I’ve been planning literary adventures for The Novel Tourist Book Club for over five years now and it’s quite possible that 2024 was the best year yet! In just twelve short months our 1,500+ members read 56 books, engaged in over 80 literary adventures, created unique crafts out of books, met a couple of authors (and even an audio book narrator), gathered to relax and read together at 8 Philadelphia parks, and more! If you live in the Philadelphia area the list might just inspire you to check out some lesser known things to do in the city. If you live far from Philly, don’t despair! Use these book and adventure matchups for inspiration. Then, let Google be your friend to find ways that you can create similar literary adventures for your own book club.
Want to join The Novel Tourist Book Club?
It’s free! We are a community of Philadelphia area book lovers who seek out adventures in reading and real life. We are not your average book club! Every book club meeting involves an activity. So, if you like to read and love to explore this is the book club for you!
And now: 12 Philadelphia Literary Adventures!
These are my 12 favorite 2024 literary adventures. From soup swaps to lavender farms, each month pairs a captivating book with a unique activity. Go on your own exploration or use these mashup to inspire your book club’s next adventure.
January: Soup Swap & The Wedding Soup Murder by Rosie Genova
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Description: A deliciously cozy murder mystery with a side of Italian family drama, perfect for fans of culinary mysteries and soup!
Paired Activity: Book Club Soup Swap
January is National Soup Month so a book club soup swap is the perfect way to kick off the year! A soup swap is like a book swap – or a cookie swap – just with soup. For a book club twist, we added in discussing a fun cozy mystery. Everyone left with five new soups (including one using the recipe in the book!) to savor and recipes to try at home. Yum Yum!
Location: Private home.
Love this idea? Here is everything you’ll need to know to host your own book club soup swap.
February: Fireman’s Hall Museum & A Firefighters Journal by Robert Marchisello
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir
Description: A captivating look into the life of a career Philadelphia firefighter turned author. The book is a memoir filled with heroism, camaraderie, and resilience.
Paired Activity: Tour of Fireman’s Hall Museum
Location: 147 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
The Fireman’s Hall Museum showcases the rich history of firefighting in Philadelphia including antique fire engines and memorabilia. Check out the below video from our tour of the Fireman’s Hall Museum. We were honored to be accompanied by the author himself on this very special literary adventure.
March: Irish Dancing & The Searcher by Tana French
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Description: A suspenseful tale of a retired detective seeking peace in rural Ireland but finding trouble instead.
Paired Activity: Irish Dance at Commodore Barry Club
We embraced Irish culture with an exhilarating Irish dance ceilidh (pronounced “kay-lee”), featuring live music and a whole lot of fun! No experience needed.
Location: Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119
My daughter used to be a competitive Irish dancer and so I had a sense of how to do the steps, but wow – it’s harder than it looks! But, oh so fun! We laughed so much at how bad we all were! Luckily no experience is needed and there were plenty of actual dancers there to help us keep up!
April: Broadway & the Book – Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Description: A poignant story of love and survival set against the backdrop of a traveling circus during the Great Depression.
Paired Activity: Broadway Show in NYC
We took a day trip to New York City to watch Water for Elephants come alive on stage. The Broadway adaptation was mesmerizing!
Location: Imperial Theatre, 249 W 45th Street, New York, NY 10036
I fell in love with this book when I first read it over 10 years ago and so when it came to Broadway I was ecstatic! Watching the acrobatics on stage was like being at the circus itself. If there aren’t any performances near you, you could always host a movie night literary adventure for your book club and watch the screen adaptation. I don’t usually like movie versions of books, but this one is pretty good.
May: Potbellied Pig Farm &The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
Genre: Memoir
Description: A heartwarming memoir about a pig named Christopher Hogwood and the lives he touched. Be warned – this book will make you want to adopt a pig!
Paired Activity: Tour of Ross Mill Pig Farm
We visited the delightful Ross Mill Pig Farm to meet some adorable potbellied pigs and learn about their care.
Location: 2464 Walton Road, Jamison, PA 18929
The Ross Mill Pig Farm was one of my favorite literary adventures in 2024. I can’t even stand how cute these pot bellied pigs are! Ross Mill is a potbellied pig rescue just outside of Philly. We learned during our literary adventure that the author, Sy Montgomery, actually visited Ross Mill for a piggy palooza!
June: Lavender Picking & The Memory of Lavender and Sage by Camilla Bruce
Genre: Historical Fiction
Description: A compelling journey of a young woman who hopes that the secrets of her mother’s past can be found in a tiny French town surrounded by lavender fields.
