Read. Reflect. Connect. (No Pressure Required)
This is a free, low-stress, come-as-you-are book club designed for curious humans—not perfectionists, designed to inspire and support your journey into the outdoors. We meet on Zoom, and you do not need to have finished the book (or even started it) to join the conversation. Skimming counts. Listening to the audiobook counts. Showing up with curiosity definitely counts.
We focus on books centered around nature, resilience, adventure, and the human experience, using guided prompts to spark meaningful discussion rather than putting anyone on the spot. Signups are handled through Eventbrite, and I always send a clear agenda and discussion itinerary ahead of time—so there are no surprises and no awkward cold calls.
After each meeting, I write a follow-up blog post that captures key themes, shared reflections, and additional book recommendations inspired by our conversation. My hope is that these blogs become a lasting resource—something we can return to later when a book, idea, or season of life calls for it again.
Come read a little (or not at all), think deeply, and connect—right from your couch.
January 2026: Happiness For Beginners
In Happiness for Beginners, newly divorced Helen Carpenter signs up for a grueling wilderness survival course in the hopes of finding clarity—and maybe herself—after a year of upheaval. With humor, heartache, and breathtaking backcountry landscapes, this is a reminder that sometimes you have to get a little lost to figure out where you really want to go. Perfect for hikers and seekers alike, this book blends outdoor adventure with inner transformation—and might just spark your own trail-side reflections.
April 2026: Spirit Run
Signups Coming Soon
Álvarez runs from the U.S.–Mexico border into Mexico, tracing ancient Indigenous running traditions while carrying the weight of family history, colonization, migration, and modern endurance culture. The miles aren’t about pace or performance. They’re about listening to the land, honoring ancestry, and asking hard questions about belonging, identity, and what it means to move through spaces shaped by power and history. This book sits right at the intersection of movement, meaning, and responsibility. It reminds us that running (and hiking, and walking) didn’t start with GPS watches or finish lines — it started as connection, survival, ceremony..
August 2026: Mud Rocks Blazes
Signups Coming Soon
Mud, Rocks, Blazes is a gritty, introspective trail memoir about pushing the limits of endurance on the Appalachian Trail. Through relentless miles, mental battles, and quiet moments of awe, Heather Anderson explores what it means to strip life down to essentials—and discover strength, purpose, and identity one step at a time.
October 2026: Braiding Sweetgrass
Signups Coming Soon
In Braiding Sweetgrass, botanist and Indigenous knowledge keeper Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves together science, story, and spirit to show that plants and people are meant to live in relationship, not domination. Through lyrical reflections and ecological insight, she invites us to remember that the Earth loves us back—and that gratitude, reciprocity, and respect are at the heart of true sustainability.
