Slow Stories

​Equanimity​

Envision reading your book on a sun lounger in Barbados, the Caribbean in every shade of blue beyond your bare feet. Going for a dip in the sea. Someone passing to kindly refill your glass. The sea breeze caressing your skin. Your eyes, drifting up to the blue sky, relaxing on the glittering water and horizon, then returning to your reading.

Or imagine staying in a Moroccan seaside medina. You have just enjoyed hammam and a massage. Settling in with a book on the rooftop terrace, the low sun is making the words on the pages glow. Somebody else will cook dinner.

Now picture yourself relaxing poolside in Tuscany with a group of friends and a fabulous book in hand. Lazy days for unhurried reading, a green landscape view, nothing disturbing your peace. Under the lanterns at dinner, someone says, ‘You know, I think I understand now what he meant in that chapter’. A fascinating conversation unfolds.

For some people, books are a constant companion: absorbing their daily commute, gripping them under the bed light and weighing down their luggage. For others, reading is something they are slowly returning to as adults. Others still haven’t discovered the “one more chapter” effect at all. Whichever way you like to read: scrolling a screen, touching the texture of the story every time you turn a paper page, feeling the weight of words in your hands, or concentrating best when earphones are plugged in — good storytelling can grab our full attention and stand the test of time. Despite all the talk about AI taking over authors’ and editors’ work: “Books have been around for thousands of years and they’re not going anywhere”. The words of Megan Christopher, founder of Ladies Who Lit the book club. I reached out to her as I was intrigued by the reading retreats they host all around the world.

Reading is having an interesting cultural moment. Book clubs have multiplied. Social media, with all its power to compress and accelerate, has also become unexpectedly good at making people want to read more slowly. “Reading takes us back to our roots. You can walk a thousand lives, read stories from any country, any culture or religion. Books are a great source for learning.” Megan also believes the current reading revival reflects a wider desire to return to simplicity and presence. “People are seeking a more analogue lifestyle now. It’s about going back to basics. When Covid happened, we were pushed to use tools that brought us together, but then those same tools became addicting, disconnecting us from others and ourselves. Reading is partly about coming back to what we were before.”

Growing up, reading was as much a tradition as it was entertainment for Megan. “My mum really pushed reading throughout childhood,” she told me. “She read books to us every single night. From a very early age I was going to libraries, and reading was a huge part of my upbringing.” When her brother was diagnosed with severe ADHD, the family home was designed to be a place for peace. “We intentionally didn’t have stimulants in the house like other kids did. There was no TV for example and that reinforced my reading.” The habit stayed. “I still choose not to have a TV today, and I read books every day. Reading is a massive escape for me.”

That longing for a different pace of life shaped the beginnings of Ladies Who Lit. Living in England, Megan and her husband Guy Habgood both had online careers, he as a web designer, and she worked in social media. During Covid, they found themselves questioning their routine of work-from-home and home schooling, against the lifestyle they both envisioned. “We were seeking that digital nomad life. So, we sold all our belongings and went travelling around the world, starting in Mexico.”

At first, they enthusiastically shared exotic travel experiences with people back home. But soon enough, a disconnect from other people’s realities became apparent. Their stories about climbing volcanoes or swimming with turtles seemed to almost rub salt in the wounds for others. Everywhere they travelled, they would often have their noses buried in books. In a bid to keep in touch with her friends, beyond their travel updates, Megan started a book club. “Hosting that for a year, we did one monthly call to discuss what we had read. My husband and daughter used to make fun of it as it really was just a tiny little club of 15-20 women, but I enjoyed it.”

When contracted projects were coming to their end, she realised “Oh whoops, I don’t have a lot of money coming in.”, something would have to change. The book club’s concept evolved one evening in Montenegro, while sitting on a beach drinking copious amounts of wine. “Some of the women from the club have been saying: ‘I want to go where you are. I want to read the books you’re reading.’ so I floated the idea to my husband: What if we did destination reading retreats? Like a yoga retreat, but instead of movement we’d just read, relax and enjoy the local culture. He was straight away on board with the idea.”

The first retreat almost never happened. Megan booked a villa, but only two people signed up. On top of that, always being on the road had started to feel nerve-wrecking, so the family moved back to the UK for a more traditional schooling experience, and Megan got a regular job. “Moving back was hard. It rained for eight weeks straight, and I remember regretting the decision immediately.”

When she couldn’t settle the villa payment for her reading retreat, she almost gave up hope. She decided it would be her final social media post about it that night.

“But, when I woke up, the retreat had sold out.” With a little bit of unexpected luck, the post had gone viral overnight. Fast forward a few months, and the second retreat sold out in one hour, and then that kept happening, the retreats kept selling out. “I had used up all my annual leave so coming back from one particularly good retreat, I quit my job to dedicate myself to this instead.”

