Last weekend I was much further North than I usually am, I was in the Yorkshire Dales. This is a beautiful area of the country with grand old houses and hills for days, but I was here to look at a different view, the pages of my book!
A while back, myself and a group of bloggers thought it would be a good idea for us to book a big old house in the middle of nowhere, bring some books and name it a reading retreat. This is exactly what we did and I LOVED IT! I get to see other bloggers throughout the year, especially at YALC, but this was different. We were able to totally relax, be in our own space, chill out and just exist. I can’t tell you how much I needed that.
The lovely bunch in question were: Charlotte, Imi, Connie, Jenn, Ben, Lauren, Bec, Beth, Nikki, Faye, Donna, Kirsty, and Luchia. I’d spoken to most of these bloggers before, but there’s something much more personal about sharing a house for three days and seeing each other bright and early and late at night…
You know the expression we all hate in YA ‘they let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding’? I’ve always looked at that and thought what? How? It’s stupid and we all pull it up as a bad line when we read it. BUT. On this reading retreat, being around so many like-minded humans, I really did feel like I let out a big breath that I was holding onto that I didn’t know needed releasing. I could be myself, I could laugh a lot and smile and it felt so good.
I’m so glad this was arranged and I was able to attend because it has made my heart very happy. It’s easy to forget where your place in this very large world is and to get caught up in being someone you’re not because it’s easier. But with these bloggers, in a cosy house in the autumn, with a lot of books, I was the best version of myself. I felt accepted and I felt like I was laughing with everyone rather than being clueless. I’ve not laughed so hard in fact, in a very long time. My sides were hurting at one point and the smile would not rub off of my face. So yes, I enjoy my weekend very much and I would like to thank every person I went with for making it perfect.
Now shall we stop me gushing over the weekend and move onto the books I read?
My weekend TBR
- Hunting Prince Dracula, Kerri Maniscalco
- One of Us is Lying, Karen M. McManus
- Pumpkin Heads, Rainbow Rowell
- Truly Devious, Maureen Johnson
- Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
- The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J. K. Rowling
The books I completed included One of Us is Lying, Pumpkin Heads and Truly Devious. I also started The Immortalists which is now my current read. I managed to read 300 pages of One of Us is Lying in one sitting on Sunday morning which I am very proud of, although I did have a numb bum from sitting on the wooden reading nook you can see below for too long.
I knew I would get distracted and talk a lot, but I’m really pleased with the reading progress I made this weekend. A particular highlight was being able to finish a book and immediately gather around the other people who had read that book to discuss it. You don’t get that when you’re reading along at home!
Staying in the Yorkshire Dales
The house itself was called The Woodlands in Settle, a small, quaint village in the Yorkshire Dales. Because there were so many of us, we had a very large house with what seemed to be an unlimited amount of rooms. Each lounge had a fireplace, which we tried to light and sometimes succeeded with… The windows showed vast views of the hills we were staying between, in the mornings when the mist was surrounding us, it felt like the weather was trying to give us the perfect reading atmosphere. Usually, I put on fireplace and rain aesthetic sounds when I read, but I didn’t need to here.
We didn’t see much of the area we were staying in, other than the local Booths… which for a while I thought was a typo of Boots and we were having to buy out food shop from a chemist. Booths is, in fact, the Northern equivalent to a Waitrose, I felt a bit like Cameron Diaz when she goes shopping in The Holiday, minus the alcohol as I walked around the shop.
Driving up to this house was quite a journey, but I had the lovely Charlotte to keep my company. We talked for probably a total of 16 hours over both journeys, so I’d say it was a good bonding exercise! I don’t think I could have survived the journey with my sanity if I hadn’t had Charlotte’s company. If you’re ever looking to make a similar drive, really look at planning your route out in advance, I trusted in my sat nav and it decided at the last minute going through Manchester would be a fun idea. It was not.
But all in all, every step to get on this retreat was worth it and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with how this weekend turned out. I’m still on a high from it all and I had the absolute best time. I definitely need to have another one of these booked into my diary soon!
See the highlights from our journey on the hashtag #UKYAReadingReatreat19
Beth!! This post is just lovely! I had such a good time on this retreat and I can’t wait until the next one!
Aw thank you Connie! I can’t wait either, it was the best!
I followed your retreat on Twitter. The best idea!!!
It was fantastic!
What a fun weekend! And the place looks so cozy.
It was the best!
Love this post! 💛 I loved the weekend so much and I can’t wait to do it again. And our super long drives were great too, despite them taking so long – I glad we got to talk so much and got to know each other’s entire life stories! 😆
It was just the best, I’m glad we had the journeys up and down together!
This sounds like such a wonderful, inexplicably stunning experience! I’m so glad you, and everyone who went, got to experience this! I’m kind of in awe at how you worded this thought, because I’ve always felt like this about various things in my life that just felt like my focus had shifted and clicked in the right spot: “You know the expression we all hate in YA ‘they let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding’? I’ve always looked at that and thought what? How? It’s stupid and we all pull it up as a bad line when we read it. BUT. On this reading retreat, being around so many like-minded humans, I really did feel like I let out a big breath that I was holding onto that I didn’t know needed releasing. I could be myself, I could laugh a lot and smile and it felt so good.”
It was the best way to describe the situation really, it certainly felt like I was with my people!
What a wonderful experience! And what a blessing to be able to have such a group and meet inspiring people in inspiring places.
It was brilliant, I think everyone should go on one!
This is such a great idea! It must have been the most relaxing weekend ever, and sharing it with people with the exact same interests?? I want that!
I’d highly advise it, a superb experience!
Such a lovely post and it was so great to be with you all 😘😘
Wasn’t it just the best! Thank you again for organising it Imi!
Wow, this looks like such an incredibly experience! Those reading spots all look comfy AF and the Yorkshire Dales definitely gives me perfect reading vibes in these pictures 🤣 And you also managed to read so many awesome books 😱
It was honestly the best time!
I have heard of writing retreats, but now that I have read this post, I wish I could go on a reading retreat also. It sounds like so much fun!
You should try to arrange one, it was so lovely!
It looks like the perfect place for a retreat! So cozy, and the scenery is beautiful too!
It was honestly the best!
This sounds positively lovely!! I’m so lucky that my sister and cousin, the girls I am most close to in this world, are also avid readers. Not only that, we share a LOT of the same favourites. We have no problem sitting around in the same room, reading, or chatting about one of our favs for hours on end. If anything, we welcome days like that! This sounds like one of the most amazing experiences ever. So glad you had an amazing time!! xx
This looks like it was a tons of fun! I need to find myself a book club.
Sounds like a wonderful weekend. Hopefully you’ll get your next get-together booked up soon 🙂
This sounds like such a lovely trip! I’d love to sit around and read with blogging friends for a weekend.
This looks like such a great way to spend a weekend. I really enjoyed reading your updates while you were there on Twitter. It made me want to create my own weekend reading retreat.
How many of us actually gift ourselves space to enjoy reading without interruption? We definitely don’t. There’s always something else to do, especially with a young person to take care of. Weekends can be the best time, but taking a day off work for your bookish retreat can be extra-special. If you live with other people then the second option is also often a safer bet for peace and quiet.