I solved this for myself when I discovered "prism glasses":

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=prism+glasses

The comfortable reading position is lying on your back on your bed (or long sofa) with a pillow under your head. You're looking upwards at the ceiling while holding the book upright on your belly.

There's even a clip-on version you can attach to existing prescription glasses.

So simple. Zero strain. You look absolutely dumb, of course, but it lets you read until your brain gets tired, not your neck or lower back or whatever.

If you want to go for truly infinite comfort, use an e-reader held upright by a stand sitting on a breakfast tray with legs placed over and around your belly, with a Bluetooth clicker for page turning. At that point, you basically might as well not even have a body...

Kindle makes this easier. I read lying in bed, on my side, same as if I was sleeping, and prop the kindle against a second pillow.

This doesn't work with a paper book as you would have to flip between sides and keep holding it open.

The only thing I would like to improve is to have some small remote to flip pages, so my hands could be in more comfortable position and not have to touch the kindle.

I cracked that code.

Google "brancaster accent with swivel egg chair" and note the enclosing high-backed versions with wide winged tops.

With a matching footstool (search "brancaster egg chair footstool"), you can put your feet up, tilt back. The best reading experience I have ever found, by far. You can rest you hands and book on your thighs and read without any neck strain or posture effort.

The tilting and swiveling also enables continuous posture adjustment, which helps when reading as for sleeping.

Comfortable enough even for studying with highlighters. (Amazon, "Wood pen holder desk round walnut" square bottom, round top + "Mr. Pen- Aesthetic Highlighters". Such a great combo I have them in several rooms.)

I am sure I sound like an ad, but when you find combinations of basic things that each work "better", it is great.

I bought the chairs and respectively matching stools for their style (I have light leather and velvet Jack versions), and was surprised at how much of a practical upgrade they were.

I read books on my phone while lying flat on my back in bed. I have a stand that holds the phone directly over my face, and a bluetooth page turner so I don't have to tap the screen. It looks ridiculous but I can read for hours like that.

I'm reading books on my TV by mirroring my mobile device, I found no position more confortable than sitting on the couch and reading instead of mindlessly watching shows. It gives a new meaning to watching TV.

Weirdly true. A year ago, I bought perhaps the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in specifically for the purpose of reading. And it really is incredibly comfortable to sit in. Yet ... it doesn't solve either of the two central problems of actually reading: having to hold the book/ereader and the head/neck/shoulder angle. The only solution I can imagine is an "overhead" mounted ereader with voice control, and I don't actually want that.

I've never understood the common media trope of a teen on their bed reading a magazine on their stomach prompted up by their elbows. Never in my life has that been a comfortable position.

I could read all day on a hammock.

Unfortunately that just moves the goalposts to "there's no place to install a hammock in my house".

I found a very comfortable position, but it depends on a reading app that supports continuous scroll (fortunately, both the Kindle app and the Apple Books app have this setting).

I lie down with my head slightly propped up on a pillow and the tablet on my lower chest (or upper abdomen) and keep my eyes focused on the top of the reading view area. Instead of moving my eyes or my head to progress through the book, I scroll up in chunks of 2 or 4 lines, as needed.

I have to hold the tablet steady and also scroll the content, but somehow there's no strain to my arms or hands in that position.

I am a slow reader, but I can make tons of enjoyable progress through a book using this method.

I've struggled with this mightily, and the best I've found is reading uncomfortably more often, in shorter increments, in coffee shops. It's an effort, but it's one I can stick with because there's a secondary upside. Mixing coffee benefits, a bit of people watching, and my book/kindle is a routine I've kept up with.

Also, library books.. I don't end up reading all of them, but I do skim and read sections of more books when I bring a couple of library books along.

Using an ebook and a bluetooh page turner solved it for me

As a kid, I would lie on my left side on a bed, and lie the left side of the book flat and the right up at 90 degrees. Then, only minimal effort is required to keep the right half balanced. As you can imagine, without further innovation this only allows reading the right pages- the trick then is to, twice per page turn, rotate the book 180 degrees- and read the left pages upside down

I spend a great deal of time reading on an e-ink tablet, and solved this problem years ago by buying a Levo tablet floor stand on wheels (5-axis, adjustable height). It’s heavy enough to be very stable, and I just roll it over to the couch or bed whenever I want to settle in for a long reading session. Works perfectly.

Two positions that work for me:

1. On my side; the matching arm is completely supported by the bed, so only the opposite arm gets tired, at which point I switch sides.

2. Book on floor, lie crosswise to bed on my stomach. Doesn't work if bed is too high, but if your arms are longer than the bed hight it's perfect.

I’ve wondered if there is some similar solution that will allow you to rotate your viewing angle, so that you can browse library stacks without bending your neck at a completely awkward angle. The idea of just crouching to a certain height and reading titles horizontally… what a dream

I usually read on my back, with a pillow on my stomach as a makeshift stand for the cheap Android tablet I use. Sometimes I like to spice it up and read while doing some yoga positions on the floor. All of them very comfortable.

Although I usually happen to read in all circumstances and positions, I've cracked the most comfortable reading position for me - on my desk, in my chair, e-reader propped in front of me, all other screens black.

I put a 5 dollar phone-holder-ring on the back of my kindle, problem solved.

O RLY? Did they ever hear about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics ?

I built an acrylic shelf that could swing out over my head in bed. I would only have to slide the book out to turn pages. Acrylic was probably 12mm thick. Worked great.

I kind of solved it with epubs and sending it to my TV screen.. lean back like watching TV and set the font size to a comfortable size and tap arrow right on a wireless kb.

You can get prism glasses, which let you see at an angle (head forward = looking at your feet), which avoids neck strain in sitting or lying positions.

See lazyreader: https://youtu.be/H89lKq__sjQ

This is completely true. I've spent decades, ie my whole adulthood, looking unsuccessfully for a properly comfortable reading chair.

Some people ask me why I prefer audiobooks. It’s the question that some people ask.

It would really stress me out so much that I wouldn’t enjoy the reading though lol.

Maybe good to pair with a thriller or horror book for the extra jolt of adrenaline if it shifts slightly.