Paired Activity: Warwick Furnace Lavender Farm
We enjoyed a tranquil pick-your-own day among the lavender fields, soaking in the delightful smells and beauty as we learned about lavender farming.
Location: Chester County, PA
This was a truly sensory book club experience! Lavender is one of those things that’s just always been around so I never much thought about how. Touring the farm and picking our own lavender on this calming literary adventure gave me a new appreciation for everything that goes into making lavender products.
July: Tea Ceremony at Shofuso House & The Last Teabowl Thief by Susan Blumberg-Kason
Genre: Historical Fiction
Description: A compelling story of art, history, and the journey of a priceless teabowl. I loved this book! I think it may be the only book I gave 5 stars this year.
Paired Activity: Visit to Shofuso Japanese House and Garden
A tour of this stunning house and garden paired with a tea ceremony is perfect for the book’s theme.
Location: Horticultural and Lansdowne Drives, Philadelphia, PA 19131
I’ve been to Shofuso House several times before our book club tour but I didn’t really appreciate it until reading The Last Teabowl Thief. Participating in the tea ceremony at Shofuso House was the chef’s kiss of the event. Now I want to plan a trip to Japan to learn so much more.
August: Native American Pow Wow & There There by Tommy Orange
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Description: A powerful novel that weaves together the lives of urban Native Americans as they travel to the Big Oakland Powwow. They are all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. The book was a One Book One Philly selection by the Philadelphia Free Library in 2020.
Paired Activity: We visited the Museum of Indian Culture for its annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival. The museum is closed during the festival so that you can immerse yourself in Native American history and culture by watching the talented Native American dancers and feasting delicious food. Fry bread and the roasted corn were my personal favorites at this culturally significant literary adventure.
Location: 2825 Fish Hatchery Road, Allentown, PA 18103
September: Beekeeping Tour & Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Description: A gripping novel about love, secrets, and the power of resilience, featuring a beekeeper protagonist.
Paired Activity: Half Mad Honey Apiary Tour
Our book club tour of the apiary allowed us to immerse ourselves in the lives of the main characters. Doning beekeeper suits we learned first hand about beekeeping and honey production and finished this literary adventure by tasting fresh, local honey.
Location: Navy Yard, Philadelphia. It’s a little challenging to find but basically it’s on the right hand side just after you pass the Keebler factory on your right. Look for the black metal gates and a lane. Go down the lane and that’s where you’ll find the beekeepers.
October: Parkway Central Library Tour & The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson
Genre: Literary Fiction
Description: A collection of stories about librarians and booksellers and book lovers sharing their pivotal role in the book community.
Paired Activity: Tour of the Philadelphia Free Library’s Main Branch – Parkway Central
We explored this iconic library’s architecture and rare book collection, a bibliophile’s and adventurous book club’s dream come true. It’s a gorgeous place!
Location: Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
You are likely reading this post because you like books and reading. So, I can almost guarantee that you will love this book. I literally cried at the end of the first chapter. Not from sadness, but from the joy of reading about other people who are dedicated to helping people find joy in literature. This book spoke to my heart.
November: Gothic Mansion & The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Genre: Classic Fiction
Description: A haunting short story exploring themes of women’s medical treatment and mental health. This novel actually changed medical practices!
Paired Activity: Book discussion at Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in the Parlor
This fully restored Gothic Victorian mansion in Philadelphia and its yellow wallpaper parlor provided the perfect atmosphere for our book club discussion on women’s treatment in the 19th century. You can also take a tour of the mansion and learn more about life in the victorian era.
Location: 200 W. Tulpehocken Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144
If you love Victorian literature and historical book discussions, visit the mansion’s website to find out what it’s Victorian Book Club is reading in 2025.
December: Jolabokaflod & White Elephant Book Exchange
Genre: It depends on what you get in the swap. I won Remarkably Bright Creatures!
Paired Activity: Hot chocolate and books! We embraced the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod by sipping hot chocolate and exchanging books at A Novel Idea Bookstore. This fun holiday book exchange party supports indie bookstores and helps you add to your TBR pile. The delightful bookshop proprietors at A Novel Idea generously allowed us to use their space and even wrapped each book for us. They wrote creative little hints on the front of each book and then we did the book swap White Elephant style. After the swap, we went around the corner and strolled through the Miracle on 13th Street Christmas lights. It was a magical end to the best year of literary adventures for The Novel Tourist Book Club yet!
Location: 1726 E. Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148
I hope these book and activity pairings will inspire you to pick up a book and then head out on a literary adventure either in Philadelphia or your own back yard! Life should be as fun as fiction!
Happy reading and adventuring!
