# Ideal place for reading LOTR?



## FrankSinatra (Mar 3, 2003)

*Where To Read*

Where is your ideal place for reading LOTR?

Mine personally, is to have a wander into a country lane somewhere in middle England, on a summers day, and lie down near a stream with a flask of tea and some sandwiches.

That i have done, many times, unbeatable, you are almost IN middle earth then.


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## Goldberry (Mar 3, 2003)

That sounds wonderful. Maybe you would like some seed cakes with your tea?


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 3, 2003)

What is your favourite place, Goldberry?


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## DurinLongBeard (Mar 3, 2003)

I don't know about Goldberry but my ideal place is at my families cottage. Laying in our old wooden lounge chair on the dock with a cream soda and a few peanut butter sandwiches with the hot sun....ahh, life couldn't get better than that.


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## Burb (Mar 3, 2003)

mine is just in my home, alone and quiet... although i may try reading in the woods when its summer, altrhough the mosquitoes may interrupt me.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 3, 2003)

*Mosquitos*

Thankfully we dont get them in the English countryside.

I also like to read lying down infront of the fire when it is cold outside.


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## Goldberry (Mar 3, 2003)

My house has woods in front, back and sides, but it is not the same as the English countryside. There are lots of mosquitoes and other biting bugs. And if you sit on the grass, you will get bitten by a deer tick and probably get Lyme's disease, which is not fun. I live to far from England to enjoy the countryside there!

My favorite place to read is in bed, especially (though these are rare) on a rainy morning on a day off from work. If I am not reading in bed, I'll read in a comfortable reclining chair in the living room.


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## Elendil3119 (Mar 3, 2003)

In my family, we use a woodstove to heat our house. My favorite time/place to read LotR is on a rainy Saturday afternoon by the fire. Or maybe outside in my hammock in the woods on a fine summer day. I built a nice bridge out of logs over a creek in the woods to read on, but some nasty rascal orc ripped it down.


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## balrog (Mar 3, 2003)

*Re: Where To Read*



> _Originally posted by FrankSinatra _
> *Where is your ideal place for reading LOTR?
> 
> Mine personally, is to have a wander into a country lane somewhere in middle England, on a summers day, and lie down near a stream with a flask of tea and some sandwiches.
> ...



You are inspiring me to try reading the books when I'm camping in my own misty mountains!!! The Canadian Rockies!

.....can't wait to go camping, although I may get scared silly


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## 33Peregrin (Mar 3, 2003)

Ahhh... the best place to read. I read it as much as I can. The worst places to read it are in Study Hall and in your German Classes. I am forced to read there everyday, having no other time. My favorite places... I like to sit on my bed and just read it out of my one volume edition. That releases a lot of stress. Also, we have a huge leather chair downstairs that we aren't really supposed to sit on. I love reading there all day when we are on Winter Break. All other times don't work, because my brother is endlessly watching TV. I hate it.
Last summer I got a hanging chair for my birthday. It hangs from the tree. I read in it once, in the summer, and that was nice. Sadly, my birthday was two days before school started and I haven't read there since. I always imagined going to some kind of forest, like the ones I went to in Germany, and reading LOTR for hours alone everyday. I will have to do that. For now I will go read a few more pages of TTT and go to bed.


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## Arvedui (Mar 4, 2003)

There are several possibilities that comes to mind, but my absolute favourite would be at home on a cold winter evening, when it is really freezing outside. To lean back in my recliner in front of the fire. 

With the missus and the kids being somewhere else.....

The outdoor experience sounds very good. But there is a lot of mosquitos and other insects where I live, so...


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## Niniel (Mar 4, 2003)

I have never read Tolkien's works outside, only at home and on the bus or train, but the way you describe it it sounds really wonderful. The only problem is that the Netherlands are quite urbanised, so before I have fund such an idyllic spot I'd have to travel halfway through the country.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 4, 2003)

*Yes*

A cold winters night infront of the fire is indeed wonderful.

I also find, that when i leave England and go abroad, i love to read it on a sunbed by the pool or sea.


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## Theoden_king (Mar 4, 2003)

Reading it by the pool on holiday is good, but I prefer just sat at home in a nice comfy chair, with a cup of tea. That is the best time to read ever!


