Questions answered

A paper book needs no charging and does not distract you, but it takes up room in your bag. An e-reader holds many books and is handy on long trips. Your phone is always with you, but it is easy to drift into messages on it. An audiobook helps when your hands are full or reading standing up is awkward. Many people happily combine two formats.

Open the book in advance, before you board, and turn off or silence notifications while you read. A simple rule also helps: a few pages first, then messages. If you are still tempted to drift, try a paper book for the commute.

Yes, as long as one hand is free for the handrail and you are standing steadily. A small book or a phone is easy to hold in one hand. If there is nothing to hold on to or the crowd is tight, it is better to wait for a calmer stretch or listen to an audiobook.

Keep the volume low enough to hear stop announcements and the people around you. Pause the recording before you get off. In passageways, on stairs and when getting off, it is best to take out one earbud or turn the sound off completely and look around.

It covers works whose term of exclusive right has already expired. Under Russian law, this right lasts for the author's lifetime and another 70 years counted from January 1 of the year following the author's death (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Art. 1281); after that, the work may be used freely (Art. 1282). Terms differ in other countries — check local rules. Complicated cases call for advice from a lawyer.

This is the usual name for being able to read some of a library's books in electronic form. Which books are available, how to sign up and on what terms are decided by each library, so it is worth asking a librarian or checking the library's official resources for details.

Reliable routes are the library and its e-services, a bookstore, the publisher or rights holder itself, and public-domain works. Be wary if a new book is offered free on a random web page, or if you are asked to install a program or enter your card details.

Lending your own paper book to a friend and borrowing another from them is perfectly normal. It helps to agree on a time frame and write your name in the copy so it finds its way back to its owner. Book clubs and book-swap shelves in public places work on the same principle.

There is no universal amount. Regularity matters more than volume: a few pages on every trip do more than rare long evenings with a book. Start with the part of your trip where reading is easiest, and do not set yourself targets for the number of books.

Pick a lighter text or one with short chapters and, if you can, take a seat farther from the doors. Sometimes switching formats and listening instead of reading helps. If it is not working at all, that is fine: you can look out the window and come back to the book tomorrow.

On a screen, make the font large enough to read without strain and set the brightness to match the light around you. With a paper book, choose a brighter spot. Take breaks and look out the window from time to time. If reading in transit causes discomfort or your vision has changed, see a doctor.

Do not start from page one. Reread your notes, if you have any, and a few pages before the bookmark. If you have forgotten the plot entirely, skim the table of contents. After two or three trips it usually becomes clear whether you want to continue, and any answer is an honest one.