Have an 800-page book to read for your English class? We’ll tell you where to do it.

The age-old question for try-hards who actually complete all of their reading—where do I plop down for hours and burn through 200 pages of Jane Eyre for class? It’s a more loaded question than you think.

You want to be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you accidentally fall asleep, book in hand. You want to be close enough to your dorm to grab a snack, but not, like, in your dorm. It can be fun to read outside, but you also need to have some back support and some sunlight. It’s not easy to find the perfect place to read on campus—luckily, we’ve already determined that for you.

On Campus, Indoors

Armchair Central

• The classic: a Milstein green chair
• Armchairs on the bottom floor of the SIPA library
• The 6th floor of Butler that has armchairs in the reading rooms
• 5th floor of Diana has some fantastic arm chairs and great natural light

Dorm Lounges

• Broadway sky lounge
• Schapiro sky lounge

Coffee Shop Vibes

• Joe Coffee in NoCo
• Blue Java in Butler / ButCaf

Miscellaneous

• The window ledges in the stairway of NoCo
• The 15th floor of SIPA (with the big windows overlooking the skyline)
• Alcoves in Butler 310

On Campus, Outdoors

Lawns

• Under a tree on the Mathematics lawn, preferably while laying on a blanket
• Philosophy Lawn when it’s nice out

Benches

• The nice benches in the hedges outside Milbank
• A bench on the Law Bridge
• A bench on Butler Lawn (ideally on the weekend, when the area is less busy)
• Benches and the tables with umbrellas near the Journalism building/Furnald

Courtyards

• The little round tables in front of John Jay, to the right of the main entry
• Fayerweather courtyard

Off Campus, Indoors

• Max Caffe

Off Campus, Outdoors

• The steps of St. John the Divine
• Outdoor table at Hungarian
• The nice benches up and down Morningside Drive in the little overlook areas
• A bench in Riverside Park

Schapiro Sky Lounge via Elizabeth Walker