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## Valawen (Mar 4, 2003)

I love to read it by the sea with my back against a tree and on a cool day, especially when there are no people around. It's easier to imagine that the Blessed Realm is just beyond.


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## Lantarion (Mar 4, 2003)

In the summer it's great to go into the middle of a huge forest and be alone. This isn't terriibly sensible in the winter.. But in the spring and summer I love reading in forests (there's a nice one very close to where I live).
But basically just at home in general, if I can find a private and secluded place.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 4, 2003)

*Yes*

In the woods is a must in summer.

There is a bluebell wood about an hour away from my home in the Midlands, and that is truly the best place to read Tolkien.

The cup of tea is also essential.

One almost feels the need for a pipe!.......If i smoked


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## Theoden_king (Mar 5, 2003)

*Re: Yes*



> _Originally posted by FrankSinatra _
> The cup of tea is also essential.



Glad you see it my way


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 5, 2003)

*Yes*

Naturally!

A cup of tea is essential!

Adam


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## Idril (Mar 6, 2003)

Very English that is - cup of tea indeed.

I'm in rural England - in the Midlands too and we have mosquitoes here. We have to run from the wasps in summer - when we have one that is!

I love reading in bed or curled up in front of my log fire. As long as I'm comfy, I'm happy (and hubby and kids somewhere else!)


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 8, 2003)

*Yes*

A log fire!

I would love one of those.

The smell of woodsmoke or apple wood.


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## Celebithil (Mar 8, 2003)

I like reading on my family boat, the Silmarillion and other works having to do with elves and the longing for the sea. When you can smell the salt air and actually hear the gulls the book is talking about it adds a certain element that is quite nice. The damp air just curls the pages a little but it fixes itself after awhile.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 11, 2003)

*What type of book to read.......*

Following on from 'Where to read'

I like to read from the oldest version of the book i can find...one which smells a little musty..the ink dosent smudge...and the pages are aged.

All about atmosphere and imagination i guess.


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## BlackCaptain (Mar 11, 2003)

are you saying a phyicaly old book? Iduno, i'd try and find an old bible... if ur talking about an old LOTR book, i'd say the silmarillion


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 11, 2003)

*Book*

I dont mean the age it was written.

I mean the age it was published.

Like a 1950's or 1960's print.


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## FoolOfATook (Mar 11, 2003)

I have bad luck with old books- I had a 1930s copy of the collected works of Edgar Allen Poe that I found at this cool old bookstore in Wilmington, and the thing fell apart the second time I read it. The only "old" Tolkien book that I own is a 1969 paperback of _The Tolkien Reader_ that I got off ebay, and I never read it- I read my cheap Delrey printing instead- I just know that the 1969 edition, even though it's in good shape, will disintegrate the moment I pick it up...

I do prefer hardback to paperback when its books like Tolkien's, that I study or use as reference material, but for books I'm reading for pleasure, I like new paperbacks, that I can hold and read with one hand.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 11, 2003)

*Yes*

The smell of a musty book i find wonderful.

Second hand books are much better than new ones.

I had a copy of FOTR which my mother threw away 3 times, i had to keep dragging it out of the bin...


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## Celebithil (Mar 11, 2003)

I have really old versions with covers missing and pages torn of FOTR and TT which I found in the attic who knows where ROTK is. I also have an old Sil from the library that was lost for like 5 years and I had to buy. I agree that the old books do have a certain aura about them and its fun to read them.


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## 33Peregrin (Mar 11, 2003)

I found today that reading outside in the warm sun with a blue sky on the grass is the best place to read. Especially when you are alone, and it is quiet. And the sun is begging to plan on setting, and wanders towards the mountains. Sorry. I loved reading today.   And every day.


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## Bombadillo (Mar 12, 2003)

I live in the city, and the best place to read is in my window, one leg over the edge. and if it's a sunny day it's ideal (or a really big thunderstorm, but then you risk getting your books wet...)


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## Bombadillo (Mar 12, 2003)

I hope my lotr books will once smell right and old... (just bought the whole bunch last year)
I love the touch and smell of old books, there so soft and full of memories...
I have a book that had been in my famaly for 3 generations, and it smells so wonderfull....


