sitting there...or throw up on my neighbour.


I am like this also. I don't go on planes much, so I haven't tried that yet. But bus, train, car makes me ill. Its been many years I been on a train though. I can't even look down to check something on my phone when I am a passenger. Just briefly and then I get nauseous. Or is that nauseated. I can never tell what I am suppose to use.

I don't think the noise would bother me, doesn't bother me much at doctors offices, unless kids run around and bump into my chair. I death glare usually works in those cases.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I can't read in moving vehicles of any kind, including airplanes. I get motion sick. Likewise, I can't watch movies when moving. I only listen to audiobooks because, otherwise, I'd probably go insane from boredom sitting there...or throw up on my neighbour.


I have always been this way as well. Severe motion sickness is not something I've ever outgrown. However, since having a Kindle in my life, I can now read in any moving vehicle. I think it is because my eyes stayed focused on a "single" page and don't have the additional movement of left to right over two pages in a paper book or even the turning of a page.

So, while I don't have the opportunity for riding a train daily, I still read in the car on both long and short trips (as long as I'm not the one driving).


----------



## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

Years ago when I used to take the train into Philly for grad school, I would read books all the time.  These were the days before Kindle (or smartphones or tablets) so everyone who wanted to know what I was reading, did.  I loved it though, as it made the 45+ minute commute go quickly (not to mention I'm a bit of a crowdphobe so I could escape into a book).  The only problem I ever came across is getting too sucked into the book and almost missing my stop!


----------



## John F (May 19, 2014)

I read on the subway all the time. The main problem is not to get so involved that I miss my stop.  On a real train, that's not a problem, and there's much less noise. 

Reading in a car is different for me. I did it a few times when small and always got nauseous, so I don't do it any longer.


----------



## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

Tony Richards said:


> And I'm very pleased to hear that Tuttle doesn't read while driving his car ... that's taking a love of books a bit too far.


Heh, I don't drive so if I'm in the car, I'm a passenger. I get carsick reading in cars though  so can't read in cars. It makes me sad because I have a half hour commute to work each way assuming we don't go driving around for errands as well. It feels like so much time to just be sitting there doing nothing when I should be reading.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Have you tried with Kindle? Because, like crebel, I didn't used to be able to read in a car At ALL.  But with kindle, I don't get even the slightest bit nauseous. . . . unless there are lots of quick turns or bumps or something. So switchbacks up a mountain road not so much, but on a highway or city street, no problem.  (If the driver was one of those fast start/sudden stop types, I might have trouble with that . . . . . )


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I can't read using an e-reader or a tablet. Or a phone. I can barely read a text message on my phone when moving. 

It's super annoying.


----------



## Harry Manners (Jul 6, 2013)

I absolutely love reading on the train. It's one of those public places that seem to focus my attention and shield me from my surroundings. Several times I've found myself wishing I had a season ticket just so I could commute back and forth with a book in my hand.

Without the job on the other end of the commute, of course. Because I'm just that realistic.


----------



## rolandx (Jul 25, 2010)

I enjoyed reading _girl on the train._


----------



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I travel to work by bus and I read on my Kindle there and back every day. I have so little time to read, especially in the week, that I can't afford to waste the opportunity.

There is sometimes a problem of having to rein in the laughter (and occasionally the tears) so that I don't inadvertently make a spectacle out of myself in front of my fellow passengers!   

But I rarely have any difficulty concentrating, so much so that I have been known to be so engrossed I've missed my stop.....


----------



## Daniel Harvell (Jun 21, 2013)

Plane, train, bus, car - I can read for pleasure almost anywhere. If it's for work, though, I need a much quieter environment.


----------



## Mark0600 (Feb 7, 2015)

I love reading on the train, bus, underground or any form of transport - especially planes. In fact it's the thing that keeps me sane on long flights. I just tune out the noise and lose myself in the story. Even standing on the underground is ok, but it can be distracting when it's crowded.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

for audiobooks, i like listening tot hem when I'm resting at home. no radio, no television.. just the audiobooks. however, that does not work for me while I'm on the train. i just like normal reading for it leaves a part of me conscious of my surroundings. that way, i can concentrate. there are sometimes when i get hooked to my books much that forget that I'm on a train. but its only once where i passed my alighting point.. hahaaaaa!!!


----------



## zhixiong (Mar 30, 2015)

A question for those who read on buses and trains.
Do you still read while standing, when you could not find a seat on a crowded bus or train?


