Last summer, I booked an Amtrak ticket from New York City to North Carolina, a 13-hour trip that many, I’m sure, would say was wildly inconvenient. Flights back home are usually two hours tops.
But I was in it for the experience and the decompression. I’d spent two-ish weeks traveling and staying with my closest friends up north. After busy days socializing and being surrounded by people (in the best way), a quiet, slow trip home sounded serene. Plus, with almost no travel responsibility once I stepped on the train—no gate changes, no toll roads—I could spend an entire day curled up with my e-reader. Kindle Jenner always delivers a perfect escape.
That’s exactly what I did.
It was one of the most true-to-self, restorative decisions I’ve ever made, and after reviewing the responses to this week’s polls, I finally understand why.
We asked our audience about their memories of reading growing up, and the responses were strikingly sensory:
“I loved the Scholastic Book Fair at school, the getting to browse for new books and learning kits, and then picking them up from the school to bring home was so magical. I remember even at that young age loving the smell of a new book!”
“We have a big old lazy boy chair that my mom and I curled up in and she read to me.”
“In the summer we would choose a book series like The Magic Treehouse and I would read the books to my children in the shade of the grapevines in our backyard. While reading, they ate popsicles. One of our favorite reading memories.”
“I loved trips to the library and when I moved to a new state and visited one of the libraries in the area I noticed the same smell as soon as I walked in. My aunt also took me and my sisters on a lunch and shopping trip when it was our birthday. I always went to Waldenbooks in the mall and spent a decent amount of money on books, mostly Goosebumps.”
It’s clear that people don't remember learning to read so much as they remember what reading made them feel: close to someone, cozy and safe, free to choose, transported somewhere else, or simply allowed to slow down.
Essentially, exactly how I felt on that train.
And maybe that's why reading can feel so restorative in adulthood. As kids, we didn't necessarily have to create the conditions for it. There were bedtime stories and library trips, rainy afternoons and summer reading programs, cozy chairs and long stretches of nothing else to do. Reading came with permission to slow down.
As adults, we have to manufacture that permission ourselves.
So, manufacture we will. This week, in lieu of an essay about how rail travel can change your career (lol), I’ve pulled together a few recs for recreating the safety you’ve felt inside a good book. Consider this a late-summer, back-to-school reset, whether you have 13 hours to spare or not.
The scent: That new book/library smell
I burned this Book Loft candle down so quickly that I worried it might affect my dog’s breathing. (She’s fine.) The woodsy fragrance makes it perfectly bookish, and I actually think about this purchase all the time.
The sound: Your choice of quiet, rain, ambient train sounds, or classical music
We’re channeling: cocoon. I love a movie soundtrack, like tracks from The Holiday, Little Women, and The Princess Diaries. And I always opt for headphones, even when I’m very much alone. Blocking out every real-world noise makes the experience feel transportive.
The light: Soft light that makes you want to stay up all night
The anti-Big Light movement is strong among Gen Z, likely because lamps can completely change the mood of a room. I love bamboo lamps and shades because they create warmth and distinct shadows, which reminds me of staying up too late to finish a chapter.
The seat: Something you can sink into
I want somewhere I can fully commit to being unavailable for the next hour: a big armchair, a guest bedroom that rarely gets used, a back porch with good shade. I also highly recommend a little consistency here, like always using the same blanket. Tiny rituals can reinforce that feeling of security.
The snack: Nostalgia in food form
Popsicles under grapevines. Your favorite tea. Personally, I like a snack moment because my grandma and mom both make homemade Chex Mix. Then, true to my child self, I love to mix whatever juices I have in my fridge into a fun drink. Bonus if I add a little seltzer for bubbles.
The setting: A place where you don't have to be productive
My favorite reading environments have one thing in common: They are mentally divorced from productivity. A library, a park, a blanket in the backyard, a train, a coffee shop where nobody is waiting for your table. These are all places where you can settle in without immediately seeing five things you should be doing instead. And you deserve that kind of peace.