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## Bergile (Mar 12, 2003)

In my freezing attic room under the duvet with the electric blanket on. I can't read with people around, i just can't concentrate.
Or in the garden in summer, and in front of our log fire (i have to say,in violation of the clean air act, i think)


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 12, 2003)

*Warm*

Seems that warmth is the key to enjoyment according to this thread!

I also love to read in the bath...yes..you cant beat reading Bilbo's bath song whilst in the bath.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 12, 2003)

*Yes*

Exactly it..

Old books seem to carry their memories..especially family heirlooms.


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## Idril (Mar 12, 2003)

How do you stop the book getting wet? I mean when you need to turn the pages? I tried that once before, but the book accidently fell in the water ......urgh....


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 12, 2003)

*Make sure*

Make sure your arms dont go into the water and just hold the book out of the water, not difficult.


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## Bombadillo (Mar 13, 2003)

but stil your book is getting moist... or you should take an ice bath...
moist books....


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## Beleg (Mar 14, 2003)

Seriously speaking mine would be to sit in front of Possibly a Cricket or Hockey Match and Biscits.


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## Beleg (Mar 14, 2003)

The book should definately not be musty. I prefer small, paperback cheap editions to huge binded ones. Its easy to carry them and continue eating and talking...


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## jimmyboy (Mar 14, 2003)

> The book should definately not be musty. I prefer small, paperback cheap editions to huge binded ones. Its easy to carry them and continue eating and talking...


I prefer to read hard-backs, mainly because I can lay them flat and eat and/or drink coffee whilst reading. Plus they're more durable.

On the other hand, I prefer to _buy_ used paperbacks cause they're cheap. Prolly 99.5% of my paperbacks are old used ones.


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## Lantarion (Mar 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by FrankSinatra_
> Old books seem to carry their memories..especially family heirlooms.


I know what you mean.. I still have a copy that belonged to my mother in the 50's! The pages are falling apart a bit, but it's somehow its own atmosphere when the cover is faded, and the colours dim. 
And I adore hardbacks! I have an enormous edition of the _Kalevala_ (which is a true family heirloom, from well over 60 years): it has a gold-coloured cover with extravagant lettering, and the sides of the pages are also golden. It's also in perfect shape. Wonderful.


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## Gil-Galad (Mar 14, 2003)

You'd better read a new edition cause through the years Tolkien changes some things in the book and that may confuse in the future.


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## Lindir (Mar 15, 2003)

I prefer to read Lord of the Rings in a single volume paperback.


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## CelebrianTiwele (Mar 15, 2003)

I love to sit in my lazyboy. its the ugliest but most comfortable recliner in the world. But no tea. unless i have a sore throat. icy milk and freshly baked choc chiip cookies. and i curl up with a blanket and listen to the rain while i read. so peaceful. great stress reliever. I havta try reading outside tho. That sounds cool. but there are alot of bugs. hmmmmmmmmm maybe i'll read in the hay barn.


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## Lady_of_Gondor (Mar 16, 2003)

My favorite place to read the Lord of the Rings is outside on my patio swing near our homemade pond in the middle of summer. I like the sound of the water!


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## Aulë (Mar 16, 2003)

In a Biology lecture, whilst trying to hide the book from the lecturer!

hehe, j/k
but I've done it before.

I've read Tokien's books in many places...On the bus, in bed, in the shower, in a truck whilst carting straw bales (that book got _really_ dirty and has bever been the same since.), and many other places.
But my favourite place to read Tolkien would be on the beach.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 16, 2003)

*Sneak*

I actually skipped a couple of lessons when i was at school, and sat in the toilets reading    

And that is the truth.


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## Anarchist (Mar 17, 2003)

Well I've read it in quite a few places. Perhaps my favourite place is in bed in after-midnight hours with my headphones on listening to epic music (from Wagner to Manowar). Or perhaps in the car traveling in the countryside still with the headphones on


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## Legolam (Mar 18, 2003)

I usually read in my bed, often until the early hours of the morning (I should stop doing that, I get little enough sleep!). But I love to read outside in the huge park near me in the summer, or lying by the pool on holiday (I lose track of time and get burnt!).


