A few weeks ago, I registered for a weekend retreat in Oxford, MS. The weekend is being sponsored by Books on the Nightstand and it’s called Booktopia. In short, several authors will be in town and the participants will be able to meet them, listen to author talks, ask questions and meet other book people. In short, it will be a book lovers dream weekend. After I registered, Ann and Michael ( the Books on the Nightstand creators) asked everyone to please consider contributing what their idea of Booktopia was, and it would be printed into a small souvenir type book. I submitted my idea of what Booktopia is to me, and the book has been published. So I guess, technically, you could say that I’m a published writer! Since it does not seem fair to only let the people who bought the book ,Living in Booktopia, know what my dream of Booktopia is, I decided to write a blog post about it.

My vision of Booktopia is this: Walking in a room with great lighting, bright and colorful bookshelves crammed with books, but organized. Books are divided into sections- chick-lit, suspense, fiction, and the like. There is a beautiful plush pink velvet chair with a table beside it. There is also a rich midnight blue couch with a silver blanket and plush pillows. I can sit or lie down as I rediscover favorite books or invite new friends to my collection. I simply snap a finger and the book I currently want to read just magically appears. The room never gets over-crowded, the bookshelves just expand for more reading material. This room houses all my books- from childhood to current age. In short, when I unlock the room with my antique key, it’s like a magical room: filled with promises of laughter, good times, some sadness, but mainly unlocking emotions and fulfilling me. This room is my utopia- it is where I go to rest and relax. It is where my best friends live and eagerly await my return. Simply put, this vision of Booktopia is magical.

While I understand that not everyone enjoys to read as much as I do, I’ll never understand why some people so proudly announce that they never read. I firmly believe that there is a book out there for everyone- a book that is a game-changer and that will instil at least a slight yearn to read more. When a person does not read, they are willingly shutting themselves off from worlds and stories that can be enjoyed from the comforts of home. Traveling is great, and I firmly believe people should travel; but reading takes you traveling much cheaper than airplane tickets.

Now that I’ve shared my vision of Booktopia- consider your vision, if you are a reader. Might it be a porch where the wind blows and there is a glass of sweet-tea ever present? Or a deep footed claw tub with never ending bubbles and a glass of wine that never empties (yet, you do not get tipsy?) Maybe your vision is walking in a bookstore and seeing row after row, and knowing you have all the time in the world to explore?