Do You Ever Read While Walking?

This morning, when my brother and I went to get a coffee, we passed a woman casually reading her book while walking down the street. Of course, many people look at phones during walks, but recently I’ve been spotting women reading books instead. Curious, I struck up a conversation with her; turns out, her name’s Stephanie, and she’s a teacher in Brooklyn. Here’s what she told me…

Where are you heading right now?
I’m running errands, then going to the library.

Do you regularly read while walking?
It actually started many years ago. Right after college, I was living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan, and to save money I’d walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Reading was just something to do on my walk. I also get antsy just sitting with a book in my apartment.

Do you ever bump into things?
I’m not a perfect person, so now and again I’ll walk into a stray branch. But for the most part, I walk the same route, so I’m very used to it. People on their phones often almost bump into me, as opposed to the other way around!

What book are you reading?
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. The narrator is an academic who’s researching a poem that was read aloud at a dinner party in 2014. He dives deep into trying to track down the unpublished poem and understand the context of the dinner party. Halfway through the novel, the perspective changes to the poet’s wife, and you learn what really happened.

What other books have you loved?
Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung Han, a multi-generational book with elements of fantasy mixed in with history. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan. The novel itself is deeply tragic, but I saw her speak at a festival a couple years ago, and she was hilarious. I also loved The Wedding People!

Do you walk like this in the winter, too?
The cold makes it harder, but I wear two pairs of gloves, and my aunt gave me rechargeable hand warmers for Christmas.

I noticed it’s a library book.
I live in a studio apartment, so I can’t store a big supply of books. I go to my neighborhood branch and constantly put titles on hold.

Have you always loved reading?
Yes, and I studied linguistics. I now teach ESL at a high school for students who are immigrants. I was born and raised here, but my parents are immigrants, so I understand some of the challenges. And I always encourage everyone to read as much as possible.

Thank you so much, Stephanie!

P.S. How do you get out of a reading slump, and what nonfiction books do you love?