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## faila (Mar 18, 2003)

I sometimes read sitting up high in a tree, its really cool to do that.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 18, 2003)

*Yes*

I would love to read in a tree!

Very entish.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 18, 2003)

*Yes*

I love to read my red leather-bound special edition.

Makes such a difference - you would be surprised.


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## elf boy (Mar 20, 2003)

I usually end up reading while sitting on my porch in boring ol' PA. But reading the part where Gollum falls in and destroys the ring with the background noise of "In the End" by Linkin Park can only be a good thing.


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## FrankSinatra (Mar 20, 2003)

*Read*

I cant read with music or radio/tv playing.

I have to have quiet around me, hence the woodland being the best.

So atmospheric also.


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## faila (Mar 27, 2003)

hmmm, well let me explain something. When i read in a tree, I had this special place. I would climb almost to the top of the tree and sit on what almost seemed a bench and sit up their for hours and read. Its neccesary for the place where you read in a tree to be higher than nearby building so when looking out you dont see them at all. You feel almost alone and can completely immerse yourself and almost feel like your in middle earth.

Problem: I cant climb up thier any mroe because the winter nocked down many of the limbs. So I had to find a new tree. Where I go in my new tree is higher, but not quite as comfortable, its harder toget up, but that will probobly ease in time.

tips: Just in case your looking for a spot to read in a tree make surei ts above the house or building line on your area. Climb up to wear their is either a thick branch or a series of branches. Also it may take you time to get up their, but the more you do it you will soon be able to do it quicker. If you are using a softback book that you dont care about much (you can go by another for a couple dollars/pounds) then put the book in your mouth and climb up. If its a better or hardback book than set it on branches or hold it as best as youcan as you climb.
I wonder if any one is actually going to try this besides me.


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## FrankSinatra (Nov 23, 2006)

A nice old thread.


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## Sammyboy (Nov 24, 2006)

And quite an interesting thread too Frank! I'll have to try taking a Tolkien book out with me when I go for a walk next and try that! Though it's a bit cold at this time of year.

My favourite places? It has to be sitting on the balcony whilst on holiday in the sun, or in the cool of the evening with a couple of Citronella candles going to keep the mossies away, and having a smoke (I usually now only smoke whilst on holiday since giving up).

Or, if at home I'd say either in bed, or if it's a nice, warm day, sat outside in the garden with a drink, also with a pair of binoculars to watch the birds with, and aircraft going over (legacy of an old hobby!) and spending a relaxing few hours in the sun and fresh air.


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## Ithrynluin (Nov 24, 2006)

I can enjoy LOTR in many different surroundings, but none have been even remotely as unique and enjoyable as this one: 

The time of year _has_ to be winter (so December-March, roughly), and there _must_ be snow, preferably falling heavily at the time you are setting out to do this. Bring a comfortable chair next to a window, push a pillow up against a radiator (assuming there is one below the window), make yourself a hot cup of cocoa and just kick back and immerse yourself in our beloved adventures, stopping every once in a while only to look out the window and relish the dreamy vista outside.

Even now I am rubbing my hands together in anticipation of snow.


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## Ermundo (Nov 24, 2006)

For me, it depends on what part of the book I'm reading. Let's say perchance I'm reading the FOTR, at the part describing Frodo's journey to Rivendell. I'd like to be in the woods during autumn, among many tall trees, while I myself lean against a huge oak with a canopy of autumn-colored leaves above my head. That would be my idea setting for that part of the book.


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## Eledhwen (Nov 24, 2006)

I have ripped the gas fire out of my living room (OK, I got George to do it!). I now intend to restore it to an open fire. I will then sit curled up on a chair in a room silent but for the ticking of my pendulum clock and the crackle of the dancing flames in my log fire, and read all the Tolkien books I have.


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## Ingwë (Jan 4, 2007)

I prefer quiet and isolated places. In the summer I love reading The Lord of The Rings at my uncle's house near the sea. It is quiet, peaceful place. No one disturbs me. I can hardly hear the noice of the Sea, the neighbour are quiet because they're resting, too. I have never read book in the forest or in the mountains, probably because I have never been alone there. 
I also like reading at home in the winter when my parents aren't home. I prefer to be alone. I lay on the bed and start reading. It is much more beautiful when the snow is falling. My bed is next to the window so I can enjoy the winter  I don't want to read anything but the flames of the log fire and blowing wind. Even now, 11 pm, I go to bed with my book and start reading. I started LotR again


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## Maia (Jan 6, 2007)

late at night in the light of a table-lamp, with the russian air-conditioner thrumming away in the background, nibbling on a bag of kitkats.


