My secret reading nook

Cooler weather always sends me scurrying to my books and magazines with a mug of tea or hot chocolate. Living with two little ones, this doesn't happen often so I must steal little moments to read here and there. At the kitchen table while my son is in the bathroom. On the couch in the family room while both kids are occupied watching the weekly trash pickup in front of our home. In the car while waiting to pick up my son from school. You get the gist.

Then, there are the times I retreat to my "secret" reading nook:



Ah, those wonderful moments of luxury when I get to stretch out my legs on the ottoman with a magazine splayed out in front of me or a book propped open on my knees.

Don't get me wrong. It's not like no one knows my reading nook exists. After all, it's right next to my bed, where I rarely read these days for fear of falling asleep.

But my secret reading nook is the place where I secretly stow away for 10 or 15 minutes, or more, if I can wing it, by myself, while my husband watches the kids. Sometimes, I just need to decompress for a few minutes. Or sometimes I'm in need of a little inspiration.



My lovingly chipped two-level table is great for organizing my current books and magazines. I bought it for $20 through Craigslist from a woman who was emptying out her West Hollywood apartment for a new life in Hawaii. She was taking a chance at love, she told me, moving in with a boyfriend. Maybe it's because I'm used to asking many questions as a journalist, but one of my favorite parts about Craigslisting is hearing people's stories. Upon hearing this woman's story, I hugged her and wished her well.

Anyway, this woman very sweetly provided me with an almost full can of paint she had left over so I could retouch the table. But I took the paint home and realized I loved the table as is, the chips reminding me that this table once belonged to a dreamer and it is precisely what I aspire to be on my best days.

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Here is a view of the table from above. Now, you can really see those paint chips and what I use when I occasionally try to entice my kids into joining me for some quiet time.



It makes me happy to see these paintings when I wake up each morning and provide the perfect backdrop for my reading nook. I bought each one at a different antique shop, fairly inexpensively.



Here's my view from my reading corner, though, honestly, I'm not usually paying much atttention to anything else but a book or magazine when I finally have a few minutes to settle into this cozy nook.