----------



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Thankfully, it's not often I have to stand - but generally speaking, no, I wouldn't read - I like to hold on with both hands!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

zhixiong said:


> A question for those who read on buses and trains.
> Do you still read while standing, when you could not find a seat on a crowded bus or train?


it's about 50/50 for me. depends on how crowded the train is and if I can lean against something.


----------



## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I always read on the subway on my midnight ride home.  It can be 20-30 minutes, including standing time waiting for the 2nd train at Times Square.  Makes the trip much better.  In the afternoon on my way to work, I don't usually read, because it's so crowded and I'm carrying too much, so I listen to podcasts.  Listen to music while reading.  Have to have my headphones on (both directions) or I am very unhappy about all the noise around me.


----------



## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

I love reading on trains.  There's something about the clacking of the tracks and pull of the train that's very conducive to reading for me.


----------



## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

zhixiong said:


> A question for those who read on buses and trains.
> Do you still read while standing, when you could not find a seat on a crowded bus or train?


Yes, but when I'm standing, I only read on my Kindle. When I sit, I have the freedom and comfort of reading a physical book and flipping through the pages.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

hs said:


> Yes, but when I'm standing, I only read on my Kindle. When I sit, I have the freedom and comfort of reading a physical book and flipping through the pages.


I find it much more comfortable to read on Kindle . . .whether standing, sitting, lying in bed . . . wherever.


----------



## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

We recently took the train from Sacramento to Denver. I thought it would be great to sit and read as the scenery went by. We had our own compartment. It turned out that my butt got sore, and it was pretty boring.


----------



## Brownskins (Nov 18, 2011)

Yes, I do 90% of my reading on the train, as my signature will indicate.  Over the past 3 years, I read approx. 200 minutes/week on account of my daily train commute (@20 minutes/ride one-way).  I don't even notice the stops.  So far, I've only missed my stop once, he he he.


----------



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Brownskins said:


> ........ I don't even notice the stops. So far, I've only missed my stop once, he he he.


Yeah, that's happened to me too. When I rather sheepishly confessed to my boss that the reason I was a little late was that I had to walk back from the next stop, he assumed it was because I'd fallen asleep. When I said it was because I was so engrossed in my book, I didn't know where I was, he laughed and said that was a perfectly acceptable excuse!


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> Yeah, that's happened to me too. When I rather sheepishly confessed to my boss that the reason I was a little late was that I had to walk back from the next stop, he assumed it was because I'd fallen asleep. When I said it was because I was so engrossed in my book, I didn't know where I was, he laughed and said that was a perfectly acceptable excuse!


Good boss!


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

On a train, on a plane, in a box, with a fox.  I can read anywhere, Sam I Am...and do!


As a summer intern, I used to read while I walked the halls of the Pentagon delivering interoffice mail.  Never ran into anyone, either.  Wish I'd had a Kindle then!

Betsy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> Yeah, that's happened to me too. When I rather sheepishly confessed to my boss that the reason I was a little late was that I had to walk back from the next stop, he assumed it was because I'd fallen asleep. When I said it was because I was so engrossed in my book, I didn't know where I was, he laughed and said that was a perfectly acceptable excuse!


Hubby and I were going downtown on the subway here, and it was crowded so we weren't sitting together. I got so engrossed in a book I didn't realize we were at our stop. He got off without me.  As we pulled away, my seatmate said, "Aren't you two together?" 

Betsy


----------



## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Hubby and I were going downtown on the subway here, and it was crowded so we weren't sitting together. I got so engrossed in a book I didn't realize we were at our stop. He got off without me.  As we pulled away, my seatmate said, "Aren't you two together?"
> 
> Betsy


That's a truly hilarious, great story! But I'm wondering: you missed the stop because you were engrossed in your book. But your husband left without you, because - he was engrossed in a book, too?


----------



## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> On a train, on a plane, in a box, with a fox. I can read anywhere, Sam I Am...and do!


This is true for me, too. I would, I could, with a goat, on a plane, and on a boat.

But cars? Fuggedaboutit. Instant motion sickness. I can't get to the end of a sentence fragment without wanting to hurl.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

some train rides can be rough. it takes a lot of concentration for one to fully immerse themselves in a book. however, with experience, you will be able to read with ease.


----------



## Brownskins (Nov 18, 2011)

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> some train rides can be rough. it takes a lot of concentration for one to fully immerse themselves in a book. however, with experience, you will be able to read with ease.


