Oh, interesting. I switched from books/ebooks to audiobooks so I could do other things at the same time, I never thought to combine them.

I listen to audiobooks while walking, if you were open to dropping the reading part. Parks, my neighborhood, while shopping, all while listening to books.

As for sitting down and reading/listening at the same time, I would suggest breweries to mix up the coffee shops, especially earlier in the afternoon or early evening before drinking crowds show up. Parks again.

And as a former barista and bartender, so long as you buy at least one drink, don’t dirty your area unnecessarily, and clear out if the place starts getting busy with people waiting for tables, you’re fine. You are probably the most low-maintenance customer possible. Heck, I was always happy when my fellow introverts felt comfortable in my service and respected them by not engaging in small talk 😁.

I think coffee shops would be happy with a regular, if you buy something. Otherwise, maybe mix it up, go to different places?

If the weather permits, park? Either benches or just take a towel to sit on in the grass.

You can also read in bars, they’re probably pretty quiet during the day, but once again you’d have to buy something.

Maybe a weird one but churches are often available to the public and they’re quiet, with seating. Might be worth to check with someone there if its OK.

If they are open to the public, museums or galleries could be a thing.

Encroaching on homeless behaviour, but if the public transportation tickets in the city are valid as long as you stay on, you could try finding a less used line and just go around in circles on something.

• Patios, particularly of coffee shops but any restaurant with a patio can work. Eg. An ice cream store could be good if it’s hot, or a snack bar. Just make sure you order something so you aren’t freeloading on their tables.
• Park benches.
• The beach, if there’s one near you.
• Museums and public buildings often have gardens on their property that you could go sit at.
• University campuses often have lots of spaces that are suitable for quiet reading. I can remember dozens of little indoor&outdoor reading nooks and places with benches on the campus of mine and I haven’t been there for over 5 years now.

Oh man hey’ya fellow adhd’er. I’m in the same boat. I like going to this nice little city park with a pond. I park there for lunch and read. Sometimes I listen to the radio so I can see how that could be used for the audio. Plenty of people are posted up there for lunch so I don’t really look out of place. And if the weather is nice I can get out and find a place to sit on the lawn.

I really enjoy reading in my hammock. Usually I set it up in my backyard but it’s also easy to take to a park or on a hike. I just use one of those camping ones that packs away to the size of a nalgene water bottle.

Sidenote, I also use one of these security straps on my e-reader. It allows me to read laying down in the hammock or in bed without having to completely hold onto my reader. Definitely recommend.

The park on a nice day

You could always also read at a public pool. Grab a spot, get some sun maybe a swim, and read a few chapters.

I have two spots, my church has a co-working day where you can just sit in there, use the wifi, drink the coffee, and work on or read whatever you want. You don’t have to be religious and you’ll meet nice people, and it’s free. We have great conversations.

The other one for me is the local park which has a greenhouse with tables to just relax at, it has a waterfall which is nice to listen to. Just take advantage of the nice weather, take a lawn chair and go sit in the city park.