Reading Habits Post #2: The Coffee Shop

This is the second post in a series. The first post (Reading Habits Post #1; My Usual Reading Routine) can be found here. 

I love coffee shops! 

When I was in college my friends and I hung out at one near campus that had Dr. Seuss murals on the walls and live music at night. It was open 24 hours a day and had cheap coffee and biscotti. That coffee shop is still there and The Husband and I go there occasionally to reminisce, but these days it's full of high school kids during the day and hipsters at night. Not that that's a bad thing, we just don't really fit into that scene anymore.

When I was away at college The Husband (who was The Boyfriend back then) would come visit me and I'd walk to the building across from my dorm and get us coffee and bagels from Einstein Brothers. Oh, those bagels were amazing. I went there almost every morning, some days I even skipped my first class so I could sit at a small table and read while I sipped my coffee. Skipping classes is not a good idea, just for the record. 

Once The Husband and I moved into an apartment it was a local Tim Horton's, then when I got my full time job I fell in love with Starbucks and their iced lemon pound cake. I still love Starbucks but I can't afford to spend six dollars on coffee everyday. 

Now when I find myself wanting to go sit somewhere and read and drink coffee I usually go to Biggby. The one I go to is near the library, it has a fireplace with big comfy chairs, I can get a drink that's very similar to my Starbucks order, only slightly sweeter. It's quiet and I find that when I'm reading there it's much easier to get absorbed into my book than it is at home.

When I'm reading at home I'm constantly remembering things I need to do, listening for The Toddler to wake up, and fighting the urge to look at Pinterest. When I'm at a coffee shop, alone, none of that seems to matter. I can stop worrying about everything else and just read and it's quite wonderful. 

In the last month or so it's become a weekly thing. It's not always the same night of the week, but once a week I go to Biggby and read. 

Last week I went on Monday night. I usually try to save my mom-cation for a night when I'm truly overwhelmed and really need to just leave the house and relax for a while but this week that night came early. Anxiety sucks. I might even need a second trip to Biggby this week.

The Biggby reading routine goes like this;

1. Drive to Biggby. If there's a good song on the radio drive around the block a few times so I can turn up the volume and enjoy it.
2. Order drink. I usually get a Mocha Latte but if it's after 8:30 PM I sometimes switch to hot chocolate. It's yummy and relaxing without keeping me up until midnight.
3. Pick a seat. This can be trickier than it seems. I don't like to sit too close to people or have to talk to anyone, and I like quiet. If there is a group of people sitting together I usually pick a spot as far away from them as I can get, Nine times out of ten I get a seat by the fireplace, but if I can't reasonably sit there and read I prefer a table by the windows. I've also found that if I'm reading a big, chunky, hardcover book the table works better.
4. Read. No explanation needed.

There's not really much I want to change about this particular routine. I thoroughly enjoy my reading time at the coffee shop and I think I really do get the most out of it. The only thing I can think of that would improve my reading time is if Biggby started selling donuts and it's probably a good thing for me that they don't!  

What's your reading routine like? Do you read in coffee shops or no?