Summer has a way of changing our routines. Calendars fill with vacations, long weekends, family visits, and all the other adventures that come with warmer days. For book clubs, that can sometimes mean lower attendance, postponed meetings, or the familiar question: Should we just take the summer off?
The answer, of course, is entirely up to your group. But I’ve always thought there’s something special about reading together during summer. Whether you’re gathering around a backyard table, meeting on a restaurant patio, or simply joining from different locations, books have a way of keeping us connected even when life gets busy.
If your group is looking for ways to stay engaged this season, consider keeping things simple.
Rather than tackling a new title every month, choose one book to savor over the course of the summer, meeting occasionally to discuss it section by section. Or lighten the load with shorter books—think novels under 300 pages that can easily fit between vacations and summer plans. Books like Catching Sight by Deni Elliot, The Other Beautiful People by Carolyn Bock, or A Weekend on Allyson Island by Susannah B. Lewis offer plenty to discuss without requiring a major time commitment.
If schedules simply won’t align, consider taking your book club virtual for a few months. A shared Google Doc, private Facebook group, email thread, or even a group text can create space for members to share reactions and questions whenever they have time. The conversation may unfold differently, but the connection remains.
And if selecting your next read feels like one more thing to add to the summer to-do list, the brand new 2026 edition of the Reading Group Choices guide puts more than 40 discussion-worthy titles—and ready-made discussion questions—right at your fingertips.
Most importantly, don’t worry about doing things perfectly. Reading groups thrive because of the conversations, friendships, and shared experiences they create—not because every member finishes every page or attends every meeting.