Metroreaderreading on the go: a guide to reading while you travel

An independent guide to reading on the go. We are not a library or a shop and do not hand out books or files; we have no connection to the earlier website on this domain.

How-to

How-to articles

The first article in this section is about a story many people know: the book was bought or borrowed from the library, the first pages were read on the bus, and two weeks later it is sitting at the bottom of the bag with the bookmark in the same place. Usually the problem is not laziness or the book itself, but that reading on the go has not become part of the day. Below is a routine that works for a paper book, an e-reader, a phone and an audiobook. We do not name devices or services and do not promise quick results. The goal is modest: a month from now, you have a finished book and a clear way to choose the next one.

An abandoned book is not a failure but a clue about your taste. What matters is not finishing at any cost, but not giving up reading altogether.

— Editor's note

Before you begin

  • You know roughly how long your usual trip takes and where the transfers are
  • You have one book you genuinely want to read, in print, as an e-book or as an audiobook
  • You have a bookmark, a pencil or a note on your phone for short notes
  • You are willing to try a new routine for at least a week before judging the results

  1. Take a close look at your trip

    For a few days, simply notice how long you travel and which parts of the trip are calm: when you can sit down, when you are standing against the wall, and when you need to watch for a transfer. It is best to plan reading for the calm stretches, not for the whole trip.

    Illustrative example: the trip takes forty minutes, but only about twenty-five of them are calm, between boarding and the transfer. The book is chosen with those minutes in mind.

  2. Choose a book that fits those stretches

    If your calm stretch is short, books with brief chapters, short stories, essays and collections work best. For long trips, a novel you can sink into is a good fit. Do not take on the road anything that requires tables, diagrams and constant flipping back: that kind of book is more enjoyable at home.

    Illustrative example: a thick history book stays on the shelf at home, and a short story collection goes into the bag, where each story fits into a single trip.

  3. Make the book reachable in a second

    Decide where the book lives in your bag or which screen it is open on. On a phone, it helps to keep it within easy reach and silence notifications while you read, so you do not start with messages. An audiobook is easy to pause at the right spot before you leave home.

    Illustrative example: the book sits in the side pocket of the backpack, not at the very bottom, so you can take it out without removing the backpack in a crowded car.

  4. Tie reading to a moment in your trip

    Agree on a simple rule with yourself: the book comes out once you are seated or standing steadily, and goes away one or two stops before you get off. That way reading does not stop you from keeping track of the trip, and you have time to get ready. On stairs and escalators, and while walking, put the book away and hold the handrail.

    Illustrative example: you open the book once the crowd thins out after the first stop and close it as soon as the stop before last is announced.

  5. Mark the page and one thought

    The bookmark shows where you stopped, and a short note shows what it was about. One phrase, a question for the author or a quote you liked is enough. Notes like these help you come back to the book after a break without rereading the chapter.

    Illustrative example: the bookmark slip collects lines like "the heroine left home, not clear why yet," and a week later they make it easy to recall the plot.

  6. Keep a to-read list

    When you hear about a book that sounds interesting, write its title in one ongoing list. Then, when you finish or set aside a book, you do not spend the trip thinking about what to read next; you simply pick from your list.

    Illustrative example: a note gradually fills with fifteen or so titles heard from colleagues and friends, and choosing a new book takes a minute.

  7. Once a week, decide: keep going or switch

    On the weekend, ask yourself whether you want to continue. If a book has not been working for three weeks, you can set it aside and come back later, or not come back at all. To return to an abandoned book, reread your notes and the last two or three pages before the bookmark rather than starting from the beginning.

    Illustrative example: a novel abandoned in the spring is opened again in the fall; the notes on the bookmark bring back the plot, and reading goes more smoothly than the first time.

Common mistakes

  • Taking several books on the road at once and finishing none of them
  • Choosing texts that need long immersion for short trips
  • Starting your reading by checking messages on the same phone
  • Reading while walking, on stairs or on an escalator instead of holding the handrail
  • Turning headphone volume up so high that you cannot hear announcements
  • Forcing yourself through a dull book and giving up reading altogether because of it

Other approaches

  • If transit is crowded and reading standing up is awkward, try an audiobook, but keep the volume low enough to hear announcements
  • If your trip is very short, read not on the way but in other pauses: in line, while waiting for a meeting, at the stop
  • If keeping the habit alone is hard, join a book club or agree with a friend to read the same book and discuss it once a month

Check yourself

  • You know how long the trip takes and which stretches are calm
  • You have chosen one book that fits those stretches
  • The book is somewhere you can reach it in a second
  • You have a rule for when to open the book and when to put it away
  • Your bookmark and short notes are in place
  • You keep a to-read list
  • Once a week you decide: keep going or switch books

Catalog of English-language articles

This is where standalone articles about reading on the go, written for English-speaking readers, will appear: choosing a format, finding books legally, keeping notes and quotes, reading together with children. Each article describes a general approach, not how a particular device or service works.

Coming up from the editors

  • Reading on a short commute: making ten minutes a day count
  • Starting a small book club with coworkers or neighbors
  • Reading aloud with kids on a long road trip or train ride
  • Rediscovering the classics in the public domain

Editorial rules

  • Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
  • Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
  • We do not distribute books or files and do not publish advertising for shops, services or devices, rankings, prices or reviews.
  • Questions

    Short answers about formats and devices, legal sources of books, the reading habit and the commute.

  • Reference

    A glossary for readers on the go: formats, rights and access, notes and quotes, in plain words.

  • Collections

    Reading paths: a book for a single trip, your first audiobook, reading with a child on the train.

Sources

  • 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.