The first thing I do whenever I move to (or visit) a new place is to find a library and bookstore. They feel like home wherever I go – the rows of colourful spines on shelves are comforting. Readers there – librarians, clerks and fellow patrons – tend to be just as happy in silence as I am. If we do end up in conversation it feels genuine, peaceful. You exchange snippets of novels you recently loved and little things about life. Maybe you find out about an unusual place to explore or where to get the best cappuccino in the area.

So when we moved to this small desert town where everything is unfamiliar, I went to the library and got my card – making me feel more at home already.