Reading in Bed—Grounds for Divorce?

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17 Writing Conferences in November 2016

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Paul Whybrow

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Jun 20, 2015
Cornwall, UK
Reading in bed is a great pleasure and one that I enjoy without disturbing anyone, being a solitary soul. In the past, I've read to various wives and lovers at bedtime—and even been read to a few times—happy times.

Nonetheless, an inconsiderate partner who reads for hours, bedside table light blazing, can be a pain. Legendary Hollywood actress Jean Harlow supposedly divorced her third husband because he read in bed, as mentioned in this article:

Reading in bed is valid grounds for divorce

A discreet clip-on book light helps to keep the peace, but how do you tackle reading in bed?

marriage-relationships-married-married_couple-listening-talks-communicate-mbcn562_low.jpg
 
I LOVE this comic. It reminds me of another comic I've seen in a parenting magazine: parents watching a TV-nanny saying "we need to pay attention to our kids" while their child is being ignored behind them.
And yet, most consumers seem blind to the image in the mirror they are looking at whilst reading...
Woops, this is me being gloomy.
Thanks for shining the light of humour on this sometimes not really funny topic! Had a great laugh and shared it with my husband of many years - who reads to me every night.
 
Solitary sleeping need not preclude romance, might be necessary sometimes for one reason or another...and would allow for any amount of reading in bed.
Last night I read 'Thin Air' in one go. By Michelle Paver - and you know who is her agent?
I was done by 11.30.
These days it's as likely to be a television in the bedroom.
Good quality sleep...if we can't get enough, and that really means 9 hours a night; yes, 9 hours; we might develop a dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Adrenal insufficiency can become
adrenal exhaustion
And then you're in quite difficult territory.
 
I'm a morning person, he's a night owl, so my reading in bed doesn't bother him, because he's usually not there. But, when he is there, the Kindle paperwhite does a nice job of letting me read discreetly with the lights out.
 
Reading in bed is a great pleasure and one that I enjoy without disturbing anyone, being a solitary soul. In the past, I've read to various wives and lovers at bedtime—and even been read to a few times—happy times.

Nonetheless, an inconsiderate partner who reads for hours, bedside table light blazing, can be a pain. Legendary Hollywood actress Jean Harlow supposedly divorced her third husband because he read in bed, as mentioned in this article:

Reading in bed is valid grounds for divorce

A discreet clip-on book light helps to keep the peace, but how do you tackle reading in bed?

marriage-relationships-married-married_couple-listening-talks-communicate-mbcn562_low.jpg
I'd love to read in bed more than I'm able...my wife likes to watch a bit of TV to wind down. I can't concentrate on my book and inevitably set it down to watch with her! God knows I'm a slow enough reader as it is....
 
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