I've taken to straight(ish) Virginias recently, in a clay pipe. The mellow sweetness of such blends is enjoyable but nondescript, I've found. Union Square and Marlin Flake have made their rounds recently.
Also, if you like Lakelands, I enjoy those too. They make my library smell nice
I like something simple that you can just light and forget about and that won't go out easily. Sutliff 507-C, Chatham Manor, Edgeworth Match, or an aromatic such as Solani Festival, Comoy's Portwood, or even 1-Q usually does the job.
Whatever I want to smoke at the time. A couple of years ago I reread LotR while smoking Capstan blue in a cobbit dwarf. As a rule, I don't try to fit certain tobaccos with certain activities. I just smoke what I want to smoke when I want to smoke it. Some of you folks make this way too complicated.
I think a good reading blend would be something not to complex and your well acquainted with. I'm pretty fast distracted, so I wouldn't smoke a first time blend or anything I know will be complex while doing anything else than smoking. But I hardly do anything else than smoking while smoking, I might take a stroll, that's it.