Jonathan and I are both avid readers. Though we continue to
debate who reads the better stuff
, we do agree on one thing: there are few things more comfortable or nurturing than sitting together, in a coffee shop or on the couch or in bed at night, reading side by side.
Reading dates are possibly my favorite "little thing" that we do together. Over the years, we've had our usual spots. In Livermore it was the Starbucks near our house in Springtown or Panama Red on First Street. In Dublin it was the Peet's Coffee on Tassajara. Here in Oslo it's the Åpent Bakeri on Inkognito Terrasse. Feet touching under the table. The rattle of porcelain. Pages turning. Jonathan's order (mocha) and my order (yummy pastry) don't change, but our books rotate on through. It's our life. Stopping to operate in tandem silence allows us to slow that life down and appreciate what we have here together. Now. Peace and freedom.
Clockwise from Top Left
:
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
by Elizabeth Gilbert &
Scientific American
magazine;
A Game of Thrones
by George R.R. Martin &
Women's Health
magazine;
Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy
by Jostein Gaarder &
Stranger in a Strange Land
by Robert A Heinlein;
Foundation
by Isaac Asimov &
Through Painted Deserts
by Donald Miller;
The Little Virtues
by Natalia Ginzburg &
The Wise Man's Fear
by Patrick Rothfuss;
Make
magazine &
Small Wonder
by Barbara Kingsolver