This week's confession question:
Do you need silence to read?
My (simplified) answer: it depends what I'm reading.
Here are some different scenarios:
1. Required reading. If I am reading something for class, it needs to be silent. If the TV is on, I'll watch it (no matter what my roommate may be watching). If there's music playing, I will listen and not comprehend what I'm reading. It must. be. silent.
2. The beginning of a book. Once again, I need silence. If it's not silent I will not understand what's going on and it's impossible to enjoy a book that way.
3. I'm in the middle of a book I like. If I like a book, and am genuinely interested in what I am reading, I can handle music or TV. Because the book is usually the top priority, and I am able to tune out the rest of it. Unless of course you've got a super awesome TV show on, in which case I will simply press record and then go back to my reading :)
4. I'm in the middle of a book that I am not terribly fond of. This is the time where I will make any excuse to NOT keep reading. So it has to be silent or I will get completely distracted and then I'll never finish it.
So that's my very complicated answer. Overall: silence is best. However, if I am in any sort of Reading Zone I can handle noise or music, and in fact I sometimes prefer it over the quiet. As Owen from Just Listen says... Silence is so freaking loud.
