Today’s topic is kind of self explanatory… basically it’s going to revolve around the question of whether you read in public or not.
Why should you read in public?
Well, for starters reading in public can be more convenient than reading in private. By only reading in private, you are kind of limiting your reading time to when you are alone… and exactly how long are you alone? For me, I have school and then after school stuff that all involve other people and can be considered as “public”. If I were to say I don’t read in public, I’m basically limiting myself to reading to around the 6 hours where I’m alone… and if you count having to do homework and wanting to update this blog, that leaves me little reading time. So why won’t you want to read in public if it means you can squeeze some more reading? Yeah, why not? That brings us to…
Why not? AKA Why I Hate Reading in Public
One of the reasons why I HATE reading in public is that when I was a kid, sometimes I was teased for being the “book nerd”. At that time, it was embarrassing. Today, I embrace the title. But that being said, I always feel like I’m being judged when I’m reading in public. Especially when I’m reading stuff that makes me react emotionally… you know like shed a tear here and there… or full out bawling. Yeah, that too. Always spontaneously bursting out in tears and whimpering in public is not exactly something I like doing. It’s just a side effect of reading. But it also makes people think I’m crazy and insane. Plus, I hate it when people see me cry…
And there’s the time when the book makes me make all these weird facial expressions like raising my eye brows, glaring at the book, and smiling / frowning. I always get weird looks when I do that too. Almost always followed with “What the heck are you reading?!? Which isn’t actually a bad question, but is when you’re reading an indie book or an ARC or some book that’s not “popular” (popular at school, I mean)… then things just get awkward.
If I’m being honest, I do read in public. Especially in school. What? It spices up what are usually boring (and sleepy) days! But usually when I do read in study hall or on the bus, it’s usually the books that I’m reading aren’t going to cause any emotional break outs or weird facial expressions. That basically means I leave The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay at home. :'( The people who read those books are either really clueless or really brave.
So what about you?
Do you read in public?
Yep, I usually have my book in my purse when I head out the door 🙂 I especially read at my kid’s sporting events. We always have to get there early for them to get geared up/warm up etc. so I usually have at least 10-20 minutes of down time during that to sneak in a few minutes of reading.
It’s always nice to be able to sneak a few minutes to read, no matter how little! (And even in public…)
Thanks for always stopping by! 😀
I read mostly in public as I’m still in school, too, and I get home quite late and then there’s the blog and homework… So if I want to proceed with my books at an acceptable speed I have to read in public. But that’s no problem for me. I love reading on the bus or on the metro and I love reading when the teachers are late to class. I’m pretty good at…okay, who am I kidding? I have a master degree at keeping an utmost stoic face and while at some parts of life it’s rather a drawback, I’m grateful that I don’t have to worry about breaking out in tears on some means of public transport. (I hate when people see my cry, too.) When I crack a grin on very very rare occasions, I don’t care. There are so many people around me I’ll never see again when I commute. And if they think I’m crazy? I’ll have a free seat to sit down at least.
I like how you think. Never pass up a free seat! Glad you have an awesome poker face – if only I had one too.
Thanks for stopping by Cassidie! 🙂
[…] Emz explains why she hates reading in public. […]
I read in public all the time – in the supermarket cashier line, on the subway, while waiting … for anything! But, I don’t tend to express a lot of emotions when reading – I don’t think I would ever cry in public because of a book
You’re lucky. I’m not usually an expressive reader, but certain books can get me to crack a smile or shed a few tears, which always earns me some weird glances.
Thanks for stopping by Tanya! 🙂
I LOVE picking up a book anytime, anywhere! I fully embrace my nerdiness in public. 🙂 Granted, I’m not in school anymore, but I think I’ve always been that way. I don’t mind getting caught with a book, and I don’t even mind getting emotional with it. If I have a spare few minutes, I will open that book and read until I have to get back to reality! 😀
I don’t mind being caught with a book either – I’m already sort of known as a book nerd. It’s the emotions the book causes that are the problems. It’s always nice to escape reality once in a while.
Thanks for stopping by Rosie! 🙂
I’ve always been that one girl in class who always brings a book anywhere hehe. It’s just getting annoying when your friends come up and started asking a lot of questions like “What are you reading? What it is about? Is it good?” etc which of course will force you to stop reading every once in while to anwser them. Basically I just don’t like being interrupted when reading so nowadays I mostly keep it to myself except when I’m on the way (to home/college), it’s good to sneak some time to read a few pages 🙂
Exactly! The questions are the worst! I guess being able to read peacefully without distractions is too much to ask for when you read in public.
Thanks for stopping by Tirta! 🙂