Today her reading retreats attract women globally from all walks of life aged 18-75+. In 2026 alone they are hosting ~45 retreats, with capacity for 12-16 women per event. Readers can join Ladies Who Lit in the Caribbean or in countries like Italy, Morocco, Switzerland, France, UK, Indonesia and Norway. While most retreats take place at rented villas or hotels, Megan has also launched yacht-based reading retreats in Spain and Greece, as of this month.

Part of the retreat’s appeal, she believes, comes from the complete removal of decision-making and control. Many guests are high-performing professionals, women carrying an invisible mental load that is huge.

“We get corporate women, stressed mothers, women who are newly separated or divorced and are rediscovering themselves outside marriage. They’re overworked, underpaid, overwhelmed. They don’t know who they are anymore.”

“Here, they don’t have to think about anything. No meal prep, no school uniforms, no planning or organising. All they need to do is reserve their retreat spot and a flight, pack their suitcase and the rest is taken care of.”

Reading retreats touch much of the ethos in wellness tourism: slowing down, intentional travel, emotional regulation, intellectual intimacy and experiences built around presence.

Each retreat has its unique itinerary depending on destination, some are more active than others. All retreats however are intentionally slow-paced. Days allow space for reading, shared meals and relaxed cultural experiences. “At our retreats, everyone knows the cues,” Megan nodded. “People naturally stop talking at the same time because someone has picked up their book.” That collective understanding changes the atmosphere entirely. “Normally if you travel with somebody and open a book, they might just keep talking to you. But here everyone understands: ‘Oh, she’s reading now.’”

Participants bring their own reading along and also receive a book recommendation around fifty days before departure. An optional read, it gives them plenty of time should they wish to partake in the closing discussion. When choosing the book for retreats, classics are not considered as they can be too familiar or easily resonant. “We don’t want the retreat book to be too palatable but instead have more emotional complexity. It needs to spark conversation, so it’s actually good if not everybody likes that book.” The selected book is not concerned with the location they stay in, nor does it include philosophical or historical references. “For some guests who have to work on their laptop whilst away, this still allows them to travel, just get a flavour of Spain for example. They can visit another country, eat local food, experience another culture without having to run around all the time, simply relaxing with a book. This is slow travel.”

Whether someone prefers audiobooks, their Kindle or are a hardback loyalist also matters far less than the shared experience. “We don’t yuck somebody else’s yum,” Megan is relaxed about how people choose to consume stories. “It’s not our place to say what’s better. Whatever works for one person might not work for another. Most people are actually slow readers; I’m a slow reader too.” Personally, she gravitates towards unique storylines and someone of interest. “I really like an unhinged character,” she admits. “Definitely not a happily ever after ending, although I do love romance.”

Megan likes to include small things that help break the ice for everyone, starting on the first evening when they host a blind book swap — a fun exchange that gets people talking. Family-style meals throughout the retreat also strengthen bonds. “Women come seeking connection,” she explains. “Society pushes women apart sometimes, but actually we work really well together. As a holiday, this is a fun, unique way of meeting like-minded women. Women want to meet other women and make new friendships.”

Literature can give people language for feelings or life experiences they struggled to articulate themselves. Megan recalls one retreat in France where the selected novel Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess explored quite politically and racially charged topics. “Incidentally, we had British guests, Americans and one Nigerian woman present, all cultures connected to the themes in the book. The retreat became a safe space to discuss difficult topics honestly, everyone were openminded, the conversation was enriching and we shared some very meaningful moments.”

Ladies Who Lit reading retreats have now been running for two years, and the community is only getting stronger with some returning for more. “One lady has already joined five retreats.” Megan’s wish is that women carry their new friendships with them. “There was for example a group of women who met on a retreat, then decided to book another retreat so they could meet again, creating more memories together elsewhere.”

“We are continuing to sell out as we actually have a bit of a cult following now, people are desperate to come to the different properties, meet other guests and hosts. Our paying members are notified of retreats prior to their release on the website, which can help in securing a spot.” When other book clubs contacted Megan to join in, she began offering yet another arm of events; Private reading retreats for birthdays, hen dos and celebrations. “They are for those who do not want the traditional drinking in Malaga but something more wholesome.”

While modern life often tries to keep us rewarded through constant stimulation, productivity and speed, reading retreats can offer the opposite: uninterrupted attention for reading and meaningful conversation, as well as that permission to relax and take it easy in good company. “I hope anyone who attends also sees that it is possible to carve out time for yourself.”

A good story takes you somewhere no other form of transport can. Combine that with actual travel, and it is literally, quite the escape.

For Wellness Tourism subscribers, Megan kindly offered you all her top three book recommendations for this summer. “Naturally with me, there are quite a few unhinged characters in them.”

1. ​Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
2. ​Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura
3. ​The Names by Florence Knapp