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 bought a goose neck kindle/phone holder (that clips to my night stand) and a remote page flipper so that I can read my kindle in bed while lying on my side up until the moment I fall asleep, arms at my side.
It looks funny but works well.
The only thing I would tweak is switching to an ereader with an amber backlight that has a dimmer setting. My gen1 paperwhite, like the iphone, is still too bright at its lowest setting.
I occasionally read or watch videos on my laptop by "lying in bed, on my side, same as if I was sleeping, and" propping the laptop on its side. The L shape ensures it remains stable even without a pillow.
I used to read comics on my laptop that way until there was an app they used to have on the iPhone that would enlarge the comic text blobs when you clicked on them. Can’t remember what it was called but it was fantastic.
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.