The aim of this study was to describe the social and situated approach to individual reading that academic reading retreats can entail, and to contribute knowledge about how this type of reading activity can be designed, and how reading retreats can promote retreat participants' reading of academic literature. Furthermore, the study aimed to identify arguments regarding the potential relevance of university libraries and librarians organizing and leading reading retreats. The methods of this study included participant observation, semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis. Two reading retreats organized for students and/or employees at two different Swedish universities were studied (Gothenburg University and Lund University), and a total of 7 retreat participants, 4 organizers and 2 co-organizers were interviewed. Theories that informed the study were those of embodied cognition and information literacy in the workplace. The findings of this study suggest that reading retreats can be a way to promote reading of academic literature by introducing positive peer pressure, providing a situated learning opportunity for reading, protecting time for reading, and producing a good environment for reading. Further, the results of the study provide a rich description of reading retreat design. Lastly, reading retreats were identified as a potential reading promotion activity at university libraries.