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## Urambo Tauro (Jan 6, 2007)

The latitude of where I live apparently corresponds to that of what Minas Tirith & Osgiliath would be, according to Tolkien. So for me, I like to time it, if I can. I've put together a thread about it (see my signature).

Right now, they're approaching Moria, so maybe I should read by candle or something in a few days. But as they come further south, I'll pay more attention to the local weather as a reference to what they experience in their travels.


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## Eledhwen (Jan 7, 2007)

I like the timing idea. I couldn't do it, as there is too much call on my time. I would end up lagging behind!

Being alone in the wilder areas of Great Britain is nigh on impossible to guarantee! With over 60 million residents (those who have stood up to be counted) and more coming all the time, and that's not counting vacation visitors, you'd be lucky to find a lonely spot for a pee, let alone somewhere you can rest and get a book out in peace. Still, it's worth a try (reading, that is!  )


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## Helcaraxë (Jan 10, 2007)

Ideally, on a meadow overlooking the Rocky Mountains. Hithaeglir, anyone? Can't be beat! You can almost imagine the fellowship traversing the peaks...


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## Valandil (Jan 10, 2007)

Ideal place...


Anywhere?  


Oh, better yet...



Middle Earth!


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## Eledhwen (Jan 16, 2007)

In a glade in the Savernake Forest, carpeted with dry Beech leaves. I would also say surrounded by bluebelles, but the 'dry' is usually missing at that time of year.


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## Hobbit-GalRosie (Feb 7, 2007)

Reading outdoors is great. I've rarely been able to get comfortable in a tree, but it was worth the effort the two times it half worked (I wasn't reading LotR then, alas).

Besides that, just however I can get comfortable outside. A playground usually offers divers opportunities and is more likely to have trees and fields in the vicinity. We have one of those big bench/swing thingies on our deck now, and that's pretty good for reading usually. Lets me stay in the frest air.

Besides that, in my bed with my "big fluffy thing" lol. That's what I jokingly call my comforter, which is both of those adjectives to a tee. It's preferable to have the window open and for it to be snowing outside...yes, I know most people would say either of those things could be nice, but surely not both. I'm weird like that. I like cold, crisp winter air, and as long as I have the fluffy thing I don't suffer from _too_ much of a chill, just enough for it to be pleasant.

And if you added a cup of hot cocoa to that, though I've never done it, it could scarcely be more ideal.


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## Helcaraxë (Feb 23, 2007)

For outdoor reading comfort there is no substitute for a good hammock. Those cheap string ones are useless - get a nice fabric one and it will change the way you read.


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## Eledhwen (Feb 25, 2007)

I bought a 'string' hammock in The Yucatan, many years ago. It puts the ones sold in our outdoor leisure shops to shame, It's comfortable, impossible to fall out of, packs up small, and would even fit two if you weren't thinking of reading! 

I have lots of images in my head of wonderful places to read, but basically my ideal would be anywhere my kids couldn't find me!


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## Barliman Butterbur (Feb 25, 2007)

*Re: Where To Read*



FrankSinatra said:


> Where is your ideal place for reading LOTR?



Anywhere it's quiet and comfortable.

Barley


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## Helcaraxë (Mar 7, 2007)

Eledhwen,

Maybe the make 'em different down in the Yucutan. Every string hammock I ever bought either broke after a year thereby planting me on my backside or developed uncomfortable kinks.

I am currently writing a master's thesis on this very topic. I will also be on a book tour signing copies of my spectacularly lucrative NY times bestseller, _How to Read in a Hammock - Version 2!_ - Dover books 2006, $19.99.


