Marlon James likes to read sitting on the grass in a park in Brooklyn. Missouri Williams thumbs through pages while walking, sometimes in circles, gently lulling her baby to sleep. Chloe Aridjis reads on a second-hand scarlet chaise longue, while Douglas Stuart does it with a coffee in hand, as daylight creeps into the room. 

In our recent interviews, the Booker Prize 2026-longlisted authors shared where and how they like to read, and it got us thinking about the places we turn to with a book. So, we asked our community where they find time for a few pages, and it turns out book lovers find all sorts of ways to squeeze reading into the day – even when time is in short supply. The answers are delightful, revealing a wonderfully varied collection of reading spots and moments from all corners of the globe. 

‘On the corner of our veranda at home, I have a dedicated spot with a table, chair and lighting. The spot is right where I can hear my children playing and laughing in the background. Inevitably they occasionally come to see which book I am reading and which page I am at, and to tell me about the book they are reading. It is a nice interruption. One I secretly hope for now and then. As a result of this “interruption”, my kids now know some of my favourite authors e.g. Will Durant, Bill Bryson, Wole Soyinka, et al.’ 

Aloyce Mahaligewi, Substack 

‘I like to read whilst cooking, holding a book while stirring a risotto or something or getting a few pages in whilst something is in the oven. I also like to read whilst other people are cooking! Just being in the same space together doing our own things.’ 

Eva, Substack 

‘My mother always got up very early in the morning to read and have her coffee. She’s been gone for 45 years now, but I sometimes leave the kitchen light on to see the glow from my bed when it’s dark and remember how reassuring it was to know she was there, probably reading about Roman Britain, or Napoleon, or enjoying a Mary Stewart.’ 

Penelope, Substack 

‘I’m a shepherd. I read all day with my goats in the open fields of our village. I read under the tree or wherever there is bush around for shade. There is also a river where I sometimes sunbathe and read.’ 

Ameer Hamza, Facebook  

‘Nothing soothes more than turning pages lounging on the bow of a boat while swinging at anchor.’ 

Karson Brown, Substack 

‘I love to read on my eight-minute London commute, between Penge (home) and Herne Hill (school). I particularly love if I can manage a chapter in the time between both stations, otherwise, I hang out on the platform ‘til I’m done. I’ve been known to miss my stop and find myself in Brixton if I get really taken away.’ 

Sue Fisher, Substack 

‘In bed, at the breakfast table, on a train, in any waiting room, in my parked car, on a plane, in a queue… everywhere, anywhere, all the time.’ 

Paul Butler, Substack  

‘In a quiet village away from the city’s concrete grey sits my parents’ old house, complete with a rusted swing that sways in rhythm with my reading. It’s the only place where time collapses: I’ll sit down at 11am and read until sunset swallows the page. There’s something wonderfully absurd about ignoring the sprawling natural world around me just to stare at ink on paper for eight hours straight, but nowhere else makes the rest of the world vanish so completely.’ 

Untangled Thoughts, Substack 

‘My favourite place to read is in my grandmother’s wide wing-backed chair, upholstered in burgundy red paisley and red velvet trim. As a child, I found safe harbour there and as an adult, it means I am home.’ 

Natalie McCullough, Substack 

‘The most common place I read is in my bed after my children are tucked in for the night and before I sleep. I learned that there is a name for this – librocubicularist!’ 

Yuliya Doyle, Substack  

‘I love to read on the beach in Skala, Kefalonia… a place I have returned to year after year with family… always at the water’s edge and always very early on a morning to choose a good spot! The gentle waves lapping on the shore make for one of the best environments for my reading!’ 

Ann Bradley, Substack  

‘South Island. I usually walk up there once a week and read a book with a cup of tea from my thermos. On a fine day, this is a spectacular view and an amazing place to read. This is one of the windiest spots in a windy city though, so it can be a bit uncomfortable at times. Then I will head down the hill a wee way to read at a more sheltered spot with a view of the city.’ 

Doug, Substack  

‘I love an early morning read sitting on the deck of my little cabin in the woods. It can be a little cool, perhaps a little misty and the birds are chattering. The dog lies at my feet watching the squirrels, and if we’re just a little fortunate deer might walk through at the bottom of the hill.’ 

Sandra, Substack  

‘I am probably one of those odd people who really likes reading in busy cafes. I like the warmth of a latte at close hand and the buzz of conversations going on around me. I feel in the world while immersing myself in a fictional one. Plus, having a book at hand is a great conversational starter.’ 

Maylin, Substack  

‘I’ve been known to read while walking the dog; anywhere except driving a vehicle.’ 

Deborah Sword, Substack  

‘I usually read while exercising on my treadmill and elliptical in the morning. In the evening, I love to read in bed before going to sleep. When on vacation, that is my time to read whenever I want, an unlimited amount of time, no restrictions. Which is such a luxury, like when I was young. Boy, do I miss those times!’  

Margaret Chess, Substack  

‘I adopted my cat a few months ago and now my favourite place to read is underneath her, either in bed or on the sofa. She has a lovely tendency to sit on my chest, even if I’m sitting up, which forces me to do nothing but stay in place and enjoy my book.’ 

Ana Rosa, Substack  

‘In a camp chair, in the mountains, with my headlamp, and the stars overhead, waiting for the moonrise.’ 

Bridget Wall, Substack  

‘I love to read in the waiting moments. If I arrive early for dinner with a friend and she’s not there yet, those waiting moments are perfect for a couple more pages into my book. If we are leaving for family Sunday lunch and my husband is not yet ready, those waiting minutes are perfect for five more pages. If I have a meeting at 10 and they say they’re running five to 10 minutes late, I have those minutes to reach the next chapter. If I’m waiting in line, any line, that wait is perfect for at least one more page. There are waiting moments everywhere, and if you have those, you can seize some with a story.’ 

Lorenza Ruiz, Substack  

‘I’m a devotee of what I term “Wild Reading”. Open air and open vistas. Rough-hewn nature, perfect solitude and a knapsack of sandwiches. The work that transformed the experience of enjoying literature outdoors from an ad-hoc lunchbreak park bench graze into an escape from civilization with no other human bar the author on the horizon, and the very oxygen necessary for absolute, physical immersion in a book was Paul Kingsnorth’s extraordinary The Wake with its pungent “shadow language” and untameable protagonist, Buccmaster.’ 

Danny, Substack  

‘I will read anywhere, but the best binge reading happens in the bath.’ 

Susan Craig, Substack  

‘I like to “read” audiobooks while commuting, especially easy reads or ones with full cast versions.’ 

Bobardilla, Substack 

‘My favourite place ever to read was in my childhood home. The kitchen was the heart of our house, and the big stone fireplace was the heart of the kitchen. We had just two chairs –  great, luscious wingbacks, still taller than me –  in front of that fire, and it was a great struggle to claim one at Christmas time when all the family was there. In my memory it’s always Christmas time. I loved the sounds of the adults preparing dinner and music playing from the other room. I loved that there was always a snack to be had in proximity, and I loved the warmth of the fire and my dog on my lap. No reading setup ever quite captures that magic of course, but I can replicate pieces of it and feel close. That’s when reading feels most lovely to me.’  

Eva Jean, Substack  

Some answers have been edited or abridged for clarity.