I quite often read in pubs, particularly if I'm waiting for friends to show up. As a woman, sitting alone in a pub is usually an invitation for random men to approach and harass, so a book provides a shield to that behaviour, as it gives an obvious 'busy, do not disturb' signal.

It's also good for social anxiety issues - if I'm feeling 'alone in a crowd' I can drag out a book and read for a bit until I feel calm and confident enough again to dive back into the fray, which is much better than sitting there like a bunny in the headlights wondering why nobody wants to talk to me!

Right—both of these are, as you say, solitary; the first specifically intended so.

I'm not saying that reading books in pubs is bad. I'm just saying that, as an example of anti-intellectualism, it also entangles solitary behaviour in a social context. And thus isn't a great example.