cafe couture, or, nice places to sit with books.

I've, regrettably, become quite dependent upon coffee. An addiction born out of loneliness, chiefly - I'd front-end my workday with an hour at the adjacent Starbuck's, and frequently top it off with a book and a carafe of good, hot, black bean-blood. I will unabashedly plug cafes in Shanghai. They simply have everything one in search of a cafe could possibly want. Free wireless internet is a given at most places, as are ample, cozy seating, and hours of uninterrupted reading and writing and sipping and smoking. (My favorite Manhattan cafe, DTUT, required a minimum hourly purchase, and was always, noisily packed to the brim.)
The most recent favorite flavor is the Shanghai branch of the Filipino chain Figaro's. Formerly, I'd been rather content with the gigantic XTD Starbuck's, which features two floors, a sprawling outdoor patio, and several living rooms' worth of plush upholstered seating.
I discovered Figaro's while ambling down the XTD east-side promenade, window shopping for bathrobes and bassinets. It's got two stories, the second of which is home to BookCrossings, an international English language "library" of sorts, governed by the honor system. This warm space is host to several floor-to-ceiling shelves novels and my favorite reading room aesthetic - antique-styled, mahogany-colored trunks and rich brown and dark green leather sofas.
For some astonishing reason (my only guess is that it's overshadowed by its boasting, branded neighbor) Figaro's is almost always entirely empty. I may singly occupy a nook of the upstairs all evening. The coffee, too, is actually delicious (though I really can't say the same for the limp paninis and bland pastry selection.)
The French Concession darling Vienna Cafe is nice, to my mind, for two reasons only - its free Thursday night movie screenings, and its chocolate-banana-rum-raspberry-puree-torte. Coffee is pricey in China, but the 28rmb Americano here more closely resembled an espresso shot. I suppose I should redact - it's also worth a look-see for its proximity to the Old China Hand Reading Room, which is down the block on Shaoxing Road. It's got a quaint museum aesthetic, many, many books in many, many languages, armchairs, smoking tables, sofas, and a view of Fuxing Park.
Worth a mention is Citizen Cafe, also set unassumingly in an alley in the French Concession. This place reminds me of the bar The Dove in New York City. . . sort of an old-world, almost Gothic decor. The highlight is the terrace, of course, although the impending summer weather makes it less pleasant.
LaBella, which moonlights as a live music venue / bar in the late nights, makes up with comfort food what it lacks in ambiance. It's not so pricey, and has a nice college coffee-shop sort of feel to it, a set of wealthy bohemian regulars to occupy its booths and a pretty little terrace.