When I was around ten I remember my Dad telling me about a man he used to work beside in the shipyard. He was a man who was considered eccentric but he was a man who was also noted for his huge intellect. He was nicknamed ‘The Reader’ because everywhere he went he read. On buses he read! On trains he read! While standing in queues he read! During work breaks he read! But perhaps quirkiest of all, he read while walking! My ten-year-old mind didn’t really know what to think of ‘The Reader’ at the time. I remember thinking how cool he was, for spending so much of his time reading, but I also remember thinking how crazy he must have been for trying to read while he walked.
As I’ve grown older and my bibliophilia has grown along with it, I’ve got more and more practical with fitting in reading whenever I can (my Sony Reader has helped that massively lately), but I’ve never felt a need (even during the most intense study periods of my recent degree), to do as ‘The Reader’ did and read as I walk. A few days ago though, my opinion began to change!
Those who read RobAroundBooks know that I was recently blessed with a new addition to the household – a bouncy Lab pup I lovingly christened Steinbeck, and being bouncy, with almost limitless stores of energy, means Steinbeck needs a lot of walking too. I’ve no problem with this (goodness knows I need the exercise 
)) and for his daily ‘main walk’ I more often than not take him on a 2-3 hour jaunt to a forest located around 2 miles from home. As I don’t own a car at this time (I refuse to because I living centrally and don’t need one), the only way for me to get to the forest is to walk there. All well and good, but the traipse up is mainly though residential areas, which as you can imagine is pretty mundane and non-eventful for the 30-40 minutes it takes to walk each way.
Last week while walking home from said forest I had a copy of Torsten Krol’s Callisto in my bag (you may remember I mentioned reading it in the woods in my Callisto ‘forethoughts’ post?), and while walking, probably because I was ruminating on what I’d not long before been reading, I began to think about that man ‘The Reader’ and the whole business of reading while walking. That’s when I thought to myself, ‘Mmmm..I wonder!’ And that was the moment when I took the book out of my bag, and began surely but slowly practicing the act of what I like to call ‘walk reading’.
Having engaged in ‘walk reading’ for three days in a row now I’m enjoying it immensely, but I’m beginning to question what I’m doing. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m losing my sanity and whether my reading is starting to become more of an obsession than a pastime?
So I thought I’d tap the collective mind of my wonderful readers and ask for your thoughts and opinions on this? Is ‘walk reading’ more common than I think it is? Is it something you yourself actually engage in? Or as I’m starting to wonder, am I taking my reading one step (pun intended) too far?
Oh and for those who’ve never practiced this sort of thing before and have a bunch of questions, I’ve preempted some of them for you *grins*:
- Isn’t reading while you’re walking dangerous? Don’t you bang into people and things? Surprisingly no! I seem to have good peripheral vision and I can somehow see what’s coming up at the same time I’m reading. Obviously I stop reading if I’m going to cross a road or if people are approaching.
- Why don’t you just plug yourself into an audiobook? Well I know some people adore using audiobooks but I absolutely abhor them. For me they dilute the reading experience massively and I never feel fulfilled after using them.
- Aren’t you being a bit rotten by ignoring your dog? Ha, trust me! Steinbeck isn’t the kind of dog who who lets himself be ignored. If he wants your attention he’ll get it! Besides, we’re only talking about the period going up to the forest and coming back. While there he gets my full attention, at least until we have a sit-down break and then he’s more inclined to wander off digging holes and chewing sticks, leaving me to get in a quick chapter or two.
Anyway that’s all the questions I can predict that you guys may ask, please throw any more at me if you have them. Meanwhile I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on this whole ‘wacky’ business of ‘walk reading’
About Rob
I was going to suggest audiobooks, but you’ve beaten me to the punch. I’ve tried walk-reading, but I can’t hold the book steady enough, and my eyes tend to bounce off of whatever line of text I’m trying to read. Luckily, I like audiobooks, though, so walking doesn’t have to waste precious reading time.
says:
Aha Nicki! I knew somebody clever like you would instantly come up with the ‘audiobook’ solution, hence my preemptive ‘strike’
)
I know what you mean about that ‘eyes bouncing off’ problem. I used to have a real problem with that too, on moving vehicles, but six years of reading for two degrees, a lot of which was on public transport, has given me laser-locked eye-sight..hehehe if there’s such a thing!
)
Thanks for dropping by Nicki
Warmest
Rob
I use to do this when I was trying to get in last minute studying before arriving for class but I would start to get motion sickness and had to stop (just an extension of the motion sickness which occurs if I attempt reading in a moving vehicle). Totally unrelated to reading while walking…it is dog-related…I use to have to referee my three dogs when they ate dinner because they would try to eat one another’s food…I got a lot of reading done then as all I had to do was use my feet to keep their bowls from sliding into each other’s territory.
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Book PSmith – Thank you! You’ve put a glorious image in my head of you hopping around Riverdance style with your dogs at your feet, and a book in your hand!
You know with all the questions going around about book habits I never thought of that one! Yes I book walk! I am The Reader. I also read all the time, drives my family nuts. I read everywhere I go. I used to read at school recess and I read when we have company over (that’s why I have no friends I guess.) I read during commercial breaks of TV ALL the time. Sometimes while I’m watching TV.
I love walk reading. It can be dangerous and I’m sure some people could never watch their peripheral vision and remember what they’re reading but I can. Thanks for bringing that up.
I remember trying to walk-read when I was younger and desperate to finish a book, but I haven’t done it in a while. Every time I try to I end up so distracted I run into things/people, trip on things, or I can’t keep my book steady enough (like Fyrefly).
I did see a couple people on campus walk-read last month, and they seemed to have a better time of it than I ever did. It’s admirable if you can do it well, I think.
says:
Callista – And there’s my father telling me ‘The Reader’ was a man as well
) Seriously though it’s great to find a ‘nut’ who has the same ‘bad’ habit, and it looks like you’ve mastered the art perfectly 
)
They say that guys can’t multi-task and for almost everything I can think of I can’t (aside from watching a movie while eating pizza
)), but somehow reading while watching where I’m going – no problem.
Anyway for for dropping by and making me smile. Hopefully we won’t bump into each other one day (in the physical sense of course, not the literal
))
Warmest
Rob
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Hi Anastasia!
)
Thanks for dropping by. Given that you’ve managed to ‘walk read’ and succeeded to some extent in the past must mean it’s in your blood. Maybe you just need to refine the art again
Ohh and students ‘walk reading’ around campus? Come on! they must either be cramming for a lecture/tutorial or background reading for a overdue essay!
) only joking!
Warmest
Rob
I am a walk-reader and I’m not ashamed, lol. People look at my a little weird sometimes, but I don’t care — I’ve got to get in my reading time when I can. I am extremely careful crossing streets, though, because people in my town drive like MANIACS!
Oh, and regarding audiobooks, sometimes I like them (depending on who is doing the reading), but I haven’t been able to find a cost-efficient option to put them on my iPod. I get a lot of books from the library but unfortunately their downloadable books are not compatible. If they can ever work that out, I’ll be a much more frequent listener.