Summer 2026 Book Club
Three books.
Three months.
Three online meetings per month.
A gentle introduction to mindfulness and meditation.
About the Book Club
This summer, I am once again offering a donation-based book club for people who want to begin, return to, or deepen a meditation and mindfulness practice.
We will read one short, accessible book each month and meet live online for meditation, a short teaching, and conversation.
This is a book club, but it is also a practice space.
Together, we will explore how mindfulness and meditation help us meet ordinary life with more presence, steadiness, compassion, and care.
How the Book Club Works
We will read one short book each month. You will need to buy or borrow your own copy of the book. We will meet three times each month on the first, second, and fourth Saturdays from 9:00–10:30 am Central Time on Zoom.
Each 90-minute gathering will include:
a guided meditation
a short dharma talk / teaching
group discussion of the assigned chapters
a simple practice to take with you
You are welcome whether you are new to meditation, returning after time away, or looking for a gentle way to deepen an existing practice.
You can register for one month, two months, or all three months. Your choice. Each month’s book and Circle will be both independent of what has come before or will follow and yet will build one on the other.
Summer 2026 Reading Arc
June: Begin / Return to Practice
Susan Piver, Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation
We begin with the foundations of meditation: posture, breath, attention, gentleness, and returning.
June meetings: June 6, June 13, and June 27, 2026
July: Meet Difficulty / Stay Present
Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
In July, we bring practice into difficulty, suffering, transformation, and the possibility of joy.
July meetings: July 3 (note this is a Friday due to the July 4th holiday), July 11, and July 25, 2026
August: Deepen / Work With Uncertainty
Pema Chödrön, Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion
In August, we explore how meditation helps us meet uncertainty, fear, tenderness, and reactivity with more courage and compassion.
August meetings: August 8, August 15, and August 29, 2026
Who This is For
This summer book club may be for you if you are:
curious about mindfulness or meditation
returning to practice after time away
looking for a gentle structure and community
drawn to contemplative reading
navigating transition, uncertainty, or life review
wanting to practice presence in ordinary life
No prior meditation experience is required.
What to Expect
This will be a slow and spacious gathering.
You do not need to finish every page or have something polished to say. Reading is part of the practice, and so is listening.
Each week, we will sit together and meditate, reflect on the book, connect the teachings to ordinary life, and notice what the practice is asking of us.
Donation Based Offering
This book club is offered by donation. Your donation directly supports the maintance of this website and the growth of the Practice Library. You may also participate without making a donation. No one will be turned away for financial reasons, no questions asked.
Suggested donation options:
$15 per session
$40 per month
$100 for the full summer
Other amount
A link to make a donation will be available at checkout when you register for the Book Club.