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## Elfarmari (Mar 13, 2007)

My new favorite place to read LotR is on some rocks on the coast of the North Sea. Perhaps more appropriate for parts of the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales dealing with the coasts, but beautiful and quiet nonetheless.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Mar 14, 2007)

Helcaraxë said:


> Eledhwen,
> 
> Maybe the make 'em different down in the Yucutan. Every string hammock I ever bought either broke after a year thereby planting me on my backside or developed uncomfortable kinks.
> 
> I am currently writing a master's thesis on this very topic. I will also be on a book tour signing copies of my spectacularly lucrative NY times bestseller, _How to Read in a Hammock - Version 2!_ - Dover books 2006, $19.99.



Interesting. Dover books specializes in old reprints...

Barley


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## Firawyn (Mar 20, 2007)

My perfect spot is impossable to have...  

I had a chair once, it was an ugly, mud brown corner peice of a big couch sectional, but it was the most comfortable thing on the planet. I used to push it against a corner in my room, so that the open sides were agaist the wall, and I'd get two pillows, a blanket, a cup of Earl Grey, some cookies, and curl up and read...that was the first place I read LOTR and it will never stop being the best ever!


My mum decided it needed to die, and let my little brother rip it to shreds to fun...


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## Firawyn (Mar 20, 2007)

My perfect spot is impossable to have...  

I had a chair once, it was an ugly, mud brown corner peice of a big couch sectional, but it was the most comfortable thing on the planet. I used to push it against a corner in my room, so that the open sides were agaist the wall, and I'd get two pillows, a blanket, a cup of Earl Grey, some cookies, and curl up and read...that was the first place I read LOTR and it will never stop being the best ever!


My mum decided it needed to die, and let my little brother rip it to shreds to fun...


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## Ermundo (Mar 21, 2007)

Sounds like a nice place to sleep as well as read, Firawn.

I've already posted here before, but I've had a change of mind. For me, the perfect place to read Lord of the Rings is in a room all by myself, with a fireplace going on and a cozy recliner to rest upon. I'd problably have some sort of snack, like MM's or some other chocolate, handy.


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## FrankSinatra (Jun 16, 2009)

This was a nice thread.


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## Illuin (Jun 17, 2009)

I like hotels. I'm on the road a lot, and I actually pack another little suitcase for the books. I get 90% of my reading done in hotels. Even now when I read certain parts of the books, I'm immediately reminded of the very hotel and town I was in when I last read them. I can't read Aldarion and Erendis without thinking of the hotel at Duke University. I don't think the two can be separated now. And I can't read The Stairs of Cirith Ungol without thinking of the hotel in a cool little town in New Jersey called Essex Fells. This definitely adds to the overall ambiance; at least for me .


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## Bucky (Jun 17, 2009)

The bathroom always works well for me. 

Oh...

And of course, reading at the foot of my children's beds too.


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## Illuin (Jun 17, 2009)

> _Originally posted by *Bucky*_
> _The bathroom always works well for me. _


 
Yeah, but that's dangerous with Tolkien. Whenever I have his books in the bathroom, the circulation ends up being completely cut off in my legs, and I fall over when I try to stand up; not to mention those two red marks from the elbows.


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## Kolbitar (Jul 16, 2009)

What a pleasant thread!

I've spent many nights reading from bed until the wee hours, cup of tea (or milk) either in silence, or listening to some ambient music, or something classical (Mozart's requiem in d minor is nice for the depressing passages).

Ideally,

in solitude anywhere the sun rises and sets but does not scorch and the wind speaks and accompanies but does not chaff, and either somewhere high up and "away," lofty in a real sense with a view and sack of good food, or if low, let it be on calm water on a small, shaded boat or deck, and cool drinks 'aplenty. 

But if the weather is rough, let shelter be as cozy and as like to Bag End as Bag End itself.

I've always wanted to spend a week just traveling up the countryside on a train reading by the window. No destination--just a bag of essentials, books, and time.

Or a walking trip through the "wild" with a friend, but with reading in pleasant spots a major theme of the excursion.


