After our super successful book·cation in June 2023, we decided to do another one in February 2024. The thought of a winter reading retreat gave us all the cozy, comfy vibes and it was just that! It actually started snowing ❄️ the night we arrived which we didn’t expect (I did not bring the right footwear, LOL)!
This specific book·cation was so special because we had new friends attending, we tweaked our meal plan so Dani, Amy, and I spent less time in the kitchen and more time reading 😂, and I loved watching new friendships be created and cultivated!
Friday Night
Everyone started arriving around 5pm and immediately got comfy and started reading! We stayed at a family lakehouse so the views and vibes were top notch. 👌 Amy made her infamous charcuterie board for us all to snack on while we chatted and read until dinner. We catered Chipotle (see, we’re learning 😉) and enjoyed some delicious food before everyone opened up the rest of their swag bags!
The swag consisted of a book·cation cookie, the softest blanket and slippers, a journal for everyone to customize with stickers, and a tea infuser and bag of tea from my favorite shop, TeaLula. Now does that not just scream ‘cozy reading vibes’?! 🙌
Saturday Morning
We brought some muffins, quiches, and casseroles to pop in the oven so everyone could mozy on down for breakfast when they wanted to. My favorite part of breakfast was that most of us sat at the kitchen island eating silently while we read. 🤪 All my true bookworms understand why this sounds amazing, LOL!
A new addition to book·cation this time was {book·cation bingo}! The first 3 people get a bingo won Amazon gift cards and one of my favorite chocolate bars 😍 And by about 10am on Saturday, we had our 3 winners; I guess I didn’t make the bingo too difficult!
Saturday Afternoon
After soup and a custom sandwich was delivered to each person for lunch, we gathered for our optional book club. We chose a book that had been turned into a TV series so we could watch the first episode after. We chose, ‘My Life With the Walter Boys‘ by Ali Novak and of course had a drink that matched!
Around this time, Madison + Ali decided they wanted to do a book themed puzzle! They ordered one that arrived a few hours later and they got to work. 🤓 The rest of us checked in on them and helped here or there, but they completed that puzzle in record time! Book·cation is for all types of book activities, LOL!
Saturday Night
For dinner we all gathered at the table to eat chili and get to know each other more! We had everyone answer questions like what book made them fall in love with reading, what their autobiography would be called, and what’s their unpopular book opinion. Safe to say we really got to know each other even if it had some of us divided 😆 (specifically when it came to feelings on book jackets 🤷🏼♀️)
Next, we did our blind book exchange 📚 Everyone was encouraged to bring a book they love, wrapped up, and we let our bingo winners pick first. I always think it’s special to receive a book from someone else, especially one that they’ve really enjoyed.
The rest of the night consisted of reading (obviously), but also talking all our theories of ACOTAR + Fourth Wing! Most everyone there had read most of the books and the theories and fan casts were big topics of discussion.
Sunday Morning
We threw some more quiches in the oven and had a bagel spread and fruit for everyone to munch on as we packed up and started heading home. It was a perfectly slow, lazy morning as we checked in to see where everyone got in their books the night before… points for whoever stayed up the latest, LOL!
If it hadn’t been solidified for me after our first retreat that this experience was special, it definitely was after this one. Everyone who attended had such a great time and were excited about the idea of more in the future. I took that as a sign that it was time to really start thinking about how I could create book·cation into what I always dreamed it would be!
AND NOW IT’S HAPPENED! Our first official book·cation is happening in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in April 2025 and all are welcome 🙌😃
To find out more, click here, and get excited about an opportunity to get away to read and relax with other book lovers!
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