Moby Dick. Took months. Finished it late one night at an Irish pub. The bartender quietly put candles around the book, sitting on the bar, and then gave me bread pudding on the house when I’d finished.

this is beautiful

Place was called Chip Shop on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. Closed in 2018, alas.

Somewhat less charming: I read Anna Karenina over my lunch breaks one summer. My job gave me gift cards to a local pizzeria, so that was where I read. It resulted in weird synesthesia; Anna Karenina makes me think of white pizza with broccoli.

That’s superb- on everyone’s part!

The reverence shown toward both book and reader is incredibly beautiful. Top shelf bartending.

I read The Boxcar Children in one day when I was like 9 and thought it was the greatest achievement of my entire life

Ecco’s “ Foucault’s Pendulum” was so clever and outright hilarious. Loved how he weaved conspiracy after conspiracy after conspiracy to make get lost in each one. I could tell he was enjoying writing it as much as his readers would enjoy reading it.

This is the most adorable thing I have ever heard

That is so lovely. I had a completely opposite experience with Moby Dick (completely inhaled it in a single frenzied night, which is very odd for me because I’m a pretty slow reader) but it was similarly memorable.