Not for the bookish introvert, Page Break is very much a group travel experience: we ate all our meals together and participated in activities like Saturday morning meditation and sound baths. During one afternoon hike, a downpour came, creating a serendipitous moment where we all happily skipped through the rain, our books waterlogged as we ran along like kids at summer camp. As someone generally unaccustomed to group travel, I was surprised to find it not at all awkward. I attribute this sense of ease to the reading. Listening to people read aloud is like getting a look inside their brain. There are small meaningful details in the moments they pause, the faces they make during a high-tension scene, the voices they use for different characters. Plus, once you’ve tripped over pronouncing a basic word (which we all did), walls come down quickly.
A cozy corner at Scribner’s Lodge, which offers its own reading retreat
Moriah Wolfe
Forest & Fawn, meanwhile, designs bespoke retreats around the selected book
Courtesy Forest & Fawn
On the last morning, it was apparent how comfortable we’d become with one another, bodies draped across The Henson’s homey living room furniture, and many of us, in slippers, anxiously awaited our last turn in the reading circle. We collectively exhaled when closing the books, taking a moment to debrief before heading into the dining room for an intimate Q&A with Berndt, the book’s author. We chatted about the books, whose pages were rippled from a soggy hike, dog-eared from the reading sessions, and now a souvenir from a one-of-a-kind weekend of reading and resting.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best reading retreats to consider when planning your next weekend away.
Megan Christopher hosts five-day-long women-only reading vacations that include villa accommodations, a private chef who prepares all meals, a murder mystery dinner, and other themed activities. They’ve hosted retreats at Caribbean resorts, English Countryside estates, Italian villas, and even on board a catamaran in the Greek Islands. There’s a book of the retreat, especially picked for the group, so no two experiences will ever be alike. On the final night, you’ll have a book club-style discussion about the work. With attendees ranging from young-20s BookTok types to empty-nesters looking for a vacation without the hassle of planning something or going solo, you might just walk away having formed a future travel group.
A “bookish business” that specializes in reading & writing retreats, Forest and Fawn hosts women & femme only retreats that are dedicated to fantasy series like A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing. With an emphasis on “cozy” venues, you’ll never find a Forest and Fawn at a corporate hotel. Past retreats have taken place at places like Mohonk Mountain House in the Hudson Valley and Captain Whidbey Inn in Washington. They even try to match the setting to the book—for an upcoming retreat about the Throne of Glass series, they’ll go to Autocamp Yosemite, inspired by the book’s mountainous setting.
A reading circle at Scribner’s Lodge
Moriah Wolfe
A themed meal at Scribner’s Lodge
Moriah Wolfe
In April 2023, Lauren Moore posted a video on TikTok sharing an idea: what if we rented a venue, read books, went on nature walks, drank wine, and relaxed. The video went viral. The rest, as they say, is history. Book Huddle has hosted nearly a dozen retreats worldwide, from Canada to England to New Mexico. Unlike the other retreats where you all read one book, you vote on the weekend’s fiction, fantasy, mystery, or romance book before arriving at Book Huddle. Once you pick your genre, you’ll be assigned to a group of people whom you’ll meet throughout the weekend to discuss your book, called your “Designated Huddle.” Your meals and activities are catered to the place — think a lobster bake in Maine or a group astrology and (weather permitting) stargazing session in New Mexico.
Scribner’s Lodge in the Catskills is known for its woodsy, après-ski aesthetic. With blazing fireplaces and plenty of cozy corners, the hotel begs you to cuddle up and read a book. So it felt natural that the hotel collaborated with Gabriella Valladares to create “Booked In,” their annual weekend reading retreat. Last year’s inaugural event included an Idler Books-sponsored shop set up in the Apex where individuals could purchase books throughout the weekend, a dinner hosted at nearby Fellow Mountain Cafe in collaboration with cookbook author and Delaware County resident Alexis deBoshnick, and campfire bonding over s’mores every night. Guests stayed in the hotel rooms as well as their new larger accommodations, Rounds. This November, they’re welcoming Zoe Dubno, author of the upcoming Happiness and Love. If you can’t come for a whole weekend, they’ve started a (free!) book club, inviting authors to come in for curated readings and discussions once a quarter.