I thought about this for 5 minutes.

Forget headboards. Why not invest in one of those electric beds, that zip up and down at the press of a button? I figure most of us will need them for physical reasons in a few years, so why not buy 'em now as an investment and get the most out of your purchase? You would use less pillows although your bed partner might complain...
If I had a million dollars...

I agree with Janalyn that the headboard or lack of one is not the problem. I have a boomerang-shaped pillow, satin covered for ease of movement, as my top pillow. It wraps around me and is very comfortable for night or pre-naptime reading.

I also do most of my reading at night and this has long been a problem. I use an old-fashioned, triangular pillow, with my regular pillow propped up against that, but still go around with a chronically stiff neck all day. I think I've just learned to live with it, finally....My problem is keeping my hands warm, nights, as wearing mittens makes it difficult to turn the pages....

Get a sleigh bed in solid wood. Do not get a brass or wrought-iron bedstead!

I had neck and back aches until I went to Costco and got a neck support pillow in thermal foam. It is fairly rigid but has a trench across it for your head, to keep your neck in alignment. This has eliminated all my back problems! And with an extra pillow, I can lean on it to read.

Brenda

I use an hour-glass shaped pillow designed for between the knees while sleeping to hold my head at just the right angle for reading-on top of a regular pillow propped up against a husband pillow-you know, the kind that wrap arms around you in bed. Then when it's time to sleep, the regular pillow comes down, the knees pillow goes where it should, and everything is aligned.
What I would never get is a fabric covered headboard. Not only can I not figure out how you would clean them normally, but leaning against them would leave marks unless you were freshly shampooed each and every time.

An electric bed would remind me too much of being in a hospital and I work in one, so that is out! I had thought about a sleigh bed and even though I might cringe at the cost I think I'll head over to the furniture forum and enable myself. In the meantime, thanks for all the suggestions about pillows and their different configurations. That may be a perfect solution while sparing the budget at the same time. I'd better get cracking as I have just started Six Wives The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey, and it looks like a long one. Thanks.

tangerine-I forgot-I also have an old cushion that is sort of smushed that I use to help hold up heavy books-the wrists aren't what they used to be!

I am toying with the idea of buying one of those rolling bedside tables, that slide in under the bed and hold the book right in front of you at the right angle for reading. They're kind of expensive, however.

Brenda

Any headboard, provided that it is high enough to hold a clamp-on reading light that I can focus right on my book, but I'm with ccrdmrbooks: I would never have a fabric-covered headboard. I have five pillows strategically arranged to support the top part of my body and tilt my head forward a bit, with a tiny one for the small of my back, a big one under my knees, and a fat square cushion from the living-room sofa to support the book. Does that sound comfortable? The only trouble is that the cat also likes to lie on that little fat square pillow, so I have to tilt the book sideways.

tangerine - I was at Costco today and they have a sleigh bed for $571 Cdn, which seemed like a reasonable deal. Check out your US Costco if you have a membership.

I just stack up the pillows. But if I'm really lucky, I get my Newf to lie down behind me and use his back as my headboard. He's huge, soft, furry and warm.

Now that I've re-read that, it sounds rather odd... but it works.
PAM

Woodnymph, have you tried fingerless gloves? Some have fingers up to the first joint, leaving the tips bare for page turning.
Regarding the Newfy on the bed. Having animals join you can be tricky. I was sewing, the machine set up on an old wood table and was already supporting a large baby-bump and a cat on my lap when I was joined by a host of newly hatched spiderlings who parachuted on their silken lines from under the table on to my knees. I decided not to finish....

I have homemade fingerless gloves that I use when working in the lots-of-windows-that-are-drafty office during the winter-otherwise typing becomes a misery. Just snipped off the very tips of the fingers and they work a treat. I need to make another set for bedside. I can buy simple knit golves at the K***t for $2 so I don't feel any angst butchering them.

annpan & cece, thanks for the suggestions re gloves. I really must do that. And cutting off the glove fingers would make using the home PC easier, too....We get strong winds here and my house is drafty.

I have a corduroy-covered wedge pillow and put my regular bed pillow over it lengthwise to make it just right for me. I hadn't seen one for a long time until my latest Old Vermont Country Store catalog came last week, and there was one for sale in it.

Carolyn, how much was the pillow? I'm interested.

Woodnymph, the pillow is $34.95 plus shipping. You can find it online at their website under bed pillows.

Thanks, Carolyn! ;-)

I've been salivating over something like this



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with the upholstered headboard.

We have a sleigh bed with leather upholstered headboard and footboard. So I just stack the pillows and fold one pillow in half and "stand" it up to rest my head.

I love that sleighbed -- however my cats would love it even more -- leather headboards would make luxurious scratching posts. *sigh

This is 7 years later, but there's a really nice upholstered sleigh bed at Macy's online--the Victoria, on sale right now for about $1200 for king

Interesting re-reading this thread! I still use a satin covered boomerang pillow. My new higher pillowtop mattress covers most of the headboard now though. This is a shame as it is made of Norwegian knotty pine wood which matches a vintage dressing table but the top is barely visible after the pillows are stacked against it. I would get it made taller by inserting some wood into the posts at the bottom but I continually need the bedframe. No more sleeping on the floor these days as I wouldn't be able to get up!