New Year's Reading Retreat

Join us for a cozy winter reading retreat designed for book lovers of all kinds on the lakeside grounds of Siena Retreat Center! The start of a new year is a natural time to reset—whether that means jump starting a new reading habit, carving out more intentional time for reading, or finding a new community of readers to share the experience with.

Bring the book you’ve been meaning to finish, the novel you can’t stop thinking about, the memoir sitting patiently on your nightstand, or the fantasy world you’re fully prepared to disappear into for a weekend. Spend your days reading in our group reading lounge, sipping a hot beverage, shopping in our on-site bookstore, working on bookish crafts, or finding a peaceful corner all your own to read in. Throughout the weekend, you’ll have opportunities to connect with other readers through relaxed gatherings, optional group reading time, and bookish social events designed to spark conversation and connection. Read in community or in solitude whenever you prefer.

This retreat welcomes people of all reading tastes and experience levels. Whether you devour books weekly or are trying to rediscover the joy of reading again, there is space for you here!

Blind Date with a Book Exchange | Friday Evening Social
Bring a new or lightly used fiction book to exchange and wrap or disguise it so the cover stays a mystery. On the outside, include clues for fellow readers such as the genre, themes, mood, or fun teaser notes to help others choose their “blind date” book!

Read Your Own Book Club | Saturday Evening Social
This year’s theme is Roots. Choose a book that connects to the theme in whatever way inspires you—it might be a nonfiction book about ancestry or nature, a memoir about rediscovering home, a fantasy story with tree magic, or simply a book with roots on the cover. Read it before or during the retreat, then join us on Saturday evening as we come together like a book club to share our “Roots” reads. We’ll talk about the books we all read, discover new books that we may have otherwise never crossed paths with, ask questions, and have fun seeing how creatively everyone interpreted the theme!