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Late night bookworms, a lil treat for you this second half of the year. The Goethe-Institut Thailand Library keeps its doors open until 8pm on the first Wednesday of every month, a new ritual it calls the Late Night Library. It starts Wednesday, July 8 and runs through December, which gives you six chances to make a habit of it. The walk over from Surasak BTS takes about ten minutes, less if the pavement is behaving.
The clever bit is what happens to the rules. Talking is fine. Practising your German out loud is fine. Working in a group, huddled around one of the long tables, arguing about verb endings? Also fine. Snacks are permitted as long as they don't smell, and drinks are permitted as long as they have lids. It's free, and it's for everybody.
The shelves hold more than grammar drills. Language material, yes, but also contemporary fiction, graphic novels, magazines and children's books. Members get Onleihe, the institute's digital library, which holds more than 20,000 e-books and assorted media, all of it free to borrow.
The rest of the week runs to a more conventional clock. Weekdays open at 9.30am, Saturdays run 8am to 5pm and Sundays 8.30am to 4.30pm. Head to the Goethe-Institut Thailand Facebook page for the fine print.
Bangkok doesn't offer many places where you can read, talk, eat and loiter without someone expecting you to buy a coffee every forty minutes. The aircon is cold. The wifi works. Stay until they turn the lights off.