Paper, screen or sound
What a paper book does well on the go, and what an e-reader with a paper-like screen, the phone that is always in your pocket and an audiobook for a crowded car each offer. No models, prices or comparisons.
reading on the go: a guide to reading while you travel
Metroreader: reading on the go
The commute to work and back, waiting for a train, fifteen minutes in a line: these stretches add up to a lot of time, and many people would like to spend it with a book. In practice, small things get in the way. The book was left at home, the phone keeps pulling you into messages, the car is packed, and a week later it is hard to remember where you stopped. This guide is about making reading on the go calm and unforced. We look at how a paper book, an e-reader, a phone and an audiobook compare while you travel, where to get books legally, how to build a habit of reading a little at a time, and how to stay an attentive passenger while you do it. All the advice is general and is not tied to a particular route, type of transportation or device.
A few pages on every trip does not sound like much, but over a month it adds up to a whole book you would otherwise never have found time for.
The guide's four topics
Where to get books legally
Libraries and their e-services, bookstores, swapping with friends and public-domain works: what this means and why older classics can be read freely.
The habit of reading on the go
One book matched to the length of your trip, a bookmark and one thought after reading, a to-read list and a calm return to an abandoned book, all in a practical article.
Comfort and safety in transit
Light, font size and breaks, the handrail, stairs and escalators, headphone volume and staying alert at your stop, on the map of the On the go topic.
Guide navigation
- Topics
Topic map: reading formats, where to get books, the habit of reading a little at a time, comfort and safety on the go.
- How-to
How to read in transit and stick with a book. Plus a catalog of upcoming articles.
- Questions
Short answers about formats and devices, legal sources of books, the reading habit and the commute.
- Collections
Reading paths: a book for a single trip, your first audiobook, reading with a child on the train.
- Reference
A glossary for readers on the go: formats, rights and access, notes and quotes, in plain words.
- What's new
A feed of the guide's pages with dates and topic tags.
- Archive
Every page of the guide by preparation date and topic.
A week of reading on the go: five steps
Pick one book that fits your trips
Think about how long your usual trip takes and choose a book that is easy to read in pieces that size: one with short chapters, a short story collection or essays. One book for the week works better than three started at once.
Keep it with you at all times
Put the book in the bag you take out every day, or open it in advance on your e-reader or phone so you do not waste time looking for it on board. When the book is not at hand, the habit simply never gets a chance to form.
Read at the same point in your trip
Tie reading to a clear moment: once you are seated and settled, open the book; a couple of stops before yours, put it away. Save transfers, stairs and getting off for paying attention to where you are going.
Mark the page and one thought
Before you put the book away, place a bookmark and jot down one thought, phrase or question, in the margin, on a slip of paper or in a note. A week later these short notes will remind you what it was about better than any summary.
On the weekend, decide: keep going or switch
At the end of the week, ask yourself honestly whether you want to continue. If you do, the book stays in your bag. If reading feels like a chore, set it aside without guilt and choose another one: the habit itself matters more than any particular book.
Frequently asked questions about the guide
Are you a library?
No. Metroreader is an independent guide with articles about reading on the go. We have no collection, no library cards and no lending desk, we do not lend books, and we have no ties to libraries, transit operators or publishers.
Can I get a book or a file from you?
No. We do not hand out books or files and do not publish links to them. The guide describes the legal routes readers usually take: libraries and their e-services, bookstores, swapping with friends and public-domain works.
Where can I get the classics legally?
Many older works are already in the public domain. Under Russian law, the exclusive right to a work lasts for the author's lifetime and 70 years counted from January 1 of the year following the author's death (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Art. 1281), after which the work may be used freely (Art. 1282). Classics are usually available at the library, too. This is a general rule, not legal advice. Terms differ in other countries — check local rules.
Which is better on the go: an e-reader or a phone?
It depends on your habits. Your phone is always with you, but it is easy to drift into messages on it. An e-reader is only for books, and many people find reading on one calmer, but it is one more thing in your bag. Start with what you already have and decide based on your own trips, not other people's advice.
About the project
Metroreader is an independent reference project about reading on the go. A different project used to run on this domain, and later unrelated spam pages appeared on it. None of that material has been kept or is reproduced here, and the current guide has no connection to either.
The name came to us with the domain. We write about reading on any kind of transportation and in any pause in the day, we do not name routes, services or devices, and we do not give medical advice: if something bothers you while reading, the right person to ask is a doctor. All examples on the site are illustrative, and any resemblance to real stories is coincidental.
Sources
- Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Arts. 1281 and 1282
- Public transit rules of conduct, general provisions
- Metroreader editorial materials
Information is current as of the date it was prepared. Each library sets its own terms for its services, including e-lending, and each transit operator sets its own rules of conduct, so check the rules in force. Copyright terms outside Russia may differ.