Last August, a number of people forwarded me an article about a summer reading camp for adults. An online book club had organized an IRL meet-up that doubled as a reading retreat at a remote lodge in Maine. While they did regular camp things like hiking and roasting ‘smores over an open fire, they also dedicated time to reading, organized book swaps, and spent craft time bedazzling books (glueing tiny gems onto book covers). The goals of this camp was not just more reading time, but to find more ways to establish connections to other readers and develop those friendships in a deeper way.
If this all sounds like your idea of a good time, you might want to start planning your own version of a summer reading camp sooner rather than later. Remote lodges in Maine book up quick! As do cottages on Cape Cod, cabins in lakes in New Hampshire, and mountain retreats in Vermont. The great thing about reading, though? You can do it pretty much anywhere.
Maybe it’s a summer camp for one, or maybe you gather a group of like-minded friends, or put the call out to readers you know and would like to know better. Maybe you do it while your own kids are away at summer camp or maybe you just pick a weekend and make it happen — and make it your own.
Pick a book ahead of time to read so you can have a book club discussion around the fire. Or save the book to read at camp. Everyone can read a chapter, then you can discuss as you take a walk through the woods. Read another chapter and then discuss while you take a swim and sit around on the beach. Listen to a chapter together on audiobook while sitting around knitting or drinking iced tea and discuss at cocktail hour. Read a chapter and — well, you get the idea.
If you’re looking for books recently published or coming this spring that would make terrific book club picks, I suggest: “Kin” by Tayari Jones,” “What We Can Know” by Ian McEwan, “Cleopatra” by Saara El-Arifi, “The Complex” by Karan Mahajan, “Go Gentle” by Maria Semple, “Discontent” by Beatriz Serrano, “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett (yes, that Kathryn Stockett, who wrote “The Help!”).
All reading camp activities can be book-related. Play literary trivia games or bookish charades. On movie night, watch your favorite adaptation. Come up with a bookish craft — learn calligraphy or other lettering and practice with your favorite quotes from your favorite books. Book binding is the latest bookish trend on TikTok. Have dance parties based on playlists you make inspired by favorite characters. Cook meals inspired by the books you’re reading. Take an outing to the local independent bookstore! Or maybe there’s another literary attraction nearby.
Whatever you want your reading retreat to be, you’ll obviously want to set aside time for reading and pack a lot of books. It would be a good time to tackle some of the biggest books of the coming summer season, including “Whistler” by Ann Patchett, “Country People” by Daniel Mason (the author of “North Woods”), “Land” by Maggie O’Farrell, “Under the Falls” by Richard Russo, “Cool Machine” by Colson Whitehead, “Villa Coco” by Andrew Sean Greer, “The Midnight Train” by Matt Haig, “The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout (featuring a new character in a new setting!), and a new collection from David Sedaris called “The Land and its People.”
Why should the kids get to have all the fun by going to summer camp? Sign yourself up for summer reading camp!
Hannah Harlow is owner of The Book Shop, an independent bookstore in Beverly Farms. Harlow writes biweekly recommendations for us. See more of what she recommends reading at thecricket.com.
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