Book lovers, rejoice: reading is back in style. Which really means that being seen reading has come back in style. Books have taken on the mantle of fashion accessories, with each new title offering an opportunity for personal branding. Are you leafing through yet another biography of Napoleon (intellectual), clutching a copy of Asako Yuzuki’s Butter as if it’s a mini-Birkin (in the know) or using Irvine Welsh’s Men In Love as a cocktail saucer somewhere in east London (edgy, if a little try hard)? Presumably, you’ve tossed out your copy of The Salt Path by now.
Summer reading has become a conspicuously performative activity: books left on the side of a counter as you sip a coffee (Lavazza, please) in Italy or dusty anthologies piled up in the corner of a living room for an architectural feature in a glossy magazine (this is a lived-in space, thank you very much, and the people who live here are actually total bookworms). In any case, it’s tempting to write off books as props — which is a shame for those of us who genuinely love reading al fresco. Why shouldn’t we?
In one of the final scenes in 'Notting Hill', Hugh Grant's character was filmed reading a copy of Louis de Bernières's novel, 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin'.
Yet where we choose to read our books is often as revealing as the books we’ve elected to read. It seems futile to keep eschewing the poser allegations: we’re better off leaning in.
With London enjoying Mediterranean weather since June, it feels odd that some still insist on heading to, say, Greece to live out the fantasy of the literary loner under the dappled shade of a tree. Much of the city can simulate the same conditions (even the strumming of Greek guitar is never far away—just ask the man who plays his bouzouki every day outside Highbury & Islington station). So, dear reader—if that is what you are—save your beach reads and air miles fora rainy day and find out where in London to tuck into your next novel.
The Mayflower by James Fisher
One of the great joys of reading is its privacy, in creating a story between yourself and the author that only you can imagine. The Mr Darcy that we create in our heads is unique to each of us. Reading al fresco, then, is to read with a purpose — to take an intimate act and make it public. What better place to do it than the public house? Better still if that pub is by the river, undoubtedly the best place to pitch up during the summer months. A trip with a decent Penguin Classic to The Mayflower in Rotherhithe is essential.
What to read? When it comes to magazines, a copy of Country Life is, of course, the best choice. Books-wise, select anything that cannot be judged by its cover. Despite what they say, you can, and should, judge books by their covers. Reading on your phone is, of course, an absolute no-no.
James Fisher is Country Life's Digital Commissioning Editor
The Walled Garden at Brockwell Park by Lotte Brundle
Right at the top of the hill and well worth every step of the climb, the walled garden in Brockwell Park is by far my favourite place for a weekend read. Located just past the early-19th-century Brockwell Hall, it is a haven of serenity in one of London’s most spacious and loveliest parks. As a south Londoner living in the noise and heat of Brixton, the walled garden is a pleasant reprieve: from trailing wisteria to a magnificent rose garden, it’s hard to imagine anywhere nearby that’s more bucolic or peaceful.
Every time I go (which is most Sundays), the hours seem to pass like seconds in the suntrap. It’s also near Brockwell Lido if you fancy a refreshing dip afterwards, as well as the site of a vegetable garden, which is open to the public and offers its own honey and fresh herbs to buy.
Lotte Brundle is Country Life's Digital Writer
St James's Square by Emma Hughes
Fittingly for somewhere so close to Jermyn Street, St James’s Square feels tailormade as an alfresco reading spot. A private garden with generous public opening hours (7.30am–4pm, Monday–Friday), it is shaded and cooled by a lush canopy of trees, with plenty of benches and forgivingly springy grass; none of your Hyde Park sun-baked earth here.
It is the wildlife that really tips the scales in its favour, however, for this is the point at which the denizens of three very different London worlds converge. First is finance (countless hedge funds), then art (the Royal Academy, private galleries and Christie’s, which — pro tip — rewards anyone who stops in to view one of its free exhibitions with a complimentary barista coffee) and, finally, literature (the London Library, which overlooks the square, and the capital’s two biggest bookshops). All this makes eavesdropping here a real treat — if you find yourself sitting next to a Hatchards bookseller on their lunch break, make sure to ask for their reading recommendations.
Emma Hughes is Country Life's Acting Assistant Features Editor
The Phoenix Garden by Florence Allen
When I’m lost in romantasy, I don’t require peace and quiet: put me in busy Soho Square, even throw something at me, I could block it all out with ease. When I’m reading something a little more demanding, however, I need calm. Tucked away in the West End is a green retreat that feels a world away from the chaos of Soho. The Phoenix Garden, open from dawn until dusk, is rich in history (built on a former bombsite), full of life (it is dotted from corner to corner by evergreen plants) and offers the passer-by a seat in the sun or the shade, whatever takes their fancy.
Unlike Soho Square, a pit stop in which to rest my feet whenever I’ve chosen shoes that are essentially a form of self-punishment, The Phoenix Garden is where I go to hunker down for an afternoon. The vibe here is tranquil, with perhaps a passing hello to a volunteer, but mostly just me and my book. Although, soon enough, perhaps you, too.
Florence Allen is Country Life's Social Media Editor
Hampstead Heath by Will Hosie
I’ve been known to extol the virtues of Hampstead ponds, but far better reading spots exist across the nearly 800 acres that make up north London’s greatest park. Which to choose? Heath habitués will know the landscape is dotted here and there with benches, classic reading and people-watching spots that line the walkways linking the South Meadow to the historic Duelling Ground (now dormant, fortunately). Those are the most famous ones, anyway, but better, quieter spots are tucked away under the canopy surrounding the West Meadow, closer to Kenwood House. Assuming that squirrels don’t give you a fright, reading a book on one of the benches there is about as idyllic as it gets. On a hot summer’s day, when joggers finally throw in the towel and the ponds are at their busiest, the solitude one feels over on the other side of the Heath is almost irresistibly sweet.
Will Hosie is Country Life's Lifestyle Editor
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