26th November, 2018
BOOKish stuff: Reading in cafés vs. reading alone
I am an introvert, one who is able to tickle her extrovert side awake from time to time, but essentially I am happiest at home with my books. I used to be quite good at reading with a lot of background noise going on but that has changed in the last few years and I now prefer absolute silence (I believe this might have to do with having a noisy 4yo around for most of the day but that's just an educated guess ;-)).
Still, I sometimes find myself in a cosy corner of a particular chain coffee house, enjoying the tranquil music and murmured conversations in the background. As a student I used to come here all the time, spending hours reading and writing in velvety armchairs. This was mainly due to the fact that, despite this specific coffee house chain being rather pricey, you could sit here for ages on one single drink without anybody hassling you about ordering something else. So yes, unless there is a snoring traveller or a bunch of over-excited teenagers raising the overall vollume by 5,000 decibles, this still is my second-favourite reading/writing spot (my first being our sofa at home - who would have guessed?). As I am writing this I see a young student working on her term paper, a middle-aged business man browsing the newspaper and about five or six other readers. These give me hope that the frequently proclaimed "death of the book" is nothing but exaggeration. I know that the people I am around regularly in my life are not a representative indicator as most of them are literary scholars or work in publishing, etc. Seeing these strangers, however, with their books or e-readers simply makes me happy. It is a curse for my wallet though as I keep ogling titles and jotting them down to check later - you could say I am doomed. Haha.
So what is your favourite reading spot? Are you more of a private or public reader? Let me know in the comments.