Reading on the Subway - NY Times

I saw this story about reading on the subway and for the first time, I can finally relate. I have only recently turned from my iPhone to the book. I'm About 3/4 of the way through The Family which is a great read and turned out to be a very detailed historical review of American religion and politics. It's an amazing story. I can't wait to finish it so I can really have some fun. Sit at a desk and reread it - this time taking notes on all the parts that caught my eye. (If I do it the first time it breaks up the story too much)

I think reading on the subway is great because if your sitting down you just bury your head in the book - you go into your own little world. But you can also read standing up on the train and you can read leaning against a pole waiting for one. With a little practice you can even read while walking. (I wouldn't recommend reading while going downstairs though - trust me.)

Reading makes the time go by faster than music and it even manages to somewhat drown out the constant stream of panhandlers and "entertainers". Much more on that another time. Reading also kind of clears the mind while music can sometimes exaggerate the ups or downs of the day. Books are even light to carry and I really only read one at at time. I don't know if you look smarter if you're reading, but you sure feel like you do. I always look at other readers in hopes that someone else is reading the same book as me. Not yet.

September 2, 2009, 6:30 AM

Reading While Riding

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Ruth Fremson/The New York TimesOn the uptown A train, Emily Tumia, left, reads “The Nanny Diaries,” by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, while Doris Castro reads “Blue Skies,” by Catherine Anderson.

Americans seem to be doing less recreational reading these days, spending time instead watching television, surfing the Web, sending text messages and talking on cellphones. But one place where a vibrant culture of reading remains strong — to some extent out of necessity — is the New York City subway.

Underground, separated from Internet and cellphone connections, straphangers still reach for dog-eared novels, carefully folded newspapers and all manner of magazines (and scripts and Bibles and self-help books).

For a special report to be published online Friday, City Room is experimenting with crowd-sourcing to find out which periodicals and books are favored by commuters on different subway lines. That means we need you — and all your friends — to tell us: What are you reading?

Responses will be compiled in an interactive graphic to accompany the account of a reporter and photographer who recently spent the day crisscrossing the city underground, peering over the shoulders of subway riders.