After coming up with the idea and dreaming of what it could be, the first book·cation was held in June 2023. With the help of my friends Dani and Amy, we were joined by 6 other friends at a super cute AirBnB in Buchanan, Michigan for a 36 hour getaway!
Below is a peek into what happens on book·cation… 😏
Let’s start with the vibes!
One of the overarching goals of book·cation is that the weekend is about YOU! Everyone was in comfy, cozy clothes and lounging around reading books. Is that not the most ideal weekend?! 😂🙌
It was the most perfect, most picturesque setting and we had a great group of women attending. We didn’t all know each other which allowed us to have great discussions and cultivate new friendships over our mutual love… books!
Leading up to the weekend, we sent multiple emails with information about what to expect. It included a loose schedule of events and details about where we’re staying to set the stage for what was to be a relaxing and fun weekend!
Friday
Everyone arrived on Friday afternoon/early evening and got settled in. There was a swag bag on everyone’s beds that included snacks, a hat, a new library bag, a reading light, and a face mask! It also had a printed itinerary. The itinerary included pictures of each attendee with some information about them: hometown, family, fav genre, etc.
We did a ‘get to know you’ cocktail hour where we snacked on a massive charcuterie board while going around and sharing our favorite book of all time. Needless to say, we were all adding books to our TBR right away. 😉 We also shared who our literary BFF would be!
(Mine was Hermione because she’s so smart-you need a friend to get you out of a jam- AND she’s sassy. My kinda girl 💁♀️)
Then we had a break where everyone could go read while Dani, Amy, and I prepared dinner. For dinner we had a taco bar and we continued to discuss all things books, including what we brought to read for the weekend. Afterwards, people went off to read wherever they wanted and some even jumped in the hot tub! Now that’s a great way to relax. 😜
Saturday Morning
Amy, Dani, and I prepared breakfast and let everyone eat when they wanted. We didn’t want there to be a rush to get up – this weekend is about relaxing so it’s encouraged to sleep in. 😴
After breakfast, everyone got to spend the morning reading and hanging out. Some read on the porch, some read inside (hello air conditioning 💯), and some went on a walk of the property/surrounding area.
On the itinerary everyone received on Friday night, there was a QR code for people to submit their lunch order for custom sandwiches. Dani, Amy, and I delivered everyone their lunch where they were reading so they didn’t have to stop OR worry about preparing a meal.
Saturday Afternoon
In the afternoon, we had our optional book club. We encouraged those who wanted to participate to read ‘Lessons in Chemistry‘ by Bonnie Garmus before arriving. The highlight was definitely a chemistry themed drink – it changed colors! 🤩 Safe to say it was a big hit and really set the mood for our discussion.
(Shoutout to Dani for making our beakers and Amy for being our mixologist!)
After the book club everyone had personal time to read, nap, or whatever!
Saturday Night
We had a pasta bar for dinner and enjoyed more conversations about the books we’re reading and books we recommend.
After we were sufficiently full, we did our optional book swap! We encouraged everyone to bring a favorite book, wrapped up, for a book exchange. Some people brought books they had recently finished and loved while others brought favorites from the past. Another bonus was seeing the fun ways people wrapped their books 🎁
Saturday night found most of us in the living room all sitting together on couches reading silently. However, I think my favorite part of this weekend was the ease at which we all slipped in and out of conversation. Someone would pop their head up and share a thought about something and those who wanted to interact would join in. Then about 5-7 minutes later we’d all be back to reading, LOL!
Book·cation is truly the perfect blend of time for yourself and time with community! 🥰
Sunday
Sunday morning we discussed our favorite parts of the weekend over some bagels + muffins. Unfortunately, we had to be out of the AirBnB by 10am so it was a short day, but a great sendoff! 😊
Though for our book·cation at the Grand Geneva Resort in April 2025 you won’t see me making your meals 😂 I’ll still be there as your host! Truthfully, there’s nothing I’d love more than to have you join us so you can experience this environment. Every reader, every woman, is deserving of a weekend away to put herself first and I’d love to help you make that happen!
Make sure to check out more information so you don’t miss a thing!
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