Beans and Books:
Most cafes and coffee houses in the city provide books for customers to enjoy whilst they sip on their warm beverages or nibble on their pastries. The expectation for coffee shops to offer at least several books reflects the larger reading culture of Iceland. In the United States, 50% of adult citizens cannot read above an 8th grade level and 28% of adults have not read a book in the last year (Statistic Brain). Iceland prioritizes reading as an essential and important part of daily life, as coffee is a part of many people's routines. On today's trip, you will see two different cafes: a famous tourist location and a more authentic (although quirky) shop. Observe how these businesses both incorporate reading into their everyday business experience.
The Laundromat Cafe
The Laundromat Cafe can be found on Austurstræti, a street that draws many tourists with its shopping centers and the nearby city square.
The cafe offers delicious bread baskets, juices, and fresh coffee but food and beverages are not the only things that the Laundromat serves up. Even before you enter through the front doors, you will be hard-pressed to ignore the plethora of books that are organized in shelves along all four sides of the bar.
The small library features books in multiple languages. Customers can browse through the options while ordering a meal or coffee. The books are free to read while customers enjoy their refreshments or can be traded for other books like a (not-so-little) lending library.
The Laundromat draws locals and tourists from all over the world, as can be observed through the variety of books in multiple languages from around the world that visitors have left during their travels.
An interesting book is perfectly wed to a traditional meal of bread and butter.
Take one book or a few: everyone is sure to find a story that matches his or her fancy. While many cafes in Reykjavík provide a small shelf or two of reading material, I wonder why the Laundromat offers such a vast quantity of books. The barista is ready to provide some insight about how the Laundromat's status as a tourist spot has been meshed with the Icelandic tradition of literature.
The barista, who preferred that his name and image not be featured, had this to say about the library at the Laundromat Cafe:
Q - How long have you been working at the Laundromat?
A - I have been here for about two years.
Q - The Laundromat has a large collection of books. Where do you obtain these?
A - We shop at used bookstores. Some books are new but most of them are given to us or are bought secondhand. As you can see [gestures to the bookshelves], we try to keep them in a colored way, to organize them by color. You can read them, come and swap them.
Q - Are these books very popular?
A - They are but they are oftentimes more popular with tourists than with the locals, in the large amount that we have. That is why we have many in English, so more people from different places can read them. Everyone in Iceland can read English but not everyone who visits here can read books in Icelandic.
Q - Who had the idea to include such a large collection of books in the Laundromat Cafe?
A - The owner, who grew up around here (Reykiavik), had the idea. He now lives in Copenhagen. He wanted to include these books here so that people could enjoy them.
After these questions, the barista had to get back to work. Knowing that the Laundromat's book collection has exploded largely due to the many tourists that visit, let's finish up our meal and travel to another cafe -- Cafe Babalu -- that presents a more authentic perspective of books in Icelandic coffee shops.
Q - How long have you been working at the Laundromat?
A - I have been here for about two years.
Q - The Laundromat has a large collection of books. Where do you obtain these?
A - We shop at used bookstores. Some books are new but most of them are given to us or are bought secondhand. As you can see [gestures to the bookshelves], we try to keep them in a colored way, to organize them by color. You can read them, come and swap them.
Q - Are these books very popular?
A - They are but they are oftentimes more popular with tourists than with the locals, in the large amount that we have. That is why we have many in English, so more people from different places can read them. Everyone in Iceland can read English but not everyone who visits here can read books in Icelandic.
Q - Who had the idea to include such a large collection of books in the Laundromat Cafe?
A - The owner, who grew up around here (Reykiavik), had the idea. He now lives in Copenhagen. He wanted to include these books here so that people could enjoy them.
After these questions, the barista had to get back to work. Knowing that the Laundromat's book collection has exploded largely due to the many tourists that visit, let's finish up our meal and travel to another cafe -- Cafe Babalu -- that presents a more authentic perspective of books in Icelandic coffee shops.
Cafe Babalu
Babalu is located on Skólavörðustígur, a short detour from the popular Laugavegur that is a prime home of commericality and one of the oldest shopping streets in Iceland. Unlike the Laundromat Cafe, Cafe Babalu is not on Laugavegur (which turns into Austurstræti as it nears the city square) so many tourists go unaware of it. While the Laundromat is widely known for its laundry machine facilities and large borrowing library, Babalu's popularity is centered on its ecletic decor, delicious hot drinks, and homemade desserts.
Once inside, we are greeted with kitchy wall and ceiling hangings. There are two floors: the first is a small seating area and the kitchen/barista area. Let's walk straight through before we go up the steps.
Our first dose of literature culture in Babalu is in the small seating area on the first floor. On the wall, blending into the decorations but within reach for bookworm customers, is a shelf with about twelve books.
Up the steps, there are two additional seating areas. In each upstairs seating area is an additional small bookshelf, outfitted with texts for anyone to read.
A coffee shop is the best place to have discussions. Let's talk about the book scene here in Cafe Babalu. Although there are not as many books here as are in the Laundromat Cafe, Babalu is an authentic representation of the traditional role of reading in coffee shops in Iceland.
Slipping to the adjoining seating room on the upstairs floor, we are greeted with a larger bookshelf adorned with knick-knacks and, you guessed it, free books for customers. Now that our cake and lattes have arrived, pick out any book that you'd like and get comfortable.