Oregon really showed up and showed off for our retreat! We had 32 readers from across the country come for the best views, the bookish conversations, and of course, the books in general 🙌🏼 What an honor it was to host these incredible women as we got to know each other and share in this experience together.
Thursday Night + Friday Morning
This retreat marked the first time we had an ‘Extra Day’ add-on and boy did we have a great time coming in a bit early! We gathered at the resort bonfire for some s’mores and hot chocolate as we watched the sunset. It was STUNNING! (And coming from IL- aka the land of cornfields- I was in awe 😂) To break the ice a little, we did some bookish ‘would you rathers’ that led to lots of laughs.
Everyone received a gift card to use how and when they’d like for breakfast on Friday morning. Then, at 11am we had an Archery + Axe Throwing class! We had all different skill levels and our instructors were so great. By the end we were basically professionals… JK. But we did learn a lot and it was such a fun way to spend the morning before everything kicked off later that night.
Friday Night
Everything kicks off Friday night! As you come in, you find your seat and start going through your swag bags which is honestly the best way to start a weekend in my opinion 😉 This retreat was sponsored by HTP Books so in our swag bags we had 5 new releases and ARCs (advanced reader copies) for each attendee with HTP supplying 3 of those! We are so grateful for their partnership and everyone was so excited to have received these titles.
We also had a local author giveaway where five Oregon writers donated some signed copies of their books. After Friday was through, not only did everyone have 5 books in their bags, but 18 attendees walked away with another book on top of that! To see all the books + authors featured over our weekend, click here.
Saturday Activities
On Saturday morning, local independent bookstore Roundabout Books came and hosted an intimate pop-up book fair for us! I shared everyone’s favorite genres with them beforehand and they curated a great selection of books to bring. If you thought everyone had enough books Friday night, you’d be mistaken 🤪 Within an hour or two we had almost wiped them clean!
Saturday afternoon was such a special memory for me. Local Oregon author Tracey Lange came to discuss her book ‘What Happened to the McCrays?’ and we had the loveliest time! She shared a lot about her writing process and how tough this book was because she wanted to get it just right. Spoiler alert- I think she did! Getting to know Tracey as an author and as a person was such a treat and an afternoon I won’t soon forget. If you’re looking for a book with a love story that’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and also healing, this is it!
Saturday Night
When we gathered for our last dinner, everyone was seated by favorite genre. Fun fact- half of our attendees were mystery/thriller fans! We had genre-specific questions on the tables to help jumpstart the conversations, but by this time I don’t think anyone needed help. In addition to delicious food and great conversation, each table also has a task. I ask each table to put together a list of the Top 5 books they’d recommend to someone wanting to get into their genre. This is the 4th time we’ve done this and it’s fun to see what books show up repeatedly and which are brand new. 📚 If you’d like to see the epic book list we created, click here!
After dinner we did our optional Blind Book Exchange! Everyone who wants to participate can bring a favorite book of theirs and wrap it up so no one can tell what it is. I love this part because it’s so fun to watch everyone find the attendee who got their book and vice versa. It’s such a sweet ending to the night since, let’s be honest… no one wants to go back to their rooms yet!
Sunday Morning
We never have anything formal on the itinerary for Sunday morning, but I like to do a breakfast that’s open to anyone who wants to join. It gives us a bit more connection time before we all depart and I find that we end up talking more about each other, rather than books! It’s a slower, softer goodbye and it’s one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend.
Book·cation is all about being in a beautiful place with bookish people who just want to read and yap about what they’re reading. If this sounds like an experience + community you’d like to be a part of, we’d love to have you join us! We have a few upcoming retreats and there are still spots available 🎉 No matter if you come solo or with friends, there’s a place for you, friend!
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