Order History
Premium Membership & Rewards
Help Center / FAQ
Ask a Literary Lady: What Books Can Everyone Enjoy Around a Campfire?
Dear Literary Lady,
What are some good books to take when going camping with friends? I’m looking for books that everyone can enjoy together when we’re waiting out the rain or sitting around the campfire.
– T.E., St. Louis, MO
Dear T.E.,
Second only to s’mores, the best thing to have around a campfire is a book that can entertain your camp companions until it’s time to turn in. While scary stories are a camping classic, let’s face it, they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. Some people can’t sleep a wink after a scary story because they can hear something rustling in the trees. And something lurking behind their tent. And the shadows seem to be getting bigger by the minute. And is that just the wind or is something shaking the tent?
I run the other way whenever I hear a scary story about to start, so my favorite books to take camping have nothing to do frightening the daylights out of my tent mates. I like to bring books that are interactive and get everyone talking, or books that share weird and funny facts.
Here’s what I suggest reading with friends in the great outdoors:
Ships in 1-2 days.
If…(Questions for the Game of Life), by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell
Everyone gets a turn picking out a question and putting it to the crowd. I’m always surprised by the answers I hear from friends I’ve known for ages!
Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Misconceptions Throughout the Ages, by Leland Gregory.
I’m a huge fan of any historical trivia, especially anything with a humorous or unexpected bent. I love that one fun fact can lead everyone else to start chiming in with, “speaking of that, did you know…?”
The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy
Rick Beyer
Hardcover
$22.99
Ships in 1-2 days.
The Greatest Stories Never Told, by Rick Beyer
Campfires are for telling stories, but when you’ve been friends with your camping buddies for ages, sometimes you’ve heard all of each other’s tales. I always enjoy listening to stories about other people, especially historical figures.
Lists of Note, by Shaun Usher
I love how the lists in this book always generate some response, whether it’s laughter, a collective moment of silence, or someone volunteering their own list as part of the conversation. I specifically suggest reading aloud Noel Coward’s “Rules of Palship” when surrounded by good friends.
Misheard Song Lyric anthologies
I admit to having a weakness for books that catalogue commonly misheard song lyrics—books like Hold Me Closer Tony Danza: And Other Misheard Lyrics by Charles Grosvernor and ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy: And Other Misheard Lyrics by Gavin Edwards. It’s endlessly entertaining to read the wrong lyrics out loud, but what I love most of all is that everyone is inevitably inspired to break into song.
Camping trips are all about bonding with your companions outdoors, so I always like to put away my personal reading and bring along books I can share and experience with others. You’d be surprised how many books out there can be fodder for the best campfire conversations you’ll ever have.
Happy camping!
Literary Lady