How good does spending a few days doing nothing but reading books and eating Italian food sound, in one of NZ’s most picturesque regions? Capsule talks to Hanna Rauch, the brains behind Busy With Books: a new kind of wellness weekend – the reading retreat.
As a life-long book worm, one of the best parts of being a kid for me was SSR – the period of Sustained Silent Reading that we would all do after lunch. Quiet reading in a group? Truly the best of both worlds. Well, now you can enjoy that as an adult, thanks to the concept of a reading retreat.
Do you ever see something on Instagram that feels like it’s been tailored for you personally? That’s how I felt when I saw an ad for Busy With Books, offering a reading retreat in Hawke’s Bay. A three-day retreat, held next to a vineyard, where Hanna Rauch, the brains behind Busy With Books, cooks Italian food for you. The tagline: ‘All you have to worry about is which book to read next.’
Have you ever read a better sentence? No, neither.
After shifting from her native Northern Italy a few years ago, Hanna settled on the Kāpiti coast and works as a social media marketing consultant. “This means I spend a lot of time on social media, but my hobby is books,” she laughs.
A few months ago, she saw some reading retreats pop up on TikTok that were being run in America. The basic idea was great – go somewhere beautiful and read all day – but Hanna says the vibe was like a grown-up summer camp, e.g. those taking part had to bring their own linens and food. What Hanna immediately imagined was something different.
“I didn’t want my guests to be doing all of the things that they’re already doing in their day-to-day life,” she says. “When I usually talk to people, they say ‘I wish I had more time to read books, but I’m so busy.’ They might be running after small children all day long, or they’re busy at work, or running a household – or probably all three of those. So, I wanted to create time and space for people to relax and really get stuck into their books.”
Inspired by the Italian concept of il dolce far niente (“the sweetness of doing nothing”), the Busy With Books reading retreats are designed for book lovers who crave a weekend to unwind with a good book, free of obligations and expectations. Hanna’s love language is taking care of people, she says. “I love to take care of people, when usually that is what they’re doing for everyone else.”
Did your tired eyes just fill up a bit with tears when you read that? Well, keep reading. Hanna says she wanted to find a beautiful location where people could either stay in their pyjamas and read in bed or day, or sit in the communal area, read quietly and talk about the books they’ve finished.
“One thing you’re missing when you read books at home is when you finish a book and you’re like, ‘I have nobody to talk to about how it ended!’” she says. “In combination with the fact that a lot of readers are a little bit introverted, so it’s quite hard to find other book friends. So, I wanted to create a space where we can do both.”
By picking the Napier location, Hanna is aiming to create spaces around the place where people can gather and read – in the lounge, by the pool, in the hot tub. Meanwhile, Hanna – who is also a talented cook – will be cooking up Italian food and bringing people “snacks you can eat with one hand, so it doesn’t disturb your reading.” (Maybe THAT is the best sentence of all?)
“Often when we think of retreats, it’s a classic yoga retreat or a spiritual retreat, where it’s all about doing breathwork and being mindful,” Hanna says. “That’s one type of self-care – and if that’s someone’s vibe, then that’s amazing. But I don’t think self-care has to always be about drinking your smoothies and doing yoga. It can also be taking time away from what you usually do, to get that uninterrupted reading time, and be surrounded by people who love books as much as you do.”
When Hanna first floated the idea on social media, she had 400 people join her waiting list. The first event is taking place in November – bookings shut at the end of this week – but there are wider plans for more. Hanna is currently looking for a location in the South Island for the next one and there are possibly themed reading retreat weekends on the horizon, like a true crime weekend with a murder mystery dinner as part of it.
“I’m hoping that Busy with Books can turn into a community where people can talk about books and do all the bookish things together, instead of alone,” she says. “Connection is always important in a world where we’re always on our phones and don’t get to see people as much anymore.”