Do you struggle to fit reading time into your day? We certainly do. Modern life seems determined to throw obstacles in our way. Aside from the age-old distractions of work and family responsibilities, research has shown that our attention spans are being shrunk by social media. We’re bombarded with information from multiple sources, encouraging us to skim information rather than engage in any kind of critical thinking. Our brains struggle to deal with the daily sensory overlo

In the autumn of 2024 Christen invited a group of fellow booklovers to her home and holiday cottages in Cornwall for a reading retreat. She had no idea whether the idea would work but reckoned that if she was craving some reading time far away from the distractions of daily life, other people would be too. To her surpise and delight, The Reading Party was a huge success and has proved so popular that all six retreats have sold out this year. These retreats wouldn’t have been