The joys of reading ‘Anna Karenina’ an hour a week while eating a giant pretzel

I’m a man who loves a relaxation routine.

Going for pre-dinner walk with my family, getting a zoo hot dog, reading today’s Mary Worth on my phone before I get out of bed in the morning. Little makes me happier than little pleasant routines and traditions.

Honestly, I’ve just been chasing the high of being in my early 20s and working next door to a comic store and tea bar, where I could take a long lunch every Wednesday to buy new comics then have a tea while eating a grilled bacon and cheese with sliced apple. But sadly, I no longer live there; the tea bar went out of business, and the comic shop near my also closed without a warning.

Two months ago I joined a pinball league. You can read all about it here. This isn’t about that. This is about my new little Wednesday routine that happens before pinball.

The pinball league takes place at a Mexican restaurant/bar in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood along The Avenue. Hampden was founded as a working class neighborhood, then the artsy Baltimor hipsters moved in, then they gentrified the area, and now it’s a place where aging ‘00s scenesters put down roots and raise families. The Avenue is a several-block long stretch of road with dozens of restaurants, bars and boutiques. All this is to say, there are a lot of places nearby to get a too-expensive hamburger and cocktail for dinner.

So each week, I get dressed up, stretch out my flipper fingers, boot up the Kindle app on my phone and head on down to the Avenue to hit a random bar, grab whatever specialty cocktail they have and read Anna Karenina for an hour.

So, Anna Karenina. Have y’all read this shit? I’m so invested! God, I start the book and I’m like “Man, this Stiva guy! Love being in his head!” Then, literally every time we switch to a new character’s perspective, they instantly become my new favorite character. It’s romantic; it’s funny; these characters are so real and relatable! I’m only about 15% of the way through, but it’s a new fave.

According to my Kindle app, I’ve got 14 hours left in the book, so that essentially means I get to do this nice routine for the next 14 weeks and finish around July.

So, if you’ve got a monster novel to get through, don’t put a pause on all your other reading! Just get a big pretzel once a week and enjoy taking the long, long journey to the end.