I guess you are wrapping up the thread. It's funny how you conclude that with experience, you will be able to read on a train with ease. Hope you get to that stage yourself! Well, it was an interesting chat. Til next question.


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I read in the car as a passenger. I get carsick. I get to my appointment. I feel like I'm turning green. I keep doing it. It would be harder, but not impossible, to listen to an audiobook, because the other people in the car keep talking, interrupting, but then that happens all the time anyway, unless I am alone. Hmmm... I needcto rethink this.


----------



## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

I pretend to read on a train so I can people-watch to find new characters to stuff in a story.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

PaulLev said:


> That's a truly hilarious, great story! But I'm wondering: you missed the stop because you were engrossed in your book. But your husband left without you, because - he was engrossed in a book, too?


No, he was engrossed in getting off the train. Sometimes....  I could tell more stories.  Whaddya going to do? He's still a keeper.

Betsy


----------



## BrianOBrien (Oct 6, 2015)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> On a train, on a plane, in a box, with a fox. I can read anywhere, Sam I Am...and do!
> 
> 
> As a summer intern, I used to read while I walked the halls of the Pentagon delivering interoffice mail. Never ran into anyone, either. Wish I'd had a Kindle then!
> ...


On a train, on a plane, in the rain, in Spain.


----------



## DiegoDinardi (Sep 25, 2015)

I read a lot on the train/bus. I took me a while to acquire the skill, though. At first, I would get all nauseous and dizzy, but with perseverance I was able to overcome that and now I get a lot of reading done while moving around, and sometimes even writing. I prefer to have my headphones on, with music that is at least a remotely harmonious with the story I'm reading. I 'll forever associate Die Antwoord's debut album with William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy, and Lorena McKennit will always remind me of the Tolkien Universe.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> As a summer intern, I used to read while I walked the halls of the Pentagon delivering interoffice mail. Never ran into anyone, either.


When I was about 10 or 11 years old, we lived in a small town of about 2000 people. I used to walk from my grandmother's house to downtown where the comic/book store was ( a distance of 8-9 blocks), and I read something all the way down there. I could stop at crossings and wait for the signal to change, wait for cars, avoid things and people in the sidewalk etc. I had excellent peripheral vision and could keep track of all those things. I didn't find out until years later that people in the area were very nervous when they saw me doing this.

I haven't been on a train since the late 1940s, but I suspect I would have no problem reading there. Reading in the car is not a problem for me.

Mike


----------



## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

jmiked said:


> When I was about 10 or 11 years old, we lived in a small town of about 2000 people. I used to walk from my grandmother's house to downtown where the comic/book store was ( a distance of 8-9 blocks), and I read something all the way down there. I could stop at crossings and wait for the signal to change, wait for cars, avoid things and people in the sidewalk etc. I had excellent peripheral vision and could keep track of all those things. I didn't find out until years later that people in the area were very nervous when they saw me doing this.
> 
> I haven't been on a train since the late 1940s, but I suspect I would have no problem reading there. Reading in the car is not a problem for me.
> 
> Mike


LOL! Your description reminds me of the cartoon character Egghead Junior from the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons by Warner Brothers. He was always reading a book and avoiding disasters around him. (Usually caused by Foghorn.) ("Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for- for just an emergency&#8230;")


----------



## A.G. Richards (Sep 28, 2014)

Does 'train' include the London tube, what you guys call a subway? In that case, it's the perfect place to read a book ... it takes your mind off the fact that you're several hundred feet underground in a tunnel constructed in Victorian times.


----------



## TomCrossley (Sep 16, 2015)

I absolutely love reading on the train, infact it was where I wrote my first book in Russia.

It is a personal and creative environment I think.

_edited to conform with Forum Decorum: self promotion not allowed outside the Book Bazaar -- Ann_


----------



## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

BrianOBrien said:


> On a train, on a plane, in the rain, in Spain.


I wish I could read on the train...not many trains/subways where I live, but I do read on the plane, despite the many distractions.


----------



## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Can't read on U.S. trains because the rails are so bad I get bounced all over the place.  But just came back from Italy and Spain where the trains are fast and smooth.  Perfect for reading.  Except for the distraction of looking out the window at a different world as it passes by.  Which is another kind of reading.


----------



## TomCrossley (Sep 16, 2015)

Reading on the train is still, one of my favourite things to do:

There's something peaceful and homely about it

It's great


tom


----------