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## Prince of Cats (Jul 16, 2009)

A shaded corner outside is my favorite. Even on my parents' deck under the umbrella but much more enjoyable in the swamp or better yet, sitting at the feet of a grand Oak or Beech or of course next to a krik so shaded and dark you can barely read and feel Mirkwood  but early enough in the day not to be eaten alive by Morgoth's mosquitos


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## Hobbit-GalRosie (Jul 18, 2009)

Kolbitar said:


> What a pleasant thread!
> 
> I've spent many nights reading from bed until the wee hours, cup of tea (or milk) either in silence, or listening to some ambient music, or something classical (Mozart's requiem in d minor is nice for the depressing passages).
> 
> ...


You sir (forgive me if you are not a sir) are a hobbit after my own heart. That's my favorite piece by Mozart by the way. I really adore that, and am deeply moved by it, though I will admit I don't like many of his...more of a Praetorius Bach Vivaldi kind of person, you see.



Prince of Cats said:


> but early enough in the day not to be eaten alive by Morgoth's mosquitos



LOL! Amen to that!

I also have this possibly insane notion that reading LotR in a hayloft might be all kinds of fun...


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## Elfarmari (Nov 21, 2009)

I love reading outside, especially in the middle of hikes where I can be out someplace on my own. There's a ski hill a 15 minute drive west of where I live where you can hike to the top (if you don't mind going up a few thousand feet). It's not really a hill, it's on the edge of a rather large, old volcanic caldera. If you go just over the top you're in a meadow strewn with boulders with an amazing view into the caldera, which reminds me of Tolkien's description of approaching Gondolin on a smaller, less rocky scale. There is no civilization in sight, invariably just enough breeze to rustle the grass about, and many rocks perfect to sit on or up against.


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## EdBurke (Dec 12, 2009)

At home, at night (Preferably with heavy rain and wind outside), alone, in front of a turf fire drinking lots of tea. And eating scones. You can't get much more of an idyllic rural setting than that.


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## Ithrynluin (Dec 12, 2009)

Mine is still next to a radiator by a big window, with a hot cup of cocoa and a pillow for comfort, preferably with snow falling outside so you can peer out every once in a while.


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## Firawyn (Dec 12, 2009)

Sharkey said:


> Mine is still next to a radiator by a big window, with a hot cup of cocoa and a pillow for comfort, preferably with snow falling outside so you can peer out every once in a while.




Make the snow rain and I'll take that!!



EVIL snow.


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## Ithrynluin (Dec 13, 2009)

What's wrong with snow when you're indoors and don't have to go anywhere? For those are my terms!


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## Súliah (Dec 13, 2009)

I would say: in the evening, when it's cold outside, just besides my old heater. And I prefer snow to rain.


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## Astrance (Dec 13, 2009)

The ideal place for reading LOTR would be on a sofa, near an open French window, on an automn day, with the smell of fallen leaves in the air.


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## Firawyn (Dec 15, 2009)

Snow is evil in my opinion. You know, White Witch, makes it always winter... lol


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## Turgon (Dec 19, 2009)

Yeah! We have snow today! I love the stuff personally - really magical. Actually I like the cold in general - I always like an excuse to wear more hats and scarves and such... only one at a time obviously.

I think I might try giving The Fellowship a go tonight - see if I can't make it my Christmas read this year...


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## Turgon (Dec 19, 2009)

I take it all back - the moment I stepped outside it started pouring down with rain. Business as usual for Manchester. Think I'll be curling up with Love in the Time of Cholera tonight... probably time I got around to reading it...


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## Súliah (Dec 20, 2009)

Snow snow snow! Here in Holland it keeps snowing and snowing.. I think there's about 4 inches of snow everywhere. 
Tomorrow I'm going to the second-hand book shop to get a good deal of books... Tolkien.. Austen.. Pierre Pevel.. (Does anyone know the last one? His books are great!)


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## Bucky (Dec 21, 2009)

Ideal place for reading TLOR?

Same as any book.....

The bathroom. 

Well, maybe not Strong's Exhaustive (bible) Concordance or The Baseball Encyclopedia - Too *BIG.*


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## Ithrynluin (Dec 22, 2009)

Reading on the john never quite appealed to me.


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## Turgon (Dec 22, 2009)

What is even worst is when you borrow a book to a friend, and then find _your_ book in _their_ toilet when you pop around for a visit.

Man that really irks me.



Seriously.


