A gathering place for readers who crave more than a book club
about us
Yes, my annual reading challenge is 100+ books, which means I read in any spare moment of the day. Whether folding laundry, taking breaks between meetings, putting the kids to bed, or homesteading, I've got my Kindle, an audiobook, or a physical book on me. I'm also on permanent call as Karina's book therapist — ask me about the Throne of Glass incident sometime.
amanda leffew
My reading list is an array of romance, mysteries, and historical fiction. As a kid, I was obsessed with the Nancy Drew mysteries before moving on to the Harry Potter series and Mary Higgins Clark suspense novels. Now, I'm laughing and crying through my favorite tropes written by Becka Mack, Liz Tomforde, and Meghan Quinn, or crazy thrillers by Lucey Foley. I have the Kindle app on my phone so I can get lost in my book whenever I can; I'll literally brush my teeth while reading a few pages. And when a book absolutely wrecks me —Kingdom of Ash 👀 — Amanda's the first text I send.
karina patel
the
read & retreat society
the founders menu
favorite tropes
a flight of three tropes we always take a taste of
|
amanda corporate exec falls for small town local during the holidays |
karina enemies to lovers |
the books we'd serve
appetizer: the book we always recommend
entree: the book we have reread the most
dessert: our guilty pleasure
|
amanda
appetizer |
karina
appetizer |
dream guest list
three authors we wish we were on the ARC list for
|
amanda matt dinniman |
karina lucy foley |
come on in. bring your book. escape into your story.
our story
Read & Retreat Society began with a simple frustration. Book events, as they existed, seemed to come in two flavors: an hour squeezed in over a subpar meal or drinks, or a multi-day retreat spent sharing an Airbnb with your book club. We wanted something in between, something that treated reading as an experience, not an obligation. No assigned book or genre, no forced conversation, no pretending to be more social than you feel like being that day.
So we built it ourselves: evenings that feel considered, and getaways that feel like an actual escape, whatever the scale.
Some retreats are a couple of hours at a wine bar; some are a single evening over a shared meal and our books. Others are a few days somewhere we love: an inn with cozy seating and good light, a castle in the highlands with walking trails and fireplaces, or a town with one exceptional bookstore and a dinner reservation we already made for you. Both start the same way: you, a book, and permission to disappear into it for a while.
Come on in. Bring your book. Escape into your story.
A STORY IS BETTER SHARED — EVEN IN SILENCE.
Our gatherings are small, intentional, and built for people who want to spend real time with a good book and around others who do too.
Come on in.
