The Reading Room was the first stop on an epic journey across Rio and also São Paolo. Brazil completely blew me away – I rarely have felt so humbled. For how much we think we may know, we know hardly anything at all. And in this wonder, I dedicate this post is to my great Portuguese friend- you know who you are- because friendships lasting time have left me equally in awe.
A bit of an oddity from the outside and located downtown where much of the city is run down still leftover from COVID, entering this building is an immediate time and space warp. It is a stark reminder of the colonization of Brazil by the Portuguese – architecture being like a trauma sometimes that remains until demise- though supposedly initiated by political refugees.
A massive collection of books – I spent a few long moments disconnecting myself from the barrage of UGC and influencers by pausing to appreciate these editions of Amor de Perdição originally published in 1861, of which I learned:
Castelo Branco famously wrote the novel in just 15 days while he was imprisoned in the Cadeia da Relação do Porto. He was jailed awaiting trial for the crime of adultery, having fallen in love with a married woman named Ana Plácido. (Source Gemini 3.1 Pro (dated Feb 22, 2026)
It is a shame that one couldn’t actually sit in this library unlike the ones in Mexico City or Paris- and even if one could, there isn’t much space to speak of in terms of a sitting area. These books have seen many days and generations – and probably have more photos taken of them than any other library is my guess. It is a tourist destination now without any doubt – are people inspired to learn or to read? I worry for these books.
Doing a quick read on the wiki page to refresh my terrible memory, I realize my main mistake coming here- I didn’t look down at the floor. I blame the masses of people leaving no tile unhidden and the magnificent soaring space above for missing the hallmark tiles of the Portuguese. Good note to self.
“The soul is like the earth. It requires the ‘dirt’ of our experiences—the messy, the dark, and the grounded—to actually grow anything beautiful.” — Unknown (source Gemini 3 Flash)
Address: R. Luís de Camões, 30 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20051-020, Brazil
Website: Wikipedia page
P.S. This is the first of 24 posts I will attempt to publish between now and March 20th, 2026. Last year I said I would listen/ read this book The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer at the start of each year- fortunately, I have my notes from last year:
• • • • •The growth mindset allows us to see this tolerance for negativity as a sign of victory- it helps flip the script- forcing the brain to reframe pain as pleasure. What also helps- a clear goals list. Every time you delay gratification and cross that item off the list- that’s a reward chemical dopamine. Passion produces little wins and dopamine repeatedly over time cements a growth mind set into place. This increase in dopamine- also amplifies focus and drives flow and flow over time produces grit- the reason? The ecstacy of flow redeems the agony of passion– if flow is our reward for perseverence, we are willing to tolerate alot of pain along the way, but it’s still a lot of pain. This is why even when you can use will power and motivation and passion- training this kind of gritty perseverance requires, well, training.
Grit- this is what I’m chasing after. And so training indeed I will do.
ofallthespaces 