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## musicofainur (Dec 23, 2009)

Turgon said:


> What is even worst is when you borrow a book to a friend, and then find _your_ book in _their_ toilet when you pop around for a visit.
> 
> Man that really irks me.
> 
> ...



I'd want a new copy. Especially if the friend is particularly known to rarely wet his/her hands and put soap on them.


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## Ravo (Dec 24, 2009)

musicofainur said:


> I'd want a new copy. Especially if the friend is particularly known to rarely wet his/her hands and put soap on them.


 
Okay.. that's disgusting! then I'd totally ask for a new copy!


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## Aglarband (Mar 15, 2010)

Woot, P-I-T-T Let's go Pitt.


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## Aredhel Alatàr (Mar 18, 2010)

I am afraid that, as I'm truly a Silvan Elf at heart, my ideal place to read LotR is a wood...why not, in England, but woods scattered across the whole of Western Europe are markedly Middle Eartish.

Aredhel


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## apple27 (Sep 27, 2010)

I think my own room is where I feel most at home and most myself and reading LotR lying on my soft bed looking out of my window at green leaves and a blue sky till I fall asleep into a dream is the best thing ever.


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## Confusticated (Sep 27, 2010)

I like to read outside best, in nice weather, and a relaxing place. 

When I read a book like LoTR it goes everywhere with me around the house, and I will shift from laying on my back resting it on my chest, or laying on my stomach holding my head up reading, just sitting with legs crossed and book resting on my leg, or...this is perhaps the favorite - I will sit sideways in a recliner with my legs over one arm and resting with my side to the back of the chair and hold the book. I guess you could say I have no favorite place indoors... comfort is the thing that matters, and occassional shifting.

Don't take books into bathrooms though, since I normally only go in that room when I'm going to be too busy to read.:*confused:


FrankSanatra opened the thread saying:



> here is your ideal place for reading LOTR?
> 
> Mine personally, is to have a wander into a country lane somewhere in middle England, on a summers day, and lie down near a stream with a flask of tea and some sandwiches.
> 
> That i have done, many times, unbeatable, you are almost IN middle earth then.


Sounds _perfect_. Though where I live is nothing like M-e, closer to desert without being desert. You almost never have to worry about rain, and you hardly find someone who hates rain...it is a...nice change, when it happens. And most of our rural area are crops, orange groves, cherries, peaches, strawberries, grapes, olives... not the best for kicking back in. There are your occassional dairies - stay clear of em!But there are hills a few miles from here but they are yellow this time of year... want green you have to wait for Winter. But Winter is mild enough you can still go out and read... just dress warm, and maybe put something other than tea in to drink.:*D If it is Summmer - one doesn't even need to consider a chance of rain. Once in a while a Summer rain happens... maybe every few years a mild storm comes in. And snow? Yeah it happened once in 98 or so. And if it is too cold to go out and read comfortably just snuggle up comfortable inside then.


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## Maiden_of Harad (Jul 25, 2013)

My ideal place(s) would the same for any good book:

The first (and rarest option) would be in a comfortable chair on our front porch, with a temperature of 70-something degrees. A soft breeze, gusting at times, at times languid, would blow. There would be warm sunshine on my lap, shade on my face, and a glass of pink lemonade beside me.
I've read books like this before, but such weather is rare where I live, so I take full advantage of it whenever I can.

The second option is late at night, in bed, a blanket covering you, one hand gripping a flashlight, the other trying to prop up the book as you read on, heart pounding, enthralled in the magic of stories. Quiet is a must, as is solitude, for the thrill is compounded at the scary parts if you're the only one awake.


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## Bucky (Jul 31, 2013)

I would have to say the same as every other book & reading material:

The 'Throne Room' :*eek:


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## PaigeSinclaire88 (Feb 8, 2017)

FrankSinatra said:


> *Where To Read*
> 
> 
> 
> ...




It would be my dream come true to read it leaning against one of the stones of Stonehenge or in a shire in England Like Cheshire (also where I daydream reading Alice in Wonderland), Nottinghamshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire. I imagine green hills and fresh country air. Cornwall would probably be the most ideal on a grey day ^.^


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## Starbrow (Feb 8, 2017)

I think it would be cool to read LOTR in New Zealand in some of the places where the movie was filmed.


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